PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government urgently need to start turning rhetoric into visible action if they want to attract meaningful foreign investment, a senior Germany official has said.
By Kennedy Nyavaya in Berlin, Germany
Stefan Oswald, the director-general for Sub Saharan Africa in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ), on Thursday told journalists attending the International Journalists Programme winter school that the current administration has done little on the ground to prove commitment to policy reforms that they preach.
“The lyrics of the new Zimbabwe government are perfect, but what counts is to move from lyrics to action. Otherwise I cannot convince anybody over here to re-engage with Zimbabwe, and that is something which is really important,” Oswald said.
Mnangagwa’s economic restructuring agenda has been anchored on the “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra since taking the reins from former President Robert Mugabe through a coup in November 2017.
However, not much has been done to enforce ease-of-doing business as well as nipping corruption in the bud. According to Oswald, Germany is ready to have meaningful developmental co-operation with the southern African country if the government embraces good governance principles that promote democracy, rule of law and human rights, among other fundamentals.
“In principle, the programmes presented by the President and his new Cabinet are good, but making it happen to convince us also that they are really serious about it is the difference we can talk about,” he said while suggesting that Mnangagwa needs to cut ties with the army.
“You can write nice papers, but if the political will is not there to really make it happen, there is a problem. The President has to go into discussion with those who brought him into power because the military is having a strong rule and they are not reform-minded.”
His sentiments come at a time Zimbabwe’s economy is in desperate need of foreign investment.
Efforts to engage the international community, particularly the West, appear to have hit a snag, owing mostly to the country’s failure to repay debts, abuse of human rights and political instability, which Oswald said could be reversed by opening “a multiple democratic space”.
“We think bit by bit, one has to create more openness for other political forces, otherwise things are not going to move forward,” he said.
Germany is one of the countries that Zimbabwe is highly indebted to, with a debt of close to a billion euros.
WORKERS have threatened to take their war to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) for unilaterally declaring a new currency, the RTGS dollar, effectively eroding the value of their salaries that were pegged in United States dollars.
BY BLESSED MHLANGA
The workers are demanding that they be paid in US dollars as reflected on their contracts of employment.
Through the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the workers are preparing a legal suit against the central bank “for illegally imposing itself on our contracts of employment”.
ZCTU president Peter Mutasa confirmed the development, saying workers would take the war to the central bank demanding their salaries be paid in US dollars.
The workers claim their salaries were illegally converted into ZWL$ by the central bank.
“The contracts that are in existence were signed as US$ contracts,” Mutasa said.
“These contracts are between the employer and employees, but the RBZ then illegally came in and altered these contracts after introducing the RTGS$. We believe that this is illegal and that we have a chance at winning this battle.”
Midlands State University law lecturer Valentaine Mutatu said the labour body could have a very good chance at winning the case because the law is clear that government policy has no effect on personal contracts. “There is sense in their case because I understand there is a judgment made by Justice Happias Zhou, which says all obligations that were there in US$ are still in US$, but the judgment has since been appealed to, so they have sense,” he said.
Mutatu said government has also made a law which empowers it to collect revenue in hard currency from those selling in US$ or importing vehicles from outside the country, yet it was paying civil servants in the local currency. “Government is saying, for instance with Zimra [Zimbabwe Revenue Authority], if you sell in US$, you pay tax in US$ and also duties are being paid in US$. So I believe they have a case,” he said.
In introducing the RTGS$ through Statutory Instrument 33 of 2019, through the temporary presidential powers, the RBZ converted all assets and debts at a rate of 1:1 to the US$, effectively allowing the employer to continue paying salaries in RTGS$.
ZCTU said workers had suffered immensely through the illegal actions by the RBZ and should, therefore, have it reversed and workers paid in US$.
“You have businesspeople selling their products in US$, but paying workers in RTGS$. This should also stop. The RBZ has no power or legal standing to alter contracts of employers and employees without the consent of the two parties. In our view, workers should continue earning the currency denominated on their contracts,” he said. Salaries have been significantly eroded, with most employees now earning below US$100 after the local currency took a massive beating on the parallel market, while the interbank rate has also suffered, climbing from 1:2,5 and now trading at 1:5,5 although availability and access remains problematic.
