A report on Zimbabwe released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday said this would ease pressure on the country’s treasury. According to the state run New Ziana news agency, Zimbabwe has already turned to South Africa and Angola for help.
The coalition government was also warned to review its policy on foreign direct investment in the country, which requires foreign-owned companies to give up 51% of their shares to locals. The IMF said this was hampering foreign investment in Zimbabwe.
Time is running out for the select committee in charge of the Constitutional reform exercise, COPAC, following their announcement last week that the 2nd All Stakeholders Conference would be held by the end of October. The government will need the funds for the referendum soon after.
It is not clear how much is needed for the exercise, but Finance Minister Tendai Biti has made it clear there is no money in the government coffers to even pay for wage increases that civil servants are demanding. In addition, census enumerators who worked last month have also not been paid in full.
Meanwhile, the COPAC draft continues to be criticized by civic groups in the country. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), who last week published an analysis of the COPAC draft Constitution , have said the draft retains the executive powers of the President and is not clear on the issue of dual citizenship.
Speaking to SW Radio Africa’s “Behind the Headlines” programme, ZLHR chairperson Andrew Makoni said they analyzed the draft because the version released to Zimbabweans is full of legal language that the ordinary person may not understand.
This makes it difficult to analyze before making contributions to the debate, and before deciding how to vote in the referendum.
Regarding presidential powers, Makoni said: “We still have an executive which is powerful. He is the head of state, head of government and commander in chief of the defence forces. Not much has changed, except in one or two areas where he must consult parliament or the cabinet.”
Makoni explained that without adequate checks and balances, the President can declare war without much opposition and ignore any objections raised by parliament. He can simply “consult” them then proceed to make unilateral decisions that can affect the whole country.
On the issue of dual citizenship, Makoni said: “The issue is very convoluted. The draft is not clear on dual citizenship. Parliament has been given enormous powers to look into these issues. It was left to an act of parliament to decide. We are making a Constitution here and we must be clear.”
This week on Crisis Analysis, SW Radio Africa will continue unpacking the COPAC Draft with the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, to help our listeners understand the issues at stake before making decisions at the referendum. SW Radio Africa
Post published in: Business