Zimpapers Logo

Sekai Nzenza on Wednesday
“After this trip, we will not come back to Zimbabwe again,” said the man who was visiting my cousin Reuben. He sounded emotional and angry. Piri and I stood at the door of Reuben’s house. In the background was a woman’s voice crying. I did not see the visitors because Reuben would not let us meet them. We expected Reuben to be ready for the village trip that we often do together. But last Saturday morning, Reuben had unexpected guests. He told us to go to the shops, have coffee, do some shopping and come back at least two hours later, because he was very busy counselling some London-based friends of friends.

The couple had just experienced a misfortune and wanted to stay at Reuben’s house over the weekend.

Two hours later, Reuben got in the driver’s seat. We were already very late going to a ceremony in the village. Reuben looked angry. He was driving in a rather fast and erratic way as we sped along Enterprise Road. He calmed down as we drove out of Harare.

The couple from London’s story of misfortune was very similar to many stories I have heard before.

Around 2005, the couple lived in Glen View. The husband was a mechanic, while the wife was a Registered Nurse. She was recruited by a UK-based nursing agency and moved to London, doing double shifts to support her family back home. The husband and three children stayed in Zimbabwe for three years. Then they were able to join the mother. After failing to get a job for some months, the guy decided to train as a social worker. The couple worked hard while renting a house. Their aim was to save enough money to buy an acre block in a good suburb in Harare. They could see themselves returning to Zimbabwe one day and not living in Glen View, but in an affluent suburb, owning a big house with several rooms upstairs.

When they had saved close to $10 000, the couple identified a cousin who lived in Chitungwiza and had built his own house from scratch. This cousin said he knew where to get all the building materials.

He was well acquainted with the building industry and could negotiate prices at Magaba and other places with hardware goods. The UK-based couple started transferring money to their cousin.

The cousin kept on sending photographs and updates on the house from foundation to ceiling levels and right up to when the roof was all complete. The next task was to have a borehole dug and a pump to ensure water was flowing right through the house when Harare City Council switches off.

Then there were solar panels installed to kick in when Zesa Holdings rations its power.

The couple was excited to see photos of the house. When their cousin said the house was complete, but what was missing was the furniture, the couple said, no, not yet. They had spent over $40 000 building the house and most of the money had been borrowed from a bank. The furniture would be bought once the couple arrives on their scheduled six-week trip to Zimbabwe together with the children.

The couple arrived in Zimbabwe to attend two weddings during Heroes and Defence Forces Day holidays last month.

They were looking forward to meeting the cousin who built their house at the airport.

He was nowhere to be seen.

They stayed with relatives in town and hoped to collect keys from the cousin the following day.

The keys did not arrive. The couple went to their house anyway.

After three years sending money to their cousin, the couple from the UK could only find a foundation.

There was no house. The photos of the house that the cousin had been sending belonged to someone’s house next door. The cousin was nowhere to be seen. He was not answering his phone and each time the couple visited his house, the wife said he was not home and she did not know when he was going to come back.

After listening to this story, we fired Reuben with questions: Did the couple get any quotations at all before sending money for purchasing building materials? Why did they trust their cousin to carry out such a big project in their absence? Did this cousin have any experience in managing a project which requires exercising due diligence, discretion and intellect as well, especially when dealing with tradesmen? Reuben said yes, they had received all the quotations and receipts of purchases. But everything sent to them was a fabrication, including printed receipts with letter heads, signatures, phone numbers and all.

“Can they get this cousin arrested for theft?” Piri asked.

“Surely these relatives who prey upon people in the Diaspora should be brought to justice.”

But Reuben said it is not that simple to arrest your own brother, sister, father-in-law or someone who is related to you.

“Well, you can get him arrested. But, the process of taking this to a civil court is long, costly and time consuming. Besides, the couple live in the UK and they would not have time to chase after their money.”

Then Reuben started laughing with sadness as he recalled the difficult lives of people slaving away in the Diaspora. Zimbabweans have no idea how hard life in the Diaspora is. You hear Diaspora people being given names like “Chando Chinopisa.” Snow is cold.

“So what advice did you give them?” I asked Reuben. Piri laughed in hysterics. I looked at her and said, Ah, saka what is so funny about my question?”

“Why do you ask a question when you already know the answer based on your own experience? Tell him that you were an absolute fool when you returned from the Diaspora. You got cheated by someone you thought was your friend, acquaintance or whatever,” Piri said.

She was reminding me of an experience in life that I never want to think about. It was one of those painful and humiliating demonstrations of naivety or foolishness. I got burnt badly when I handed over my Diaspora sister’s money to a guy who claimed to have found a house for her at a very good price.

My sister came and we inspected the house several times and even ordered curtains while waiting for the title deeds. But the house was never on sale.

After some months, I was ready to argue in court that the money had been taken fraudulently. I should thank the police and the prosecutors at Rotten Row Magistrates’ Court.

Legal experts including Murombedzi and Reza advised on the Government of Zimbabwe’s rule of law and how ordinary citizens can get justice through due legal process. The money was recovered though a small percentage was lost. But that was nothing compared to what I had foolishly placed at stake.

I have often looked back to that incident and I questioned my foolishness. Diaspora naivety and ignorance are no excuse.

How could I have been so trusting to a smooth talker in a suit? We all learn from mistakes. Chakatanga ndicho chakachenjedza.

“But, people from the Diaspora also cheat those who live here,” said Reuben.

He knew about a businessman whose son was studying in Australia. He trusted a friend who had migrated to Australia to keep school fees in a trust account for his son then pay directly to the university at the beginning of each term.

During that time, the colleague in Australia was building a new house. He used the school fees money hoping to borrow more money from the bank before the term starts. The bank declined to give him a loan. As a result, he did not pay the school fees and the student was forced to leave Australia. He came home in tears, blaming his father for not paying school fees. The colleague in Australia apologised and said when his financial situation gets better, he would repay the money.

Piri said people are people. Vanhu vanhu. At the end of the day, you cannot trust anyone. Times are hard and people will forget the importance of keeping good family relationships. We have become greedy.

“I do feel so sorry for the UK couple. Losing so much money to a relative is painful,” said Piri.

“Someone should have warned them about sending money to a relative. It gets eaten.” Reuben said people living in the Diaspora should learn to do business as business and not rely on knowing someone who can do the donkey work for them back home. Why should they trust a poor struggling relative to handle so much cash? He or she has financial needs too.

People in the Diaspora must use reputable companies or agencies. Choose the architectural design of your house. Get the bill of quantities. Get quotations for materials and labour. Compare prices. Pay directly to the building company’s account. The relative here should not handle money. No. Give him or her a project overseer’s role. Pay him or her for time and fuel spent in travelling to and from site. Buy a good phone with WhatsApp and send money for airtime. Ask the relative to take photographs at each stage of the house being built. That way, there will be no tears and no broken trust.

Dr Sekai Nzenza is an independent writer and cultural critic.