Desperate Zimbabweans Looking for 'Jobs' in War Torn Sudan
James Mukomva, who visited the South Sudan Embassy in search of a job, said he no longer has any hope that the Robert Mugabe-led government would create any jobs.
HARARE — Several Zimbabweans on Tuesday stormed the embassy of South Sudan in Harare’s Belgravia suburb following some hoax social media messages indicating that there are jobs being offered in that nation. The job seekers told Studio 7 that they were disappointed and angry after incurring travelling costs for non-existent jobs as some of them travelled from as far as Zimbabwe’s second largest city, Bulawayo, about 400 kilometers away. In May, Zimbabwean nurses besieged the same embassy after false messages were circulated that the embassy was recruiting some medical practitioners. The Minister of Health and Child Care, David Parirenyatwa, had indicated that Zimbabwe would engage other countries to absorb the more than 3,000 trained nurses that have been bonded but failing to secure employment due to a government job freeze. Samson Chitema, who travelled from Kwekwe, Midlands province, said despite the war ravaging in South Sudan, he had travelled for the job interview out of desperation. Another job seeker, Miriam Mugodhi, whose face mirrored disappointment and pain, concurred adding that she had been elated after reading the job adverts as they required the qualifications she held. Mugodhi said poverty and hardships facing her family had driven her to seek the jobs in South Sudan. The unemployed woman said she borrowed the money she used to travel from Bulawayo. Peter Museve, who alleged that he is a holder of a master’s degree, told Studio 7 that the war in South Sudan had not deterred him as he is desperate to secure a job anywhere. Another Zimbabwean, James Mukomva, who also visited the South Sudan Embassy in search of a job, said he no longer has any hope that the Robert Mugabe-led government would create any jobs. Zanu PF promised to create 2.2 million jobs during the 2013 elections. However, no jobs have been created and companies continue to shut down in the country. The high unemployment rate, which some economic analysts have pegged between 85 and 91 percent, has also contributed to the protests bedeviling the country as social movements such as #Tajamuka-Sesijikile, #This Flag, unemployed graduates and many others are demanding jobs.