Take a cue from Mugabe on indigenous economic empowerment – Ablakwa to South Africans

As tributes continue to pour in for the former Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has charged South African leaders to take a cue from how he (Mugabe) handled the indigenous economic empowerment of black Zimbabweans.

Robert Mugabe after independence enacted the Indigenization policy which gave Zimbabweans the right to take over and control many foreign-owned companies in the country. Specifically, over 51 per cent of all the businesses in the country were to be transferred into local African hands because many Zimbabweans were disadvantaged due to colonialism.

He also introduced the land redistribution programme that reclaimed farmlands from foreigners.

Mr. Ablakwa’s call comes on the back of recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

In a Facebook post, the Member of Parliament wrote, “Current South African political leaders have a lot to learn from the legacy of Comrade Mugabe if they must uproot the underlying factors of the recurring mindless and misplaced xenophobic attacks.”

According to him, until a fair redistribution of wealth and massive investment in the education of black South Africans are boldly confronted, the re-occurrence of xenophobic attacks will continue.

“It is this acute lack of economic empowerment that has created the fault lines in post-apartheid South Africa,Until a fair redistribution of wealth and massive investment in the education of black South Africans (just as Zimbabwe became one of the most literate nations in the world under Mugabe) are boldly confronted, we shall rather sadly continue to live with the scourge of xenophobia,” he wrote.