Government employees, including teachers, have demanded that their salaries revert to US$ to restore value. Already, the market is pushing towards re-dollarisation, with most goods and services now being accessed through hard currency or alternatively, at the prevailing interbank rate.
An expert in the financial industry yesterday claimed government tried to meet the legal requirements through the various statutory instruments and the debate should revolve around whether the climate was conducive for the RBZ monetary policy to be sustainable.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Friday that government was working on abandoning the multi-currency regime altogether and introduce the country’s own currency before year-end.
AN estimated 21 000 people are dying every year in the country due to effects of air pollution.
BY RICHARD MUPONDE
The situation has had ripple effects on the attainment of sustainable development goals, a Cabinet minister said on Friday.
Approximately seven million people succumb to pollution worldwide each year.
Speaking at a provincial clean-up campaign and World Environment Day commemoration on Friday in Plumtree, Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs minister Abednego Ncube called on citizens to take positive steps to combat air pollution.
“This year, we commemorate the day under the theme Air pollution, a silent killer – clean air, my right, my responsibility. The theme for the world Environment Day 2019, is a call for action to combat one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time.
“The theme invites us all to consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce the amount of air pollution we produce and stop its contribution to global warming and its effects on our health,” Ncube said.
He said the United Nations Environment Programme has urged governments across the globe to deal with this silent killer by adopting the 4Rs — reduce, recycle, reuse and recover — through their national policies.
“Ninety-one percent of early deaths occur in the low and middle income countries of which Zimbabwe is among those. Let’s embrace the 4Rs of waste management as a matter of policy as symbolised by the launch of the Presidential Clean-Up day by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December 2018. Let’s form and support community initiatives aimed at embracing the results of the 4Rs of sustainable solid waste,” he said.
Addressing the same gathering, Industry and Commerce minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, in whose constituency the event was being held, said Plumtree Town Council should tighten by-laws to punish litter bugs.
“It should not only be a clean-up campaign to pick up litter from the streets, but also cleaning our minds against throwing litter everywhere. I implore our town fathers to enact strict by laws to punitively deal with those who litter the environment. At the moment our by-laws are lax against litter bugs.
“We should ask ourselves what kind of Plumtree we want. Let’s keep the town clean, because it is the entry point into the country, to project a good image of the country,” he said.
The event was sponsored by Plumtree Bakery and attended by all government departments representatives, businesses and the Environment Management Agency.
ZIMBABWE has been urged to build a recycling plant to deal with solid waste which is contaminating water bodies and polluting the environment.
BY SHINGIRAI VAMBE
A week-long workshop on climate change, co-ordinated by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the Russian government, saw different stakeholders converging in Harare to try and find solutions to issues affecting the nation.
Local authorities and communities are facing challenges of solid waste disposal in the wake of limited space for dumpsites, compounded by poor collection methods in urban centres.
Trust Nhubu a doctoral student on waste management from the University of South Africa, told NewsDay that it was high time Zimbabwe had its own recycling plant to mitigate pollution and greenhouse gases mostly caused by poor disposal methods such as burning of garbage.
“It is a business that needs an integrated approach, which can create employment while improving living standards for the people of Zimbabwe. Local authorities are failing to manage solid waste in Zimbabwe, Harare in particular. There is need for more research to be done because the project requires a lot of resources and capacity issues should also be looked into,” Nhubu said.
Some countries are said to be exporting solid waste to Rwanda and Dubai for recycling. In Rwanda, they recycle electrical waste including computers. They remove components to rebuild computers for schools and organisations, while in Dubai they recycle plastic waste to manufacture plastic products.
Because Zimbabwe generates about 1,6 million tonnes of solid waste annually, some participants at the workshop proposed that research be conducted to see viability of a recycling plant.
Nkanyiso Ndlovu, a senior environmental officer for Bulawayo City Council said: “Currently we are collecting refuse in Bulawayo in partnership with our community, looking forward to working for the future generation, building a recycling plant in Zimbabwe might not help today, but by 2030, its purpose will be seen,” Ndlovu said.
