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Kasukuwere's indigenisation an act of economic brigandage
Youth Alliance for Democracy
February 27, 2010

The recent attempts by Minister Kasukuwere to bulldoze the Indegenisation Bill into a Government statutory instrument on the ill intention of 'empowering' the indigenous people are unfortunate and should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. History has it that ZANU PF has never and will never be interested in the empowerment of Zimbabweans especially youths. The proposed 51% stake for locals fails to grasp the economic realities of the nation at a time when the country is trying to lure foreign investments and reassure property rights. This is a move which is clearly reminiscent of the violent Land Grab and should not be supported by any right thinking Zimbabwean.

Besides attempts to empower youths through the Youth Development and Empowerment Fund from Kasukuwere's office have been marred by serious corruption with youths being charged between US$10 to US$50 by staff at the Ministry for project proposal writing yet no guarantee is given that they will access the loan facility.

Preliminary investigations by YAD Gender Department have shown that the staff at the ministry is accessing the funds at the expense of the generality of youths. Banks such as Metropolitan Bank and CBZ have professed that it is not up to them, as should be the case, to disburse the loan but are receiving orders from the Ministry of Youth on which people to give the loans. As the situation stands today the Metropolitan Bank has distanced itself from the fund which has since been transferred to ZABG Bank. A Board member of the Zimbabwe Youth Council concurred that 'the fund is not meant to empower needy youths but to buy patronage from and sustain supporters of the former ruling party.'

This has seen the majority of the beneficiaries being either non youths or Border Gezi graduates. Youth Alliance for Democracy is concerned with the selective clandestine handling of the fund in an era that has been ear-marked by all SADC countries, including Zimbabwe, as the "Era of Youth Development, 2009 to 2018." In the same vein we also hold that there is no guarantee that the Indegenisation move will be done in a transparent manner, if anything it is meant at disempowering the indigenous people. The green light that this 'policy' received at the ZANU PF 230th Ordinary session is an attempt to bulldoze the Bill into Government meant to reverse the relative economic stability that the country had achieved under the 'Inclusive' Government and also meant to enrich ZANU PF cronies who benefited from the chaotic land invasions.

'Wickedness will not reign over good will'

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