Dangote deals raised a stink, says ex-Zanu-PF official

Temba Mliswa the former Zanu-PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman yesterday blasted government for "mortgaging the country's resources for nothing in unclear investment deals" involving foreigners.

Mliswa told NewsDay that the recent mega deals between government and Nigerian business magnet Aliko Dangote raised a stink as no due diligence checks had been made to ascertain if the deals would benefit the country as claimed.

Dangote jetted into the country on Monday in pursuit of several deals which were hurriedly approved by Cabinet. His technical team is now expected next week to finalise the deals.

"It was surprising that Dangote was being treated like Father Christmas arriving at a kindergarten school. It is also surprising that Cabinet has met and approved his business proposals, but we even don't know his proposals," Mliswa said.

"In the past we also approved the Chinese and Russian deals, but we don't see anything tangible on the ground.

"This is just an admission of the failure of the local indigenisation policy. This is a betrayal of our own businesspeople who have gone through hard times and stood by this economy, and yet we see opportunities being given to an outsider even though there are many capable people here," he said.