Unconditional Aid: Analysing the Impact of China’s Development in Zimbabwe

By Tawonga Kudakwashe Masarira Recently, there has been widespread outcry from Zimbabweans concerning the activities of some Chinese investors in the country especially those domiciled in the mining sector. The major bone of contention has mainly been around the exploitation of local resources with no benefits to the local communities, blatant disregard for environmental laws the allegation of exploiting our resources for a pittance with no beneficiation whatsoever for the benefit of our populace. Whilst the Chinese are no saints just like the rest of the big super powers of the world, the Asian giant cannot be blamed for Zimbabwe’s supposed lack of business acumen and negotiating power in creating the investment climate to the best of its interests and that of its citizens. What the mumbling and rumbling Zimbabweans are failing to understand is the international political economy is a dog eat dog affair, a sphere where the fittest will reap the rewards. Like any of the big powers in the world, Chinese investments abroad, Zimbabwe included is preceded by personal interest. The purpose of any international investment is not primarily to develop the host nation but to further their economic and or political interest with the latter being so intertwined with the economy. So when the Chinese come to invest in Zimbabwe, give development aid to our country, there is always a catch to be it political or economic. Investment deals and development aid are strategically structured to further the immediate or long term interest of the investing nation. For one to comprehend Chinese development and investments in the country, there is need to understand the context within which it’s taking place. China’s investment and developments in Zimbabwe have increased at a time when the country has had tumultuous period in the corridors of international relations with the well documented spat with the Western bloc for long Harare’s preferred choice of investors. With the tiff came drying of investments from the Western bloc and in worst case scenarios disinvestment leaving Harare struggling and clutching at its strolls. The Chinese saw an opportunity to plug the gap left by the Western powers and cement its foot hold in our resource rich nation. The Asian nation automatically became our Zimbabwe’s go to nation when in need. Zimbabwe’s investment deals are negotiated from a point of disadvantage emanating from poor credit ratings which ranks it as a high credit risk nation reducing its ability to lure a wide range of investors. The country’s prevailing position in the corridors of international relations naturally makes it difficult at the bargaining table, our negotiating power is significantly reduced leaving those at the negotiating table on behalf of our nation with a case of better something than nothing. Over the years, especially since the turn of the millennium, the country has witnessed several projects from Chinese Investment notably the Hwange thermal power station expansion, Zimbabwe Defence University, Zambezi water pipeline and the soon to be finished new parliament building in Mount Hampden to mention but just a few. These are huge infrastructural projects evident on the ground which have improved the infrastructure of the country and whether the country got the short end of the stick on the negotiating table is a story for another day but plausible progress is there for all to see. Whilst there have been some rogue investors albeit few and small, these are on the doors of Harare and nothing to do the Asian giant which like any other nation out there will always be looking out for beneficial deals to tits political and economic interest.

Africa the Bread Basket of the World: A Journey to Seeking a Common Value System

By Vanessa Zanele Bungu Africa is a rich but poor continent has become a cliché synonymous with describing how the continent is so much endowed with the much sought after natural resources yet it remains on the doldrums of economic development leaving most of its 1.4 billion people living in poverty. That Africa has huge potential to be the go to continent for the needs of the rest of the world is a no brainer but then it is not. A gaze from Cape to Cairo does not give a reflection of the massive potential the continent has and the question that begs an answer is why? Why has the cradle of human kind remained a continent of huge potential, abundant natural resources but with nothing to show for it? As much as it hurts to say, Africa is getting a raw deal in the exploitation of its resources and the situation needs to change if we are to realise our full potential. There is an urgent need to put a stop to the unravelling version of another scramble for Africa where the big super powers of the world only come to Africa to get cheap raw materials. Granted it’s not and will not be an easy task to accomplish but it’s doable, it’s possible only if Africans realise the anomaly in the status quo and take remedial action. Africa must wake up from its deep slumber and accept that the current situation where the continent continuously gets the short end of the stick in world economics is untenable if we are to seriously develop and sit at the table of the elite in terms of development. It is imperative for Africans to come together and develop a standard way of dealing with the big super powers and their multinational corporations. United we stand and divided we fall, political independence on the continent came through collaborative work and it is going to take the same to attain the much needed economic independence sure to spur our continent to levels reflective of its richness. As a continent, we are in dire need of a shift in our mind set, a dogged attitude that says we can do it as Africans, economic development for Africa begins in the mind before being actioned on the ground. Lessons are abound from across the world of how unity of purpose and decisiveness can do to the aspirations of our continent, not so long ago China was classified a poor nation. Now the Asian country is an economic giant, what was their secret? Be deliberate in policy implementation that is beneficial to their interests. Africa needs to restrategise and be deliberate in implementing economic policies beneficial to the development aspirations of the continent. Our bargaining power lies in numbers and it is time to develop a continental value system that defines how we deal with the current super powers and their continuous enjoyment of African resources at the expense of Africa and its people. We need a standard way of dealing with investors, a standard way of doing business and uniform set of rules governing investment into the continent, that way we can easily be heard and make whoever is coming to our continent for business conform to our demands as a continent. That way we defeat the often used divide and rule tactic often used in by the super powers using the artificial borders they created to their advantage. We need to create an investment climate that is identical, that frowns upon exploitation with no benefit, an environment that ensures we are equal partners at the negotiating table. A common value system will help Africa to force its hand and get its way. It will ensure a trickle-down effect of development. A single investment should be able to create downstream industries and benefits for the host people. The exploitation of African resources should be nipped in the bud and be a thing of the past. Our hope lies in creating a single value system that will ensure we whip into line those bringing capital to our shores or we risk remaining continent of great potential that will never be realised.

