ZIMBABWE-ECONOMY: BLACKS ENTREPRENEURS WORRIED AS WHITES RETURN

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

GUMISAI MUTUME

HARARE, Dec 23 1994 (IPS) - BLACK ENTREPRENEURS ARE CLAIMING THAT THOUSANDS OF WHITE RETURNEES WHO FLED ZIMBABWE AFTER THE ADVENT OF BLACK RULE IN 1980 ARE WHITTLING AWAY AT THEIR LIMITED BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.

THEY ALSO CLAIM THAT RETURNING WHITES ARE CASHING IN ON THE MISFORTUNES OF BLACKS AND SNAPPING UP HOMES WHOSE MORTGAGES INDIGENOUS ZIMBABWEANS, HIT BY STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT, ARE FINDING HARD TO PAY OFF.

“THESE WHITE IMMIGRANTS ARE LOOKING FOR HOUSES TO BUY AND ARE SPENDING TIME LOOKING AT HOUSES OCCUPIED BY BLACKS IN FORMER WHITE SUBURBS,” BLACK BUSINESS PRESSURE GROUPS CLAIMED IN A RECENT NEWSPAPER ADVERT.

“FOR HOW LONG SHALL SUCH DAYLIGHT ROBBERY BE ALLOWED TO GO ON? THOUSANDS OF BLACK INDIGENOUS BUSINESSES ARE BEING SYSTEMATICALLY LIQUIDATED UNDER THE GUISE OF ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT,” CHARGE THE GROUPS, WHO SIGNED THE ADVERT AS ‘UNITED INDIGENOUS PRESSURE GROUPS ON BEHALF OF ZIMBABWE’S 11 MILLION BLACKS.’

NUMEROUS BLACK ADVANCEMENT GROUPS HAVE SPRUNG UP TO WREST CONTROL OF THE COUNTRY’S ECONOMY FROM THE 80,000 WHITES WHO STILL CONTROL 98 PERCENT OF IT.

THE GROUPS CLAIM THAT 40,000 WHITES HAVE COME BACK TO ZIMBABWE OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS AND ARE NOW FULLY EMPLOYED BY FELLOW ZIMBABWEANS OF EUROPEAN ORIGIN.

“THE NUMBER OF WHITES COMING BACK TO ZIMBABWE IS ALARMING,” SAYS REGISTRAR GENERAL TOBAIWA MUDEDE. “WE FEAR THAT THEY ARE GOING TO FLOOD THE JOB MARKET MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ZIMBABWEANS TO FIND WORK. THERE SHOULD BE MORE RESTRICTIONS.”

AN ESTIMATED 40,000 WHITES IN BRITAIN AND SOUTH AFRICA ARE SAID TO HAVE APPLIED FOR ZIMBABWEAN CITIZENSHIP.

“WE ARE NOT JUST ACCEPTING ANYONE,” SAYS CHIEF IMMIGRATION OFFICER ELASTO MUGWADI. “WE ARE TREATING EACH CASE PURELY ON ITS MERIT.”

RETURNEES WILL HAVE TO PROVE TO IMMIGRATION THAT THEY DID NOT LEAVE BECAUSE THEY PREFERRED TO LIVE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. FAILURE TO DO THIS WILL RESULT IN AN APPLICATION BEING REJECTED, HE SAID.