A Dubai-based Zimbabwean businesswoman, Hanna Mutsenhu, has asked President Emmerson Mnangagwa to make it mandatory for all Zimbabwean citizens living abroad to pay a US$50 fee when they visit Zimbabwe.
Mutsenhu said that she has been in the United Arab Emirates for six years and runs a nursery in Dubai.
She said the US$50 contribution by every diasporan whenever they visit Zimbabwe will be used to develop the country.
Mutsenhu made the remarks during an interface with Mnangagwa on the sidelines of the World Expo being held in Dubai. She said:
Why can we not engage all diasporans when they are coming back home to contribute a certain amount on entry, for example, US$50.
Some countries are doing that; that will mean when I come back home I should leave US$50. It needs accountability towards the development of Zimbabwe.
You can take into consideration countries like the Philippines. When one goes back home they have to contribute something.
Mutsenhu’s comments sparked debate on social media with critics arguing that she was offside as the Government has refused to recognise diasporans’ right to vote in national elections even though they contribute to the country’s economy through remittances.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said in 2021, diaspora remittances were more than US$1 billion.
