via Zimbabwe Indigenisation: Pressure mounts on foreign businesses October 27, 2013 by Kudzai Chamhangwa for The Standard
INDIGENOUS Zimbabweans will soon replace foreigners in economic sectors that are reserved for locals, a senior government official has said.
This comes after the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment published a statutory instrument (SI 66 of 2013) in May this year, ordering all businesses operating in the country to apply for indigenisation compliance certificates within six months.
Foreign companies trading in reserved sectors of the economy, such as retail and bakeries, have until January 2014 to comply with the laws.
Deputy Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, Mathias Tongofa said the ministry was working with local authorities responsible for issuing licences on the matter.
“We have to deal with other ministries including industry and commerce, because without that linkage we will have difficulties in addressing this issue,” said Tongofa.
“Ultimately, we need to have only indigenous people in the retail sector, that’s the law but currently we are putting in place ways to address this issue. We are not saying we are not going to indigenise but our thrust is for broad-based empowerment using a phased approach,” he said.
The statutory instrument does not permit foreigners to invest in sectors reserved for indigenous Zimbabweans, such as grain milling, barber shops, tobacco processing, bakeries, and local transportation, among others.
“Any person who operates a business in the sectors prescribed under the third schedule without an indigenisation compliance certificate from January 1 2014 shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level four or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months, or to both such fine and such imprisonment,” a National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board (Nieeb) statement issued earlier this month reads.
Government has previously expressed concern at the influx of foreign investors running small-sized businesses and banking most of the income in offshore accounts.
Government argues that foreign firms should rather streamline investment in large scale capital intensive projects such as infrastructure, energy and mining among others that have downstream local employment creation effects.
Zimbabwe’s Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act obliges foreign-owned companies operating in the country to cede at least a 51% controlling stakes to locals.
“Our indigenisation and empowerment should be broad based, it should cater for all who have dropped out of school and those who are marginalised in society so they can have something to do,” said Tongofa.
He said government was planning to support people with skills, especially those who graduate from vocational training centres and those coming from tertiary education sectors, so that they form groups and do sustainable businesses in such sectors.
Zimbabwe’s retail sector has witnessed a formidable presence of foreign nationals mainly Nigerian and Chinese.
They run tuckshops dotted across Harare’s urban landscape selling an assortment of retail products ranging from clothes, groceries, motor spares and electrical parts. Nightclubs and bottle stores are also widespread.
Proponents contend that subsisting legislation that permits foreign investors to participate in retail merchandising as provided for under the Zimbabwe Investment Authority Act should be aligned with the statutory instrument if local empowerment is to take effect.
COMMENTS
There is still a grey area when it comes to White born and bred Zimbabweans owning and operating businesses. Are white Zimbabweans classified as foreigners?
That’s exactly what struck me upon reading the article. And what about those Zimbabweans of Indian decent? The whole concept of indigenisation is government sanctioned racism, pure and simple – just as indigenisation of existing companies is theft by another name.
Investors coming to pan kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
There are White born Zimbabweans, there are Indian born Zimbabweans, there are also Black born Zimbabweans who originally came from Mozambique/Malawi/South Africa and more recently Nigeria/Somalia/Ethiopia. Or does if simply come down to Black and White? Then what about the mixed race folk, do they have to prove a certain percentage of being black or white in order to qualify. Apartheid seems to ring some bells with this strange policy?
Legalised theft, it is!
Clive, how do these white guys identify themselves, and is a gum tree indigenous
To Mashinga P, not sure I follow you, I am merely asking for clarification/explanation on the criteria used on indigenizing Privately owned Companies owned and operated by Zimbabweans of all races/descent. If you were born in Zimbabwe and your parents were born in Zimbabwe what classification do you fall under? Because if Zanupf is basing this policy on historical reasons, I can only say the German population in Germany is lucky they were not all tried /sentenced and hung at the Nuremburg Trials!
Chinese yellow devil masters are honorary blacks. As long as one is a plundered looters common thief criminal like kaukonde chiyangwa mohadi mhofa mujuru mpofu gono marufu mujuru nhema chiwengwa mliswa udenge matonga mandiwanzira Zuma mbeki karikoga chinotimba zhuwao kereke mudenge kangai mnangagwa mugabe chanikira malema mutasa tomana moyo mudede Leo…wow the list is so far 37000 strong earmarked for the snakepit at our new chikurubi