THE Zimbabwean government still cannot be trusted it shall not lay ambush to current and prospective foreign investment under its empowerment drive, Switzerland ambassador to Zimbabwe Luciano Lavizzari has said.
In an exclusive interview with Newzimbabwe.com Thursday, Lavizzari said Zimbabwe’s tough empowerment policies which prescribe a compulsory 51:49 local-foreign ownership ratio continued to scare away investors from his country who prefer to have nothing to do with Zimbabwe during the current unpredictable wealth redistribution regime.
Ambassador Lavizzari was part of a group of international ambassadors who attended indigenisation minister Francis Nhema’s address at SAPES Trust Thursday.
Even after Nhema had committed an hour and a half while trying to convince everyone the Zanu PF crafted law was harmless, Lavizzari is among diplomats who was still not convinced the Zimbabwean government was sincere in its attempts to tame the disastrous law.
Switzerland has few companies operating in Zimbabwe, the most prominant being giant food processor Nestle Zimbabwe which President Mugabe once threatened with seizure if it went ahead boycotting “blood milk” supplies from his dairies.
“Many more would like to come but they are scared away by this very approach,” said Lavizzari, referring to business people from Switzerland.
“Also because it is not consistent and because it is not being communicated properly.”…
South Africa Today – Africa News Zimbabwe
