Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appealed to Zimbabweans in the diaspora to return home and invest in the country’s economy.
He said Zimbabwe is way behind other countries and can only catch up using skills scattered around the world.
President Mnangagwa was addressing thousands of Zimbabweans at the country’s Embassy in Pretoria on Thursday.
This is President Mnangagwa’s first official working visit in the country after assuming power on November 24th.
The meeting comes at a time the Government has announced plans to amend the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act that is viewed by some as a barrier to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Some Zimbabweans have already invested in the refurbishment of the rail network.
Since assuming power on November 24th, Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa has put economic growth on top of his priority list. His government is working on amending the Indigenisation Law to apply only to diamonds and platinum.
The current law requires foreign investment of more than US$500 000 to have at least 51 percent local share ownership with the investor retaining 49 percent.
On arrival in South Africa, Mnangagwa paid a courtesy call on his SA counterpart President Jacob Zuma at his Residence in Pretoria.
Watch the full event below:
Meanwhile, Zimbabweans from Bulawayo are protesting outside the embassy in Pretoria, calling on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to prioritise the reconcilliation programme.
They are demanding that he prioritises atrocities that occured in Matebeleland, before addressing issues such as investment and the repartiation of Zimbabweans.
They are accusing the Zimbabwean government of Operation Gukurahund, where thousands of Matebeleland residents were killed under President Robert Mugabe’s reign.
