Harare,
Zimbabwe
– Zimbabwe’s
real
estate
and
farming
sectors
are
seeing
a
surge
in
diaspora-driven
investment,
with
two
young
content
creators
quietly
emerging
as
unexpected
influencers
shaping
the
trend.
Kundai
Chitima,
31,
and
Kelvin
Birioti,
20,
each
running
their
own
social
media
channel,
have
built
followings
that
seem
to
influence
a
growing
number
of
Zimbabweans
abroad
considering
return
or
investment.
On
YouTube
and
Instagram,
they
share
short
videos
and
posts
highlighting
opportunities
in
Zimbabwe.
Their
popular
content
ranges
from
property
tours
and
agricultural
tips
to
market
trend
analysis.
For
some
in
the
diaspora,
decisions
about
returning
or
investing
increasingly
appear
to
be
shaped
less
by
official
narratives
and
more
by
social
media
content
offering
on-the-ground
perspectives
of
life
in
Zimbabwe.
One
of
those
influenced
is
Catherine
Mutisi,
who
spent
17
years
living
in
the
United
Kingdom
working
as
an
accountant.
During
that
time,
she
had
already
begun
investing
in
Zimbabwe,
building
two
houses,
buying
a
small
plot
and
starting
a
business.
She
said
her
thinking
shifted
after
coming
across
Birioti’s
content
during
construction.
“Gradually,
my
mind
and
plans
shifted
from
just
visiting
Zimbabwe
towards
wanting
to
permanently
relocate,”
she
said.
Mutisi
said
earlier
narratives
about
Zimbabwe
had
made
her
cautious,
but
online
content
presented
a
different
perspective.
“Previously,
I
was
just
building
my
houses
for
my
family
to
get
some
money.
But
after
watching
the
videos,
my
eyes
opened,”
she
told
Al
Jazeera.
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Her
experience
is
not
isolated.
Both
Chitima
and
Birioti
say
they
hear
similar
accounts
from
the
Zimbabwean
diaspora
reassessing
their
long-term
plans.
UK-based
Zimbabwean
Nyashadzashe
Nguwo,
an
Africa
market
entry
and
global
expansion
adviser,
said
many
people
like
Mutisi
are
relocating
to
Zimbabwe
due
to
what
he
described
as
a
combination
of
emotional
and
lifestyle-driven
factors.
“There’s
a
strong
desire
among
many
in
the
diaspora
to
reconnect
with
their
roots
and
contribute
meaningfully
to
national
development.
For
some,
the
lower
cost
of
living
and
the
opportunity
to
build
something
impactful
at
home
outweigh
concerns
about
economic
instability,”
Nguwo
told
Al
Jazeera.
Two
influencers
After
growing
up
in
Chinhoyi,
a
town
in
northern
Zimbabwe
about
120km
(75
miles)
northwest
of
the
capital,
Harare,
Birioti
sought
a
new
start
and
enrolled
at
Zimbabwe
Ezekiel
Guti
University
(ZEGU)
in
Bindura.
He
dropped
out,
however,
due
to
financial
challenges
and
decided
to
move
to
Harare.
There,
he
met
Chitima
and
began
learning
content
creation.
From
the
outset,
he
said
he
avoided
entertainment-style
content,
instead
focusing
on
what
he
saw
as
an
information
gap.
“I
saw
a
gap:
the
diaspora
community
was
being
scammed.”
He
built
his
platform
about
real
estate,
rural
development
and
farming
projects,
often
working
with
diaspora
Zimbabweans
who
granted
access
to
their
properties
for
documentation.
Chitima
worked
as
a
teacher
in
South
Africa
before
returning
to
Zimbabwe
in
2015
[Al
Jazeera]
On
the
other
hand,
Chitima
worked
as
a
teacher
in
South
Africa
before
returning
to
Zimbabwe
in
2015.
He
said
workplace
inequality
influenced
his
choice:
“We
were
earning
lower
than
my
South
African
colleagues.
I
thought
of
my
dignity
and
made
a
decision
to
return
home.”
Chitima
returned
to
Zimbabwe
with
limited
resources
and
a
pregnant
wife,
entering
a
very
different
economic
environment
from
the
one
he
had
left.
Before
his
time
in
South
Africa,
he
had
worked
as
a
civil
servant.
After
returning,
he
gradually
moved
into
content
creation,
beginning
in
2015
and
later
training
younger
creators
who
went
on
to
build
large
audiences.
Today,
he
reflects
on
his
platform
as
both
educational
and
protective
for
diaspora
audiences.
“I
receive
calls
from
people
crying
…
they
have
been
scammed.”
He
says
his
content
aims
to
replace
uncertainty
with
grounded
information
about
the
realities
and
opportunities
in
Zimbabwe.
