The disturbances, blamed on senior officials from President Robert
Mugabe’s Zanu(PF), coincided with a visit by three major global lenders
who wanted to assess if Zimbabwe was now a suitable candidate for badly
needed financial assistance.
World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), and International Monetary
Fund delegations were in the country for the first time since 2006.
They found the former political foes working together in an inclusive
government ushered in by almost a year of negotiations but the violence
that led to the country’s isolation almost nine years ago has not ebbed.
The coalition government needs urgent foreign aid to survive but a
combination of international scepticism on Mr Mugabe’s commitment to
power sharing and the global recession may keep Zimbabwe from accessing
it.
President Mugabe and his long time rival Mr Morgan Tsvangirai last
month formed a unity government to tackle the country’s multifaceted
crisis that had precipitated a humanitarian crisis.
The coalition was formed on the promise of restoring the rule of law,
normalising relations with the international community and major donors.
But farm invasions have continued across the country with more than 100
white commercial farmers facing eviction without any compensation.
Most of them are being forced to give their land to top Zanu(PF)
officials and members of the security forces who enjoy the backing of
the country’s Attorney General.
The message this sends out is that President Mugabe is still supportive
of the criminal and lawlessness behaviour of his officials who want to
loot and grab, respected economist, Mr John Robertson told an online
news agency.
Investors will continue to see us as a lawless country which has no respect for property rights and the rule of law.
The IMF has benchmarks and demands certain behaviour in exchange for its money.
The invasions are a classic way of showing that nothing has changed despite the all inclusive government being in place.
Mr Mugabe whose agrarian reforms and economic policies are blamed for
Zimbabwe’s spectacular collapse has refused to discourage his
supporters from occupying commercial farms.
Instead he has encouraged the few remaining white farmers to leave
immediately even if that meant Zimbabwe, which is in the middle of an
unprecedented humanitarian crisis fails to grow enough food for its
people.
Senior officials in Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) fear the land invasions are spearheaded by hardliners in Zanu(PF)
who are not eager to see the coalition succeeding.
Mr Eddie Cross, a senior advisor to Mr Tsvangirai said Zanu PF signed
the Global Political Agreement last year in front of African leaders
and is now ignoring those clauses that state that the new government
must restore the rule of law and protect property rights.
It is the view of those who negotiated the agreement that any farm
invasions after the 15th September are a violation of the agreement, Mr
Cross said.
Those who have planted crops this past summer did so in the belief that
they would be allowed to complete the season and reap the results.
The MDC has also reported that Zanu(PF) militants burnt several
homesteads belonging to their supporters in Manicaland province, in a
fresh outbreak of violence that cast further doubts on the governments
ability to restore law and order.
Further complicating Zimbabwe’s search for aid would be demands by the
major donors that the country must first honour its debts and cut on
social spending at a time the government is fighting to ease the
massive humanitarian crisis.
Zimbabwe owes US$89 million to IMF, US$600 million to the World Bank and US$429 million to the AfDB.
The inclusive government says it urgently needs US$5 billion to fund the country’s reconstruction.
Finance Minister, Tendai Biti who has warned that the government might
collapse if it does not get the aid in the next few months was expected
to present a new budget late on Wednesday.
Daily Nation
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