Let us embrace indigenisation

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strive, masiwa,

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In the early 1960s the legendary Pan-Africanist and first President of independent Ghana, Dr Nkwameh Nkrumah preached that, “Seek ye first the political Kingdom and everything else shall follow.”

Today our living icon of the liberation struggle and the emancipation of the black people in post independent Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe as was when he addressed the 2012, 18 April Independence Celebration at the National Sports Stadium is saying to each and every Zimbabwean:

“We are living in the afternoon, if not in the evening of our lives and
those who are still in the morning of their lives will have the benefits we
are fighting for. They do not have to toil as we have done. It would be much
easier for them to proceed into the future.”

President Mugabe and his generation and a couple of generations have toiled for a better future particularly for the generation others have christened Generation 40.

The bright future the President refers to is embodied in the Indigenisation and Empowerment Act. Let us all read and embrace the empowerment drive in the wise counsel of Apostle James: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive you. Do what it says.”

Mbuya Hehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi and Lobhengula all died fighting for free Zimbabwe whose children are the masters of their destiny. President Mugabe alongside the likes of departed Cdes Joshua Nkomo, JZ Moyo, just to mention a few reignited in the 1960s the fire of the first Umvukelas and Chimurengas of the 1890 leading to the 1980 Independence.

An Independence we celebrated last Wednesday on 18 April, 2012 under a befitting theme ……….

A theme that embodies that very bright future which President Mugabe and those amongst his generation who are still living and departed toiled to deliver.

Let us not be deluded by the agents of Satan who do not want to see black people being the creators of wealth, but seek condemning them to perpetual job seekers.

Let us be reminded that those very people who are touting the so called job creation policy walked half way to join other in the liberation struggle only to end up at some mine in Bindura, where they cooked and toiled for our oppressor to deny us the bright future which President Mugabe and his compatriots is placing before us.

The very people who worked with our oppressors yesterday, when others sought to liberate Zimbabwe are very people today who still continue to walk hand in glove with the imperial forces who today come are now masked as Multi-National Corporations bringing investment into our countries, when they are actually looters.

Unlike some of us who are in the late afternoon generation, those still in their morning time stands to benefit from the indigenisation drive. This generation should not be deceived by failures, when all is there to see how really indigenisation can turn around the fortunes of individuals and a nation at large.

Twelve years ago at the height of the country’s difficulties, two major features that characterise the face of Zimbabwe today were born?

Which are these one might ask? Twelve years ago Zimbabwe saw the birth of an indigenous telecommunications and agricultural industry.

By the way this is not to say that the indigenisation processes started during this said period, which is the time between 1998-99. No!

Zimbabwe’s indigenisation story can be told or traced as back as the mid- 1980s, when the first few black Zimbabweans broke into the hunting industry, with the help of the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo.

This is the time we saw the likes of Mr Enos Dube, Mr Chidziva and Mr Musariri to mention just a few enter the lucrative hunting industry which was a preserve of the white minority. From the proceeds of the industry both Musariri and Chidziva went on to invest in education and building schools in Kadoma and Chivhu respectively amongst other investments they undertook.

In 2000, at the dawn of the land reform programme more black Zimbabweans were to enter into the hunting industry through being allocated land in the country’s hunting conservancy. Men and women in this industry have made a big killing.

Going back to the period 12 years back, we see the Gigantic General Josh, helping as short young man in his late thirties enter into the telecommunications industry. Those who worked with the maverick Father Zimbabwe always reminisce of how this short man in his quest to quench his empowerment hunger ambushed the nationalist at Plumtree town where a rally the late Vice President scheduled to hold a rally. This short man is today Africa’s 34^th richest man according to Forbes Magazine and is Strive Masiwa, the owner of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe.

To the memory of the late General Josh Masiwa established the Joshua Mqabuko Scholarship Fund which seeks to assist intelligent children from under privileged homes from primary school to University level.

Talking of the Joshua Mqabuko Scholarship Fund, quickly takes one to another scholarship fund, whose funding was made possible through wealth of this country. This is the Rhodes Scholarship Trust Fund. By the way, Rhodes grave lies at the sacred Matojeni Hills in Matopo, Matebeleland South province. Since the inception of the Rhodes Scholar ship Zimbabwe only has two slots per year, while countries like America, Australia are allocated more than 40 slots. Whereas Zimbabweans have failed to access the Rhodes Scholarship Trust, the Joshua Mqabuko Scholarship Fund is reaching all the corners of the country, thanks to the indigenisation.

