Indigenisation not for Zanu-PF per se

forefront of the phenomenon.
Thus, most people have heard about the debate mainly from the strong and unyielding stance taken by Zanu-PF and associate affirmative action and empowerment with Zanu-PF.
However, there are many legitimate intellectual arguments in the history of economic and socio-political thought that are in agreement with the concept of affirmative action and empowerment.
For example, the dependency school provides a very good theoretical foundation which is compatible with indigenization and empowerment. Scholars like Frantz Fanon, Amilcar Cabral, Julius Nyerere, and Walter Rodney among others, have eloquently articulated some of the most intricate details of global capitalist exploitation.
Although many people have learnt about them, the vanguard of the revolution seemed to have dropped momentum with which they used these principles in guiding the way forward after the attainment of political independence. These principles were not inculcated into our schools early enough.
Instead, it is the western neo-liberal ideals that have been promoted and taught in schools.
There are also different models of economic thinking apart from neo-liberal free market models like Henry George’s “Geo Classical Economics”.
They have been silenced by the dominant voices of mainly neo-liberal thinking which is associated with the western version of free market economics.
In fact, the suppression of Henry George’s “Progress and Poverty” was facilitated by deliberate efforts from the capitalist centres of power in western countries who sought to set up a system of values that reflected and served their interests, particularly because they were the ones in power.
Revolution-friendly knowledge was silenced by the flowery capitalist knowledge of human rights and freedom, yet the world today is burdened by the blood thirsty methods used by the western powers to subordinate entire regions of the world in an empire building offensive. Global capitalism is the world’s single greatest source of human rights abuses and mass killings.
At no point has the Zimbabwean affirmative action process or indigenization been racial.
This is a charge that is categorically denied.
The fact is, according to Mawere (2009:7), “Colonialism recognised race and the economic model that underpinned the colonial experience was a race-based capitalist system that had a zero tolerance for black capital formation.”
It is only natural that affirmative action, indigenization and black economic empowerment inevitably have to address the race issue.
It is one thing to address a racially constructed imbalance and another altogether to be racist.
Affirmative action simply sought to correct racial imbalances that saw the white former Rhodesians having an advantage that was codified in laws of the land. The urgency to counter codify the entrenched racial hegemony was by way of affirmative action legislation. Legal force is necessary because empirical evidence has shown that “White resistance to affirmative action is not unyielding — and unalterably fixed.” (Kuklinsk, 1997:402). Some scholars like Gaertner and Dovidio (1986); Glazer (1988); Kluegel and Smith (1983); and Sears (1988) see the politics of affirmative action as continuous with traditional racial politics.
Due to the vestiges of colonialism, the Zimbabwean economic thinking is too much dependent on western frameworks and as a result, it is not helping in the articulation, legitimisation and entrenchment of the affirmative action process.
According to Mawere (2009:7), “Africa is well endowed with natural resources and hence its attraction to imperialism and colonialism. The natives of Africa were not organised to offer any resistance to colonial penetration and control and have been less organised in the post colonial era in defining what they stand for, and what strategies and tactics ought to inform the pan-African democratic revolution.”
The western system has failed to produce a sustainable human development model.
While they advocate free market economics, it has failed to bring about equitable human development.
The trickle-down effect that they claim will happen has so far not happened. In fact so bad is the performance of the European system that they have created a lot of havoc for their people.
The world watched with disbelief as the people in the USA, Britain and the rest of the so-called developed world rioted.
Not only has the western model failed, but it has produced some of the biggest scales of human rights abuses because of unequal distribution of wealth.
This of course is one of the strongest reasons why affirmative action should be actively encouraged.
One of the most important issues also to consider is that uneven distribution of wealth.
It is a crucible for conflict.
It therefore goes without saying that wealth redistribution is actually a risk management strategy in itself as it ensures future peace because people will not be fighting for resources.
Dr Keith Guzah is the president of the Affirmative Action Group.