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Stephen Mpofu, Perspective
In these same columns last Saturday this pen made an impassioned plea to all uninverted Zimbabwean patriots to exercise peace and love across our nation in the run-up to harmonised elections next year so that those who wrenched our motherland from racist and oppressive colonial hands may complete the good work of ushering this country into a continuing brave new future politically, economically and socially.

That way political retrogrades eager to implement satanic machinations by foreign powers eager to remove our Government from power will bite the dust.

Any disruption pregnant with opposition political connotations should be viewed by all unmitigated patriots as the delegated work machinations of foreign regime change proponents eager to have their stooges in power to run with neo-colonial orders from their masters abroad who still hope that a diabolic economic embargo will reverse the increasing gains of independence and freedom to make our nation impenetrable by foreigners with their neo-colonial agendas.

For instance, any political disturbances fueled from our external foes, if not curbed with a firm hand, might deter Zimbabweans in the diaspora from remitting their earnings home, as they do today in a patriotic fashion to anchor development initiatives by the Second Republic.

In 2021, for instance, remittances by Zimbabweans in the diaspora rose by a staggering 58 percent to top US$1billion and in the process closed trade gaps caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other countries with nationals earning their living abroad cannot fail to envy the patriotism and love of the motherland demonstrated by our diaspora based nationals.

Inherent in such goodwill initiatives is the need for proper utilisation of the financial results of their sweat to make our motherland a better place for all to live in the global village where other villagers scratch their backyards, like chickens, to eke out an existence that keeps soul and body together.

In Zimbabwe’s case President Emmerson Mnangagwa has spoken prudently about the role that diasporans can play in rural industrialisation – something that ties in well with devolution or the transference of central Government power to local communities – in the Second Republic’s unflinching determination to narrow and eventually close the developmental gap created by Rhodesian rulers who regarded the countryside, where the majority of Zimbabweans live as “peripheral” or backyard of urban centers which the white settlers set up as their homes away from their native countries overseas while still in power in our motherland.

At present a massive upgrade of country roads is underway to improve the communication infrastructures, with similar improvements to road networks taking place in urban areas.

The utilisation of diasporan remittances on rural industrialsation will close the yawning gap in digilisation between rural and urban areas and end disadvantages of pupils in rural areas unable to access to

lessons by radio as do their urban counterparts during lockdowns as experienced in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rural industrialisation has the potential to throw into top gear growth points, scattered across the country, but which have failed to fulfil their ultimate goal as development zones improving the lives of rural folk.

People from rural areas including students on completion of their education flock to urban centres in search of work which should ideally be created for them at growth points if industries dealing in various activities were in existence in those aeras.

Indeed, rural industries at growth points have the potential to supply goods for the developmental needs of local communities that at present source some of the goods away from urban at great cost.

Add to the local provision of developmental needs employment for locals, among them school graduates who must flock to urban centres in search of jobs and on finding nothing proceed to foreign lands in search of greener pastures where some of them are subjected to violence as has been the case next door in South Africa.

If possible, considering their enthusiasm to help develop their motherland, diasporans should be organised or encouraged to invest their remittances in specific industries in their home areas to develop them.

For instance, schools are far apart and children have to travel long distances to access education and this might be one area of possible investment to improve the lot of rural dwellers.

Add to the above the absence of health centres nearby in some districts so that villagers have to travel long distances to urban centres health care.

[No one can say for sure how many sick people in rural areas die due to their inability to access health care in good time.]

Unlike foreign investors who must repatriate profits from their investment in this country back to their native countries, any investment by Zimbabweans in the diaspora is for keeps right here at home for further development to beneficiate relatives and fellow nationals.

Our Government’s engagement and re-engagement exercise is bearing fruit with many foreign countries expressing their desires to invest in our country because of the great business opportunities it offers in spite of the illegal Western economic sanctions imposed to try to effect illegal regime change as punishment for introducing the land reform programme for the benef of our indigenous population.

More diasporans should therefore demonstrate a greater love for the motherland with more financial support for its development.

When that happens diabolic designs by foreign countries hellbent on venting their imperialist wrath on Zimbabwe, but while feigning peace and love for our human species around the globe are bound to fail – as they must indeed do under God’s great operating grace – and peace-loving, God-fearing Zimbabweans and our friendly contemporaries on the African continent and farther afield will watch and laugh with much glee as external enemy guns and those thrust in local subservient hands continue ad infitum to fire blanks at a government of the people by the people for the people.