Besides, Econet, we have the Government owned Net One and another private player Telecel which has significant shares being held by Zimbabweans completing the full circle of the indigenisation of the telecoms industry.

If the truth was to be told without fear and favour, Econet is contributing significant inflows to the fiscus far ahead of the rich cash platinum companies the country boast to be home to. We now have wholesalers dealing specifically with airtime that has been created as a result of these telecommunications companies, that has resulted in the existence of vanha ma juice card. Rough estimates put these women and men who sell juice cards at about 2500 in Harare’s Central Business District alone. How many families are being fed by these men and women?

One wonders to imagine what goes in the minds of the likes of Masiwa, direct products of indigenisation, when other go full throttle to scuttle it. Let us not go further to discuss other business which Masiwa has gone out to establish and others he has helped grow into big names. What happened to Masiwa is simple that when the nationalist spoke of indigenisation he listened and did what they said. He did not go to the Rhodies to get where he is.

Talking about agriculture, today, who can rival a tobacco farmer coming from the auction floors? Just last week Stanford Moyo, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority chairman in his quarterly results admitted that revenue from tobacco had significantly contributed to the authority surpassing its first quarterly target. This is one industry that is today being dominated by indigenous Zimbabweans and so is the fruit and vegetable business.

Today our President is saying let all those who are still in the morning of their time benefit from the toil of the work of them who are now in the evening of their time by embracing the indigenisation and empowerment act.

The question is are we ready for the challenge the President is bestowing up on us. Whereas it was hunting industry in the 1980s, tourism in the late 80s to the early 90s, the telecoms and agriculture industry at the turn of the millennium today is the mining and banking industries.

 Why are people scared to take what is theirs.

South Africa is one of the world’s biggest mining giants in terms of its mineral wealth. Despite this it is interestingly disturbing to note the inherence of neo colonialism in South Africa with the entire mining industry dominated by Anglo American, De Beers, Gencor, Billiton, Xtrata and Goldfields all of which are foreign owned corporate.

The relocation houses constructed by Aquarius, the sister company to Zimbabwe’s, Zimplats in Rusternberg is just but an insult to the South Africans. The justification on the type of houses that were constructed was that they found people living in shacks and in the spirit of not disturbing their way of life (poverty) they built them ‘decent’ shacks.

The copper belt, which is situated between Zambia and the DRC is one of the world’s most metallurgical provinces estimated to contain about 34 per cent and 10 per cent of the global cobalt and coppers deposits respectively. The said area contains the world’s highest grades of copper and cobalt deposits, with tailing dumps often containing grades higher than those found in other countries. Zambia has not benefited much from these resources.

DRC has abundant deposits of copper and cobalt as well as huge deposits of gold, diamonds and iron to mention a few, but what has it got to show serve for decades of civil unrest at the instigation of the imperial forces as they sought control of that country resources.

Angola’s rich mineral bank and oil deposits also resulted in that country having the most prolonged civil war also at the instigation of the imperial forces.

Nigeria where 70 per cent of its population is living on less than a dollars per day, while BP Shell is making super profits from the country’s oil reserves. The list is endless.

Canada is regarded as the world’s mining supreme. Its mining laws states that 90 per cent of the mineral rights are owned by the Government.

But in Zimbabwe, President Mugabe is saying give Government only 51 per cent, and ironically the law becomes barbaric especially from the perspective of our friend without class mates.

The people of Zimbabwe have to know that the indigenisation of the mining sector will result in increased foreign currency generation, increased mining sector gross domestic product contribution, employment creation, and the improved balance of payment position and the empowerment of the indigenous Zimbabweans. Remember each of the country’s district in the ten provinces that make up Zimbabwe has one or two types of mineral deposits.

In the same manner the late General Josh walked hand in hand with Strive Masiwa, President Mugabe is today not only calling one individual but all Zimbabweans with the zeal to walk hand in glove with him as he bestows them with the riches of the country’s natural resources.

Borrowing from Apostle James, Zimbabweans need not to merely listen to the Indigenisation and Empowerment Act, nor should they be deceived by those who purport to seek to create jobs on the basis that they refused to take up arms to liberate the country and become masters of their destiny but chose to be workers at some Bindura Mine, Zimbabweans ought to embrace and practise the empowerment drive.

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