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New land and repeated company invasions will lead to young people mobilizing and overthrowing the Government of Zimbabwe
Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development (COTRAD)
January 23, 2013

The recent interference of politicians on Saturday 19 January 2013 around 1400hrs in the wrangle between the mine workers and the management of Rio Zim Renco Mine has left many villagers in a sudden cyclone of confusion as unemployment looms while property confiscation is imminent under the guise of Indeginisation and empowerment policy. Minister of Tourism and hospitality who is the Masvingo South Constituency legislator Walter Mzembi, Dzikamai Mavhaire, Irvine Dzingirai the Chivi South legislator and youth militia from Chief Nyajena's area are demanding a 100 percent stake in the Rio Zim-owned mine.

The trio supported by the young people from militia squads are using force and causing instability which will tantamount to peace insecurities to villagers, management of the mine and the generality of Zimbabweans who have been benefiting from the remittances which have been trickling down from the mine. The self proclaiming Manager Irvine Dzingirai Member of Parliament for Chivi South declared himself the manager and owner of Rio Zim as he continuously reiterated that black empowerment was irreversible and that indigenization and empowerment policies was the guiding framework with which they were procedural using in taking over the reins at the troubled mine. Rio Zim Renco mine is in ward 35 in Masvingo South Constituency under chief Nyajena`s area of jurisdiction.

History has its stubborn way of repeating its self in a spectacular way, in 2002 land invasion, most of the beneficiaries of the land invasion were politicians. 2012 Zimbabweans witnessed company invasions in the name of the indigenization and black empowerment. Concentrating on looting resources of an under performing economy like Zimbabwe will soon invite trouble from level headed young people to disown politicians and overthrow the government.

The current version of indigenization is tantamount to nationalization and expropriation and it is clearly a political gimmick by political stalwarts within the government of the day and certain sect of misfiring political parties. The empowerment programme is an attempt to hoodwink the electorate ahead of the looming polls mainly young people; the policy could have a domino effect on the political and socio-economic landscape of Zimbabwe.

With the government's indigenization model, one has to have money in order to be empowered since the shares are sold. Nobody is being given a share for free, one has to buy them. 85% of the people in Zimbabwe survive below the poverty datum line, therefore, only a few people can afford to buy these shares and most of them are politicians using their political muscle. Thus it is for the good of the politicians that the masses continue to suffer while they continue to amass the wealth through serious looting and creation of empires which are protected by vulnerable, incapacitated and unemployed young people who have been drafted into the dubious paramilitary wings of their parties called militia groups. So the Government model becomes predatory accumulation, from the rich to the rich. It's not empowerment; it is pure elite predatory accumulation of wealth.

COTRAD is therefore making it clear that it is for the good of the nation that politicians demilitarize the economic fraternity of the country which is meant to serve 13 million Zimbabweans as repeated and continuous disrespect of the rights of Zimbabweans to a better economy will invite mass mobilization from the youths to overthrow the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ).

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