via We won’t chase away foreigners — Mzembi December 3, 2013 NewsDay
TOURISM and Hospitality minister Walter Mzembi says Zimbabwe will not chase away Nigerian and other African businesspeople operating in the country for fear of retaliation.
Speaking on the sidelines of the opening of a new branch in Harare of takeaway chain Chicken Slice yesterday, Mzembi said the country should embrace the spirit of pan-Africanism.
“Going forward, we should embrace the spirit of pan-Africanism and make sure that those African operators like Nigerians who came to our rescue in the years 2007 and 2008 came here, opened shops, filled them and created employment for thousands of our people should not be disturbed in any way. It’s Africa for Africans going forward,’’ Mzembi said.
He, however, said the foreign African businessmen should operate within the context of the law and should not charge exorbitant rents or rates to black Zimbabweans who may express interest in operating in those areas like the Gulf Complex.
“Those kinds of mischief can be dealt with through the law and that they have to respect the law and that can be through the Rent Board and we don’t have to be xenophobic about it,” added Mzembi.
Last month, secretary for Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment George Magosvongwe told Parliament that all foreigners operating in the reserved sectors of retail and wholesale businesses, barbershops among others, had up to January to move out of the sectors.
Under the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, a number of sectors, including agriculture, transportation and tobacco grading, have been reserved for locals.
“I confirm that some non-indigenous entities are still operating in the reserved sectors and there is a deadline for January 1 for them to comply with the requirement to relinquish their holdings in those sectors,” he said.
Mzembi commended Chicken Slice founder Tawanda Mutyebere for opening another branch saying it was part of wealth creation and empowerment.
COMMENTS
Pity the other greedy b……s don’t feel the same way!
Mzembi is such a clown. How can he say that when zanu has already chased away foreigners. They have even chased away foreigners who have not yet arrived. No one wants to invest their hard earned money in Zimbabwe only to have it stolen by thieves. Look East Mzembi and enjoy the short term benefits of being colonised by China. Enjoy it while you can whilst China profits from our resources and we remain in starvation and poverty
What a fool, its not a mzembi policy but a zanu pf policy to chase foreigner and their investments. It is not standing on the pondium at HICC and flatter ihvestors as welcome when on the ground you tell themthat if they want to invest in Zim, then they have to cede 51% of the project to the peniless local politically connected Zimbabwean
Vamuzembi Musha wenyu zpf rangove Donga watonga muzinda wenyuchi Mutasa says this today tomorrow its Jonathan saying the opposit chombo says this Matiza comes with counter Guys ur finished
exactly sekuru, get whole picture sorted zanu before anyone can feel comfortable with their investment in Zim.Zanu right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing other than to take from everyone!!!!
mzembi must admit indegenisation policy is not working zanu have to swallow their pride sometimes its not taking them anywhere
Policy contradictions as usual, typical of the gukurawundi party. Which investor will invest in such a country of nothing but confusion?
The short boys from the east are having honey moon in Zimbabwe. Looking east while they are busy looking for our precious minerals.
MUGABE AND ZANU-PF SHOULD NOT RUN ZIMBABWE LIKE A FAMILY HOUSE SELFISH LEADERSHIP HAVE ITS OWN PROFIT ONEDAY PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE WILL GET TIRED WHERE IS GADAFI? WAS HE NOT CHASED BY HIS OWN PEOPLE EVETHOUGH AFRICA SAY IS THE WEST WHO UNDRESSED HIM WAS THERE AN AMERICAN NO LIBYAN PEOPLE SO DEAD END IS NOT FAR.