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April 2012 Public Seminar overview
Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI)
April 25, 2012

The Mass Public Opinion Institute hosted a public seminar at New Ambassador Hotel on April 26, 2012 on the topic; “Indigenization in Zimbabwe: Developmental or Predatory?” About 100 people attended the public seminar. The speakers who turned up for the discussion were Dr Davison Gomo; the Chief Executive Officer of the Affirmative Action Group as well as Ms Florence Sachikonye; who is the Interim Secretary for Mavambo Kusile Dawn (MKD).

The first speaker to the podium was Dr Davison Gomo who started off by mentioning that the discussion on Indigenization in Zimbabwe would have been incomplete if he or any member of his organization had not been invited since they are the chief drivers of the concept in Zimbabwe. Dr Gomo then went on to define the concept of Indigenization in the context of Zimbabwe and to outline its purpose. He stated that Indigenization must be understood to refer to a strategy of development that seeks to emphasize the need to promote the social, political and economic interests of the indigenous citizens of a particular country. According to Dr Gomo, the chief purpose of indigenization is to galvanize political support for national development on one hand, and while on the other hand it is to provide the essential support politicians need to see through some of their grand visions of national development. The Speaker went on to give a historical explanation on why indigenization is absolutely necessary in Zimbabwe. He highlighted that Zimbabwe, had a radical right wing white settler regime that was not willing to co-exist with the indigenous people and on the contrary went about putting in place laws that severely marginalized the indigenous people hence leaving them stranded and impoverished.

The white settler regime built an economy that was very sophisticated and successful, enjoying one of the highest standards of living but this was achieved on the back of exploiting the indigenous people and excluding them from the main stream economy. There was visible development that many people still talk about even to this day, but whose development was it and for whom? Therefore over the entire period of colonialism, the indigenous people suffered exclusion and serious marginalization through a racially and politically orchestrated programme supported by a repressive and racially constructed legal regime.

Dr Gomo went on to further justify the need for indigenization by stating that Zimbabwe is not a novel case, many countries that have suffered from domination by imperial powers have used indigenization as a key strategy to come out of poverty and under development. The Speaker went on to observe that most critics of indigenization place a lot of faith in development that is driven by the Group of 7 countries, International Monetary Fund, International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank) and the World Trade Organization. He went on to note that the history of these organizations in relation to the development of newly independent states is not a remarkable one whereas in the recent past, the IMF was accused of causing the collapse of the booming economies of East and South East Asia and thus causing unnecessary and great suffering of their people.

Dr Gomo further pointed out that the first world has never been comfortable with small countries taking a course of development that is likely to produce real positive change in the long term. He argued that it was now clear and well documented that the Structural Adjustment Programmes were deliberate forms of re-surbodinating the countries of the South in order to maintain the US economic hegemony in the world. He further posited that it was surprising that the USA upheld private enterprise and often demands access for its corporations, while it embraces protectionism, investment controls and a strong role for government in managing the economy at home. In conclusion, the Speaker noted that the Indigenization policy is not predatory in any way, shape or form. It is the only way the people of Zimbabwe can underwrite the safety of their own freedom and sovereignty. The people of Zimbabwe deserve to benefit from their resources and should never surrender this right for short term gains.

The second speaker was Ms. Florence Sachikonye of the MKD, who stated that whatever she was going to say was the position of the political party she was representing. She stated her presentation by saying that although as the MKD they accept the principle of empowering the general people of Zimbabwe she was taken aback by the fact that the government has over the last 30 years only paid lip service to indigenization. She said that the Government is now fast tracking the indigenization drive in order to beat the election deadline. She further elaborated that while the indigenization drive provides a very quick solution; its weakness is that it fails to enrich the individuals in the long term. Ms. Sachikonye went on to explain that the institution of indigenization has been hijacked as a political campaign tool based on self-preservation. The prosperity of the public of Zimbabwe is the last party of that equation, she added. The Speaker reckoned that we can have all the indigenization that we want but without good economic policies there will be no prosperity. She urged the Government to come up with proper legislation that is all encompassing and inclusive of all stakeholders and delivers to the general public all the times.

The Speaker further elucidated that Zanu-PF has reserved the regulatory role of government and has replaced it with indigenization and pretend that it is their brain child. Ms. Sachikonye.

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