A group of military chefs and Mugabe cronies were this week named to the committees that are to manage business takeovers, under the guise of the indigenisation Program.
The law was billed as an attempt to redress past inequalities, but the list reads like a military who's who and a "Friends of Mugabe" list.
Among them is retired Major-General Gilbert Mashingaidze, retired Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai and retired Colonel Karikoga Kaseke, who also heads the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
University of Zimbabwe Professor John Makumbe said he was not surprised at these appointments: "This is the way ZANU PF is going about militarizing all the structures of state. This indigenous committee is very much pro-ZANU PF people and the military are in the forefront of such an approach."
When the Mugabe government passed the Indigenization Act into law, requiring the majority of business shares to be owned by so-called "locals", many analysts predicted it was nothing more than a ploy to loot the business sector and distribute the wealth to ZANU PF allies. The list of appointees announced this week by Indigenization Minister Saviour Kasukuwere appears to be a confirmation of this.
Other appointments to these committees include presidential spokesman George Charamba and Affirmative Action Group President Supa Mandiwanzira. Charamba has been Mugabe's voice for decades and Mandiwanzira was part of the government orchestrated takeover of the Mighty Movies media company.
The presence of so many military chefs did not surprise political commentator Professor Ken Mufuka either. Commenting from the United States, he said: "You can militarize agriculture for example, but can you force the cows to produce milk."
Less obvious was the appointment of musician Oliver Mtukudzi, an appointment that Professor Mufuka saw as a ZANU PF tactic to attempt to give credibility to the process.
He said: "They can argue that they want diversity or secondly he might have been nominated by the MDC, or they may want to humanize the committee. They'll say look we are not all military guys. We have the nice, soft-hearted nice face of Oliver Mtukudzi."
Another appointment worthy of comment was that of the Econet Wireless boss, Douglas Mboweni. The mobile phone company recently took part in a lobbying mission to the UK to raise funds for the development of their network, using the coalition government as the foundation for support. MDC officials fronted the mission, accompanied by a number of intelligence agents and ZANU PF deputy ministers.
Professor Makumbe said Econet is trying to maintain its position as the largest mobile network in Zimbabwe. In that case they need to be seen as participating in government ventures.
Media commissioner Chris Mutsvangwa, a former chief executive at the state owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and Zimbabwe's former ambassador to China, is also on one of the newly appointed Indigenization committees. Professor Mufuka explained that this may be a ploy to keep Chinese companies interested in investing in Zimbabwe.
The committee is reportedly scheduled to produce a list of stakeholding targets by the end of next month. The law requires them to target companies with assets of more than US$500,000.
Professor Mufuka warned that many companies will run away. He said: "If you say in advance that you are going to get 51% shares in their companies, why would anyone give up a majority of shares to a newcomer? You will frighten them away."
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It makes good sense that those who have (and WILL AGAIN) invested African lives, limbs, blood, sweat & tears to repatriate African Lands & Resources to African hands, SHOULD be the ones to oversee the process of repatriation!
Let the criminal invaders and their asinine apologists squirm about this process of Iidigenisation!
Africa IS for Africans to decide & determine THEIR road ahead!
It is only fitting that the thieving, racist & evil enemies of Africans feel PAIN & Discomfort!
The Ministry of Indiginization's lunch buffet was in total disarray. Very little food was on display and what little there was looked like it had been there for days. The regular staff of servers was nowhere to be seen. Even the chef who normally carved the Looking East Imported Subsitute Beef Roast was missing. The only staff were seen to be hovering around the cash register at the end of the line. Looking smart in his olive green dress uniform, the chief cashier proclaimed to the disgruntled crowd "We are the new management for this enterprise. Our concern is with the financial end of this operation only. Quality problems are entirely due to Western sanctions and drought. Any complaints from customers are obviously influenced by decadent colonialist sympathizers. Pay up or leave."
Well if and when this goes ahead, that's the army empowered again, and the people forget it. ZanuPf just knows how to steal everything. Take take take, that's all these hyenas do, always on the scavange. They know the end is near, so everything has to be destroyed.
The Zimbabwe crazies never cease. What on earth do army blokes know about running businesses. On the other hand perhaps whilst they are busy bullying the business owners, the rest of the citizens will take a breather from their brutality. Is it any wonder they "carve the looking east Imported substitute beef" so comically described by Carlos4.
I will make the people work by putting my AK47 to their heads and then they will love me while i take everything for myself and live a good high life like my Rhodie Brother in Crime, Too much has not gone my way ( Maiwe) and i must take which is not mine and stuff it up. The people must serve me and do everything for me and then they love me each time i hit them harder. It is amazing how people work harder when i threaten them with death. Everything is mine, Zimbabwe is mine,
Signed Commander in Chief
R.G. Mugabe.
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