Roger Mpande, from Zimbabwe Regional Environment Research Centre, and a member of the Presidential Advisory Council told journalists that the Climate Change Department and Environmental Management Agency should align themselves with new government policies.
Mpande applauded President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for a clean environment as well as use of clean energy.
THE opposition MDC party has vowed to drag President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the negotiating table kicking and screaming through civil disobedience, international pressure and other constitutional means of protest. In the frontline, the party’s youth assembly will play a crucial role in mobilising people. Senior reporter Blessed Mhlanga (ND) spoke to recently elected Youth Assembly deputy chairperson Cecillia Chimbiri (CC) on how the MDC will execute its plans.
ND: Firstly, congratulations on your recent election, but what does your election to the position of vice-chairperson of the youth assembly in the MDC mean to you?
CC: Thank you very much, my election as the first ever woman deputy chairperson of the youth assembly in MDC’s 20 years means carrying the responsibility of all the young people in Zimbabwe and carrying all their burdens. We are all suffering, our country is on an economic meltdown. We are all unemployed and we are suffering at the hands of Zanu PF and the Mnangagwa government. So, being the national youth vice-chairperson means I have to be on the frontline to make sure that we deliver the young people of Zimbabwe into a new Zimbabwe led by Nelson Chamisa, who will led a government by the people and for the people.
ND: But the people went to vote in 2018 and they elected Emmerson Mnangagwa as President. So, what do you mean when you say a government by the people?
CC: Mnangagwa was not elected by the people. I still believe Zec (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) rigged the election. The people chose Chamisa and for me what it means is Mnangagwa is an illegitimate President, he had no clue as to what he was going to do with Zimbabwe because he was only concentrating on how to rig an election. So for us, the young people now rely on us to make sure that we correct what was done. We have not forgotten that they stole our election. We are still going to defend our vote by making sure that we do the right thing and we get the people of Zimbabwe respected by making sure that the person that they voted for and the government that they want to see in power to represent them is what will come out
ND: This will be in the next election in 2023?
CC: We are not waiting for an election in 2023. We are going to confront Mnangagwa. In fact, we want Mnangagwa to resign. We can’t continue like this, we wake up we go to the stores to buy mealie meal at ridiculous prices, cooking oil for ZWL$30. We cannot wait any longer, we want ED gone, we want Zanu PF gone and we want to usher in a new life for the Zimbabweans.
ND: What do you mean confronting, how do you want to go about that?
CC: It’s not criminal to demonstrate and voice your concerns; voice what we are saying are the main problems. It’s a national crisis and as you can see, besides me as a politician speaking, there is a wave out there. Any young person you meet or just randomly pick will tell you that the Zimbabwe we have versus the Zimbabwe the people want are totally parallel. We have a national crisis. So, for me confronting the system means the streets will be my second home we will make sure that we demonstrate peacefully and make sure we mount the necessary pressure. You can see that the people do not want ED anymore, so we will put pressure so that he steps down and gives a chance to those people who want to fix the country, the people who want to represent the people.
ND: The system or the President of this country said that the MDC is the one that is fanning violence and that your demonstrations, that you call peaceful demonstrations, always turn out violent and destroy people’s property. What do you say to that allegation?
CC: Even if you catch a thief stealing in your house they will refuse, they will always have a way to defend themselves. I am sure we have all seen how Zanu PF have destroyed this country with their own hands. I don’t think this is a new dispensation that they have been grandstanding about and they accuse the opposition for causing violence, to want to subvert the government etc, and so many things that they talk about. But what is of importance right now is to clearly look at the lives of Zimbabweans. Who in your view can afford a day in Zimbabwe, who can afford life in Zimbabwe right now? Nobody can, a mere civil servant can’t even afford to pay for the house that they rent. So, for me it’s not about what Mnangagwa says, but about what the people are saying because he also purports to represent the people. So, when the people are saying they don’t want him and they are suffering and they need change, then that’s the route that we are going to take when the people send us to represent them we will simply direct them in a direction that will make us deliver.
ND: On August 1, 2018 six people died of gunshot wounds. In January, 17 more people were shot dead. Aren’t you afraid that this will replicate itself in what you say is going to be your second home in the streets?
