Study believes 'myth' Zimbabwe is kept afloat by diaspora cash
http://www.businessday.co.za

Wilson Johwa

Against the general belief that Zimbabweans in exile were keeping their
country afloat, a study in the southern Matabeleland region has found that
most families with members living outside the country received no money and
barely any meaningful food items last year.

Conducted earlier this year, the study by Solidarity Peace Trust (SPT), says
76% of those with family in the diaspora did not get any money sent to them
last year.

The little money sent home failed to alleviate the already dire food
situation, especially among the rural poor.

Many of those who sent any money at all remitted less than R100. "Goodies"
sent home were as little as 2kg of sugar - often only at Christmas time.
Only 18% of the families with a member in the diaspora received the
equivalent of R100 a month last year.

Before the demise of the Zimbabwean dollar, more goods than cash were sent
home, but the research found that 51% of families with a member in the
diaspora did not receive any goods at all last year.

It says the low remittances may have been due to the disruptive effect of
the xenophobic attacks in SA last year, and the saturation of the job market
in SA.

The younger the exiles - who ironically were the largest group among those
who left the country - the less likely they were to send anything home.

"We're not seeing remittances on a grand scale," said SPT director Shari
Eppel at the release of the research findings in Johannesburg yesterday.

She said many in Zimbabwe had a negative perception of "diasporisation".
They associated it with the bodies of relatives coming home to be buried,
and experienced it as lack of labour to till the fields and failed
relationships.

While, historically, southern Zimbabwe had strong labour ties with SA, the
rate of migration had shot up since the end of 2007.

Among the 142 families in the target group, the study found a 100- fold
increase in diasporisation between 1990 and 2000 - with SA as the main
destination.

In another report, the SPT warns that failure by the international community
to engage with the unity government forged in January could threaten the
fragile state, whose collapse would lead to another round of violence and
repression.

SPT research director Brian Raftopoulos said a key question was at what
point sanctions - which were preventing major international finance
institutions from supporting Zimbabwe - should be removed.

He said there was a need for Zimbabwe to have its own discussion on the
issue, which to date had been largely externally driven.

johwaw@bdfm.co.za