No Poverty in Zim rant by ZANU PF legislator riles youths

By Evans Dakwa

Tempers flared at recent youth employment conference organised by the Youth Forum at a Harare Hotel after ZANU PF legislator, Tionei Melody Dziva rubbished suggestions of high unemployment and poverty in the country.

Dziva, who represents ZANU PF under the women’s quota riled participants at the Youth Forum unemployment conference by here claim that there is no poverty in Zimbabwe.

  `If there is poverty in the country we would be seeing dead bodies all over` said Dziva much to the chagrin of many of the participants who were evidently in disagreement with her sentiments.

The legislator`s sentiments attracted a barrage of disapproval responses from the delegates who clearly felt she was not in sync with the reality facing the majority of Zimbabweans.

`I would like to know Honourable Dziva, do you want to see dead bodies all over to believe that we are suffering, ` asked one riled youth among the delegates.

A tense atmosphere engulfed the conference auditorium with youth activist from various organisations taking turns to question Dziva`s utterances.

Sally Dura of the Youth Forum and conference facilitator had to interfere and calm emotions that were visibly flaring as the situation threatened to get out of hand.

Honourable Dziva seem to be reading from the same script as the party she represents and government which has been accused of falsifying unemployment figures in the country in an attempt to cover up for its failures to deliver the over two  million jobs it promised the electorate in its manifesto leading up to the July 2013 harmonised elections.

Her statements are a reflection of some of the leaders we have in the country who are out of sync with the plight of the ordinary citizens they are supposedly representing. A nation that has more than half its populace leaving below the Poverty Datum Line (PDL), youths riddled by unemployment but still has leaders who dodge responsibility by refusing to accept the suffering of the masses for their own selfish gains.

While government and statistical office put the unemployment figure officially at 11 percent, independent economist have begged to differ pegging it at a staggering 86 percent 

  

CAPACITATE YOUTHS, GOVERNMENT URGED

By Evans Dakwa

The Zimbabwe Youth Forum has called upon government and cooperating partners to come up with capacity building programmes to empower youths to come up with bankable projects that will succeed subsequently creating the much employment in the country.

The call emerged at a youth conference organised by the Youth Forum and attended by some parliamentarians.

`Some young people have failed to access money under the youth fund because they lack the requisite knowledge in coming with sustainable projects that attract funding,’ said Wellington Zindove, the Youth Forum National Coordinator.

Zindove, the added that capacity building is very important in the quest to ensure the youth fund is not abused by misappropriation and reduce the failure rate of projects undertaken.

`This is a matter that all stakeholders should take seriously to ensure that young people are informed and run projects that are sustainable, ‘continued Zindove.

One of the members of parliament who attended the conference Justice Mayor Wadyajena, the chairman of the parliamentary portfolio committee on youth, indigenisation and economic empowerment told delegates there is need for young people to remain focussed, come up with bankable projects and refrain from being used by political parties.

`Youth funds are revolving hence the need for beneficiaries to repay the loans and ensure that others benefit which in essence is creating employment for others.`

`You must desist from being used by political parties and together we can build our beloved Zimbabwe`

The youth revolving fund has been riddled by high failure rate with information gathered from financial institutions indicating that the majority of beneficiaries defaulted, a situation attributed to the lack of requisite knowledge on choosing profitable projects and managing them.

SPORTS TOURISM: HAS ZIMBABWE DONE ENOUGH?

 

By Evans Dakwa

 

Zimbabwe’s tourism industry has been on a recovery path after suffering a major dent largely due to the negative publicity from Western countries, which led to some going to the extent of giving travel warnings to their citizenry.

