Given why the great majority of Black Zimbabweans have left Zimbabwe, he must think his fellow citizens are stupid. I don’t know how many Zimbabwean diasporans are there because of him, some escaping to avoid imprisonment, torture or even death, others because they see no future there. But it must be a very high percentage, because the fact is most Zimbabweans in the diaspora love their country, would not have left under different circumstances, and would go back like a shot now if they could. But I doubt that many of them would be stupid enough to go back to face even more state oppression or a future that is less certain now than formerly – especially if next year’s elections end in a blood bath and possibly civil war, which could easily happen if Mugabe and ZANU-PF are voted out.
He says he will make sure they are properly paid. How, if so many workers in Zimbabwe are not being paid now, will he manage that? Unfortunately, not enough workers who are unpaid are prepared to do anything about it at the moment – it should have released a flood of demonstrations and trade union action supported by all activists, campaign groups and civil service organisations, the Churches and the opposition political parties, but it hasn’t.
But what will the unpaid workers do if they see a lot of returning Zimbabweans being properly paid when they themselves are not? Might that not be the catalyst for the action the whole country needs – assuming, of course, Mugabe does not renege on his promise to pay the returners? Because his history of keeping promises is not exactly a good one.
Anyway, with the country’s unemployment rate running at 90%, why doesn’t he offer these jobs to the unemployed instead? If jobs are there for returning Zimbabweans, then they surely must be there for the currently unemployed.
But leaving all that aside, Mugabe must be incredibly naïve if he thinks no Zimbabwean in the diaspora is aware of the single and only reason why Zimbabwe is in its present parlous economic state: Mugabe himself.
Equally, all of them are probably aware of what the only possible solution to Zimbabwe’s woes is: he and ZANU-PF have to depart. If he really wants Zimbabweans in the diaspora to come back, all he has to do is go, and he will see many returning.
The fact is that Mugabe did not take over a failed state. Love or hate the White Southern Rhodesian regime, Mugabe inherited from it what was arguably the strongest post-colonial country economically, with Black pay among the best in Africa, probably the best education system with the lowest illiteracy rate and – he is quite right in this – a nation very rich in raw materials and basic commodities.
So Mugabe actually had to work very hard to turn that into one Africa’s worst states, and he has done an excellent job not only of that but also of becoming a leading hero of White Supremacists – they absolutely love him because they can hold him up as a great example of Black inferiority. And the Official Aid Agencies and the whole Western aid community must also love him because he and other African leaders like him will keep them in jobs and ‘good causes’ for many years to come yet.
He argues that Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is not his fault but the fault (inter alia) of ‘Western imperialism’. Actually, I completely agree with him on this, but not for the reason he thinks. Sadly for all Zimbabweans, the West and China, with their aid & loans, have played a big part in keeping Mugabe in power. In 2015, they added 37% to his income. In 2016-2018, this has risen to a massive 80%. To that, you must add all the expenditure by Western NGOs in Zimbabwe.
Would he have actually been able to stay in power without this support? Who knows, but it certainly has helped, as well as making a major contribution to his ill-gotten riches.
Another big omission of his has been with regard to the AU’s Agenda 2063 with its accompanying First Ten-Year Implementation Plan 2014-2023. He signed up to this (in common with all African governments). Had he implemented what he agreed to do under it, Zimbabwean citizens would already be seeing the beginnings of a very fast-accelerating turn-around in their fortunes. Instead, he has failed to implement anything he signed up to do, and has failed to meet every target so far. That is not the fault of Western imperialism.
All in all, even if all the Zimbabweans in the diaspora were foolish enough to return home on his say-so, it would not make a blind bit of difference to Zimbabwe’s economy.
Post published in: Featured
Even South Africa , is not total immune from this in future . People , beliefs and perceptions are dangerous. Zimbabwe was bound to be caught up in it’s history . Politicians mostly negotiate for their enrichment and do changes for their survival. The Lancaster house agreement of 1979 and aappg report land in Zimbabwe. People must download those and read them before judging Mugabe.
Ian Smith’s South Rhodesia and Mugabe’s Zimbabwe forgot being total inclusive. Smith used race and Mugabe used tribalism. No country can flourish if wealth is in a few hands. Remember the Bolshevik Revolution. I don’t blame Mugabe for Zimbabwe alone. There is people supporting him there.
For example if South Africa, reaches that must we blame Zuma alone. There’s many hands of other comrades in cookie jar with Zuma , looting and get favors . They even defend corruption. People have politicians to much power. Time to take it back .
Even if most Zimbabweans return home. Africans talk big , lack implementation. They just want to reap rewards mostly. The Arabs , Indians and Chinese have clean up their act . When are Africans going to clean up their act .