Zimpapers Logo

Stephen Mpofu

SINCE April 1980 when we blacks cut off and cast into the dustbin of history, white racist shackles to peg way for Uhuru and equality for all races truly belonging to our motherland, no past Zimbabwean foreign diplomats have been subjected to the kind of exhortation by their Head of State as that which current diplomats had from President Emerson Mnangagwa at State House in Harare three days ago.

The head of state urged the diplomats to help promote Vision 2030 by doubling and/or even trebling its pace for far beyond that targeted year so that Zimbabweans crack sumptuous smiles on receiving their pay in braver new futures.

Reading between the lines of his speech President Mnangagwa was encouraging this country’s foreign diplomats to mirror the beautiful face of their motherland in various parts of the global village to which they were deployed in order for foreign investors to fall over each other for business with this country, assured of great rewards in turn with foreign tourists anchoring the investors with the revenue needed to boost further or country’s economic and social growth that will obviously enhance political stability.

And by reading the invisible lines between the president’s speech, this communicologist humbly believes that with Zimbabwe as chair of SADC with President Mnangagwa ensconced in the chair, he was at the meeting in Harare also encouraging SADC diplomats abroad to woo investors to their native countries so that as one block SADC may stand tall and proud, not only in the African continent but in the global village as a whole for work well done.

In his address at State House, as reported in this paper on Thursday, he said that up-scaling of the country’s economic diplomacy currently being championed by the Second Republic was a top priority.

What the president did not say — but which is obvious to all — is that corruption, specifically embezzlement of public or private sector funds meant for economic growth and betterment of the welfare of all Zimbabweans are evils that are deterrent to foreign investment as those eager to bring in their hard earned investment will regard our country or any other country where those evils prevail as no go economic areas, in the same way that political violence puts a country on the blacklist of potential investors of tourists.

Equally important, Zimbabweans earning a living for themselves and relatives back home equally hold brushes for painting their native countries’ names beautiful or ugly.

For instance, after harmonised elections last year again won by Zanu-PF, a Zimbabwean living and no doubt working as a virtual slave in the United states was heard on the Voice of America’s Studio 7 for Africa saying there was nothing to celebrate back home, obviously implying that Zimbabwe should be treated by all in the global village as an outcast country.

Ironically and tragically the comments of that obvious imperialist stooge sold him out as an imperialist stooge de-campaigning instead of promoting the image of his native country.

Tragically ironic the comments by the Zimbabwean in the American diaspora came soon after the new American ambassador in Harare had said that after the smooth general elections, American investors should return to Zimbabwe and carry on with their normal business.

There is no doubt that diplomats from other African countries, including our own, should find ways of dealing with fellow nationals abroad who besmirch the images of their governments back home in order to stay on the bankroll of their imperialist masters in the diaspora.