Zimbabwe: Another Imperialist Attempt to Drive People of Color off the Land

             Recently we have been aware of the Israel’s bombing of Gaza. Thus far 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children. What one does not know or at least the western press has not told us much about is the similar war being raged on Zimbabwe by western powers in the interest of capitalism and the corporate monopolies. 

            Shortly after the Zimbabwe’s war of liberation Robert Mugabe, the newly elected president of Zimbabwe instituted a long sought after land reform that would take the large estates owned by white farmers and distribute them to African farmers. Zimbabwe like most of the countries of southern Africa had long been victims of apartheid, discrimination, and racial oppression by white racist dominated governments in the region. The most abusive act took place in 1930 when the United Kingdom introduced the Land Apportionment Act. A law that prevented Africans from land ownership by restricting their ownership to certain areas , while insuring white minority ownership of large areas of land.  The white government of Ian Smith had prevented Africans from self-determination by setting up a white only government to prevent the newly formed independence movement led by Africans from taking power “ Intent on effectively repudiating the recently adopted British policy of "no independence before majority rule", Smith issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965. This marked the first such course taken by a rebel British colony since the American declaration of 1776, which Smith and others indeed claimed provided a suitable precedent to their own actions.^[42]” 

            This action brought a civil War to Zimbabwe. Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe united the forces of ZAPU and ZANU to wage a war of liberation against the forces of white nationalism. Zimbabwe African Peoples Union was led by Joshua Nkomo and was supported by the Soviet Union, Cuba and the nations of the Warsaw Pact. Robert Mugabe led the Zimbabwe African Nationalist Union and was supported by the Peoples Republic of China. After a series of negotiations Zimbabwe elected Canaan Banana as its first president and Robert Mugabe as its first Prime Minister. Tensions broke out between the Shona and Ndebele peoples leading to the Gukurahundi . A Shona term for an early rain that washes away the shaft. Troops from the Fifth Brigade an armed force controlled by Robert Mugabe killed thousands of people upon entering Matabeleland. The conflict continued for five years and an estimated 3,750 to 80,000 deaths. In 1987, an agreement between Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe was reached and the ZANU and ZAPU were formally merged becoming the ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front. Elections were held in 1990 and Robert Mugabe was elected president. 

            The current problem economic problem in Zimbabwe can be directly tied to President Mugabe’s desperate attempt to insure land reform in the nation. In 2000 he established the Fast Track Land Reform. This was an attempt to redistribute land from the minority white population to the majority African population. Complaints by the western news media about drops in production, drops in external financing and the overall decline in the agricultural exports have caused criticism of the 58,000 independent farmers who were the beneficiaries of this program. Consequently, Zimbabwe has suffered a series of economic problems as a result. Most of these problems are the result of the western capitalist banking system and foreign diplomacy. The European Union issued sanctions against Robert Mugabe and over 150 members of his government for  being members of the Government and as such engaged in activities that seriously undermine democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. In 2001 , the United States enacted Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 (ZDERA). This act imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe for its Fast Track Land Reform law. 

“FINDINGS. —Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Through economic mismanagement, undemocratic practices, and the costly deployment of troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Government of Zimbabwe has rendered itself ineligible to participate in International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and International Monetary Fund programs, which would otherwise be providing substantial resources to assist in the recovery and modernization of Zimbabwe’s economy. The people of Zimbabwe have thus been denied the economic and democratic benefits envisioned by the donors to such programs, including the United States. “

Matters got even worse when she was kicked out of the Commonwealth of Nations in 2002.

What happened next is almost from the pages of history. Economic sanctions are not good. In 1919, the Weimar Republic was forced to pay for debts and damages during the war. She had to make the first payment of 50 billion marks in June 1921, which she did. However, a subsequent negotiation of the debt led by U.S. banker J.P. Morgan could not come to a better settlement for the Weimar Republic. As a result, inflation erupted into hyperinflation. After the U.S cast Zimbabwe adrift upon the seas of economic isolation for exercising its version of granting an African “forty acres and a mule”. Inflation rose from 32% in 1998 to 11,200,000% in 2008. The effect on the Zimbabwe economy was something like bedlam. As a result, the government stated it would print a new 100 trillion dollar note and allow other currencies to be used along with the Zimbabwe dollar. Nothing seemed to work well despite Zimbabwe having the world’s largest platinum reserves. These are mined by the Anglo-American PLC. They own Zimplats and Impala Platinum. Zimplats, the nation’s largest mining company, has expansion plans of approximately 500 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile the economic health of Zimbabwe has not seemed to reap the benefits of western global capitalism. Unemployment has risen to staggering levels. Despite a huge number of people who are educated the nation seems to have undergone a brain drain. Despite the risk of neo slavery and exploitation in United Kingdom many schoolteachers are applying for passports to leave Zimbabwe. The lines are long and sometimes takes hours to negotiate. With little hope of leaving the line early some have resorted to using money to pay for a way to the head of the line. Harare-based economist Prosper Chitambara said a lack of formal jobs and low prospects of economic recovery have turned the passport from a mere travel document into a life-changing document for many. “The challenging economic situation is not showing signs of remission, so this is an incentive for Zimbabweans to migrate,” said Chitambara. “The passport is now more than just a travel document. Being in possession of a passport means changed economic fortunes because it’s a major step towards leaving.” Nothing seems to stop the flow of human beings from a land that is both rich and beautiful. There are no jobs and life has become a misery. The United Kingdom is anything but hospitable these days. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak seems to be the main impediment to the dreams of a better life in the U.K. he has proposed parliament change visa migration to limit the ability to migrant workers to bring their families to the United Kingdom. In addition, the British press has reported on the abuse of many in the home care industry. Many have ended up on the streets earning barely enough to live.  Unseen, a U.K. Charity, feels the homecare industry is rife with exploitation and modern slavery. But like economist Chitambara said, the drive for better life encourages the tide. One Zimbabwean when asked about the risks of neo-slavery, stated, “I will deal with those issues when I get there. Right now, my priority is getting hold of a passport and leaving. Anything is better than being in Zimbabwe right now”