Harare — Zimbabwean Emigrants: The Truth and Deliberate Misinformation

By Cain Ndabazekhaya Ginyilitshe Mathema

University of Zimbabwe Publications

2009

ISBN: 978-1-77920-039-6 (Paperback)

That Zimbabwe went through one of its leanest periods, economically in the past few years is beyond contest.

During this trying period, a lot was happening in the country which, according to some sources, had the highest rate of inflation in the world.

These years have also gone on record as marking the lowest in terms of the social lives of the population of the country.

Given the way things were going, Zimbabweans found themselves being forced to live in foreign lands for purely survival reasons. However, a number of theories have been thrown around as to why people were fleeing their country.

The reasons advanced have largely been political and they have been confined to alleged failure of the policies of the Government of Zimbabwe.

However, very few people tried to examine the role played by external forces in bringing the Zimbabwean economy, once the pride of the region, to the verge of collapse.

Ambassador Mathema, in his thirteen-chapter publication, Zimbabwean Emigrants: The Truth and Deliberate Misinformation, tries to explore some of the distortions that have grown to be associated with the general movement of people out of Zimbabwe.

The economic crisis in general and the hyperinflationary environment in particular, have been cited as the major drivers of the movement of Zimbabweans to other countries.

Chief among the causes of economic collapse, according to Ambassador Mathema, is the issue of sanctions that were imposed on the country by former colonial master Britain and her allies.

The blurb of the book reads in part: "Over the past ten years or so, Zimbabwe witnessed a large number of professional, skilled and semi-skilled citizens leaving the country for greener pastures both within the Southern African region and further afield.

"The major reason for this has been the economic crisis caused by illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the West..." Ambassador Mathema gives a list of reasons why most Zimbabweans leave their native land to live in foreign countries.

These reasons are not the same for all groups of emigrants. The writer rightly identifies different groups that have tried to establish a "home away from home". Some of the reasons that have been overlooked as push factors over and above the political and economic ones include criminal reasons, family and inducement by other countries.

Backed by statistical data notably from the Central Statistical Office, where possible, Ambassador Mathema's book also seeks to prove that while the destinations of Zimbabwean emigrants are many, South Africa houses more Zimbabweans compared to any other country. This is so because of the South African economy's ability to attract all sorts of professionals, technicians, skilled and semi-skilled people and labourers.

South Africa has always been a preferred destination for migrant labour from the Southern African region and Zimbabwean Emigrants: The Truth and Deliberate Misinformation traces this trend from the onset of colonial rule on the continent.

Employment agencies such as Wenela (Witwatersrand Labour Association) have been around for some time now and led the recruitment drive for mineworkers in the region and have drawn workers from as far afield as Tanzania, besides the traditional sources Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia and Botswana among others.

What makes Ambassador Mathema's book even more interesting is the fact that it draws a lot from the history of the continent, especially the colonial bit.

Besides having an economy that was bigger than the Zimbabwean one during the colonial days and which was not designed to absorb all able-bodied young blacks, the South African economy generally offered more in terms of remuneration for its labourers.

The racial undertones of this policy should not be overlooked. Colonial and racist rule ensured that there was always an oversupply of cheap black labour through a tailor-made policy of mass evictions of blacks from the best land to "poorer disease-infested land with less rainfall".

This obviously disempowered blacks politically and economically in order to turn them into providers of cheap labour. The labour laws that were crafted then dovetailed with the desire by the authorities to ensure that blacks remained labourers, always under the supervision and control of whites.

The various taxes that the blacks were forced to pay in the African reserves, coupled with the prospects of arrest and forced labour in the event of failure to pay the taxes forced many blacks to plunge into the unknown and look for employment on the South African mines.

The book also draws from research material. There is reference to research conducted by the Scientific, Industrial, Research and Development Centre and the Southern African Migration Project.

This makes the book handy for academics and researchers alike.

Besides an assessment of the benefits and losses resulting from the migration of Zimbabweans, the book also attempts to proffer a way forward in mitigating brain drain.

On the way forward, Ambassador Mathema first points out that brain drain and unskilled labour drain are not peculiar to Zimbabwe, as a number of other countries face the same problem.

The book, which is dedicated "to the genuine sovereignty of Zimbabwe" ends with a detailed bibliography as well as Appendix that are very useful to readers.

Born Cain Ndabazekhaya Ginyilitshe Mathema on January 28, 1948, Ambassador Mathema has held several positions in the Government of Zimbabwe.

At one time he served as Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Zambia

He is currently Governor and Resident Minister of Bulawayo Metropolitan Province.

He is not a stranger to the world of publishing as he has written extensively in both English and Ndebele, especially on political economy and co-operatives.

Among some of his notable publications are: We Trade Across the Zambezi (2008), Imivundhla Kagwayi Lezinye Indatshana Zabokhekhe (2003), Kusihlwa (2002),Ulimi Lwami (1998), Zanu-PF and Economic Independence (1994), Socialism and Christianity (1992), I Love you Joy Hwami (1992), I Drew for the Liberation Struggle (1989), Co-operatives, What About Them and The Book of 2 Poems (1988) which he wrote with Vladimir Mayakovsky and Kornei Chukovskii.

Ambassador Mathema is also a fine artist and some of his works have been exhibited at the Bulawayo Art Gallery.

His latest publication is a must-read for the avid scholar and remains a must-have for any bookshelf whether individual, corporate or institutional.