Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Diasporans losing out on empowerment

Diasporans losing out on empowerment
By: Duduzile Bhebhe
Posted: Thursday, September 16, 2010 8:11 am

DEAR EDITOR - There has been a lot of interest in Zimbabwe from foreign investors despite the anti-government campaign by the West.

Zimbabwe is endowed with a lot of resources that the West and any serious investors cannot afford to ignore. Many Western companies are going "behind their governments' back" inorder to take advantage of the investment opportunity in the country.

Unfortunately, a lot of Zimbabweans, some well-to-do, are missing out on the opportunity afforded them by the Zanu-PF government; including the indigenisation and empowerment drive.

These Zimbabweans, mainly based in the Diaspora, will one day wake up to find those that remained home ahead of them and they have no opportunity to invest in their own country.

Despite all the reports that the country has learned people and has the best literacy rate in Africa, Zimbabwe is failing to produce entrepreneurs who can fill the void (that is the business opportunity) that is in that country.

There are a lot of academics, who constantly write in cyberspace and make "predictions" about how good or bad politics in Zimbabwe is going to be in the future and when then the country will be conducive for investment.

Unfortunately these "academics and commentators" are missing the opportunity to empower themselves.

They are happy with the jobs they have in the diaspora: lecturers, engineers, doctors, nurses, care workers. They fight for "leave to remain" in those countries rather than make plans to return home.

President Mugabe, Dr Joshua Nkomo, Herbert Chitepo, Josiah Tongogara and many other heroes have fought hard for Zimbabweans to be empowered and to self-determine.

At 86, President Mugabe is still fighting and many Zimbabweans, unfortunately are failing to realise the fruits of his struggle; believing the West in the anti-Mugabe, anti Zanu-PF campaign.

When Kwame Nkurumah was fighting for Ghana, he was castigated and called many names; oftentimes by his own people. When he died in exile, Ghanaians woke up to a country, once called the Gold Coast, in the hands of foreigners.

Today, the Ghanaians can only dream of owning their own resources; which are now in the hands of the conglomerates from the West. Nigeria is lost too.

This is the tragedy of Africa -- producing too many people who would rather work for someone than take charge of their own affairs.

It is unfortunate that, rather than debate the important issues, many Zimbabweans spend time 'playing God' trying to predict when we will see the last days of President Mugabe. These people might as well wait their lifetime because only God can make that judgment.

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Duduzile Bhebhe writes from Cape Town where she is a PhD student in social development.

Labels: DIASPORA, INDIGENIZATION AND EMPOWERMENT ACT (ZIMBABWE)

posted by MrK @ 7:03 PM