CC: I do not think we have to fear, for the most part, what we have to fear is fear itself. Mnangagwa was a young person at some point and they took a decision that they were going to stand against colonial rule. So, it’s the same decision and that we are simply taking — there will be causalities. They will try to kill us, but they can’t kill the whole country. They can arrest and kill individuals, but you can’t arrest an idea whose time has come. The people are tired; the people want a new government ushered in. So, we are simply going to try and make sure we copy what our liberation war icons left for us. They fought their part of liberating us from the then colonial masters. We have to fight our own part of delivering political freedoms and economic freedom in our lifetime
ND: Some believe that the MDC is a party of violence and thuggery. Do you subscribe to this thought?
CC: I do not subscribe to the thought of violence and thuggery, but I also don’t subscribe to being passive when I am being attacked because then what it means is it’s war when one Mnangagwa sends State agents to go to people’s houses, abduct people who are voicing their concerns in a constitutional manner, those people are beaten, dumped and left for dead. Then one asks me to remain silent – that will not happen.
ND: We have reported on your former youth leader Happymore Chidziva and a number of his colleagues being arrested running away from their homes. Are you prepared to face this kind of threat to your personal life?
CC: Well, I thought about it when I decided that I want to be on the frontline and I also knew what the consequences would be, seeing that we have a government that is paranoid, desperate, that is fearful of its people that they might revolt. People don’t revolt. People raise their concerns, but if you are a leader who listens all you need to do is have it corrected. The illegitimate President is shouting the mantra “new dispensation” there is nothing new about this dispensation. They have failed in the politics of the day. There is nothing new about the political dispensation and the economic dispensation. So, you know sometimes you make sacrifices on behalf of others, like I always say and like I said just now. I will always take to the example of when they decided they were going to war against white colonial rule; we are going to war against stolen elections, corruption, poverty and looters of national resources posing as our liberators. I am saying they took a bold decision and they knew not all of them would come back, but some of them were going to remain in the bush. So, we are not afraid, we are simply doing what is right and I would love probably on my tombstone to have an epithet written that at least I died trying to do something that is right for the young people of Zimbabwe. For how long shall we suffer at the hands of a government that does not listen to us? No one is going to come and give us freedom, we are going to get it ourselves, no one is going to come and say, the economy has been fixed, we have to take the necessary steps to make sure that we liberate ourselves as the young people for posterity.
ND: Why did you choose to belong to the MDC?
CC: Because the MDC is a safe space. First of all, I subscribe to the social democracy ideology, but the MDC also provides a safe space for me as a young woman to participate freely. It’s not a space that is marred by violence. It’s a space where you are groomed and you are taught the ideology of solidarity, equality and freedom. I actually decided to join politics because when I joined the MDC on attachment I found out that they were few young women participating in politics. I wanted to find out why they were not participating and the only way I was going to find out was also being part of the leadership. So, I joined the structures and I rose through the ranks and I found out why politics is a game of tags for women. We are still in a patriarchal society, we have people who still believe that women who are in politics are of loose morals. We are coming from that background and we are still in the same situation where politics is a game of violence, especially to the opposition. I think our leaders in this country want us to be a one party State. So, it inspired me a lot to inspire others. So, I had to join politics to raise a voice to make sure that the voice of the young woman is also heard.
ND: So, where do you see your future in politics?
CC: I see myself somewhere big. I see myself leading the women one day. I see myself being part of a great leadership. Everyone has an ambition, but for now I really want to concentrate on where we are taking the young people of this country, especially young women. I am very passionate about gender activism. I am very passionate about the fight for democracy. So right now from where I am sitting I really want to see the people of Zimbabwe liberated.
ND: There are some who believe that the MDC is not sensitive to the women; it has been mostly men who are running the show. From an insiders’ perspective and as a young lady, has it been difficult for you to rise to this level?
