Saturday, April 19, 2025

Zimbabweans are making Botswana a Banana Republic

Social media is abuzz with a video of a man washing bunches of spinach in the Notwane River which is the recipient of large volumes of affluent water from the Glen Valley Sewage Treatment Works operated by Water Utilities Corporation. The horticultural sector in this country and especially along this perennial river is an industry that has been completely taken over by Zimbabweans. The rule of law doesn’t seem to apply when it comes to dealing with our neighbours to the north. Zimbabweans are a law unto themselves and they are on complete free range on certain industries in this country. The top three industries they are into are; horticulture, trucking (particularly sand transportation) and the building sector.

They are breaking with impunity. I must acknowledge that there are good Zimbabweans that are helping grow certain industries here and we appreciate their contribution to the economy. Farm workers are generally Zimbabweans as a majority of our able bodied people here suffer from acute laziness. The agro industry and particularly horticulture is sustained by Zimbabweans. In Oodi/Matebeleng, citizens have rented out their fields to Zims because they are failing to put them to productive use. Our import bill on horticultural products has been significantly reduced, thanks to our hard working neighbours from the north.

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