In Zimbabwe, the Chinese are taking over, destroying our environment in the process, and Zimbabweans donβt know what to do to stop them. Recently, I passed by Mazowe Dam, and it was dry despite good rains last year. The reason is that Chinese and local artisanal miners have blocked the inflowing rivers and destroyed the springs coming from the mountains surrounding the dam where the water starts.
The problem is that the Chinese come into the country with huge amounts of money from their government. They then get title deeds in our country alongside mining rights, and then rape and pillageβdestroying the environment with impunityβbecause itβs not their country, and they are working without any Zimbabwean oversight.
The reason for this is that, as a nation, we removed the indigenization law that used to ensure foreign-owned companies had majority local ownership (vene ve nyika) controlling the companyβs activities. Sadly, even where you have locals partnering with the Chinese, a majority of our local people in mining donβt care about the environmentβall they want is money.
Now the Chinese come and do what they want without local oversight, and regulatory bodies are toothless because officials are being lubricated. The sad part is that there are only a handful of people in Zimbabwe who have the capacity to effectively campaign against this Chinese rampage.
But fighting for Zimbabweans is a tough and non-rewarding job. You end up carrying the burden alone, paying from your own pocket, while the people who have no sense of appreciation donβt support those who fight for them. When people like me fought sanctions, we were hated and ostracized by those we were fighting for.
When I tried to fight the smuggling of toxic GMO food containing cancer-causing chemicals, the judicial system was weaponized against me. Politicians rose up against me, I received no support from the masses I was trying to save, and I ended up spending huge amounts of money on a national fight alone.
This is why I decided that Zimbabweans are not worth sacrificing for. I know precisely what needs to be done about this Chinese scourge. One solution is for Zimbabweans to organize themselves into affirmative action-style groupings, like the 1990s AAG and IBDC, and agitate for the return of indigenization, while crowdfunding to buy up property and claims. Then we can mine and process our own minerals responsibly to stop the Chinese dominating mining without local oversight. But once again, this requires a jealous, self-hating people to unite and follow the lead of the person with vision. This is too much to ask of the sons and daughters of witches who bewitch family members who win bread for them out of spite and envy.
The other tactics I wonβt go into because I donβt need more enemies among people who will let you drown alone.
As a consequence, I have decided to become selfish and focus on making money for my family. Activism for a self-hating and jealous people doesnβt pay bills, so everyone must fend for themselves.
It would seem like rural communities are likely to die from toxic water, dust, and poverty because they donβt support people who can fight for them. This is why, even if the country is destroyed, many of the rich believe there will be new countries with smarter people who look after their environmentsβfor them to move. So, better make money. Vanhu vasingatende vanofa vasina munununuri.