CC: I have always known that the gender fight, gender activism, the gender fight would be a process we were not going to achieve it in one decade or one night, but at least, the MDC is moving towards achieving gender equality and making sure that women are participating in decision-making. As we came out of congress, this is the first youth management which is balanced, we have five males and five females in the management of the MDC. We have three vice-presidents two males and a female. We look forward to appointments where women also get appointed to powerful positions. We are also going to do the same in the youth assembly. We have already asked the provinces to make sure that when they submit the names of their national representatives they make sure that one of those people is a woman. So, I think it’s a process and I am glad that we are moving towards balanced leadership in terms of gender.
ND: Have you had the problem in terms of your chosen career path as a politician?
CC: I wouldn’t have had such problems because I am coming from a family of politicians, my great grandfather was a politician though he was coming from a party of that time and my father was also a politician.
ND: Which party of that time?
CC: Zanu PF, and my father in 1999 when the MDC was formed was the chairman of Mashonaland Central province. As a young girl I used to see how my father was brave and how my father would still continue being resilient and even at the hands of [Robert] Mugabe dictatorship, torture and abductions. I was a very young girl and you know how girls relate with their fathers. He was my role model. I really wanted to understand what made him resilient, but I knew he had a passion for representing people and seeing the people of Zimbabwe free. So, I took the same footsteps that my forefathers and my father took. So, for me I never had problems with my family. I think the problem comes when our mothers are fearful because sometimes the mentality that because maybe you are a woman, you are more prone to the abuse, you are prone to the violence, comes to her mind. So, she is always fearful you get messages like be careful, don’t do this in public, don’t just be, don’t speak out too much, but you know that’s how our mothers are, but I have never had problems with my family as to why I am active in politics.
ND: Zanu PF has described MDC leader nelson Chamisa as childish and a person who is not supposed to be anywhere near State power. What is your view about the leadership qualities of your president?
CC: I respect my president, I see him as the president of Zimbabwe. I see him as the Joshua, when I read the Bible I relate to the exodus of the people from the land where they were captured and the land that was flowing with milk and honey and when I see president Nelson Chamisa, I see that kind of a leader. It’s only that Zanu PF is fearful of such a young president of ours and the president of Zimbabwe Chamisa. But when you look at even how he even advances the issues that you are asking me about — the issue of gender. How he is moving with the modern trends of how to do politics and his democracy works. You will find that with Chamisa, we have a leader who represents the people. Chamisa respects from your elderly to the newborn child and he cares about everyone. He is a democratic father who subscribes to the same ideology that I was talking about, social democracy. So, for me I wouldn’t want to really dwell much on what Zanu PF says about him because they are threatened by him.
ND: And lastly, what is your message to the young people of Zimbabwe?
CC: My message to the young people of Zimbabwe is that we need to soldier on. Nothing is going to be given to us on a silver plate. We don’t complain from the terraces, we need to take action now, we need to go out in our numbers occupy the streets and do it peacefully and we will get there. There is no suffering that will last for the rest of our lives. We are going to be liberated, but we also need to take a stand and take a stance. We are tired and enough is enough and we want to usher in a new government. My message to the generality of the young people, young women and young men in Zimbabwe is that let us soldier on.
It’s clear that the world has a packaging problem. Plastic pollution, one of the most visible challenges of our time, is too big for any government, company or community to solve on their own.
By Bruno Pietracci / Jacques Vermeulen
However, we believe it is one we can conquer if we work together and each take responsibility for our part in the chain.
While food and beverage packaging is an important part of our modern lives, like many companies that make products we all love, The Coca-Cola Company recognises that our packaging has contributed to this global challenge.
Because our business relies on bottles and cans, we share a responsibility to help ensure that the world has a more sustainable packaging system in place.
The United Nations Environment Programme recently issued a report Legally Plastic: Regulatory Approaches to Controlling Single-Use Plastic.
The UN conducted research on national regulatory frameworks concerning plastic bags, single-use plastics and microbeads.
The 2018 analysis of 192 countries included bans and restrictions; taxes and levies; and waste management measures. While the report is helpful in evaluating the effectiveness of certain regulations in various parts of the world, it does not explore the effectiveness of voluntary extended producer responsibility (VEPR).
As a global business, The Coca-Cola Company operates in countries which don’t have regulations or taxes in place regarding plastic packaging, however, we have taken it upon ourselves, with our bottling partners, to collect and recycle a can or bottle we sell by 2030 as part of a vision called World Without Waste. And we are doing this in many parts of southern and east Africa.
