President Emmerson Mnangagwa has called for the emergence of more Zimbabwean-owned industrial enterprises, saying the late national hero Cde Edward Raradza’s life demonstrated how indigenous entrepreneurship could drive industrialisation, job creation and economic empowerment.
Speaking at the burial of Cde Raradza at the National Heroes Acre in Harare today, , President Mnangagwa said Zimbabweans must build on the country’s natural resources by increasing local value addition and developing businesses capable of competing in global markets.
“Cde Raradza’s transition from liberation struggle activist to farmer, industrialist and mining entrepreneur provided an example of the contribution citizens could make to national development,”he said.
He said the late national hero had played a significant role in the country’s agricultural transformation, particularly during the land reform programme, while also helping farmers access machinery and critical agricultural inputs.
“As the Vice President of the Zimbabwe Farmers Union and its Provincial Chairman for Mashonaland Central, he led a nationwide membership mobilisation drive for ZFU, establishing functional chapters across the country. This transformed the ZFU into a powerful vehicle that saw the broad-based empowerment of farmers,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said Cde Raradza’s achievements in farming demonstrated the potential of indigenous producers to contribute meaningfully to food security and economic growth.
“He will be remembered as a cadre who did not just mobilise and teach farmers, but became one of the key players in the agriculture space,” he said.
The President also highlighted Cde Raradza’s contribution to the mining sector through the establishment of Zambezi Gas-Zimbabwe Private Limited, which he described as a landmark achievement in indigenous participation in large-scale mining.
“By founding Zambezi Gas-Zimbabwe Private Limited, he shattered the glass ceiling, becoming the first black Zimbabwean to establish, own and operate a large-scale coal mining company,” President Mnangagwa said.
He said the company had gone beyond mineral extraction by supporting electricity generation, creating employment and contributing to communities.
“Zambezi Gas has become a primary supplier of coal to feed our national electricity generation plants, stabilizing our energy grid, while also exporting high-grade coal across the region and beyond. It is not just extracting wealth, but building communities by creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs for our citizens,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said the late industrialist’s legacy aligned with Government’s drive to transform Zimbabwe from a raw-material exporter into a producer of higher-value goods.
“The misnomer which saw Zimbabwe being a mere exporter of raw materials has been decisively addressed. Now we are value adding and beneficiating our resources at source,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to promote local industries and indigenous corporations as the country implements the National Development Strategy 2.
“Let more industrialists in the mould of our late national hero, Cde Raradza emerge,” President Mnangagwa said.
