RECENTLY I heard some people saying that the general elections of 2018 are around the corner and so all our efforts must be geared towards them.
Come on! Let us stop fooling each other.
The 2018 general elections are not around the corner and are not a priority right now.
The only thing that is around the corner is the need for us to fix our country’s economy.
There are some people who if given a chance would like to hold general elections every two months.
For these people indulging everyday in political rhetoric, political assassinations, political chicanery, in fact cheap politics is their alpha and omega of pushing Zimbabwe forward.
They forget that engaging in endless politicking results in people losing their sense of direction, especially losing sight of the important thing – the economy.
When ZANU PF won the general election in 2013, they gave a very clear and bold direction to follow.
Not cheap politics for the five-year period between 2013 and 2018, but great efforts towards the rebuilding of the country’s economy.
That is why they produced the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-ASSET) economic blueprint.
This week we want to encourage Zimbabweans to concentrate at looking for solutions aimed at reviving the economy and stop cheap politics.
Those who want to win the 2018 general elections must fix the economy now and 2018 general elections will simply be a walk in the park.
How do we go about tackling the present economic problems that are bedevilling the country right now?
This brings us to the present; can South African companies fix our economy on their own?
A good number of Zimbabweans will tell you ‘yes they can’.
This is not surprising because most of us Zimbabweans find being colonised in one form or another a comfort zone.
We would rather have South African companies produce for us, dominate our economic landscape and all we will do is consume and consume.
But can an economy such as ours be fixed by the consumption of products produced by others?
By using the example of the United States of America’s stranglehold on Latin American countries’ economies, we would like to show that an uncontrolled expansion of South Africa’s economy into our country will have a negative impact on Zimbabwe’s economy and SADC as a whole.
The South African economy is quite big by world standards.
But being a capitalist economy it is run by capitalist cutthroats who will leave no Zimbabwean stone unturned to ensure they make massive profits for their companies when they come here.
If South African companies are allowed to take over our economy, the situation will be like the one obtaining between Latin America and the United States of America.
Lev Klochlovsky helps us with our story.
“Latin America is United States of America private capital’s main sphere of investment in the developing countries – almost 70 percent of all United States direct investment is concentrated in these countries.
“A major factor in United States’ penetration of Latin-America are Translational corporations.
“These are huge United States companies.
“For example, from the mid 70s on, 179 leading transnational corporations owned three quarters of United States of America private capital investments in Latin America.
“For instance, 10 United States companies controlled over 50 percent of the total investments in Mexico and 15 companies controlled almost 60 percent of the total investments in Brazil.”
The above mirrors the situation of South African companies in Zimbabwe, especially in the mining industry.
And today it appears, we are bent at attracting even more.
What has been the effect of the penetration of the above United States companies in Latin America?
“The growing penetration of the United States Transnational corporations into Latin America’s economies, especially into its manufacturing industries, strengthens the control of United States capital over them.
“In Brazil, 20 to 30 United States of America companies control 70 percent of the output of electrical engineering, 50 percent of that of the aluminium industry and a considerable part of other highly important branches of industry.”
In short, Latin American countries are today subordinated to the United States economy.
They are today a mere client economy of the United States economy, just limping along.
Their economic activities have brought about dependence of the local economy on the United States foreign companies.
Gradually, the countries have lost their sovereignty.
There has been a lot of political interference by the United States in the countries of Latin America especially when a political leader who the Americans don’t like emerges.
What has happened in Latin America is going to happen to Zimbabwe if a free for all approach in attracting South African companies is allowed to take place here.
What we must always bear in mind is that South African companies just like those in the United States are not coming here to fix our economy.
They are coming here to make money.
Look at the South African supermarket chains that have already wholly taken over the retail industry in Zimbabwe.
Have these companies come to fix Zimbabwe’s economy or make money?
We have given the Latin-American experience to highlight the fact that we need to be hardnosed whenever we enter into contracts with foreign companies.
We must safeguard our interests at all times.
Only win-win deals should be entertained.
We must definitely be on our guard.