Mr. Ambassador, surely you can’t deny that China treats Zimbabwe as a colonial outpost

24.10.202517:36by Tendai Ruben MbofanaMr. Ambassador, surely you can’t deny that China treats Zimbabwe as a colonial outpostAs we say in Shona, ‘muromo hauzarirwi nerwizi’ — the mouth cannot be dammed by a river — meaning it’s easy to say anything, even when one knows it’s untrue. As we say in Shona, ‘muromo hauzarirwi nerwizi’ — the mouth cannot be dammed by a river — meaning it’s easy to say anything, even when one knows it’s untrue.

Tendai Ruben MbofanaChina’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Zhou Ding, could not have chosen a worse occasion to peddle half-truths and diplomatic spin. China’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Zhou Ding, could not have chosen a worse occasion to peddle half-truths and diplomatic spin. To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel on:https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08 His recent declaration that Chinese companies’ compliance with Zimbabwean laws is “non-negotiable” would have been reassuring—if it bore even the slightest resemblance to reality on the ground.

For ordinary Zimbabweans who live next to Chinese-run mines, work under abusive conditions, or watch their environment destroyed without any recourse, these words ring hollow and insulting. The Ambassador’s assertion that China is a cooperative partner, distinct from colonialists who “imposed their own rules,” is perhaps the most disingenuous statement of all. For how does one describe a relationship where local resources are plundered, communities are displaced, the environment ravaged, and the people left poorer than before—all in the name of “investment”? This is not partnership; it is exploitation dressed in diplomatic niceties.