PM describes progress at future of Zimbabwe summit

Tsvangirai was speaking at the Future of Zimbabwe summit in Johannesburg on Thursday, where delegates gathered for a one day conference to debate the countrys economic future and investment potential. Tsvangirai, the key note speaker, said he believes the country is making progress in all sectors of the economy.

We chose progress over violence, polarisation, decline and decay. Zimbabwe is moving forward. From the darkness of madness and self-destruction, to the new dawn of a new Zimbabwe, said Tsvangirai in his address.

This progress is tangible. Yes, it is slow. But it is there.

He went on to cite a few examples of this economic turn around, singling out the return of health workers and availability of medicines in hospitals, teachers and books in schools, food in supermarkets and granaries, as well as water, fuel, stable currency and a single digit inflation.

He added however that the failed policies of the past government, led by Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF, continued to haunt the country.

Disdain for the rule of law and property rights continue to undermine our image as a safe investment destination, said Tsvangirai.

Disdain for property rights is the closest Tsvangirai came to mentioning the ongoing farm invasions in the country, which are making a mockery of any attempts to encourage foreign investors. Many of the farm attacks have targeted properties meant to be protected by Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements (BIPPA) with foreign countries. But these BIPPAs have done nothing to persuade Mugabe loyalists from invading commercial farms and violently evicting farmers.

Some observers have commented that the Prime Minister is showing insensitivity by trying to promote Zimbabwe has a safe investment zone, when it is so clear that there are no guarantees of investment safety. Robert Mugabe also said this month that he will press ahead with plans to transfer control of foreign firms to local Zimbabweans, as part of the controversial indigenisation exercise. But Tsvangirai on Thursday tried to downplay this threat, saying the process would be implemented gradually and without forced sales.

What’s being implemented are minimum thresholds. You can’t start with 51 percent, Tsvangirai said. But you also have to say how, over time, you are going achieve the maximum threshold.

But with the MDC so clearly lacking any power in the unity government, it is unlikely that Tsvangirai will have any say over how Mugabes indeginisation plan should be implemented.