Military chefs to head business takeovers under indigenization program

By Tererai Karimakwenda
25 August, 2010

A group of military chefs and Mugabe cronies were this week named to the
committees that are to manage business takeovers, under the guise of the
indigenisation Program. The law was billed as an attempt to redress past
inequalities, but the list reads like a military who's who and a "Friends of
Mugabe" list.
Among them is retired Major-General Gilbert Mashingaidze, retired Air
Commodore Mike Karakadzai and retired Colonel Karikoga Kaseke, who also
heads the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
University of Zimbabwe Professor John Makumbe said he was not surprised at
these appointments; "This is the way ZANU PF is going about militarizing all
the structures of state. This indigenous committee is very much pro-ZANU PF
people and the military are in the forefront of such an approach."

When the Mugabe government passed the Indigenization Act into law, requiring
the majority of business shares to be owned by so-called "locals", many
analysts predicted it was nothing more than a ploy to loot the business
sector and distribute the wealth to ZANU PF allies. The list of appointees
announced this week by Indigenization Minister Saviour Kasukuwere appears to
be a confirmation of this.
Other appointments to these committees include presidential spokesman George
Charamba and Affirmative Action Group President Supa Mandiwanzira. Charamba
has been Mugabe's voice for decades and Mandiwanzira was part of the
government orchestrated takeover of the Mighty Movies media company.
The presence of so many military chefs did not surprise political
commentator Professor Ken Mufuka either. Commenting from the United States,
he said: "You can militarize agriculture for example, but can you force the
cows to produce milk."

Less obvious was the appointment of musician Oliver Mtukudzi, an appointment
that Professor Mufuka saw as a ZANU PF tactic to attempt to give credibility
to the process.
He said: "They can argue that they want diversity or secondly he might have
been nominated by the MDC, or they may want to humanize the committee. They'll
say look we are not all military guys. We have the nice, soft-hearted nice
face of Oliver Mtukudzi."
Another appointment worthy of comment was that of the Econet Wireless boss,
Douglas Mboweni. The mobile phone company recently took part in a lobbying
mission to the UK to raise funds for the development of their network, using
the coalition government as the foundation for support. MDC officials
fronted the mission, accompanied by a number of intelligence agents and ZANU
PF deputy ministers.
Professor Makumbe said Econet is trying to maintain its position as the
largest mobile network in Zimbabwe. In that case they need to be seen as
participating in government ventures.

Media commissioner Chris Mutsvangwa, a former chief executive at the state
owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and Zimbabwe's former ambassador to
China, is also on one of the newly appointed Indigenization committees.
Professor Mufuka explained that this may be a ploy to keep Chinese companies
interested in investing in Zimbabwe.
The committee is reportedly scheduled to produce a list of stakeholding
targets by the end of next month. The law requires them to target companies
with assets of more than US$500,000.
Professor Mufuka warned that many companies will run away. He said: "If you
say in advance that you are going to get 51% shares in their companies, why
would anyone give up a majority of shares to a newcomer? You will frighten
them away."