China and Russia are the two countries that have played a major role in many African countries’ fight for independence. It is a historic fact that most of these African countries have since found that they got rid of one oppressive and exploiting colonial power only to inherit another.
For whatever help assistance, mostly guns and other war materials and military training, the two Asian countries gave to each African country; they not only kept a tag but kept a lodger on how the every penny plus interest would be paid.
As each African country attained her independence, China and Russia saw to it that the country fell into its sphere of influence. Where the two countries had supported separate liberation movements, which was very often the case, there was a proxy war as happened in Angola and Mozambique.
Before the newly independent country has had time to sober up from the euphoria of independence and the end of the war; China and Russia would present the new leaders with the IOY and detailed proposals on how the bill can be paid.
Russia’s proxy, Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) led by the late Samora Machel, defeated the colonial rulers and the Chinese proxy to form the governing party in that country. Within weeks a fleet of Russian fishing vessels claimed exclusive fishing right off the coast Mozambique and many, many more such one-sided and exploitative deals were to follow.
In Zimbabwe, it was China’s proxy Zanu PF led by the late Robert Gabriel Mugabe that prevailed over the Russian back PF Zapu. The Chinese presented Mugabe with the IOY and the exploitation of Zimbabwe by China started in earnest.
The exploitative deals were so lucrative, China and Russia would recover every penny of the IOY ten times within the first decade, two decades.
With the exception of one or two countries most African leaders did not want to share power and thus imposed a de jure or de facto one-party dictatorship. Both China and Russia have assisted in this and thus cementing their continued influence in Africa to this day.
There is no such thing as a free lunch, certainly not from the Chinese and Russians. It is therefore surprising that the Chinese Embassy in Harare had the chic to claim otherwise!
“The Standard carried an article on August 23 by Tawanda Majoni. By questioning Anjin’s return, the author falsely claims the Chinese government is somehow involved in Anjin’s business deals and conflicts in the country, which is a distortion and smearing of the Chinese foreign policy towards Zimbabwe,” reported News Day,
“The piece is full of unfounded accusations, conjectures and sheer lies, proving nothing but an appalling lack of common sense and self-confidence.”
It is no exaggeration to say corruption is the root cause of all Zimbabwe’s political, economic and social problems. And nothing epitomises the sheer extend and depth of the rampant corruption than the wholesale looting of the country’s Marange and Chiadzwa diamonds. The wealth from the sell of diamonds, valued at US$ 2 million plus a month, should have been used in the country’s developed is instead going into the pockets of the few ruling elite. Worst of all, the looted wealth is being used to bankroll the Zanu PF dictatorship and thus keeping it in power against the democratic wishes of the people.
The Chinese company Anjin has been at the very heart of the looting of diamonds in Zimbabwe. It is laughable that the Chinese Embassy should now try to disown Anjin!
China’s foreign policy towards Zimbabwe is premised of the later paying back China for the military and other assistance Mugabe received before independence and thereafter. Anjin is one of the many Chinese companies who have benefited from this policy.
Indeed, Anjin’s diamond mining operations were terminated and the company booted out of Zimbabwe by the late Zanu PF dictator, Robert Mugabe, after he publicly complained of nations that have made promises that they have failed to honour.
The people of Zimbabwe remember, no doubt the Chinese Embassy officials don’t remember and need reminding, of the many “mega deals” Mugabe signed with China. Deals that were never honoured.
Patrick Chinamasa, then Minister of Finance and a member of the high powered delegation accompanying Mugabe to China, admitted that the Chinese had complained of Zimbabwe’s failure to pay its debts.
“Shǒuxiān chánghuán zhàiwù!” (First pay your debts!) the Chinese told Mugabe to his face!
No doubt, Mugabe did not take the demand to pay up seriously; after all he, of all people, knew that ever since the country’s independence whatever the Chinese had given to Zimbabwe with one hand they always took away took back and more with the other hand. Mugabe’s fallout with the West; he has maintained it was over the seizure of white owned farms to give to blacks, but the truth is it was over the failure pay debts; forcing him to adopt the “Look East!” policy. The move left Zimbabwe totally dependent on China and with the greater dependence came greater exploitation!
So when China insisted on Zimbabwe paying its outstanding debts before it would spend one more Yuan on the “mega deals”; Mugabe’s knee jerk reaction was to booted out Anjin!
A few moon after Anjin was booted out of Zimbabwe, Mugabe was himself booted out of office in the November 2017 military coup; history will reveal what role China played in this. Emmerson Mnangagwa, who succeeded Mugabe, signed an impressive list of “mega deals” forming the skeleton Zanu PF’s 2018 election manifesto.
Mnangagwa disregarded his own earlier promise to hold free, fair and credible elections and, instead, blatant rigged the July 2018 elections. What further role, beside the mega deals promise, the Chinese played in the rigged elections, time will tell. Anjin was back in Marange and Chiadzwa soon after the July 2018 elections; no doubt Mnangagwa thanking the Chinese for their help in getting him into State House.
Needless to say, most of the “mega deals” Mnangagwa signed with China have not materialised nor are they likely to ever materialise. And we all know why. “Shǒuxiān chánghuán zhàiwù!” That’s right!
It is not likely that Mnangagwa will dare vent his frustration with the Chinese’s refusal to bankroll at least one of the mega deals and give him something to boast about. The western nation is dismissal of the July 2018 elections as a farce and his government as an illegitimate and pariah state has left Mnangagwa high and dry.
The country’s worsening economic situation has made the ordinary people more restless and desperate for real change. To hang on to power, Mnangagwa has resorted to brute force. The pressure for meaningful change is mounting and it is as clear as day, that change is coming. It would be unwise to boot out Anjin out of Zimbabwe and earn the wrath of the Chinese.
“Chinese government is NOT involved in Anjin’s business deals or Zimbabwe’s internal affairs. To suggest otherwise is a distortion and smearing of the Chinese foreign policy towards Zimbabwe!”
Nonsense, China is but Zimbabwe’s new colonial master and corrupt one-side business deals and meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs to keep Zanu PF in power at all cost are core pillars of China’s foreign policy towards Zimbabwe!
Like this:
Like Loading...
