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Name: Betty Mageza
Organisation: China Jiangsu International
Job Title: Administration Officer
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Concurrently this year marks my 10th anniversary working with an International Chinese Company and the experience does not fall short of glory.
Having joined China Jiangsu International Economic and Technical Corporation Cooperation (CJIETCC) on the 1st of June 2013, for the upgrading of Victoria Falls International Airport which was funded by the China Export Import Bank to the tune of 150 million U.S. dollars, this project dovetailed into BRI, a road of stability to Zimbabwe as it sought to develop its transport infrastructure.
The BRI has proven that it is not simply a policy but it’s a policy based on very solid principles of international cooperation and some of the principles are those of equality, transparency and universal recognition of international market norms and values. True to this my work experience with CJI has been a win-win situation from an individual level to country level as the cooperation in the execution of the Victoria Falls Project and RG Mugabe International Project has seen a skills transfer, boosted economic growth and prosperity, betterment of the social fabric through employment creation etc.
Prior to my joining the CJI Group, media was rife with unfair labour practices within most of the Chinese run companies that was operating in Zimbabwe, however, with CJI it was and still a different story as the company upheld and respected the labour laws that govern the construction Industry in the country. The company lives up to its motto of Transparency, Trustworthiness, Transcendence and Corporation and this has made the company stay up in the right side of law making it one of the best Chinese run companies in Zimbabwe.
Having been employed as an Administration Officer, with one of my major duties being sorting out immigration issues (Employment Permits) for our Chinese counterparts, I have had the privilege of interacting with fellow Zimbabweans working for Chinese companies and the success stories of the projects that they are part of makes a great milestone and should be recited over and over again for generations to come. I have had interactions with fellow countrymen from Sino -Hydro, one of the major players in hydro power generation having successfully completed kariba hydro power station and Hwange Power station unit 7& 8 which has made a great impact on the national power grid with a mega 700 megawatts increase. Prospect lithium has made strides in employment creation, they have added value addition to their product by putting up one of the biggest processing plant in the country there by creating employment as well as positively impacting on the export bill of the economy.
As we continue to sing high praises for the BRI as a road of history with vigour, and as the only way towards a community of shared future for man-kind, the Belt and Road has promoted world connectivity, enhanced mutual understanding and friendship among people of various countries, of the entire world. It has and will continue to provide new opportunities for all countries with Zimbabwe as a major beneficiary of such an initiative as it moves closer to its vision to turn Zimbabwe into a middle-income country by 2030.
Despite language barriers with our Chinese counterparts I have come to realize that Love is a language that is universal and it has led to the smooth running of Chinese led projects as we seek to continue learning from the Chinese experience and China willing to give us an equal footing. It is on this basis of Love that we are able to consolidate relations on a win-win basis.
Contrary to reports that say that China- Zim relations are a hoax, the BRI is by no means a debt trap for African countries, and the allegation that China is seizing African resources is totally groundless. Zimbabwe continues to enjoy the fruits of a close but chequered relationship that has added to developments in the many sectors of Zimbabwe’s economy.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter