PRESIDENT Mnangagwa arrived in Bulawayo yesterday to meet
civil society organisations from Matabeleland region at State House in an
expanded engagement drive to strengthen dialogue between the Government and the
organisations.
The President last year acceded to requests for a meeting
with the Matabeleland Collective to discuss a number of issues affecting the
region ranging from development to reconciliation and inclusivity.
Today’s meeting has been expanded to accommodate
organisations outside the ambit of the Matabeleland Collective.
Addressing a press conference in Bulawayo yesterday
evening, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Virginia Mabhiza who is also head of secretariat in
the engagement and dialogue with Matabeleland civil society organisations, said
the President will receive feedback on the progress of engagement.
“It is an
opportunity for the President to receive feedback on the engagement that the
Government has so far had with civil society. I’m sure you know that sometime
last year and in fact on the 21st of March 2019, His Excellency came here to
Bulawayo and dialogued with civil society.
“So, as a listening President, His Excellency has taken
time to travel and hear personally the voice of the people of Matabeleland so
that he strengthens the relationship and continues to build the trust,” said
Mrs Mabhiza.
“By honest and frank dialogue, he hopes to improve
interaction between civil society and Government. In fact it is the prime purpose for such
dialogue.”
Mrs Mabhiza said after the initial engagement, the
Government and civil society organisations developed a matrix on various areas
of implementation.
“May I say at this point that the matrix is one of the key
issues on the agenda and I would not like to pre-empt what we are going to
discuss,” said Mrs Mabhiza. “When we initially came here it was upon the
invitation of a specific grouping which is the Matabeleland Collective hence
his Excellency had to have a dialogue with that grouping.
“However, as we progressed with engagement and dialogue for
the sake of dialogue and peace-building it was seen fit that we can expand to
any other interested civil society organisation from the same region to assist
us.”
President Mnangagwa landed at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International
Airport accompanied by Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe
Kazembe and other Government officials.
He was welcomed by Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Cde
Judith Ncube, National Peace and Reconciliation Commission chairperson Retired
Justice Selo Nare, his deputy Commissioner Lillian Chigwedere and commissioner
Mr Lesley Ncube, senior government officials and service chiefs. Chronicle
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