Tue. May 6th, 2025 9:39:32 PM

No matter where you are in the world, whether it’s Ottawa, Seoul, Mombasa, or Sydney, the perpetual violation of your fundamental constitutional liberties by ZANU PF will always haunt you. Your right to vote is violated on the grounds that you are in the diaspora. ZANU PF can’t stomach a diaspora vote, which is pro-opposition, politically informed, and a departure from the usual native political apathy. Shamefully, for ZANU PF, remittances from the same diaspora are more than welcome. They don’t threaten ZANU PF’s entrenched hold on power; instead, they provide an avenue for rent-seeking and subsequent patronage. One might even argue that ZANU PF deliberately forces its own citizens into the diaspora to generate foreign currency, which is then expropriated by the ruling party.

If the diaspora vote had been realized in the last election, and added to the two million votes garnered by the charismatic, vibrant, and people’s choice leader, Nelson Chamisa, ZANU PF would have bid farewell to the power it has desperately held onto for at least three decades. Consequently, the restoration of the rule of law, equality before the law, transparency, and accountability would have seen corrupt, self-serving politicians behind bars, losing all they had illegally gained. This was a situation ZANU PF wanted to avoid at all costs.

To insulate itself against the combined power of the opposition, propped by both local and diaspora votes, ZANU PF ruled out the involvement of the potentially game-changing diaspora on grounds of technicalities such as security and funding. This is despite the fact that international funders interested in seeing Zimbabwe transform into a fully-fledged democratic space had expressed reliable interest in funding the crucial diaspora vote. The sidelining of the diaspora in this regard illustrates ZANU PF’s insecurities and fears.

Remittances expose ZANU PF’s hypocrisy, incompetence, and failure. These are the same leaders who recently expressed their desire to gain total control of all elective offices after the 2023 elections. Remittances expose ZANU PF by illustrating that they are a symptom of a dysfunctional economy. Zimbabweans leave their homeland in desperation, often engaging in exploitative arrangements in destinations like South Africa, where the lack of proper documentation leads to vulnerability, or in more stable but higher living standard countries in the West, such as Sweden. Remittances from individuals abroad also indicate a dependent native population relying on money earned by people frustrated with ZANU PF’s politics of marginalization, exclusion, rent-seeking, and inconsistent economic policies.

Since the diaspora is politically frustrated and informed about the need for civilian engagement, participation in governance, accountability, and transparency, ZANU PF faces an existential fear of this diaspora force. In its attempt to seek change, which the opposition seeks to usher in, ZANU PF finds a survival and security guaranteed blocking of the diaspora vote.

But how do remittances benefit ZANU PF? In an economy characterized by runaway inflation and a high cost of living driven by profiteering, ZANU PF enjoys a pacified population receiving remittances in more stable hard currencies like Rands, US dollars, pounds, and Euros. With a pacified, politically apathetic population, ZANU PF can continue to exploit the country’s resources and maintain its power.

Furthermore, ZANU PF has its tentacles in various sectors, including public transport and the fuel industry, where services and products are sold in foreign currency. In such an environment, it becomes crucial for ZANU PF to access the precious foreign currency brought in by remittances. This foreign currency is then used for further political financing, securing the cartel’s flourishing and keeping ZANU PF in power.

The diaspora, although largely unaware of the impact of their remittances on ZANU PF’s stay in power, can change the game. They can make use of decentralized finance, such as digital money and cryptocurrencies, to circumvent ZANU PF’s access to foreign currencies. Additionally, the diaspora can promote financial literacy and the development of self-sufficient systems to limit the influence of cartels in Zimbabwe. By investing in innovative solutions, the diaspora can weaken ZANU PF through a strategy of attrition.

In conclusion, ZANU PF benefits from the diaspora in various ways, either through their exodus or by insulating the native population from economic hardships. However, the diaspora has the potential to play a strategic role in bringing about change in Zimbabwe. Through strategic initiatives and innovative solutions, they can weaken ZANU PF’s grip on power and usher in an alternative government focused on change and progress.

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