We recognise that PET plastic is a big driver for the circular economy and is used in many other products besides bottles, including cars, textiles and carpets.
To establish the basis for a sustainable circular economy, we’re designing, collecting and partnering to enable recycling to turn our bottles into valuable resources, which will create more jobs and drive a greener economy. Our VEPR for our plastic packaging revolves around three pillars: Design, partner and collect.
We’re designing our packaging to be 100% recyclable across our expanding portfolio by 2025, and by 2030, all our packaging will contain 50% recycled materials within it.
Currently in South Africa, all Coca-Cola PET packaging is made with at least 15% recycled PET.
Across southern and eastern Africa, we are partnering with local communities, non-governmental organisations, industry and consumers to collect packaging, helping to ensure that it doesn’t end up where it doesn’t belong. Earlier this year in April, we helped to launch the African Plastics Recycling Alliance.
The alliance brings companies such as Diageo, Unilever, Nestle and The Coca-Cola Company to promote innovation and collaboration on solutions to improve plastics collection and recycling, which in turn is expected to create jobs and commercial activity.
Companies will also engage with the investment community and policymakers to accelerate the development and financing of waste management infrastructure and systems.
By acting as a catalyst to bring together partners along the value chain to enable recycling, The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Beverages Africa have been instrumental in kickstarting VEPR systems to improve collection rates — first in South Africa and now leveraging these learnings to other countries in southern and eastern Africa. In South Africa, The Company and its bottlers got together with other manufacturers to form the PET Recycling Company (PETCO) in 2004.
This not-for-profit organisation collects a voluntary recycling fee from converters and importers of PET resin, the main material in plastic beverage bottles.
The fee is then channelled to local recycling partners for every kilogramme of post-consumer PET that they buy from collectors, helping to sustain the recycling sector by increasing the value of collected PET.
As a result of the PETCO system in South Africa, the recycling rate of PET in South Africa has rocketed from just 14% in 2005 to over 65% of total PET volumes in 2018.
This puts South Africa ahead of developed markets, such as the European Union (2016: 60%) and the United States (2016: 28,4%) when it comes to PET collection rates.
In 2018, The Coca-Cola system in South Africa collected more PET than it put into the market — 114% to be precise. Over the past decade, the recycling ecosystem in South Africa has grown into a thriving R250 million/year industry, providing income opportunities for more than 64 000 people, and creating small, entrepreneurial waste collection businesses along the value chain.
Building on this experience in South Africa, The Coca-Cola Company, CCBA and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, launched PETCO in Kenya, as a voluntary industry, extended producer responsibility scheme in Kenya in June 2018.
This scheme will also be introduced in Ethiopia and Tanzania this year.
Meanwhile in Uganda, working with the government and community stakeholders, Plastics Recycling Industries (PRI), a CCBA subsidiary, has extended its recycling operations.
In 2018, PRI collected and recycled 2 300 tonnes of plastic waste; as of May 2019 the facility has doubled its monthly collection and recycling rate and on track to exceed 5 000 tonnes of recycled plastic waste for the year, leading the way in eastern Africa.
In Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana, we have contracted local collectors and recyclers to accelerate collection and recycling.
Of course, voluntary systems such as these require ongoing financial support from all industry players to remain sustainable.
The Coca-Cola Company provides support in the form of a voluntary recycling fee and an annual grant paid to PETCO, but we also purchase between 9 000-10 000 tonnes per year of recycled material for use in new bottles, worth an estimated R160m per annum.
Our packaging vision of a World Without Waste is the next step in our ongoing sustainability efforts. These initiatives are part of our larger strategy to grow with conscience by becoming a total beverage company that grows the right way by creating and supporting a circular economy.
Bruno Pietracci is president of the Southern and East Africa business unit of The Coca-Cola Company and Jacques Vermeulen is the chief executive of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, Coca-Cola’s largest bottling partner in Africa.
