What real power would Parliament, an elected government or the voters have if most of our land, all the mining companies and what is left of the manufacturing, marketing and transport systems are all in the hands of a small group of people? All the people campaigning for constitutional change need to wake up to the fact that we are very close to that situation already.
I seem to remember that black businessmen with creative new ideas faced protracted and difficult negotiations with Zanu (PF) even before the hondo yeminda as they attempted to develop their businesses. They aren’t white. They weren’t farmers, but they were building something ZANU didn’t control, and ZANU never liked that.
Then the land takeovers replaced a small group, many of whom treated their workers as if their party still ran the government, with a smaller group of big landowners who drove most of the labourers off their farms, leaving them jobless and homeless. Black commercial farmers who had bought their own farms were victimised alongside the whites. The small-scale settlers who did the dirty work of evicting commercial farmers by force were given no help to develop their land. Whose interests did all of this serve?
Strive Masiyiwa’s departure for South Africa in the same year showed that independent business initiatives, black, white or green-faced, were facing a hostile environment at home. We remember the difficulties of Makamba and Mawere as other examples. Business had to be done the ZANU way. Anyone who thought they could ignore that faced trouble; NMB Bank had the temerity to demand security from party members before giving them loans, and look at the trouble they had. The small people suffered Operation Murambavanhu and what chance do you have now of getting a stand at Siya-So if you don’t have the right party card?
Now the big mining companies seem to be giving in. They don’t want all the platinum, gold and diamonds to go to China, so they’ll accept a 49% share in all those goodies. Of course, they’ll want a higher percentage on their investment than they would get in safer places like Botswana, but they know our bosses can help there; they will agree that the workers must pay – by accepting lower wages and worse working conditions.
ZANU’s next move threatens the banks. Taking over the big banks would give them almost total control of what is left of the economy. Elect what government you like, but they will not be able to do much against all the remaining employers, the landowners and the controllers of our money. And don’t forget that the people with all that power aren’t very likely to give the army and police back to the government.
We can only hope it is not too late for the democrats. Tendai Biti has been putting up a good fight; Morgan Tsvangirai would have had an easier life if they didn’t still feel he was a threat. They need more support; for example, Theresa Makone should be able to do more than voice an occasional complaint. MPs who make so much noise about their own exit packages need to focus on the real issues that affect us all. If they stood firm and spoke clearly, they’d have all the support we can give them. If not, the prospects for all of us are gloomy.
And then? On their past record, we could expect a victorious ZANU kleptocracy to tear itself apart, short-changing the lower ranks until they revolt, stabbing tribal rivals in the back and creating general mayhem. The only hope is that it can’t last.
Post published in: Opinions & Analysis