EDITORIAL COMMENT: Let’s create jobs for returning Zimbabweans

chronicleSouthern Africa has witnessed a few phases of mass movement of labour over the past 75 years.  Probably the first formal wide scale traffic was in the 1940s when the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association, commonly known as Wenela was set up as a recruitment agency for migrant workers by gold mines in South Africa.

Wenela recruited from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Swaziland, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia and as far afield as DRC and Tanzania.

Later on, there was also a time when Zimbabwe had a strong and growing economy. That was prior to independence, into the first 20 years of self-rule, before illegal western sanctions in 2001.  Demand for labour was so great that locals alone could not meet it. Therefore, hundreds of thousands of Malawians, Mozambicans and Zambians saw an opportunity to secure jobs that their respective economies couldn’t provide. They settled here, particularly on farms and mines where they worked. Many came from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia as bachelors who soon found themselves local women to marry. They set up families and homes.

The recruitment methods were not as formalised, spread-out and intense as Wenela’s but once upon a time; Zimbabwe was an attractive destination for job seekers from southern Africa.

Over the past 14 years, the movement of southern Africans seeking employment in South Africa has been, ironically, led by Zimbabweans fleeing the economic crisis spawned by the illegal sanctions. There has not been a deliberate recruitment agency of the Wenela type in this phase; it has been people trekking individually down south for jobs. The exodus has been a good opportunity for many but a challenge for some of our compatriots because not all of them went there legally.

The South African government appreciated the context of the migration, a sanctions-induced economic crisis, and its economy’s demand for labour, so it gave special permits for Zimbabweans under the Zimbabwe Dispensation Programme in 2009, to expire in December. At least 245,000 locals benefited.

In recent months, many of them were apprehensive about their fate after December, thus started agitating for answers from South Africa.

Questions were also directed at our government, which took an interest in the wellbeing of its citizens in that country. For this reason, Home Affairs Minister Cde Kembo Mohadi has been in contact with South Africa. Two weeks ago, he was tasked to go down there in person to speak with his counterpart on how the issue could be resolved. This shows the seriousness with which the government regards the matter of its people working there. South Africa responded on Tuesday, unveiling the Zimbabwe Special Dispensation Permit (ZSDP) that allows the 245,000 permit holders to continue staying there until December 2017. But, announcing the new dispensation, South Africa Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gibaga, said those granted the ZSDP and wished to stay in South Africa after its expiry, would need to return to Zimbabwe to apply for mainstream visas and permits under the Immigration Act.

This means that a Zimbabwean’s application for a work permit would be judged on its own merits post 2017 with no preferential treatment.

In the meantime, we thank South Africa for understanding the continuing challenges our government faces in creating jobs for those who need them. Amid illegal western sanctions, it would be problematic for this economy to offer as many jobs as its people need. Even if the European Union lifts its sanctions before the end of the year as pledged, economic recovery and growth is unlikely to happen immediately since factories have to be re-equipped, and new investments put in place. Even then, investment will not simply flow as if sluice gates would have been opened.

Furthermore, indications from the US, whose sanctions are more ruinous, are not encouraging.

Gibaga’s announcement signals a relief for the 245,000 and their families in South Africa and back home but, as we noted, this is only a three-year reprieve. We don’t see them further extending the preferential deal because already, they are generally putting cuts on skills imports amid growing internal calls for jobs. Anticipated economic recovery here should discourage them from offering another extension as well.

This suggests that, barring any unforeseen developments in between, the 245,000 would have to return home and, if they want, apply for jobs and permits the normal way. Some would succeed, others won’t.

We are confident that our own economy would have improved to be able to employ the returnees.  But that is subject to illegal sanctions being lifted immediately, accompanied by real, real work on the part of our government and its people to revive industry so as to create jobs.

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