Indigenisation successful

on Star FM about “Indigenisa­tion and Economic empowerment versus Jobs, Invest­ment and Upliftment”.
The programme by Innocent Tshuma also featured MDC-T’s Policy co-ordinator Mr Eddie Cross. “Education was the first empow­erment policy by the Zanu-PF Government,” said Cde Savanhu.

“At independence, there was only one uni­versity but today there are several universi­ties. Our people are now academically empowered and instead of them becoming workers we should control the companies.
“We want the (Zimplats CEO Alex) Mhem­bere’s in Zimplats and the geologists to own the companies.”

There was a danger when people were not empowered economically, said Cde Savanhu.
“Look at what is happening in South Africa right now,” he said. “Of course, the employ­ment rate there is better than in Zimbabwe and the majority are workers, but they have to lay their lives to change their livelihoods.

“When those multi-national companies come they want maximum profits and they do not care about what we get at the end of the day. This is not what we want.”
Cde Savanhu clarified that indigenisation would not benefit just a “few fat cats”, as was feared by some. “When Government comes up with a pol­icy, it is not about individuals, but the whole country,” he said. “Take the banking industry, for example, we have revolutionised the sector to the extent that the majority of players are indige­nous people. It is not Zanu-PF benefiting, but the whole country.

“When a policy is there it is not there for Savanhu or (Indigenisation Minister Sav­iour) Kasukuwere alone; it is about the coun­try.”
Mr Cross, whose party has come up with the “Jobs, Investment and Upliftment Plan” blue­print to counter the indigenisation pol­icy, maintained that the key to bettering the lives of the people lay in providing them with jobs.

He said since there was no money in Zim­babwe, the investment had to come by way of foreign direct investment.
He cited the controversial Essar deal as the model arrangement for the country. Mr Cross also suggested that there was no need to put the indigenisation threshold at 51 percent.

“The threshold should be on a deal by deal basis not to try to push the 51 percent. I think it should be what investors accept,” he said.