The Sunday Mail
Rangu Nyamurundira
There is directive wisdom in the Shona adage “pangwa zano uine rako”. I ask then: Do we, as a nation in pursuit of an “empowered society”, have a plan? If so, does our duly elected and representative Zanu-PF Government preside over the bold implementation of such a plan? The answer to the first question is “yes!”
We do have an original plan which the people endorsed in July 2013 by electing the Zanu-PF Government to establish “An Empowered Society and a Growing Economy”.
However, on implementation, I must hazard to say “no!”
Government is failing.
Zanu-PF in Government iri kuvhunduka the very shadow of its original plan that was supported by the people.
Post July 31, 2013, the plan appears compromised.
It has never been a flawed plan in itself, rather only made defective by those entrusted to execute its implementation.
Government seems increasingly drawn outward, always looking to foreign horizons for remedy while aloof to restless local potential that grows weary and agitated like a neglected and unnurtured child despite all its promise.
Government has so negatively communicated indigenisation post July 2013 and shot the people’s stride, only to now hide behind the excuse that foreign investors want clarity.
The fact is whatever challenges or mistakes were there before July 2013, Minister Saviour Kasukuwere had revealed the birth of a baby who promised economic salvation.
He had drawn confidence to the idea and made people embrace the expected fruit, which, in some cases, was already being reaped through community trusts.
But, alas, despite the people having endorsed and laid claim to this baby, it is shocking to see Government forsake the nurturing of this infant.
It is akin to throwing out the baby with the bath water!
In fact, that water might as well be clean as no one would have even cared to wash the baby!
‘Tyson’ had tamed the buffaloes that threatened to gore the baby called indigenisation.
But, alas, Government appears to be letting them run wild again.
We only needed to put aside the whip, yet remaining visible, resorting to persuasion as tact while dealing with an “animal” now brought to the table.
Now, it appears Government thinks the solution lies exclusively in Foreign Direct Investment and businesses having their wagging tails back up.
They fail to heed the caution “pangwa zano uine rako”.
It is one that would have us firmly grounded and enlightened in our pursuit of economic emancipation.
What wisdom shall we have to save us from those who have always sought to depose the ideology that formulated our plan?
If we are to shelve indigenisation, as some in Government now boldly advocate, do we honestly think we will unshelve it in the distant future without President Robert Mugabe who has been the authoritative, honest and consistent advocate of our original plan?
Shall we not find that those we sought economic wisdom from have poisoned the watering holes along the way of a marching “empowered society”.
If we are to be like empty tins as we engage FDI, then let’s be prepared to be filled with whatever crap its “wisdom” may want to put there.
“Pangwa zano uine rako” is much of a disclaimer really, not to blame the giver of wisdom when there proves to be disparity between their viewpoint and its bias and the receiving people’s own unique aspirations.
Zanu-PF presented an original plan to the people.
That original plan was formulated without any consultancy from foreign economists or capitalism.
It was done without having to engage Western emissaries as match-makers to convince them to embrace that plan as they did in July 2013.
Such a delicate affair between a people and its political suitors placed in a government can never be blurred by foreign advances given exclusive and unmitigated access.
If so, then any adulterated “dis-empowered” society that will be born from such a tainted affair will soon turn on the very government when it begins to ask who its real father is.
This talk of “amending and shelving indigenisation”, “giving it clarity”, bla bla bla, is spoken upon ignorance.
I challenge anyone uttering those ignorant words to first show they know what they are talking about.
Can they first demonstrate to the people their understanding of what indigenisation and empowerment is and how the two relate to each other?
Thankfully, the Minister charged with indigenisation, Cde Patrick Zhuwao, is saluting the people’s original plan when he says, “Foreign Direct Investment is not the principal aim of what I do as a Minister. What is the principal aim of what I do, and what everybody else who is a Minister does, is to satisfy the wishes and aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.”
Let us understand him clearly.
Minister Zhuwao is not being malicious or dismissive of FDI.
He only defines the place and role of FDI within the objective of our original plan.
Those Government officials merely parroting Zim-Asset must remember that while it does call for “increased FDI”, the blueprint speaks to the need to uphold and “consolidate” indigenisation and economic empowerment.
And so, Minister Zhuwao is being frank and sincere when he challenges colleagues in high level positions not to be lost in the self-serving “wisdom” of “somebody who has come in, trying to negotiate the best possible deal for themselves” and against the people’s localised interest.
Let us not be lazy to think and implement our own plan.
What is most worrying is when our reliable State media become so excitable at any glimpse of FDI on distant horizons.
It was not so long ago when they were abuzz with glad tidings of so-called re-engagement with Western emissaries whose foreign capital has always looked sideways for relief from our original plan.
We must pay attention to our original plan, as Minister Zhuwao would have us do.
He reminds us, “We have the land in the form of natural resources. We have the labour in the form of our highly-skilled people.”
He is confident we can develop enterprises to generate local and indigenous capital given both these human and material resources.
We can achieve if committed and with sincere support across all line ministries.
Let us receive foreign investors, but remain conscious of our own original plan against which our empowerment-seeking society must weigh such unfamiliar wisdom and our unique and vulnerable aspirations.
Rangu Nyamurundira is a lawyer and advocate for Government’s indigenisation programme and the establishment of a new indigenous economy founded upon an empowered indigenous society.
Next week, The Sunday Mail will also publish alternative views on how indigenisation, economic empowerment and investment should be tackled.
