MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa, pictured, says he will reward President Emmerson Mnangagwa with a lucrative pension if he wins next month’s presidential race.
“The only person who is going to support and who will want us to remain in power is Mnangagwa; he is going to get his pension and he will be the happiest person in Zimbabwe because we are going to give him a lucrative pension,” Chamisa told party supporters at a rally in Gokwe last week.
This comes as most pensioners in Zimbabwe are struggling to make ends meet with some of them barely managing to have a decent meal a day.
Their savings vanished when the country’s dollar lost value and was subsequently dumped in 2009.
Most pensioners are getting a measly monthly allowance of $60.
Chamisa told the bumper crowd that when elected into power, no senior government official, including him, will be allowed to seek medical service outside Zimbabwe.
“I am going to make sure that there is no minister who will go outside the country seeking medical service when our medical institutions are in poor state and do not have drugs. We must make sure that our hospitals have drugs and from that everyone will benefit,” he said.
“On governance issues, our MDC government which is the next government will govern and not rule. Governance involves engaging and listening to the people. Our government will be the government of the people unlike Zanu PF. We are going to look after everyone regardless of their political affiliation.”
Most local leaders seek medical treatment in foreign hospitals as the country’s health institutions are in a deplorable state.
Government is still failing to fund the health sector 15 years after it pledged to allocate at least 15 percent of its annual budget to health care by 2015 in line with the Abuja Declaration.
In this year’s National Budget, government allocated 7,7 percent of its $5,1 billion purse to the Health and Child Care ministry.
To help fund the health sector, Chamisa said his government will introduce a health levy to cater for cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
“We are going to introduce a levy to help people who are suffering from cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. On antiretroviral drugs, we are going to make them available so that people have time to go to music galas,” he said.
He also promised to turn Gokwe town into a city.
“You are very important, the people of Gokwe, you grow cotton and you must benefit from that.
“I am going to make sure that I will turn Gokwe into a town. Mnangagwa has failed this country, I saw the roads here they are in bad state.
“Prices started to increase when Mnangagwa grabbed power, he has totally failed,” added Chamisa.
His statement seemed to be a response to Mnangagwa, who has repeated that the country was “open for business” after almost four decades of oppressive rule by former leader Robert Mugabe.
Mnangagwa, who took the top job in November following Mugabe’s dramatic resignation, has repeatedly said his priority now was embracing the international community and modernising infrastructure.Daily News
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