 

The recent awarding of the Best World Tourism Destination accolade to the country buy the General Assembly of the European Council and last year’s hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly, is testimony that the sector is on a resurgence and more is still to come.

 

It also explains the optimism and confidence exhibited by Tourism Minister, Walter Mzembi in boldly declaring that his Ministry is targeting a US$ 5 billion dollar tourism economy by the year 2018,an achievable fit that however requires the exploitation to the maximum, the potential, hidden in our tourism sector, like exploring sports tourism, an area that has been given little attention in our bid to have a fully functional tourism industry that will contribute significantly to the country’s economy.

 

Simply defined, sports tourism refers to travel, that by and large involves either observing or participating in a sporting event leading to people staying away from their environment. Sports tourists are those people who visit a country or city to watch and or partake in sporting events like the Olympics, African Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the FIFA World Cup.

 

The short and long term benefits of sports tourism are invaluable to any nation and if completely exploited, this aspect of tourism possess a huge potential that can single handedly affect, positively, the national economic growth. In 2006 alone, Canada realised a total of US$15 billion while Australia is documented as getting US$3 billion annually, cases that rubber stamps the huge potential that sports tourism possess.

 

For hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa received over 450 000 visitors to the country effectively marketing the Southern African country’s tourist destinations and improving its image which is notoriously linked to being crime infested country. People who come sporting events end up visiting places of interest in the host nation and in terms of image building that is vital for tourism as a whole, sports tourism is a proven panacea and Zimbabwe can take a leaf from that and start to nip into the potential of this part of tourism.

 

The socio economic benefits goes without mention, from massive job creation, infrastructure-technological development and improvement, facilitation of cultural exchange to instilling a sense of national identity, encouraging coordination between different government departments and encouraging sport at grass roots level, as witnessed after the country co-hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

 

For Zimbabwe, sports tourism is that niche market that has not been exploited except for few isolated cases, like the 1995 All Africa games. After suffering negative publicity, the tourism sector need sports tourism now more than ever to facilitate total recovery and the subsequent boom that the nation hopes for that will go a long way in aiding the 5 billion dollar economy that is envisaged by the tourism ministry and contribute considerably to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

 

Tourism and sport has a symbiotic relationship as aptly identified by Minister Walter Mzembi and one hopes the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Tourism ministry and the Sports and Recreation Commission will not remain a mere document but kick start concerted efforts towards focusing on this somewhat under exploited niche to the benefit of the sector as whole and the economy at large.

 

 

EBOLA: WAS THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY REACTION SUFFICIENT?

By Evans Dakwa

With symptoms ranging from painful muscles, fever, sore throat and a headache followed by vomiting, diarrhoea and rush leading to decreased functionality of the liver and kidneys. Subsequent bleeding from both internal and external body parts follow and the inevitable happens; Death which occurs from a ranging period of 6 to 16 days. This is the Ebola Virus Disease for you.

Ebola as it is widely referred to is known has no cure and is documented to have first announced its arrival to mother earth in the year 1976 in the then Zaire now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the continent of Africa. Back then the virus was traced to wild animals particularly monkeys who were the host before passing the lethal virus to human beings. 284 people are recorded as having been infected initially with a mortality rate of about 53 percent, that’s just over half of the people infected dying.

The first outbreak was followed by another one a few months later were 318 people were officially recorded to have been infected with a mortality rate of about a staggering 88 percent. Several other sporadic outbreaks followed but all of them were successfully brought under control and mostly did not spread beyond the borders of the first port country of infection.

Fast track events to the year 2014, the world is faced with an unprecedented Ebola outbreak like never before with over 4000 deaths being recorded already and apparently; still counting. What started as a single nation outbreak in Guinea around March, has spread to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and DRC in Africa; Spain in Europe and United States in the America in the process infecting over 8000 people(most of whom in Africa) with seemingly no solution in sight to bring the disease under control. Experts are estimating we could be having as high as 10 000 new cases very soon if the situation continues unabated.

The spreading of Ebola is said by experts to thrive in overpopulated dingy surroundings; the more reason why Africa has been the most affected considering how impoverished most African countries are. Suddenly the whole world is on high alert. Ebola’s rapid spreading is largely due to the disease being highly contagious and the  virus can survive on dry surface infecting anyone who comes into contact with the contaminated surface.

Critics like me will always raise poignant questions as to why the current Ebola outbreak is proving so hard to bring under control than previous ones, this, let’s not forget coming at a time when the world is supposedly technologically advanced to levels of preserving a female egg to be used by infertile women. How could a persistently war torn, impoverished and close to failed state (if not one) nation like DRC manage to bring Ebola under control yet the whole world is seemingly struggling.

