US$50 BILLION REQUIRED, BUT ELITE DOCILE
People of Zimbabwe, both those who support and those against the current systems, are biting their own ineptitude. The educated elite failed to effect change and appear to be making critique of those who are trying. Most of those residing in the Diaspora are keeping to themselves with their families to enjoy the space. Instead of being a tactful retreat, most have become docile, preferring to cross into Zimbabwe in pomp, with a show of goodies to their destitute family members. Some don’t even want to be known as Zimbabweans.
Of course they are able to change country again, trading their skills, if things change for the worse where they are now. But that is shallow mindset, for generations to come. Zimbabweans in the Diaspora have not solved the long term issues, for themselves and their children, have not even planned how to solve the problem, leaving matters to the so-called politicians. Zimbabwe will never be the same. Politicians will not solve the problem unless all of us engage in constructive discourse, not necessarily militating against the current government but planning for the future. It is lack of planning which brings us here.
The average Zimbabwe elite is naïve, chasing jobs, and unable to figure out how jobs are created, how an economy is built, and have not even worked out how many billions Zimbabwe needs to start recovery. The average business person in Zimbabwe, actually those forced into it, were the unemployable. The vision of the country which should come from the educated is blurred. It is something most people can’t see as we are immersed in this mediocrity.
Most of the well known civil society organizations are fighting the wrong war. In the Diaspora, as in Zimbabwe, chronic poverty the problem. The correct war is to fight poverty, then democracy. However civil society huddle in hotels and conference rooms, analyzing, speculating and criticizing. The people they aught to articulate for are largely in rural areas, in deep poverty. They are not aware of the discussions and will never know.
They need jobs, they need food, health facilities and a plan for hope. Civil society seem to lead to infer that problems will be solved out of free elections. The climax of civic society activity is organizing a demo, to parade undernourished faces before the cameras. The funders of these demos will not involve themselves in the welfare of the individual marchers. Is it not strange that while there is a large number of civil society organizations there is very little to show for it. The missionaries left churches, schools and hospitals. Poverty is rapidly increasing through out Africa. Though democracy is essential, it will not solve the problems of Zimbabwe. The mentality of donors, as in their countries, is monitoring. In Africa, not in Europe, poverty more dominant.
The number one problem of Zimbabwe is lack of production – no factories, no products. Start with the fight against poverty, then organize demos of people come out of their factories. If the government can’t do it, show them how to do it. Why is it that Zimbabweans in a democratic country like South Africa still languish in poverty. It tells us that it is not democracy alone which will change our lives. So, what is it that Zimbabweans, wherever they are in the Diaspora, have put together as a strategy?
Zimbabwe Diaspora Civic Society Organizations Forum appear to be having a clear plan. The Forum has no donor funding but by a few Zimbabweans contribute. Sometimes the office and the telephone are closed. Office administrators are giving some good free time. No-one earns salaries. In two years this organization has brought together about 40 NGOs, involved grassroots in drawing up a plan of action to improve the lives of people. These grassroots persons have a much better plan, which need leadership. The Forum is putting together that plan.
The plan is to form three structures for development – the first is a national structure of the NGOs in South Africa, coordinating other regions to do the same. The second structure is the Global Zimbabwe, made up of six regions –Australasia, UK, Americas, South Africa and SADC outside South Africa. The Forum organized a global conference, which will be an annual event, in December 2007. All delegates attended on their own cost. There was no doling of air tickets or hotels. These few Zimbabweans just managed to host the conference, but the Forum ended up with debts. The global conference endorsed the plans and created a global executive, which
co-opted a few more to be as follows:
1. Ms. Grace Kwinjeh - Chairperson (South Africa)
2. Mr. Mandla-akhe Dube - Vice Chairperson (New Zealand)
3. Mr. Luke Zunga - Treasurer (South Africa)
4. Mr. Daniel Molokele - Coordinator (South Africa)
5. Ms. Violet Mariyacha - Committee Member (United Kingdom)
6. Mr. Canaan Mhlanga - Committee Member (Canada)
7. Mr. Simbarashe Chirimubwe - Committee Member (Botswana)
8. Mr. Tamuka Chirimambowa - Committee Member (South Africa)
9. Prof. Stan Mukasa - Committee Member (United States of America)
10. Mr. Promise Mkwananzi - Committee Member (Netherlands)
11. Committee Member – Australia (pending)
The Patron and main speaker at the global conference is Prof. Kenneth Mufuka of USA.
The whole Diaspora should support Global Zimbabwe as main body to negotiate Diaspora space, skills training, leadership preparation etc.
The third structure is Zimbabwe Diaspora Development Chamber as the implementing arm for development. The Chamber started the first training course, of an estimated one million trainees, started on 26 and 27 January 2008. The programs of the Chamber will guided and managed by a board of directors which will be published. The work of the Chamber is to create a funding structure similar to the World Bank to raise up to US$350 billion in the next 10 years and put Zimbabweans in business.
You will notice that black people(the majority) are not engaged in production of goods and services the country needs. If you walk into a supermarket you would find few products made by black businesses. If we increase production, we decrease poverty increase. If you tackle poverty you are empowering people to provide jobs, housing, food, education and improved health to their families. It we do this the 3 structures will be self funded.
I would like to see organizations based in Zimbabwe and their counterparts in South Africa, recognize these Diaspora structures, and work together.
The Forum had engaged the South African President to facilitate our discussions. The South African government provided the office of Chief Director Southern Africa to handle our requests. We inform the South African government what we are doing through this office. Two meetings have been held. Our first request, among others, is that South Africa grant Temporary Resident Permits to Zimbabweans in South Africa. South Africa in principle, will facilitate only those engaged in the Chamber development projects.
We sent a petition to SADC, a large document, urging SADC countries to grant Temporary residents permits to Zimbabweans refugees on their respective soils. This matter has a deadline of 28 February 2008, failing which the Forum, now with Global Zimbabwe, will take the matter to an international court to lay evidence of human rights abuses both in Zimbabwe and in SADC, to force a decision.
We want to see everybody working together or collaborating. But our own elite bothers, civil society in Zimbabwe and their counterparts in South Africa, refuse to participate in these, choosing to follow their donors. Despite talking to them, they turn a blind eye, and want air tickets, hotel bookings and fees for their speeches to attend the global conference. Our own media houses, run by Zimbabweans, refuse to cover these events. It is a game of who is who in these perfunctory elite bodies. They think I they work with the Forum, the donor will recognize them, then there will be too many people approaching their donors.
They cannot envisage an NGO operating successfully without a foreign donor, because Zimbabweans generally cannot dig into their pockets for public good. I once asked one of the donors where they get the money they donate. The answer was “church collections during Sunday service”. So our big minds are budgeting their livelihoods and planning strategy for the country from these pennies. What would be the size of their planning? Zimbabwe needs US$50 billion to raise it from the dead. Can they work it? It is clear to me that the elite, and some civil societies, are destroying Zimbabwe, unfortunately in the same vein as the dictator.
L D ZUNGA 011 339 2929 – This is a personal view.
Forum Treasurer
PLEASE KINDLY READ "DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT"
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