Zimbos: Hated in Mozambique & Loved in Botswana
Zimbos in Mozambique have been told to stay indoors as tension mounts while Botswana intends to legalise their stay.
Zimbos: Hated in Mozambique & Loved in Botswana
Zimbabweans living in Mozambique should stay indoors until the political situation in the neighbouring country normalises, Ambassador to Mozambique Victor Matemadanda has said.
“My advice is that our people should stay indoors until the situation normalises. They should keep away from the demonstrations. Many people are preferring to be indoors. I think likewise Zimbabweans should do the same. They should try as much as they can to avoid gatherings, to make sure that they are safe.
“We have not seen or heard of any Zimbabwean who got injured or killed in Mozambique. I would like to advise Zimbabweans who are in Mozambique that they should not forget that they are in a foreign land.
“They should stay in their homes and not get involved in the protests. When they see people gathering or grouping they should try to avoid those gatherings. Once violence starts, it will not distinguish a local from a foreigner.”
He advised Zimbabweans who want to travel to Mozambique for business to be cautious as they might face transport challenges.
Zimbos: Hated in Mozambique & Loved in Botswana
Meanwhile…
President Boko told the BBC Africa Daily podcast before he was sworn in that he wanted to formalise the permits and other relevant paperwork for Zimbabweans in Botswana, citing their unique skills, especially in the construction sector.
“So what we need to do is to formalise, have a proper arrangement that recognises that people from Zimbabwe are already here,” he said.
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President Boko acknowledged Zimbabweans’ unique skills, saying Botswana could benefit a lot from them.
“In any and every construction site in Botswana, the majority of people with those skills are from Zimbabwe, so we need to do a twin programme of allowing them to come in and we utilise the skills that they have and in the process of utilising these skills, we also engage in some sort of skills transfer.
“We can’t stop people with skills from coming in when we don’t have the skills ourselves – we need to develop these skills and it takes time, so in the interregnum we need to have them come in properly, come in legally and be rewarded appropriately for the skills that they bring.”