People have come up with different schools of thought to answer the above question, with some who have a wild imagination pointing to the issue of a biological war at play (which is not impossible). However even though one would be tempted to proffer that school thought l prefer to answer it in a more realistic and provable way- the international community was slow in reacting to the epidemic.

When the first cases where announced in Guinea, it appears the international community looked at it being a West African problem that was of not much interest to them. A more rapid response from the international community could have brought the disease under control. Now Ebola has spread to three continents, threatening humanity. The whole world was fully aware from the onset that the West African nations affected where in no capacity to deal with this life threatening virus on their own but was lackadaisical in offering the much needed assistance. The first Ebola world conference was held months after the first cases where reported in March.

The more economically developed nations have let the whole world down in this fight against Ebola. China and United States even have the audacity to throw jabs at each other accusing one another of not doing enough tantamount to using the now near pandemic Ebola, to score a couple of points over one another.

This is not what West Africa and the whole world need right now. We need the spirit of a global village to reign supreme over any personal interest. Massive investments have been made into Ebola screening mechanisms which experts have indicated is not the solution to bringing Ebola under control. For all we know the screening process is not reliable and people carrying the virus can evade the detection. It is a clear case of resource diversion; resources that could be put to better use in the front lines to fight the disease. It is trying to create a sense of false hope among the populace that they are safe yet that is not the case.

The whole world simply has to come together, place our priorities right, be more proactive than reactive or we risk being wiped off the face of earth by an epidemic that is threatening to surpass the levels reached by cancer and HIV/ AIDS.

Increase in primary school years for 2015 questioned

December 8th, 2014

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Lazarus Dokora

EVANS DAKWA/OLIVER MUTAFERA -

The pronouncements by the ministry of primary and secondary schools that it is going to follow recommendations of the Nziramasanga commission on education, by introducing mandatory Early Childhood Development (ECD) A and B, in primary schools has somewhat divided  public opinion, with many parents and educators castigating the ministry for introducing policies without consulting all the relevant stakeholders.

The development which will see primary school education years increasing, is already gathering momentum, with the ministry announcing that teacher training institutions  will be enrolling  more and subsequently churn out graduates specialising in ECD.

There is an old adage that says `catch them young, which seems to resonate well with the ministry`s thinking of getting children into the school system as young as possible, at a time when they are easy to nature and cultivate the necessary culture in preparation for their latter school years. The development, according to some proponents in favour of the idea, is one of the necessary measures that could be a panacea to the below par pass rate at ordinary level, for long hovering around plus or minus 20%.

Whatever pros that can be cited for the introduction of mandatory ECD A and B, it seems education has been eroded by the current economic quagmire that the nation is faced with. With most parents out of employment and lucky ones, financially hamstrung with low disposable income coupled with too many bills, this development of increasing years of learning will undoubtedly further take a portion and tightening the leash on already constrained family budgets.

`This is going to be a challenge for most parents, the economy is not functioning well at the moment and more years in school for these children means the education bill will increase, unless the government makes it free, I don`t see this as a necessity at all,’ said Molly Nyandoro, a Mtoko parent.

According to one education officer who preferred anonymity as they are not allowed to speak to the media, “introducing children into the school system at such a tender age is tantamount to surrendering them into the hands of mostly government teachers who are poorly remunerated in comparison to their counterparts in the kindergarten (crèche), bringing forth the question of whether they will be able to offer the extra care needed like wiping when they mess up, and accompanying them to the toilets”

Harare based teacher, a Murotwa, said he believed the current one year of ECD is more than enough.

‘‘Unless the measure is meant for baby sitting to help those working parents  who are being fleeced by Day Care Centres ,there is no problem ,’’ he said.

No matter what benefits the introduction of ECD A and B has, the evident scenario is that it will be difficult to implement in most schools, with the rural ones the hardest hit. A female head from Shamva who spoke on condition of anonymity said the fee approved is not adequate and developments in infrastructure had stalled as the government itself has not been forthcoming.

At Admiral Tait Primary School in Harare, Eastlea, where this news crew was part of the applicants in June, about 290 parents  jostled for only 20 ECD A places for 2015, which is a true reflection of the infrastructural challenges many schools are facing, more so in accommodating infants. Recently, a Bulawayo daily reported that Insiza education district managed to get one qualified ECD teacher of the 879 educators needed.

The lack of sufficient infrastructure has led to some schools having to do with hot sitting to accommodate all classes and quite evidently, there will be a challenge in accommodating three and half to four year olds who need special ablution facilities and related infrastructure.

The issue of ECD A and B ranks among one of raft measures introduced by the education ministry since Lazarus Dokora took over the reigns, many of which have caused discord and discontent among stakeholders in the education sector; parents and teachers included.