By Golden Guvamatanga 

THERE are many lessons to be drawn from the ongoing stampede by Western countries to invest in Zimbabwe, but the one that stands out like a beacon is that Harare’s tenacity is largely responsible for that scramble. 

In the past few weeks, investors from the UK, Australia and the US have made a beeline for Harare as the West’s hostile foreign policy against Zimbabwe continues to crumble like a deck of cards. 

Lest we forget, the UK and the US orchestrated Zimbabwe’s international isolation in a malicious response to the historic land reform programme. As punishment, they imposed illegal sanctions on the country, turning it into an unfavourable investment destination. 

But over and above that, the heinous sanctions were designed to incite the masses against their Government and push them to reverse land reform and instal a pliant leadership in Zimbabwe. 

It is now an open secret that this hostile policy and embargo have failed to yield the desired results. 

Zimbabwe’s resolve on matters to do  with its territorial integrity and sovereignty are a clear signal that the country is going to defend itself from the machinations of the West, whatever it takes. 

The Western countries, along with their local lackeys, have for the last two decades ben calling for ‘electoral reforms’, a pseudonym for illegal regime change. 

However, the good news is that those countries seem to have finally come to terms with the futility of their mindless exercise. Some call it karma. 

And, there are numerous lessons to be drawn from those seemingly innocuous overtures. 

First and foremost is that it vindicates Zimbabwe’s long-held stance that the West’s aggression was premised on Britain’s failure to use diplomatic channels over what was, and still remains, a bilateral issue between itself and Harare. 

Britain was aggrieved by Zimbabwe’s fulfilment of one of the major objectives of the liberation struggle — equal access to land. 

Second, and as has been extensively explored by this publication since its inception, the seismic shift in the global political and economic landscape means that the West is being left out of the many opportunities to invest in Zimbabwe, like the Chinese and Russians have been doing in recent years. 

The Chinese themselves have proved to be the ultimate all-weather friends, having recently written off Zimbabwe’s debt. 

The Russians, on the other hand, have been supportive of the country’s efforts to revive its economy on various fronts. 

Third, the fragmented nature of the domestic opposition means that Western countries can no longer rely on the same to achieve their longstanding desire to effect regime change outside of the ballot box. 

Since Morgan Tsvangirai’s open dalliance with white commercial farmers in 

the formative years of the MDC, the opposition has been fragmented into a thousand and one entities, namely MDC-N, MDC-M, MDC-T, MDC-99, PDP, MDC-A and now CCC which is having its own fair share of squabbles. 

Since 1999, the West has poured more than a billion dollars into those parties and their allies in the so-called civil society, enriching hopelessly out-of-sorts characters. 

Lastly, Western countries’ economies are facing the inevitable prospect of implosion and, as such, they want to cushion themselves from that impending disaster by courting Harare. 

The British have been, as usual, discussing Zimbabwe in their Parliament, openly saying they need the country’s resources, particularly lithium and, obviously, gold. 

This is what British mining company Cluff Africa was doing on Monday, last week, when its boss Algy Cluff was in Harare to seal a deal with the Mutapa Investment Fund to mine lithium at Sandawana Mine in Mberengwa, once famous for its emeralds. 

For the record, this is the same Cluff who founded Freda Rebecca Gold Mine in Bindura, Mashonaland Central, but left the country in a huff at the turn of the millennium in protest against the perceived injustices of the land reform programme. 

Cluff Africa will have 65 percent shares in the lithium project, while Mutapa Investment Fund will own the remaining 35 percent. 

Out of its 65 percent shareholding, 10 percent will go to the workers. 

The Cluff Africa boss met President Emmerson Mnangagwa during the coronation of King Charles III in London in May last year. 

“I am very pleased to be back here in Zimbabwe having been among the first investors in the mining sector after independence in 1980,” Cluff told the media in Harare last week. 

“We have returned at the invitation of the President and we are contemplating investment, substantial investment, in industrial minerals. The project which we have done our due diligence into and are anxious to start work on, will produce a substantial cash flow for the country for 30 or 40 years.” 

There was more good news for the people of Zimbabwe. 

On Monday, the first Australian business delegation in 23 years jetted into the country on a five-day visit where it will participate at the ZITF that roared into life on Tuesday. 

The high-powered group comprises members of the Australia-based Zimbabwean Diaspora, and Australian businesspeople, including co-founder of GLOSTA and group executive director of the GETC Group, James Scuderi, as well as founder and CEO of SILC Group, Koby Jones. 

SILC is one of Australia Fund trustees and management independent group with a portfolio of around A$2,8 billion. 

The Australian delegation will also sign several agreements, including setting up an advanced livestock genetics project in collaboration with Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), which is already involved in a similar project aimed at boosting the national herd. 

They will also sign several deals with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to invest in gold, copper and lithium. 

Despite its unrelenting aggression against Zimbabwe, the US apparently wants its share of the cake. 

A fortnight ago, Senior Advisor to the Office of Sanctions Coordination at US Department of State, Brad Brooks-Rubin, was in Harare where he engaged senior Government officials at Munhumutapa Building. 

The visit came on hard on the heels of interactions between Zimbabwe and US investors from Atlanta who are keen to invest in the country to the tune of US$209 million. 

While this on paper represents a significant shift in policy on the part of Uncle Sam, there remains the contentious issue of ZDERA and senior Government officials who are still under US sanctions. 

According to well-placed diplomatic sources, the US is coming to the negotiating table with ‘dirty hands’ by using the removal of sanctions as a bargaining chip. 

But those familiar with the country’s authentic history will tell you that Zimbabwe does not give in easily to bullying behaviour. 

And as the scramble for Zimbabwe hots up, the Second Republic must ensure that it keeps its eyes on the ball and deliver on its mandate.