via We are bleeding US dollars to China | The Zimbabwean 02.04.14 by Vince Musewe
No country will invest in Zimbabwe in our current political and investment climate unless it sees a huge advantage for itself.
There is this justification by Zanu (PF) that China assisted Zimbabwe in the armed struggle and is therefore a good all-weather friend to us. My question is: when we will stop paying for that? When will we stop and realise that China has only the interests of China at heart? Granted it has incredible economic power – but that should not come at the expense of our development.
In my opinion, China has benefitted more from this relationship with Zimbabwe than the so-called liberated ordinary Zimbabweans have. In addition we must make no mistake that China actually interferes indirectly in our politics by continually strengthening and supporting Zanu (PF) its “friend”.
Exploited by ‘friends’
Despite our so-called sovereignty, we remain a country that continues to be economically exploited by our so called friends. There is no country that will invest or get involved in Zimbabwe at its own cost and the sooner we wake up to this fact the better for our future.
If China is truly an all-weather friend, let us hear about them directly giving us loans and assistance that create jobs and facilitate the local manufacture of goods for export. If China truly cares, let us see hospitals, clinics and social service delivery being their main concerns. This is not currently the case. The building of military academies and an air base does not benefit us nor is it a developmental priority.
This is my challenge to the Chinese; Zimbabwe needs knowledge and technology transfers not the continued donation of seed or inputs through ZANU (PF) structures. Let us see the relocation of productive capacity to this country, so that we may increase our export earnings. Let us see the promotion of freedom and liberty of our people, if the Chinese truly are our friends. Let us see soft loans in cash to revive our industries and local production capacity and rebuild our infrastructure.
Ridiculous wages
Also the Chinese must stop exploiting Zimbabweans workers by paying them ridiculous wages. Whether in office jobs or industry, I have heard horrendous stories of how workers are treated. This even includes local office Zimbabwean employees who work at Chinese foreign institutions in Zimbabwe. Overt racism, exploitation and sheer rudeness are common. That is unacceptable.
Despite the interminable empty cries by Mugabe that Zimbabwe will only engage the international community on our terms, it is clear to me that this excludes China. We need to protect our local industry from Chinese imports. We need to see that in every transaction the benefits accrue to Zimbabweans.
The continued bashing of the west as imperialists who only consider what they can get out of Zimbabwe is nothing but political rhetoric. All foreign countries, including China, ultimately have their own interest at heart. Why do Africans never learn?
The rampant and continued underdevelopment of our nation through the willingness and naivety of Zanu (PF) continues to disadvantage all Zimbabweans and short change us. We must fight for our economic interests. Enough is enough!
– Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You can contact him at vtmusewe@gmail.com
COMMENTS
When the Chinese come to Zimbabwe and other African destinations, they bring shovels, picks, wheelbarrows & labourers. When they go to Western economies, they invest tonnes of money. So much for all-weather friends!!!!
Vince is just a vulgar economist and analyst rolled together. He only serves one purpose since he started writing for Zimeye; that is he simply stirs the attention away from realities in Zimbabwe and therefore create excuses for the regime to prolong its hold at home. In one article it was Tsvangirai, at another it was his alternative GNU, at another point it is violence in the opposition and so on. Now it is the exploitative Chinese. How he treads on the surface without depth at all is amazing. All in all his contributions become subliminal and his insincerity flares up. The local black business person who represents the regime is worse than all this vitriol that Vince wants us to take note of. For example, Ray Kaukonde, a share holder in the INNSCOR group was reported as having not paid his farm workers even a cent in a year. How then do you talk so ill about the “Chinese” who in reality are currently are only bringing in their bottom of barrel ‘investors’. What were we to expect when this is all that the current economy environment is able to attract as FDI. Have more depth Vince
The faster the Chinese flood Zimbabwe and take over its sovereignity the better for all Zimbabweans who wil then get gainful employment in lieu of rhetoric from this useless totally corrupt govt that no opposition party will ever unseat again as that is now Zanu design.The Chinese know how to deal with the type of treasonous corruption sanctioned by the highest office in Zims;a case of on your knees and goodbye world.The Chinese respect our heritage.They were never a war mongering colonialist lot and r only here because we invited them.Why do people castigate them for making a profit?Why should they invest to make a loss.Profit is what we r all in business for.Viva the Chinese and their president currently seeking out new cultural ties and better prospects with the European Union unlike our geriatric sulking in Harare because the modern world does not condone such childish behaviour.
They were never colonialists because they were colonised by the Japanese.
You obviously know nothing about the Chinese. They have amongst the worst human rights record on the planet. Their country is horrible overpopulated. They have and are exhausting their own resources. The have created the most horrendous pollution on the planet. They have no trade unions. Their people don’t work a 40 hour week but a 60 hour week. Go on strike in China and if the worst consequence is prison, you are lucky. Everything single abuse to our flora and fauna, has their finger prints all over it.
They want Africa’s resources for China. They want a place to dump millions of their people. Essentially they are seeking satellite Chinese provinces. Their record, in terms of how they pay and treat Africans, is there for all to see. They DON’T LIKE AFRICANS. THEY DO WANT AFRICA. It is a fact that Chinese trade with Africa is skewered 90% to 10% in favour of China. Open your eyes because if you do not you will soon find yourself a slave to China and they will never give you your freedom back. OPEN YOUR EYES!!
You are 100% correct!
Well said!
