South Africa's Zille Blasts Zimbabwe's Post-Independence Failures - Argues Colonialism Was Not 'Entirely Negative'

30 December 2024
New Zimbabwe (London)
column

South African politician Helen Zille says Zimbabwe's failure to maintain colonial infrastructure and gains has hindered the country's development in the post-colonial era.

Since gaining independence in 1980, Zimbabwe has experienced economic decline, shifting from the "breadbasket of Africa" to an impoverished state.

This decline has been attributed to several factors, including the fast-tracked land reform program at the turn of the millennium.

Democratic Alliance (DA) federal chairperson Helen Zille says Zimbabwe's weakness has been its failure to maintain the colonial inheritance, which has led to its regression.

"The legacy of colonialism is not entirely negative. Of course, that means a lot of it was negative. But let's keep the things that weren't. Formal education is a legacy. Hospitals are a legacy. Electricity generation is a legacy. Hot water is a legacy. Shall we get rid of all of that in the name of decolonization?

"Universities are a legacy. Are we going to get rid of the universities? Science -- are we going to get rid of science? No. And one thing I learned in Singapore is that they have become an unbelievable country.

"I mean, Zimbabwe started its independence in a much stronger position than Singapore. Yeah, at about the same time. Look at Zimbabwe now. Look at Singapore.

"What is the difference? And I went there and looked very hard to see why Zimbabwe had gone back to trading with cattle and goats, swapping things in a barter system for other goods," said Zille.

Zimbabwe has endured economic hardships, with bouts of inflation and the failure of its local currency, which has characterized its malaise.

The government has blamed the economic decline on sanctions imposed by the United States.

Zille said Zimbabwe failed to replicate Singapore -- also a former British colony.

"So, what did they get right in Singapore? A lot of things. One of the things they got right is that they didn't tear down everything they inherited from the British.

"They took those institutions and built them up into some of the best in the world. That's what I was saying -- take what you inherit from the past, even if a lot of the past was bad," she said.

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