Economic
pressure
and
unemployment
While
no
official
figures
are
publicly
available
on
the
exact
number
of
Zimbabweans
leaving
the
country
or
their
reasons
for
doing
so,
reports
from
the
International
Organization
for
Migration
and
independent
migration
studies
indicate
consistent
migration.
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The
Zimbabwe
National
Statistics
Agency
(Zimstat)
reported
a
21.8
percent
unemployment
rate
in
the
third
quarter
of
2024,
based
on
strict
International
Labour
Organization
definitions.
Between
76
percent
and
80
percent
of
workers
are
in
the
informal
sector,
relying
on
subsistence
or
unregulated
employment.
Youth
unemployment
is
particularly
acute:
a
2025
World
Bank
report
estimates
it
at
76.8
percent.
For
many
young
people,
stable
employment
is
increasingly
difficult
to
secure.
Susan
Sibanda,
26,
describes
moving
between
short-term
and
informal
work.
“I
have
been
switching
from
one
casual
job
to
the
next,”
Sibanda
said.
Her
experience
reflects
a
wider
labour
market
where
formal
employment
continues
to
shrink.
In
recent
years,
several
big
retailers,
including
Choppies,
Truworths,
OK
Zimbabwe,
and
N
Richards,
have
downsized
or
closed
operations.
Emigration
pressures
remain
strong
Against
that
backdrop,
migration
still
features
heavily
in
the
decisions
of
young
Zimbabweans.
Sibanda
said
she
now
considers
that
“leaving
Zimbabwe
is
in
my
best
interest”.
Economist
Tashinga
Kajiva
said
the
story
of
emigration
from
Zimbabwe
has
largely
remained
high,
driven
by
a
combination
of
push
and
pull
factors
that
encourage
people
to
seek
what
they
see
as
greener
pastures.
“Zimbabwe’s
economy
is
marked
by
complex
and,
some
would
say,
difficult
dynamics.
For
ordinary
citizens,
disposable
income
remains
low
while
the
cost
of
living
continues
to
rise.
The
marginal
propensity
to
save
among
working-class
citizens
is
also
low,
as
many
are
living
hand
to
mouth,”
he
told
Al
Jazeera.
Zimbabwe’s
diaspora
is
concentrated
in
South
Africa,
the
United
Kingdom,
Australia,
Canada,
New
Zealand
and
the
United
States,
according
to
government
figures.
Keeping
ties
alive
from
abroad
The
economic
link
between
Zimbabwe
and
its
diaspora
remains
strong.
According
to
real
estate
agents,
diaspora
buyers
now
account
for
a
significant
share
They
state
that
up
to
50
percent
of
high-end
residential
properties
sold
were
purchased
by
Zimbabweans
living
abroad
in
recent
years.
In
some
regions,
land
prices
have
risen
by
20–30
percent
year-on-year,
a
surge
partly
attributed
to
diaspora
buyers.
Diaspora
investment
is
also
noticeable
in
agriculture.
Reports
from
the
Zimbabwe
Farmers
Union
indicate
that
about
10-15
percent
of
new
farm
leases
over
the
past
two
to
three
years
involve
diaspora
investors,
with
activity
concentrated
in
Mashonaland
Central
and
Matabeleland
regions.
Remittances
reached
$1.7bn
in
2023
and
continue
to
rise.
In
2025,
Zimbabweans
abroad
sent
$2.45bn
home,
with
the
UK
and
South
Africa
the
largest
sources,
according
to
government
data. A
significant
portion
of
these
funds
is
reportedly
invested
in
real
estate,
agriculture,
and
small
businesses.
This
reflects
both
practical
necessity
and
emotional
attachment
to
home,
as
well
as
a
preference
for
investing
in
familiar
environments,
according
to
economists.
Still,
return
seems
to
generate
mixed
reactions.
Some
diaspora
Zimbabweans
appear
cautious,
citing
political
developments
and
recent
protests
abroad
over
governance
concerns.
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For
them,
financial
ties
to
Zimbabwe
are
still
strong,
but
physical
return
remains
uncertain.
With
social
media
reshaping
perceptions
of
life
in
Zimbabwe,
many
in
the
diaspora
remain
caught
between
investment
opportunities
and
the
country’s
economic
realities.
As
content
creators
like
Chitima
and
Birioti
reshape
how
some
see
opportunity
in
Zimbabwe,
domestic
economic
pressures
appear
to
be
pushing
others
away,
leaving
the
country’s
relationship
with
its
diaspora
open-ended
and
still
evolving.
“For
many
Zimbabweans
living
abroad,
investing
back
home
is
not
just
about
profit
–
it’s
about
staying
connected
to
their
roots
and
shaping
the
future
of
their
communities,”
said
Chitima.