VICE President Constantino Chiwenga arrived home Saturday morning after spending four months in China receiving medical treatment and immediately turned his guns on striking doctors.
Chiwenga touched down at Robert Mugabe airport and told journalists that he is now fit and “raring to go and join the team to build our country”.
“As I come back my single message is for our people to have a singleness of purposes, to be united, to work together,” Chiwenga told ZBC after he was received by the Chinese Deputy Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Zhao Baogang.
“Gone are the days where manna would drop from heaven, one has to work hard, and (not for) people to wait (and say) that they will be donors to come and dish out goodies, that time has gone. As you are aware there is no donor who has contributed anything.”
“We have to work. We have the resources –we must utilize them and work and build our country. That’s the message we want to give to our people that it will not help now and again to go on strike. You strike against what? Let’s work and build our country,” he said.
At a time doctors downed tools on September 3 demanding the pegging of their salaries to the prevailing interbank rate as a precondition for their return to work, it is not known how much Chiwenga’s four months medical treatment in China cost the tax payer.
Majority of doctors earn less than US$100 a month.
Speaking on his health, the 63-year-old former general paid tribute to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for playing a facilitator role and thanked ordinary Zimbabweans for wishing him a speedy recovery.
“I feel very good and I would want to thank all the Zimbabweans for their prayers whilst I was away. Everybody made (sic) their prayers and they prayed for me and I really appreciate it,” Chiwenga said.
“And I also want to express my great appreciation to His Excellency the President who managed to speak with his brother, President Xi, that I get the treatment in the Peoples’ Republic of China. The treatment which went on very, very well, extremely well, and I am much much better, fit. And I think everything possible was done and I am now raring to go and join the team to build our country,” Chiwenga added.
Turning to government business, Chiwenga said it was imperative that all stakeholders put hands on deck to rebuild Zimbabwe.
“To our leadership (sic) let’s work to achieve the vision our president has for 2030. Let’s make sure that that vision and that wisdom which the almighty has given him (will be realized). Let’s work with him tireless to make sure that everything is achieved,” Chiwenga said.
Zimbabwe’s vice president also had a message for the opposition.
“For decades they have controlled the cities but why have the cities remained like that if they are so good?” questioned Chiwenga.
“They must realise one thing, that no one is doing this things for the good of our people but to destroy our people. So let’s leave that mentality. That team, that mentality must leave their minds as quickly as possible,” he concluded.