News / National
Zanu-PF youth group planning to eject Chinese and Nigerian nationals
10 Mar 2012 at 10:20hrs | Views
The Daily News on Saturday reported that a pro-Zanu-PF youth empowerment group Upfumi Kuvadiki says it is losing patience with the continued presence of Chinese and Nigerian nationals in the country's retail sector and is currently making plans to eject them.
They claim the ministry of Indigenisation and Empowerment is taking long to effect changes.
In an interview with the Daily News, Upfumi Kuvadiki president Alison Darikayi threw missiles at the country's indigenisation board describing it as toothless in dealing with the Nigerians and Chinese, some of whom are engaged in small-time businesses such as cooking sadza and selling fake, cheap commodities that are commonly known as zhing-zhongs.
"It is a fact that the sector should be preserved for locals because it does not need huge capital to run. As Upfumi Kuvadiki we have crafted a plan to remove foreigners from participating in the retail sector. We have an action that is ready for take off," said Darikayi.
Under the controversial indigenisation law, the retail sector is earmarked for local black Zimbabweans but, President Robert Mugabe's government which has bilateral arrangements with China is dragging its feet on implementing the law and is targeting complex mining companies such as Zimplats.
Darikayi said that his organisation was not against foreigners coming into Zimbabwe.
"We are saying no to Chinese and Nigerians in the retail sector and we want an immediate reversal of that stance. We are not saying we do not welcome foreigners' participation but they should come and invest in sectors that need huge capital such as mining and the financial sector but the retail sector should be a preserve for us," he said.
Dakirayi said his group had been compiling names of people being used by the Nigerians and Chinese as fronts to gloss over the fact that foreigners are still in charge.
"We have a database where Zimbabweans are being used as proxies by Nigerians and Chinese and we are going to expose them. As Upfumi Kuvadiki we do not condone looting of private property but we talk about intellectual militancy and we are going to challenge Harare City Council and ask them why there are still giving licenses to foreigners.
"We are also going to challenge the ministry and we also would like to know what the indigenisation board is doing because right now it is as good as a toothless bulldog," said Darikayi.
They claim the ministry of Indigenisation and Empowerment is taking long to effect changes.
In an interview with the Daily News, Upfumi Kuvadiki president Alison Darikayi threw missiles at the country's indigenisation board describing it as toothless in dealing with the Nigerians and Chinese, some of whom are engaged in small-time businesses such as cooking sadza and selling fake, cheap commodities that are commonly known as zhing-zhongs.
"It is a fact that the sector should be preserved for locals because it does not need huge capital to run. As Upfumi Kuvadiki we have crafted a plan to remove foreigners from participating in the retail sector. We have an action that is ready for take off," said Darikayi.
Under the controversial indigenisation law, the retail sector is earmarked for local black Zimbabweans but, President Robert Mugabe's government which has bilateral arrangements with China is dragging its feet on implementing the law and is targeting complex mining companies such as Zimplats.
"We are saying no to Chinese and Nigerians in the retail sector and we want an immediate reversal of that stance. We are not saying we do not welcome foreigners' participation but they should come and invest in sectors that need huge capital such as mining and the financial sector but the retail sector should be a preserve for us," he said.
Dakirayi said his group had been compiling names of people being used by the Nigerians and Chinese as fronts to gloss over the fact that foreigners are still in charge.
"We have a database where Zimbabweans are being used as proxies by Nigerians and Chinese and we are going to expose them. As Upfumi Kuvadiki we do not condone looting of private property but we talk about intellectual militancy and we are going to challenge Harare City Council and ask them why there are still giving licenses to foreigners.
"We are also going to challenge the ministry and we also would like to know what the indigenisation board is doing because right now it is as good as a toothless bulldog," said Darikayi.
Source - Daily News
