Leveraging Zim’s extractive industry

Rangu Nyamunyanduri Features Correspondent
On October 23, 2013 Britain’s Oxford University invited Mr Morgan Tsvangirai to its seminar on “Making Extractive Industries in Africa Work for African People”.
Oxford sought counsel from a man whose vision for the exploitation of our mineral resources we “African People” rejected on 31 July 2013.
Oxford’s seminar was co-hosted by Oxfam, an organisation professing to “end poverty and injustice” by working “directly with communities to influence the powerful to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them”.
Yet their seminar for “African People” sought counsel from a man Zimbabwe’s communities, with their abundant mineral resources, have barred from governing the extractive industry exploiting such resources.

Tsvangirai was supposed to enlighten on “How to manage natural resource wealth in Africa”.
Zimbabwe’s “African People” look to our representatives we have placed in Government to preside over our mineral resources.
It is more than 100 days since July 31, 2013 and our new Zanu-PF Government has adopted the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset).

President Robert Mugabe defined Zim Asset as being “crafted to achieve sustainable development and social equity anchored on indigenisation, empowerment and employment creation which will be largely propelled by the judicious exploitation of the country’s abundant natural and human resources.”

Zim Asset will leverage Zimbabwe’s mineral resources, generating revenue to facilitate socio-economic transformation.
It identifies the mining sector as a major foreign currency earner with the “potential to become the pillar for economic growth through value addition and beneficiation.”

Surely, we must be aware of our mineral resource wealth, which the West has long coveted?
Zimbabwe’s diamond reserves are estimated to be one of the world’s largest, while we have its second largest platinum deposits in addition to the more than 40 exploitable minerals.

It beats the mind that some “African People” among us dismiss Zim Asset believing it will not have the funds to facilitate its socio-economic transformation agenda.

Yet Zim Asset anticipates revenue from an extractive industry projected to grow from 4,5 percent to 11,7 percent from 2013 to 2018.
On November 8, 2013, President Mugabe responded well to such skeptics; “Don’t tell us we do not have money to steer Zim Asset. We have gold everywhere.”

He also called companies exploiting our platinum to stop exporting the raw mineral to South Africa but immediately begin building a local refinery.

Zim Asset seeks such beneficiation of our mineral resources to create much needed jobs.
It will also endeavour to create a conducive environment for investors.

Foreign companies exploiting diamonds, platinum and gold have stayed put within our indigenising extractive industry whose objective is equitable distribution of mineral resource wealth.

More foreign investors will come. The European Union’s Head of Delegation to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell’ Ariccia said despite indigenisation, European investors are interested in Zimbabwe’s natural resources.

He said the investors “are not against indigenisation” but “the rules of the game must be clear, transparent”.
Indeed on the very day that Tsvangirai acted like a distraught parrot at Oxford, blaming diamonds for his lost election cause, Belgium’s Antwerp World Diamond Council was breaking rank with Britain to engage Government on securing a share in Zimbabwe’s emerging diamond wealth.

Belgium’s investors are weary of Britain dragging Europe into its proxy war against President Mugabe, which Tsvangirai has yet again failed to win.

Belgium now leads Europe in re-engaging Zimbabwe’s extractive industry which can bring some relief to job hungry and recession hit European economies.

Tsvangirai should have been honest enough about the reason why Zimbabwe’s “African People” gave Zanu-PF full mandate to regulate our extractive industry, with two thirds majority control in the House of Assembly and 61 percent endorsement of the Presidency of Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

We freely returned to Zanu-PF and placed in trust our natural resources, contrary to Dr Ibho Mandaza’s belief that the elections of July 31 could only have been rigged because erstwhile MDC-T strongholds of Masvingo and Manicaland Provinces had “run away from Zanu-PF long ago”.

Masvingo’s love was rekindled after seeing Chivi guaranteed a share in diamond wealth exploited by Murowa.
Manicaland was the wiser on July 31, knowing that it stood a better chance of benefiting from Marange’s diamonds if regulated by a Zanu-PF Government, than putting their hopes in a prodigal son from Buhera who had alienated himself from the national interest to embark upon foreign pleasures.

MDC’s Paul Themba Nyati who lost in Gwanda North confessed to the reason why Zanu-PF had a clean sweep of another so called MDC-T stronghold of Matebeleland South.

Matebeleland South reconciled with Zanu-PF on seeing Gwanda community benefiting from Blanket Mine’s exploitation of their local gold resources.

Gwanda has already built three clinics and rehabilitated two irrigation schemes, transforming their socio-economic welfare, using their mineral resource wealth.

Oxford must be enlightened that Zimbabweans decided on July 31 2013 that to make our extractive industry work for us we must have such extractive industry indigenised to ensure an economic democracy that guarantees equitable distribution of our mineral wealth.
Zimbabwe must not now waver in tying up all loose ends to indigenisation, especially within our mining sector.

Zanu-PF must be more confident now, from the grassroots to its executive core, rid itself of what doubt indeed made some waver as they did in the face of elections.

Europe will give in to clarity, to a Team Zanu-PF’s Government united in its interpretation and implementation of indigenisation.
They have long known who we are as a Zimbabwean people. We are a resolute people, consistent in our pursuit to reclaim our economic inheritance. They will engage our majority people’s economic will, knowing a minority share of our resource wealth allowed to them will be of benefit to their economies.

Foreign investors already know indigenisation to be the pursuit by a consistent people whose will reached momentum on July 31 with President Robert Mugabe having clearly defined and advocated its ideals, which ideals Saviour Kasukuwere so aptly made daily bread to a nation’s economic aspirations.

The “African People” that now hold Zanu-PF’s hand in Government expect to be empowered and beautified economically as promised us by its manifesto.

Zanu-PF must not suffer from the negligence of a man who thinks he has “domesticated” his electoral bride only to see her fleeing in 2018 to those who charm with borrowed foreign suits.

Zim Asset must deliver now more than ever, within a clear framework of indigenisation well interpreted by a shared Team Zanu-PF ideal. Indeed Zanu-PF shall be weighed by its ability to deliver on Zim Asset come 2018. Its cards are now on the table, it must play them well as we watch with anticipation.

Rightfully so that President Mugabe recently warned that “Zim Asset must start unfolding and work must start, otherwise people will start asking you where are the pledges you said you would fulfil.”

I would give free counsel to Oxford University from my small space in mineral resource rich Zimbabwe, without cost of an air-ticket, facilitation fee or per-diem Tsvangirai most certainly got for his ill-advice.

It is that “African People” know that to make our extractive industry work for us we must first have such industry under our control, at the beckoning of our indigenous socio-economic aspirations.

As President Mugabe has reiterated, that 51 percent equity in companies exploiting our resources, including in our extractive industry, will give Zimbabweans a say in the day to day running of our economy.

President Mugabe would have given far better insight to Oxford University on how a group of “African People” have already begun to make their extractive industry work for them.

Rangu Nyamurundira is a lawyer and indigenisation/empowerment consultant based in Harare.