HARARE – Zimbabwe requires US$53 billion to restore its economy to what it was 10 years ago but is unable to raise funding from donors who remain unconvinced the country is on an “irreversible path to democracy”, according to Finance Minister Tendai Biti.
A power-sharing government formed by President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last February has halted unprecedented recession and promised to revive Zimbabwe’s economy that was one of the most vibrant in Africa just a little over 10 years ago.
But rich Western nations have refused to fund the Harare administration’s reconstruction programme demanding more political reforms and evidence that Mugabe’s genuinely committed to sharing power with Tsvangirai.
Biti -- who is also secretary general of Tsvangirai’s MDC party -- said in an interview that failure by the government to fully implement a Global Political Agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the power-sharing administration had crippled efforts to raise support from skeptical donors.
“The performance of our economy in the immediate short-term, and our capacity to attract foreign assistance, depends purely and simply on our performance and execution of the GPA. The two are inextricably connected,” Biti said in an interview.
“Nobody trusts this government. There is not sufficient evidence from the point of view of donors that we are on an irreversible and irrevocable path to democracy and reform. That evidence is missing,” he added.
In addition to failure to attract financial support a US$5.7 billion debt that Harare owes various international creditors continued to constrain efforts to rebuild the economy, said Biti, describing the debt as “a serious albatross around our thin necks”.
Analysts say the coalition government offers Zimbabwe the best opportunity in a decade to end its multi-faceted crisis.
But they warn that the administration could yet fail because of its failure to raise significant financial aid as well as because of unending squabbles between Mugabe’s ZANU PF party and Tsvangirai’s MDC party that are the two main pillars of the administration.
On Tuesday Tsvangirai urged a summit of Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders next week to discuss Zimbabwe’s coalition government, adding that his MDC party was getting frustrated because of several outstanding issues from the GPA that he accused Mugabe of refusing to resolve.
“We have not resolved or implemented agreed positions on provincial governors despite the negotiators agreeing on a formula on their fair allocation. This is why we urge SADC to place the issue of Zimbabwe for specific consideration during the forthcoming summit in Kinshasa,” said Tsvangirai.
In addition to the issue of provincial governors, Tsvangirai and his MDC party have been angered by Mugabe’s decision to unilaterally appoint two top allies as central bank chief and attorney general in breach of the GPA which says that appointments to all senior public posts should be by consensus.
Mugabe has also refused to swear in former white farmer and MDC treasurer, Roy Bennett, as deputy agriculture minister while farm invasions and sporadic acts of political violence have continued across the country.
The SADC is a guarantor of Zimbabwe’s power-sharing agreement alongside the African Union. – ZimOnline.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Zuma meets Zim leaders tomorrow
HARARE – South African President Jacob Zuma will tomorrow hold talks with leaders of neighbouring Zimbabwe’s power-sharing government to try to break a deadlock threatening the coalition government, his office said Tuesday.
Zuma is chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that alongside the Africa Union is a guarantor of a power-sharing agreement signed by President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara last September.
The South African leader’s office said in a statement: "In his capacity as chairperson of SADC, President Zuma will be holding meetings with the leaders of ZANU-PF and the two MDC formations to be briefed on the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (power-sharing agreement).”
Zuma, who arrives in Harare Thursday, will also open Zimbabwe’s annual agricultural show on Friday before flying back to South Africa later the same day.
Mugabe’s office had last week claimed that the South African leader would limit his visit to the agricultural show and not tackle problems related to the power-sharing agreement.
While some political analysts have said that even if Zuma were to discuss the power-sharing pact with Zimbabwe’s political leaders there was little he could achieve in one day and suggested that the South African President would probably use the trip to see for himself the various problems gripping the fragile Harare coalition.
Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara are deadlocked over a myriad of outstanding issues, among them Mugabe’s arbitrary appointment of two top allies to head the central bank and attorney general’s department in violation of the power-sharing agreement that says such appointments should be by consensus.
Other issues include delays in swearing in of provincial governors and Roy Bennett – Tsvangirai’s appointee as deputy minister of agriculture – as well as the continued arrest, conviction and sentencing of legislators from the Premier’s MDC party.
While Tsvangirai and Mutambara have written to SADC over problems in the implementation of the GPA, Mugabe’s ZANU PF party about two weeks ago accused its former opposition foes of reneging on a commitment to urge Western countries to lift sanctions on the party’s senior leaders.
Zuma is considered more sympathetic to Tsvangirai but he will next month step down as SADC chairman with Mugabe ally and Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila assuming the rotating regional chair.
Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara formed an inclusive government last February to try to end Zimbabwe’s multifaceted crisis.
The unity government has done well to stabilise the economy and end inflation that was estimated at more than a trillion percent at the height of the country’s economic meltdown last year.
But analysts remain doubtful about the administration’s long-term effectiveness, citing unending squabbles between ZANU PF and MDC as well as by the coalition government’s inability to secure direct financial support from rich Western nations. – ZimOnline
Zuma is chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that alongside the Africa Union is a guarantor of a power-sharing agreement signed by President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara last September.
The South African leader’s office said in a statement: "In his capacity as chairperson of SADC, President Zuma will be holding meetings with the leaders of ZANU-PF and the two MDC formations to be briefed on the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (power-sharing agreement).”
Zuma, who arrives in Harare Thursday, will also open Zimbabwe’s annual agricultural show on Friday before flying back to South Africa later the same day.
Mugabe’s office had last week claimed that the South African leader would limit his visit to the agricultural show and not tackle problems related to the power-sharing agreement.
While some political analysts have said that even if Zuma were to discuss the power-sharing pact with Zimbabwe’s political leaders there was little he could achieve in one day and suggested that the South African President would probably use the trip to see for himself the various problems gripping the fragile Harare coalition.
Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara are deadlocked over a myriad of outstanding issues, among them Mugabe’s arbitrary appointment of two top allies to head the central bank and attorney general’s department in violation of the power-sharing agreement that says such appointments should be by consensus.
Other issues include delays in swearing in of provincial governors and Roy Bennett – Tsvangirai’s appointee as deputy minister of agriculture – as well as the continued arrest, conviction and sentencing of legislators from the Premier’s MDC party.
While Tsvangirai and Mutambara have written to SADC over problems in the implementation of the GPA, Mugabe’s ZANU PF party about two weeks ago accused its former opposition foes of reneging on a commitment to urge Western countries to lift sanctions on the party’s senior leaders.
Zuma is considered more sympathetic to Tsvangirai but he will next month step down as SADC chairman with Mugabe ally and Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila assuming the rotating regional chair.
Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara formed an inclusive government last February to try to end Zimbabwe’s multifaceted crisis.
The unity government has done well to stabilise the economy and end inflation that was estimated at more than a trillion percent at the height of the country’s economic meltdown last year.
But analysts remain doubtful about the administration’s long-term effectiveness, citing unending squabbles between ZANU PF and MDC as well as by the coalition government’s inability to secure direct financial support from rich Western nations. – ZimOnline
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