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NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Govt must do more to stop exodus of nationals

Editorials
The Zimbabweans are among millions other international migrants who have swarmed the Rainbow Nation in search for a better life, a situation which has, unfortunately, resulted in friction between ordinary South Africans and foreigners mainly over issues to do with jobs.

SOUTH Africa’s Social Development minister Lindiwe Zulu has reignited a very burning issue affecting her country and its northern neighbour, Zimbabwe, regarding migration.

The issue of migration between South Africa and Zimbabwe has quite an interesting history which many may have forgotten, while others may understandably not be aware of simply because its genesis dates back into decades past.

There are an estimated over three million Zimbabweans legally and illegally residing in South Africa. The number could even be much larger considering that thousands of Zimbabweans in the old days who went to work in South African gold mines never returned.

The Zimbabweans are among millions other international migrants who have swarmed the Rainbow Nation in search for a better life, a situation which has, unfortunately, resulted in friction between ordinary South Africans and foreigners mainly over issues to do with jobs.

While South Africa was largely developed by migrant labour chiefly from the southern African region, like any other modern nation, the Rainbow Nation is under pressure to cater for its own citizens and an influx of other nationals obviously increases stress on its resources.

Given this brief background, South Africa has now resolutely decided to give Zimbabwe Exemption Permit holders up to December to regularise their stay under new tougher conditions. The permits, introduced in 2009, will not be renewed beyond December.

Justifiably and rightly, Zulu, who is a top member of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), has said: “When it comes to the issue of Home Affairs, and you were saying maybe we are sending Zimbabweans back to starve, as the ANC, we believe that all countries need to take responsibility for their citizens. First and foremost, we take responsibility for our citizens, we make sure that despite the challenges that we have of poverty, unemployment and inequality, we shouldn’t be having South Africans leaving South Africa with almost nothing … leaving South Africa and going to neighbouring countries to go and look for greener pastures when they aren’t even that much of the greener pastures that we can talk about.”

Zulu’s sentiments are quite insightful and precise.

For the Zanu PF government, this frank advice coming from a close buddy from the struggle for independence is telling and a call for it to revisit its efforts to be responsible for its citizens.

The majority of Zimbabweans in foreign lands, especially South Africa, are fundamentally economic refugees, who have fled their country because once vibrant industries have been allowed to crumble and the corrupt are now calling the shots to the point of spiriting away funds meant for social safety nets. An immediate example is the theft of funds meant to cushion the poor and vulnerable at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the corrupt, who the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has said are now so emboldened to spite the organisation, can have the audacity to steal from the poor, what more plunder have they done in the country?

While government seems aware of its responsibility to citizens through its “leaving no one and no place behind” mantra, it has to do more than just talk because talk is cheap when joblessness is at over 80% and industries continue to crumble due to poor economic policies.

Lady Zulu is merely telling her northern neighbour that there is no reason why so many Zimbabweans are fleeing their homeland if the current government was doing the right things to shore up the economy.

Blaming sanctions, saboteurs and imagined regime change agenda proponents, as the Zimbabwe government keeps doing, is a wild red herring that is blinding government from taking responsibility over its citizens.

Government should stop blaming so and so, and this and that for its failures, while the country crumbles and citizens immigrate to foreign lands. There is an old saying: “A bad workman blames his tools.”

Food for thought!