Until then the goodwill money that does enter Zimbabwe will continue to go to nongovernmental institutions rather than to the state and is specifically designed to relieve the humanitarian crisis rather than get the state up and running.
Even as Mugabe signed the global political agreement that resulted in the unity government he was manipulating the situation so that he and his Zanu (PF) could hold on to key levers of power to minimise the effect which Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai could bring to bear on the country.
Now Mugabe, following Tsvangirais appeal to President Jacob Zuma as chairman of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), is again seeking to manipulate the situation by seeking the support of Swazi King Mswati on the issue of Gideon Gono and Johannes Tomana holding on to their jobs as reserve bank governor and attorney-general respectively.
It was Gono who presided over the bank during the years which saw hyperinflation ravage the currency to the extent that it no longer exists. Tomana heads a justice system which has seen opponents of Zanu (PF) terrorised and persecuted merely for being against the ruling party. Surely both should go.
Tsvangirai is in an unenviable position unless he and his Movement for Democratic Change team make a significant difference in the fortunes of the country it risks losing support.
In his state of the nation address on Wednesday, Zuma said that SA would continue to support Zimbabwe until such time as conditions were ready for free and fair elections. The implications are clear previous elections have not been free and fair and the shorter the life of the inclusive government the better.
There will be no rescue package until the electoral impasse has been resolved. Zuma must not allow Mugabe to bypass him and Sadc and must insist on Mugabe observing the full letter of the global agreement.
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