Last week, I wrote about the global tensions surrounding the 5G technology between China and the United States of America (US) and how the technology will likely impact the social, political and economic systems worldwide. I also highlighted why the US government was not impressed that a Chinese company, Huawei, seems to be ahead of their companies and South Korea’s on 5Gs.
In that discussion, I pointed out that the 5G technology is going to alter the global political power dynamics and unleash new global super powers. I provided a brief overview of the likely political scenario arising from the benefits and power of the 5G technology. Last week demonstrated that Huawei means business as they signed major deals with Russia and the Africa Union (AU). This technically means that, in addition to capturing the Asian markets, China, through Huawei, has Africa and Russia in their pockets, leaving only Europe for competition with US telecommunication companies. Last week, I had a chance to chat with one South African university professor on the same subject, but mainly focusing on the field of development studies. The discussion was mainly centred on how I think the 5G technology will impact the field of development studies, mainly what Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, described as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
In this instalment, I will provide a quick update on what I have always believed needed to be done to get Africa up to speed with the rest of the world. But before I get into that, let me start by what I think we should not have wasted our time on — development theories.
Most students of development studies and some in media studies are forced to learn, comprehend and apply the modernisation, structuralism, dependency, alternative, neoclassical and the post-development theories as a basis for formulating what should work for Africa. These have become cornerstones since development and poverty reduction have become a field of study.
What has been missing in their academic usage is that these theories, if they qualify to be described as such, simply defined the political and economic relationship between the west and the rest of the world at a given time.
In doing so, they mask the perpetuation of the pre-existing colonial and political power imbalances between the West and rest and should, therefore, never have been applied as theories or models in the field of development studies to address the poverty problems of the historically disadvantaged societies.
The reasons I am saying this is very simple. Africa, as a continent, received trillions of dollars in aid money in the last seven decades to support poverty reduction initiatives drawn on the theories mentioned above. None of that investment has made significant transformation to the lives of the people. This has prompted academics such as Wolfgang Sachs to conclude that the idea of poverty reduction in its current state stands like a ruin in the intellectual landscape because delusion, disappointment, failures and crimes have been its steady companions and they tell one common story — that it has never worked. He urged for tackling of this towering conceit.
Perhaps what Sachs sought to highlight is that societies are poor or developed because of their level of industrialisation and not any of those development models or theories. This world is categorised as developed, developing and under-developed because of the level of industrialisation or lack thereof. Industrialisation organises and defines the social, economic and political status of various societies in the world. Africa is poor because it lacks industrialisation and developed countries are what they are today because they have industrialised.
The various historical stages of human economic development this world has encountered have been due to various levels of industrialisation.
The first industrial revolution applied the use of water and steam power to mechanise production, while the second invented electric power to increase mass production. The third, which is the current phase, applies the use of electronics and information technology to automate production.
In all these three phases of industrialisation, African societies’ academics have tended to be lured by the theories or models of development instead of investing resources and intellectual capacity to understand the requirements of the various levels of industrialisation.
Countries that have achieved economic development in recent decades such as China and other Asian countries, the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern countries and in Africa, Mauritius, Rwanda and Ethiopia have done so by simply investing in industrialisation.
The fourth industrial revolution offers a new opportunity for struggling societies to catch up with the developed societies only if they quickly embrace its benefits and identify niche opportunities as it unfolds.
According to Schwab, the fourth industrial revolution is simply building on the third phase, the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century for which most developing countries are part of.
The fourth industrial revolution is a fusion of new technologies that are blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres leaving the world, mainly developing societies at crossroads. If developing societies miss this window of opportunity to embrace this new technology in ways that will promote economic growth and the common good, enhance human dignity and protect the environment, there is a good chance that poverty and inequality will widen and compromise the aspirations of millions of people.
Tapiwa Gomo is a development consultant based in Pretoria, South Africa
THE Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers (ZIE) says government should prioritise investing in infrastructure because the sector has suffered long periods of neglect, delayed maintenance and lack of funding.
BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA
The engineers’ body revealed that the country has at least 250 structurally deficient bridges.
