Wharton made the remarks during an exclusive interview with The Zimbabwean and said that his country, despite having expressed concerns with the manner in which the July 31 elections were held, remained committed to helping Zimbabwe’s efforts at economic development.
The US and the European Union disputed President Robert Mugabe’s election victory, saying that the polls did not conform to democratic practices.
Said Wharton: “We are pretty clear that the July 31 elections have fundamental problems. The big issue now is how to get the economy working again so that we create jobs. We remain concerned about that and we are trying to do the best that we can to help.”
Prior to last year’s elections, Zanu (PF), in its election manifesto, promised to create about three million jobs.
However, the party later on admitted that they would not be able to fulfil their promise, in a move that raised the ire of the electorate.
The pull-out by Western and American investors in Zimbabwe has often been attributed to the country’s high unemployment rate, estimated at over 80 per cent.
Zanu (PF)’s Look East policy, which was meant to make up for the loss of Western and American investors, has come under fire for failing to create employment amid reports that the Chinese are instead bringing cheap labour into Zimbabwe.
Wharton said that dialogue among Zimbabweans was key if efforts at economic revival were to bear the desired fruits.
“I think that dialogue and engagement are an essential and critical step in building a national consensus on anything,” said Wharton.
Wharton said that the US government would continue to offer support to Zimbabwe in various sectors that included health and governance.
“Our biggest support is going towards health, and we are giving $120m a year. We will also be giving $10m for economics, particularly smallholder farmers, and we are also providing support on governance issues, particularly parliamentary support,” said Wharton.
He expressed hope that strengthened partnerships between the US and Zimbabwe would go a long way in aiding economic progress as well as strengthening the country’s health system.
Post published in: News