Letter: Zimbabwe is at a crossroads in economic crisis

It is shameful and saddening that the country of Zimbabwe is sitting in a mess, but its mining sector is highly diversified, with close to 40 different minerals.

These include platinum group metals (PGM), chrome, gold, coal and diamonds. Compared with South Africa, there are currently 22 minerals mined in South Africa.

Botswana has the second highest number of emigrants from the country, with just above 40 000.

Reasons for this include limited economic opportunities, political instability, poor environment and natural resource quality, unfavourable socio-cultural settings, and poor socio-economic resource distribution.

Now, in South Africa, Zimbabweans are facing painful problems like rampant poverty, unemployment, overcrowding, inequality, health problems and some have been burned alive.

The heartless Zanu-PF president Emmerson Mnangagwa ignores the plight of its citizens, who have flocked to South Africa in search of better economic opportunities and better living conditions.

To hold onto power despite glaring failures and rampant corruption, Zanu-PF has had to use despotic tactics, including clamping down on opposition politics.

* Kudzai Chikowore, London.

** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.