Profits Before Human Rights

There are businesses in Zimbabwe that are benefiting from the economic meltdown in Zimbabwe, they care less about human rights and the absence there of in Zimbabwe where anyone opposed to the dictator's regime can be abducted, arrested, charged with fictitious crimes, tortured or even be killed. These businesses do not care about ordinary Zimbabweans whose value of wages are eroded by the rampant inflation except the pornographic amounts of profit they are making at the back of Zimbabwean people's misery. While it cannot be denied that some businesses are providing a service to the people of Zimbabwe, but there are others that are operating only driven by profits oblivious to the suffering of Zimbabweans. I know that the primary objective of a business is to make profit for its owners, but as a matter of corporate social responsibility they should moral compass that guides these corporations in situations like Zimbabwe. During apartheid a lot multi-national conglomerates pulled out of South Africa as a moral statement against apartheid but in Zimbabwe the companies that are benefiting from the Zimbabwean crisis are mainly South African.

The major player whose influence and clout is felt in every sector of the Zimbabwean economy is Delta Corporation. Delta Corporation is a holding company who major shareholders are SA Breweries, OK South Africa, to be honest its a South African owned company which operates in Zimbabwe. It owns OK Zimbabwe, the largest retailer in Zimbabwe equivalent of Tesco in UK, it also brews under license popular South African beer brands such as Castle, Lion...etc, it also owns Zimbabwe Sun which is the largest owner and operator of hotels in Zimbabwe. Its the owner of Pelhams furniture stores in Zimbabwe add its bottling and distribution coca-cola in Zimbabwe. You just have to look at the financial statements which are free for anyone to see. I do not know any other company in the world today maybe except for Google that is making profits the way it is. On a nutshell Delta Corporation's EBITDA (Earnings Before Interests, Tax and Debt Armotisation) was up by 1828% from the previous year 2005, to Zimbabwe $13 524 million, operating income grew by 1800%, turnover also increased by 1200%, dividend per share increased by 700%.

I mentioned it before and I am going to say it again that the biggest gainer in the crisis in Zimbabwe is the South African economy. The brain drain, the missed opportunities for Zimbabwean retailers forced to halve prices by the dictator worsening the shortages of basic commodities forcing Zimbabwean to take their customer to neighbouring countries. Businesses in Messina the border town near the Zimbabwe/South African border have reported roaring trade.

We’ve had a 300% increase in sales since June, which is unprecedented, so we don’t want the good times to end,” he said. We really are laughing all the way to the bank

Kleptocrasy was going to bring Zimbabwe down but to add plutocrasy becomes a different type of equation. It distorts the picture that many people who advocate for change in Zimbabwe, that while the Mugabe's kleptocrats have something to gain by maintaining the status quo so does plutocrats who masquerade as business men such Delta Corporation CEO Joel Mutizwa, Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines President Marah Hativagone and Calisto Jokonya of Confederation of Zimbabwean Industries who have profits to loose if there is a regime change in Zimbabwe. These three met Mugabe and advised him that they have the solution to Zimbabwe's economic problems and that Mugabe should give them time like 90 days to turn around the economy which analysts say will take over 40 years to turn around. Yet everyone knows that the problem in Zimbabwe does not need an economist or a business executive to turn around it requires a political solution.