Returning from diaspora not as easy as it sounds

While the heckling was unfortunate, there is need for Tsvangirai and his team in the transitional government to understand that, for many professionals in the Diaspora, it is not just a simple case of packing your bags and hop onto the next plane or bus to return home. Many have, after great emotional, social and financial sacrifice, managed to establish themselves, have well-paying and fulfilling jobs, and those with family, have children attending properly run and managed schools, with firm and clear career paths mapped out for them.
Ever the enterprising people that we are, some Zimbabweans have even acquired property or have established successful businesses in their adopted countries they now call home. For many, their primary home is now either the UK, South Africa or New Zealand.
For many of these Zimbabw-eans, leaving the country was not a matter of choice, but was forced upon them by economic and in some cases political circumstances; circumstances which on the ground though are starting to improve, do not at present give many the hope that the time has come to come back home.
The economic ruin wrought on the country by lop-sided and poorly implemented and managed fiscal and monetary policies was enough incentive for many engineers, doctors, nurses, teachers and other professionals to decide to take their chances and start a new life elsewhere.
What was, and still is, ironic is that Zimbabwe once boasted an educational system – right from primary to university level – that was the envy of the same countries that are benefitting from the wealth of skills and experience that Zimbabw-eans have brought to the work place.
Granted, the transitional government has scored notable successes; for example, in bringing down inflation, which has restored some semblance of normalcy to economic activity, but the road ahead is long and tortuous before many in the Diaspora are convinced it is time to return home.
Others are not convinced the political situation has normalised given the widespread reports prominently reported by the Western media of alleged political harassment of perceived members of the opposition movement.
What else is wrong that needs to be corrected?
For a start, the country’s infrastructure has all but crumbled and is in a state of gross disrepair, while the water system, particularly in Harare, has all but collapsed despite numerous but futile attempts to apportion blame to lack of chemicals to treat the main water source to shortage of foreign currency to rehabilitate the system.
The national power authority has been unable to rehabilitate and expand its generation capacity to meet the current demand, let alone with the expected increase in demand for power if and when the economy begins to run at full throttle, while the road network, in particular in the main urban areas, is pathetic.
The education system is facing a serious shortage of qualified, experienced and motivated educators, books and equipment, with tertiary institutions such as the University of Zimbabwe now a shadow of their former formidable reputations.
The health sector is a sad and sorry sight, which the prime minister himself confirmed when he recently toured some state hospitals. Until recently, being admitted to state hospitals was a sure sign of being condemned to a slow agonising death due to the lack of drugs, not to talk of doctors and nurses who are providing expert and loving care to patients in such countries as the UK and South Africa.
The key manufacturing sector, once a major contributor to GDP, is reportedly operating at below 10 percent capacity, with many companies operating outdated machinery and technology, while the agricultural sector has yet to recover from the chaotic land reform programme that has been largely blamed for the dire food shortages now facing the country.
No-one disputes the need to redress land imbalances, but it is universally accepted that the way and manner in which it was carried out was a recipe for the disaster that eventually befell the once thriving commercial agricultural sector.
The mining sector is hobbled by the shortage of capital, spares and skilled manpower and urgently needs a massive dose of capital to improve production, while the tourism sector, has largely been affected by the negative publicity Zimbabwe has received despite spirited attempts by the sector to promote the country.
Reports of continued farm invasions, the snail’s pace of reform in the media sector and the apparent tug-of-war in government between the main players in the transitional government are further clouding the current lack of optimism that Zimbabwe is on the firm road to prosperity that Tsvangirai optimistically talks about.
Small wonder then that even international donors are united in their reluctance to open their cheque books to underwrite the country’s economic reform and growth programme until there is evidence of genuine political and economic reform. This was the singular message Tsvangirai got during his whirlwind tour of Europe and the USA despite token promises of humanitarian aid from some foreign governments.
While the money promised ensures that Tsvangirai does not come home empty-handed, it is clear Zimbabwe desperately needs billions from such institutions as the IMF and the World Bank to kick-start the recovery process and not the small change that Barak Obama and Gordon Brown promised the prime minister.
There have been numerous media reports quoting Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and Information and Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa talking about the need to rebrand Zimbabwe. I still have to understand exactly what they mean. While one can safely say this is a nice sounding objective, it is important to note that rebranding is not just a mere launch of a slick and hopefully informative and updated national website, or a revamped promotional campaign to lure tourists and investors to Zimbabwe.
Rebranding is an overhaul of Zimbabwe Inc, and starts with re-branding the country’s tarnished image, starting with the political leaders themselves, as they are the voice and soul of the country. It is revamping the way government operates, from the disinterested and poorly dressed customs or immigration officer at the border posts to overhauling the way government deals with its own citizens in providing such basic services as issuing of passports and birth certificates and dealing with corruption, inept service and ensuring rule of the law. Try calling or visiting a government department and you will understand what I am talking about.
Rebranding means government, from the president to everyone in the inclusive government, speaks and sings from the same hymn sheet, and not the current situation where it seems ministers and their deputies are falling over themselves to confuse the country issuing by statements at variance with what is on the ground.
One also gets the impression that there is either a clear lack of co-ordinated approach to selling Zimbabwe, or power play among the three partners in the transitional government to see who has the greater influence or who is in charge.
Rebranding Zimbabwe also means the private sector and government becoming willing and trusting partners with a common vision to make Zimbabwe the destination of choice for investors, tourists and of course those in the Diaspora the Prime Minister desperately needs to come back home. Captains of industry and commerce need to engage government and give them their advice and expertise because this is not a state initiative alone.
Only when there are clear and determined steps to deal with all the issues raised above can some Zimbabweans who have started a new life elsewhere consider making plans to return home. Indeed, there are some who are desperate to come home and become pioneers in the rebuilding and reconstruction of the country, and some are already packing their bags. But we will have to accept however, that many professional Zimbabweans – particularly the young, educated and upward mobile with promising career prospects – have made up their minds that their adopted country of residence is now their primary home, and will only visit Zimbabwe occasionally or when finances permit.
This is the tragedy of the economic ruin that has become the story of Zimbabwe over the past decade. We have lost highly educated men and women who have become useful and economically active citizens of other countries, and to entice them to return to enter the mainstream formal employment sector could be a tall order. Even those who have settled illegally in other countries might take their chances and attempt to regularise their stay, and only return home when they are convinced of real and visible progress on the ground.
When it comes to survival, appealing to one’s sense of patriotism and loyalty could be an exercise in futility, particularly if that appeal is not matched by practical examples of what is in it for them in a country whose future had all but been written off by the world. It is not a case of do not ask yourself what you can do for your country, but a case of what is in it for me and my family. Selfish but so true for many in the Diaspora.
It is this reality that the Prime Minister and his advisers need to grasp as they begin to address the myriad of issues that Zimbabweans – both at home and living outside the country — are concerned about. We also need a concerted and properly run “Home Coming Revolution”, financed by both the government and the private sector, targeting those professionals whose skills are invaluable to make the country the success that it was always supposed to be.
Like they say in Shona, Rwendo rwurefu; literally, the journey ahead is long, but can be conquered.
– Sure Kamhunga is a Zimbabwean journalist based in South Africa.