VOA标准英语2010年-Zimbabwe Forces White-Owned Firms to G

A law that forces white-owned companies to hand over 51 percent of their shares to black Zimbabweans has come into force.  Most of the foreign companies affected¹ are South African owned, which are supposed to be protected by a recently signed trade agreement.

There was confusion in the business sector², as recently published regulations supporting the so-called indigenization law came into effect.

Within the next 45 days, companies with assets of $500,000 or more have to submit forms reporting information on the race of present shareholders³ and their plans to hand over 51 percent of their assets to black Zimbabweans.  Many people on the streets of Harare are not familiar with the new law.

Ministry⁴ of Health research officer Oswald Dziike was surprised when told about it.

"I have not heard anything about this bill," he said.  "I do not know anything about this bill, so I cannot comment on it."

A salesman at a vehicle spare parts shop in central Harare, Costa Chipadze, said he is worried it would frighten away any new investors⁶.

"It is actually a threat to investors, as has been currently enunciated⁷ by those ministers that are coming with it," he said.  "They [investors] feel very much shied away by this because most of them will be having billions of money to invest, but the fact that as long as they sign their contract with the Zimbabwe government, definitely they will have lost," he said.

During his 86th birthday celebrations last weekend, President Robert Mugabe said there would be no going back on the new law.

He said indigenous⁸ Zimbabweans, those previously⁹ disadvantaged during the colonial era, must control the country's national assets.  He said the new law was not nationalization.

"Like the land-reform program, it is designed to regress historical imbalances in the ownership of our economy," he said.

An influential¹⁰ investment newsletter distributed in Zimbabwe's business community said the law contradicts the recently signed South African-Zimbabwe trade agreement. 

South African companies in business in Zimbabwe have not commented on the new law.  South Africa is the largest foreign investor⁵ in Zimbabwe.

The shrinking number of white businessmen who are also Zimbabwe citizens and own smaller companies say they are worried about the new law.    One, who asked not to be named, said many of his colleagues believed the new law is similar to the land-reform program that saw thousands of white farmers stripped of their land and assets beginning in 2000.

Another said he hoped the new law was only what he called "electioneering" by Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF Party, which says it is trying to boost its popularity since it lost the last elections in 2008.

The law was passed in 2008, before Mr. Mugabe entered the current coalition¹¹ government with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.  Mr. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change said the new law is "null and void."
 

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 enunciated   

v.（清晰地）发音( enunciate的过去式和过去分词 )；确切地说明

参考例句：

• She enunciated each word slowly and carefully. 她每个字都念得又慢又仔细。
• His voice, cold and perfectly enunciated, switched them like a birch branch. 他的话口气冰冷，一字一板，有如给了他们劈面一鞭。 来自辞典例句

8 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

10 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

11 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。