New colonial masters -woe betide us
Vince has repeated every negative stereotype of the Chinese in Zimbabwe. My opinion is that it amounts to racism. There are some black people who seem to think that racism against any non black race is ok. It is not.
The only real negative mark against China is that they gave the guns and money that allowed the dogs from zanu to take over this country.
As an economist Vince should be familiar with the fact that worker productivity is very very low in Zimbabwe. This is not an opinion, but a plain fact. Low productivity equals low wages. There is no way around this. Any attempt to act otherwise leads to massive unemployment which is exactly what we see around us.
Work ethic. When we compare the local work ethic to that which prevails among the Chinese we can very easily see how the Chinese very quickly lose respect for locals.
All in all by providing cheap and affordable goods into our market the Chinese have help slow down the deteriorating standard of living of our people. Like it or not this is the truth. It is true here as it is in all the other countries around the world where Chinese manufacturers have increased competition and reduced prices.
Another blind, blinkered, brainwashed African. The Chinese are encouraging people like you to support them. My gut feel tells me that you are personally benefiting from them. Anyone that is not and supports them, needs help, because their intentions are so transparent.
Zimbabwe is now colonised. Of course the colonisers are going to suck Zimbabwe dry. Have we learnt nothing from our past? Why are we putting up with it knowing what we know? I guess we deserve this zanu regime that stole the 2013 election.
Chinese Republic of Zimbabwe
The problem is that Zimbabwe is ruled by Satan and his disciples therefore the children of Zimbabwe need to wake up and see what is happening
Peters you are right. We need to take back our nation. repent! and pray
Thanks Vince. I do not take this as a racist comment but as the reality of the situation. We must not be afraid not confront the truth.
ZANU are Chinese poodles. Fact.
Well said John Thomas two very different work ethics worlds apart
I also agree with the work ethic comment however don’t ever think the Chinese are here to develop our country as the previous colonialists did. They are here to take as much as they can while we have a corrupt government. For the record they by & large isolate themselves from us as Zimbabweans.
The nation voted MPs into Parliam ent. The nation must ensure these MPs ensure gvt for the good of the people(Zimbabweans not Chinese) and by the people (Zimbabwe popular sentiment)!
I think a lot of MP’s got there by hook and by crook. Nikuved in!
China has 20% of the world’s population but only 5% of the world’s water. They want Zimbabwe’s land to feed China (one big soya bean farm) the surviving Zimbabweans will have to find another country to settle in. From 1980 onwards China, North Korea and former Yugoslavia took much of the aid money as fast as the western nations gave it, providing very little in return. (such as 5 Brigade etc.). ZANU forced the Reserve Bank the give the Chinese Embassy ever increasing authority to export currency. It amused me that some of the money for China in fact went to Hong Kong, at that stage still a British Colony.
Zimbabwe nationals need put their Members of Parliament to task on the Chinese role in Zimbab we’s economic retrogression( ma zhingzhong). The said bleeding of our paltry national US$ meagre resources by the Chinese requires immediate partriotic response. We have a Parliament mandated to guard jeolously our national interests. These are the people who must wake up and work up!
Well done, Vince, for highlighting what is indeed an on going and sore point for most of us. I prayed for you last night; that God would use you greatly. Keep up the good work.
Do you know that some Chinese children are now Zimbabweans. In China you should just have one kid if you have more you cannot register them. Now some here in Zimbabwe have 2 or more and they have to find birth certificates for them but not from China because that is deemed illegal to have many children.
You only need to know what the Chinese are doing in all the sectors of our economy to understand the extent of the damage to Zimbabwe’s nationhood and development prospects.You get so angry, but there is very little one can do. The first challenge that we have is to remove Zanu Pf. As long as Zanu is in power, Chinese nationals will remain untouchable. For instance: the Zanu govt restricts the kind of business that foreigners can do in Zimbabwe, (foreigners should engage in productive sectors, and not retail), but the Chinese are allowed to sell sadza! buns! bottled water! Street vending! Yes, they are flying all the way from the Far East to come and sell sadza to us. If a Nigerian etc does that, their business is closed down.For those in productive sectors (steel making for example), they write their receipts (and cash books) in that language that you and I cant read. Yes, I was given a receipt handwritten in Chinese. Now, how does Zimra assess the revenues in order to determine the tax due to government. Maybe I need to write a book because there is a lot happening in all sector. Vince, your article would have a bit of depth if u did a bit of research. Avoid bar talk. Wafanana nevamwe vanongoimba about sanctions, sanctions. Ask them to provide details about the sanctions and how exactly they are hurting our economy, hapana kana mumwe chete akataura zvandakanzwa.
China assisted gukurahundi ZANU PF during the struggle, not Zimbabweans as a whole. So this “China assisted us” nonsense should stop. Gukurahundis are not every Zim, worse still they are not Mthwakazi!!!!!!
Taura hako mwana wamudhara Chinese are the most exploiters the world has ever seen and cruel on top of it.But I don’t blame them vakawana matununu awo okubatira akavata nyangwe ndirini was going to take full advantage(dance to the fools rhythm and take thier money and all kkkkk)
Stop complaining, first you complained about the West and said China would save you now the chickens have come home to roost you complain again, only you people are to blame for the demise of this once prosperous country, only your greed and stupidity has brought misery to your country, only you people voted for Mugarbage and his gang of merry thieves, so now you must reap what you sow