ZCTU warns against Chinese plunder of Zim
By Alex Bell
25 May 2011
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has warned against the ongoing
plunder of Zimbabwe by foreigners, especially the Chinese, saying the
country’s natural resources should benefit the people.
ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo told journalists at the commemoration of
Africa Day in Harare that Zimbabwe’s resources “are not for Chinese or any
other foreigners to enjoy for a song.” He urged the government to instead
use the country’s natural wealth to help the majority of Zimbabweans living
in poverty.
His comments come as a delegation of young Chinese entrepreneurs has arrived
in Zimbabwe to explore business opportunities in the country. The ten man
group is being hosted by the ZANU PF led Youth and Empowerment Ministry, and
the focus of their visit is understood to be a tour of the controversial
Chiadzwa diamond fields.
The delegation is being led by the Secretary of the Central Committee of the
Communist Youth League of China, Zhou Changkai, who praised Robert Mugabe as
a good friend of the Chinese.
“President Mugabe is a friend of the Chinese people and as Chinese youths we
would like to wish good health to the President,” Zhou said
He also said the objective of the visit was future oriented and the
delegation wanted to know the social and economic environment in Zimbabwe.
SW Radio Africa correspondent Lionel Saungweme said the visit “may be
pleasant for ZANU PF, but it will not be well received by the rest of the
country.” He explained that China’s encroachment of Zim’s industry has many
people concerned, “because the belief is that they are coming just to loot
our resources,” and not put anything back into the struggling economy.
The Chinese already have a strong stake in many businesses in Zimbabwe,
including the diamond industry, where Chinese owned companies are the only
foreign owned businesses likely to be spared from any indiginisation plans.
ZANU PF’s empowerment Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, has said that the
Chinese mining firms will be exempt from handing over 51% of their shares to
locals as part of the indiginisation measures being punted by ZANU PF.
This strong relationship meanwhile has also prompted China’s Ambassador to
Zimbabwe, Xin Shunkang, to pledge China’s support for Zim diamond exports to
be allowed. Shunkang was speaking at the Chinese run Anjin mining company in
Chiadzwa over the weekend, where Mines Minister Obert Mpofu praised the
company for “improving the livelihood” of its Zimbabwe employees. This is
despite the company recently recruiting the army to forcibly remove local
Chiadzwa villagers from their homes to make way for more mining endeavors.
Shunkang meanwhile said that a Chinese delegation will rally behind Zimbabwe
at the next meeting of the diamond trade watchdog, the Kimberley Process
(KP), where the confusion surrounding Zimbabwe’s trade status is meant to be
debated. Zim was suspended from trade in 2009 over human rights abuses at
Chiadzwa. But the new Chairman of the KP has this year unilaterally given
Zimbabwe the green light to resume exports, despite ongoing reports of
irregularities at the diamonds fields.
“Since a Chinese company is involved in the diamond mining here in Zimbabwe,
we will walk together because we want both countries to benefit. As a
government, we are very excited with the developments happening here,”
Shunkang said.