The Sunday News
Stanford Chiwanga
Zimbabweans living in South Africa, energised by the rise of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, want to return home as they believe that the political and socio-economic fortunes are set to improve.
What makes them so convinced that President Mnangagwa is the one that will succeed? Is it his track record of success? Nonetheless, the factor that will ensure President Mnangagwa will be a success is the same factor that has brought him success during his long illustrious political career and that is his leadership ability.
President Mnangagwa has created an environment of high pressure and high belief. Zimbabweans within and outside Zimbabwe are convinced that the President will turn around the fortunes of the country. When he came back to Zimbabwe after a brief exile, the first thing he did was to communicate with Zimbabweans, explaining his leadership philosophy and establishing the goals which the nation should aim for.
His leadership philosophy can be broken down into four key components, belief, focus, dedication to the country and a siege mentality. It is thus clear that every decision President Mnangagwa makes is in the best interest of Zimbabwe. No individual or organisation will ever be more important than the nation; there is no better example of that than when he invited the foreign-based Zimbabwe business community to come and invest in their motherland.
“If you want to be a successful leader then you need to believe in your ability to lead. It is essential that your countrymen have enough faith in your ability in order to follow you and this will never occur if they see that you have self-doubt. Belief is the foundation and I am happy to see our President is not afraid to make bold moves, no wonder he has convinced people to give him the opportunity to lead. He never allowed self-doubt to take that opportunity away,” said Mr Marshal Rufura Ndlela, the chairperson of Zimbabwe Business Forum-South Africa, a grouping of Zimbabwean business people based in South Africa.
Lack of doubt is what will make President Mnangagwa successful in his role as President and make him, in the eyes of Zimbabweans, a messiah.
He is the best thing to happen to Zimbabwe in a long time, he saw the decay that had taken root and chose to remove the rotten apple without hesitation. It is this conviction and clarity in leadership that makes him the darling of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
“The removal of Cde Mugabe from power was a huge shock. But I have thought about going back home and if President Mnangagwa delivers on his promise then nothing will motivate me to stay here in South Africa,” said Miss Thando Moyo.
Miss Moyo, who is writing a book on her experiences in South Africa, said she left Zimbabwe in 2004 after being disturbed by rising poverty.
Like several other Zimbabweans who spoke to Sunday News, she had applied for South African citizenship in the hope of divorcing herself from Zimbabwe permanently. Now she has changed her mind and says President Mnangagwa’s encouraging few days in office have made her proud to be Zimbabwean again.
She said: “There was a time I could never see myself returning to live in Zimbabwe ever again. I didn’t recognise the country of my birth anymore . . . I felt like an exile whenever I visited. Now it’s different.”
Sheila Taylor, from Capital Park, Pretoria, is preparing to move back to Zimbabwe after finishing her studies and “cannot wait” to leave. The 27-year-old, who is a mother of two, said she always felt proud to be Zimbabwean and now believes people are “becoming far less racist, more tolerant and generally selfless”.
“Zimbabwe had become such an unfriendly place. Zimbabwe is and will always be my home but I wasn’t missing anything. Zimbabwe was declining in so many ways. I come from a farming family so I am going back with my husband to take up farming,” said Taylor.
Her husband, Oliver (surname not given), said he originally loved Zimbabwe after moving back from Australia.
“My parents moved us to Australia in the 90s but I always missed Zimbabwe and I moved back the moment I was economically active. However, I soon regretted my decision. At that time I felt that Zimbabwe could not and didn’t protect or look after its citizens in the same way that Australia does and that’s the reason I moved to South Africa. My plans now are to set up businesses back home and then move there as soon as we can,” he said.
Most Zimbabweans who moved to South Africa moved for economic reasons, education, while others were joining loved ones. It is those that moved for the first two reasons that are eager to come home. Mr Mike Mathe (28) is a waiter at a restaurant in Johannesburg and has been in the profession for 10 years.
“I have been in South Africa since I was 16. I went home briefly but I failed to function because there are no jobs and no means of survival. I have no qualification but I am a good general hand. If good paying jobs become available I will consider relocating to Zimbabwe. Here rent is very expensive and I am forced to live in shacks. I left a four-roomed house in Zimbabwe, you think I like living like this?”
Mr Mathe added that South Africans used to laugh at him for being Zimbabwean, now they admire him because of the peaceful removal of Cde Mugabe.
He said: “South Africans used to laugh at us but now I think they respect us. I am not educated by Zimbabwean standards but where I work I am one of the smartest people. My bosses trust me. Just yesterday my boss was asking me about (President) Mnangagwa, he says he wants to invest in Zimbabwe.
Plus here all protests are violent; they cannot get their heads around the fact that President Mugabe was removed from power without the use of violence.”
Durban-based Zimbabwean businessman Mr Gabriel Joe believes that President Mnangagwa is a businessman’s dream president.
“I moved to South Africa because there was no business opportunities in Zimbabwe, the economy did not allow straight businesses to flourish. I was passionately, adamantly against staying in Zimbabwe. I watched in horror as Zimbabweans were made to suffer. I wanted no part of any of that, and thus I moved away.
“However, I am coming back home. I am Zimbabwean and it makes sense for me to have businesses back home. As you know I am into construction and infrastructure development. I want those tenders that are going to be advertised as we rebuild Zimbabwe. I want to create employment. I want to be part of the new economic and political dispensation,” Mr Joe said.
Mr Ndlela, a businessman with interests in consultancy, education and advertising, proudly takes on the label “citizen Zimbabwe” that South Africans used to disparage Zimbabwean immigrants.
“I have never hidden the fact that I am Zimbabwean. South African businesspeople I deal with know that. My friends in the ANC know that. I am proud to be Zimbabwean and I am Mnangagwa’s man. The Zimbabwean public committed a grave act of self-harm when they allowed Grace Mugabe to do as she pleased,”he said.
Owen Lunga, who was born in Bulawayo, said he is leaving South Africa before end of year. “President Mnangagwa has promised to create jobs so I won’t want to miss out. I read the newspapers and I understand Bulawayo is going to be one of the Special Economic Zones so that means there will be lots of vacancies. It has not happened yet but I would be naive to wait here and do nothing,” Lunga said.
A Zimbabwean lecturer at a university in Johannesburg who refused to be named said: “The only way for Zimbabwe now is up. The economy is going to improve but my fear is that South Africans won’t want to wait for that. They will want us gone today not tomorrow.
“And my biggest fear is that their government will agree with them. I urge President Mnangagwa to keep up the good work he has done so far. He must not slacken. We want to come back to a prosperous Zimbabwe.”
Mr Ndlela, who is in the process of investing in Bulawayo, said other members of the Zimbabwe Business Forum have expressed a desire to invest in Zimbabwe.
