[2009 September 22]
By: Aquilina Mawadza
Recent research by the Centre for Global Development suggests that immigrants can be more useful to their countries of origin if they stay in their adopted countries. In Give Us Your Best and Brightest: The Global Hunt for Talent and Its Impact on the Developing World, Devesh Kapur and John McHale provide insight into the fact that the insatiable appetite for global talent of rich countries is at an all time high and thus, some of the reasons why immigration is going to be irreversible. The global hunt for talent is likely to intensify as the global recession recedes because international companies have an even greater impetus to be competitive. So “the brain drain” as it is known, is expected to increase in the next decade.
Against this backdrop, Zimbabwe will find it tough to compete for talent with rich countries. It was a lesson that Morgan Tsvangirai had to learn several months ago - encouraging Zimbabweans to return to their home country, even as an act of much-needed patriotism is challenging to say the least. However, this article will consider some of the options to effect homeward-bound migration.
Zimbabweans who left the country in the last ten years did so in search of, among other things, greater freedom, a better quality of life and more stability. The global sympathy for the exiles, both legal and illegal migrants as well as political and economic refugees, created a conducive environment for their integration into host communities.
The prospect of returning home for the average Diaspora family is further complicated by two factors. The seemingly intractable conflict, violence and oppression in Zimbabwe meant that even those exiles considering return have considered dual citizenship and permanent residence in their adopted counties. The highly skilled and well educated Zimbabwean workforce has upped the stakes in the competitive global migrant workforce, and Zimbabwean beneficiaries of that workforce are less inclined to diminish their quality of life prospects on the basis of sentiment or in the service of national reconstruction.
However, despite the factors that work to limit voluntary return, there are strategies that can be used to mitigate the impact this can have on the country’s reconstruction.
The fragile “peace” between the parties in the GNU is not currently sufficient to secure the confidence of Zimbabweans abroad. This delicate situation will need to be transformed into a more secure, substantial and lasting sense of security and good governance to assure potential returnees that their return would occur in a safe and healthy political context.
Dual Citizenship assists exiled Zimbabweans who have assumed foreign citizenship, the opportunity to consider returning to Zimbabwe. Currently the constitution of Zimbabwe stipulates that a person can only have single citizenship. To reclaim lost Zimbabwean citizenship individuals in the Diaspora would have to renounce their foreign citizenship. This situation is untenable since many exiled Zimbabweans have already assumed citizenship in their destination countries. Certainly children born in host countries have foreign citizenship. Families will find it both a costly and a risky decision to renounce foreign citizenship in favor of Zimbabwe under the current citizenship regime.
Reciprocal Visa Regimes permit those who have been home to their countries of origin a period of reprieve in the event they want to return for short periods. This is already the case with South Africa and would benefit Zimbabwean exiles if concluded with Britain, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Botswana and Mozambique, where large numbers of Zimbabweans reside.
Relocation allowances for teachers and nurses, for instance, will provide certain skilled Zimbabweans with an opportunity to consider relocating. Until this occurs the cost of relocation will act as a barrier for a significant proportion of the exiled community.
The tax regime in Zimbabwe mitigates against professionals returning home because of the significant tax burden placed on higher income brackets. Apart from the tax, customs and duty have to be generously relaxed particularly for returning residents so that it is more affordable for them to repatriate their assets. However, the small tax base, mainly of professionals working elsewhere, is currently one of the only sources of fiscal revenue needed for rebuilding the Zimbabwean economy and is thus, understandable to an extent.
Re-establishing the rule of law will satisfy Zimbabweans living abroad that their capital, property and basic rights will be protected and their hard-earned income and savings will be secure. The investment regime in Zimbabwe currently does not allow for the repatriation of profits thereby limiting the potential for Zimbabweans who have invested abroad to consider opportunities at home.
Upgrading social services and amenities such as dilapidated schools, hospitals, roads, shopping malls, municipal services, to name a few will satisfy exiled Zimbabweans that they will be returning to a quality of life they have come to enjoy in their host country. Notably the standard of education that Zimbabweans are known for must be regained in order to secure the future of young Zimbabweans in an educated and growing workforce.
The political and economic collapse of the country that initiated the exodus from Zimbabwe is still a reality on the ground. Given this context and the absence of attempts to implement strategies similar to those outlined above it seems unlikely that there will be a mass return of exiled Zimbabweans in the near future.
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