Mandiwanzira Team met Zimbabweans with a real passion for their country
By Supa Mandiwanzira, Mighty Movies

When all the noise and hullabaloo about the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s mission to the USA, UK and South Africa is over and all the empty vessels have stopped making unnecessary noise then reality and reason shall prevail.

The reality is that the RBZ mission to engage Zimbabweans in the Diaspora was far from politics just as it was far from begging. This was a mission into uncharted territory, a mission whose impact has shaken critics – if their noise is anything to go by.

I was part of the mission and shall refer to it as ours. It’s a wonderful feeling to take collective responsibility for something that’s good for your country, especially its citizens. From the onset, the objectives of our mission were very clear:

· To alert Zimbabweans to a new way of sending money home to Zimbabwe – Homelink, a system that guarantees security, convenience, speed and a peace of mind that whatever money you send will reach the recipient.

· To engage Zimbabweans wherever they are overseas or in the region and hear their ideas on Zimbabwe’s monetary policy and the current efforts to turnaround the economy

· Finally and certainly not least, to tell Zimbabweans of the investment opportunities back home and tell them that they need to be part of the action because, if they are not, the economic freedom train will leave them behind.

So the reports in some publications and on some internet sites that we had gone out there “to raise foreign currency to prop up (President) Mugabe’s government and for the Zanu (PF) campaign for next year’s parliamentary elections” was not only a surprise but a disgrace to those responsible. Clearly this was an attack on the intelligence of Zimbabweans.

How the ruling party or even the opposition could benefit from John in London sending his mother 100 pounds for travel to South Africa to buy the favourite winter blanket “Puma” or how this could be perceived as propping up a government clearly beats me.

If John’s mother decided to change that money into local currency and the foreign currency was delivered to the Reserve Bank for use at the foreign currency auction, then I suppose this could be seen as benefiting the government indirectly.

But again I am aware Eskom in South Africa and Sasol in the same country have been selling electricity and petroleum products to Zimbabwe in foreign currency. If John’s 100 pounds to his mother ended up paying for this electricity and/or fuel what is wrong with that and how would that become political funding?

I am yet to be asked for a party card at the service station; nor does my ZESA account indicate the political party of my choice! So how could our noble mission to meet Zimbabweans (of whatever political persuasion) in the Diaspora be considered political?

Well, I have since realised that there are those who thrive on economic chaos in Zimbabwe and any attempt by anyone to genuinely address the suffering of our country will always face their wrath. But that does not scare me, and certainly does not scare the proud team I was with on this ground breaking mission.

In the past few weeks I have read very skewed reports about our mission and the apparent hostility we are supposed to have met in the US, UK and South Africa. I didn’t see hostility. I, together with my colleagues, met young and old, men and women who are proud Zimbabweans and are dying for an opportunity to make a difference in their country.

I met people of my age who have an unbelievable passion for this beautiful country that is ours, Zimbabweans who raise their flag proudly in America, the United Kingdom and South Africa when the opportunity arises.

I spoke to young Zimbabweans who are running a website to promote good news about their country. I met numerous others who are desperate to get involved in the economy through investment platforms.

I also met individuals who are so passionate about their country that they wanted to raise political questions even at non-political platforms. However, after some discussion, they agreed with me that Zimbabwe needed all its sons and daughters to wake up and do something to change its economic circumstances instead of apportioning blame and trying to burn down the house so you can occupy it, so to speak.

In a majority of cases these people came to our meetings having been misled by internet reports that we were there for political reasons. In the majority of cases they went back scratching their heads and considering what else they could do for their motherland apart from sending money through Homelink.

I remember vividly the leader of an opposition group that attended an address by the Governor in Birmingham, England. The guy was there to cause a real stir. He and his companions had all sorts of placards. During question time they fired at Dr Gono questions only President Mugabe could answer. They tried with zero success to make the Governor admit he was in the UK on a political mission.

Having been answered squarely and honestly, the guy went to hug Dr Gono at the end of the meeting and handed him 20 pounds. He whispered to Dr Gono that he had been overwhelmingly touched by the message and the rationale of the visit and he needed to immediately show his support.

Now this 20 pounds has probably gone through the auction already and been accessed by a private manufacturing company to help import raw materials or by a private hospital to import drugs for the health sector.

Hands up those who don’t want to access or have their relatives be prescribed those drugs because the money used to import them was sent from the UK by a political activist! Clearly the needs of our country, especially he needs of the majority of our people, need not be clouded with politics by men and women of small minds.

Then there were these men who were part of the audience at our meeting in Dallas. In the middle of speeches they brought out these banners and placards denouncing the Governor of the central bank and the government of Zimbabwe.

This demonstration didn’t really catch my eye, what really did was the identity of the demonstrators. It was this man, who for many years in Zimbabwe was a flamboyant playboy type bus operator who later left the country with a heavy load of debts. I am sure those he owes money would like to see him brought back to Zimbabwe so they can recover their money.

Since the end of the trip, I have discovered that the bulk of those who made a lot of noise (unproductive noise that is) fit into that category. They are men and women who dismally failed in Zimbabwe and fled the country to escape debts or simply conned people and ran away from the long arm of the law.

This group need not be confused with hundreds of thousands of well meaning Zimbabweans out there who love their country with great passion, men and women who are ready to commit to Zimbabwe everything they can to help in the turnaround of the economy whatever their political and religious beliefs.

Thanks to this mission abroad, our country’s fortunes are destined to change for the better. It may not happen overnight, but the economic turnaround will definitely succeed partly through the contribution of Zimbabweans who work hard day and night out there.

May God give them more energy and wisdom!