“It is more important than ever to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and end the paralysis that seems to grip the entourage of politicians who can put forth the bills and find the funding to make a difference,” the ZIE said “Engineering Council of Zimbabwe, ZIE and Zimbabwe Association of Consulting Engineers proposed that the elected Zimbabwean government leaders should invest heavily in infrastructure and work with top engineers to develop innovative solutions to better prepare the infrastructure for the future which are paramount to Zimbabwe’s economic growth.
“Engineers also recommend changes to construction and engineering laws, new materials and construction methods. Advances in modern technologies including ICT, robotics, science and materials development have resulted in a large number of cost-effective and more durable materials, along with improved methods for infrastructure development and construction times.”
ZIE added that outdated laws, political hurdles, local government policies and funding for the vast number of projects remain serious challenges.
“National policies must be enacted in order to improve construction and maintenance as well as encourage energy efficiency. Policies must also address population growth and rising energy use and costs.”
This year Treasury set aside a total of US$2,6 billion to be invested in infrastructure during 2019, of which US$1,1 billion would be mobilised through the budget and US$1,5 billion as off budget financing.
ALTHOUGH Ms Dee — as comedienne Nomsa Diana Muleya is popularly known in Bulawayo’s entertainment circles — has carved a name for herself by getting people to laugh, her arts career is not just about jest.
BY SINDISO DUBE
Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style last week as she celebrated her birthday on Thursday she said she was passionate about the empowerment of the girl child.
The self-proclaimed queen of comedy said she wanted to change society’s negative attitude towards women working in the fast lane of entertainment.
“As a comedian I wish to work harder and also break boundaries in comedy. I want to have an impact on the females and break the stereotypes associated with women in arts,” she said.
“People don’t take us seriously in arts, especially us females, (because) we are labelled women of loose morals.” Ms Dee said she was working on programmes in and around her neighbourhood to empower the girl child.
“Comedy has exposed me to many things. I am currently advocating for the girl child and against gender-based violence. I am doing programmes and shows to spread the word of social change through comedy in conjunction with Youth Innovation Trust,” she said.
The comedy queen said she had also been working with single mothers, who she said were among the biggest victims of stereotyping.
“People tend to think we are losers, yet many of us are bold enough to walk out of marriage when we realised that it was not working,” she said.
Ms Dee was the first comedienne to join Bulawayo’s first jest outfit, Umahlekisa Comedy Club, led by award-winning jest master Ntando Van Moyo.
The club is set to host Ms Dee’s birthday celebrations in Cowdry Park at a gig dubbed Umahlekisa Stokvel.
A BRACE by Bruce Homora ensured Black Rhinos keep up pressure at the top of the Castle lager Premier Soccer League table as the army side saw off TelOne in a match played at Luveve Stadium yesterday. BY FORTUNE MBELE
Moses Demera opened the scoring in the 29th minute from inside the box connecting from a Wellington Taderera cross to beat goalkeeper Raphael Pitisi in a move engineered by Allen Gahadzikwa.
The combination worked once more in the 54th minute as Taderera sent in another cross from the left for Demera to control, turn and slot the ball in to get his brace.
With yesterday’s win the army side moved to fourth spot on the log-table with 21 points, just one behind leaders Chicken Inn, who lost to Harare City at the same venue on Saturday.
Coach Herbert Maruwa was over the moon after the game, saying he was targeting a top-four finish.
”It was a good game and a good show from the boys. We just need to keep up with the teams at the top. We don’t know what will happen at the end, but we want to finish in the top four,“ Maruwa said.
His opposite Jairos Tapera conceded defeat with his side dropping further down towards the relegation zone.
”It was a difficult and poor match for us. We failed to even create a single chance in the first half. We lost; we will go back and strategise for the next game,“ Tapera said.
Teams TelOne: R Pitisi, M Chigumira, T Chikore, I Zambezi, T Sibanda (E Chigara 58′), S Phiri (F Muza 81′), E Mandiranga, F Nkala, E Zinyama, J Muzokomba, D Mangesi (T Hapazari 58′)
Black Rhinos: A Rayners, T Jaravani, F Banda, B Homora, T Sibanda, G Saunyama, E Chigiji (W Kapinda 90+1′), W Taderera, M Demera (H Chimutimunzeve 75′), L Murape, A Gahadzikwa (M Mukumba 81′)
