SW Radio Africa (London)
Alex Bell
16 January 2009
The central bank on Friday introduced new Zimbabwe dollar bank notes into circulation, this time in the trillion dollar range, in the most recent indication that Zimbabwe is a failed state.
The new notes, ranging from a Z$10 trillion note to Z$100 trillion, is the latest effort by the Reserve Bank to 'help' Zimbabweans deal with the country's out-of-control hyperinflation that experts believe has, unofficially, reached at least a billion percent, if not much more. But with the almost total dollarisation of the economy, coupled with the worthless nature of the local dollar, the new notes will likely be worth less than the ink used to print them in the coming weeks.
The Z$100 trillion note is estimated be worth the equivalent of US$30 and will reportedly only buy 6 loaves of bread from those few traders still dealing in local currency. The collapsed economy and continued introduction of ludicrously high denominations of bank notes is the most visible sign of Zimbabwe's economic and humanitarian crises, which have left millions of lives at risk in a country torn apart by hunger and disease.
But despite these clear signs that Zimbabwe is a failed state at the hands of Robert Mugabe, African leaders are still willing to accommodate a dictator that experts have said is guilty of genocide by attrition. Leaders from the African Union, as well as the Southern African Development Community, have ignored pressure to take action to resolve the Zimbabwe crisis, and are yet to even release so much as a statement condemning Mugabe's death-grip on power.
Gugulethu Moyo, a lawyer with the International Bar Association in London explained on Friday that there are serious concerns over why SADC and the AU have not spoken out publicly against the atrocities being committed in Zimbabwe, and added that African leaders were failing the people by not respecting the obligations placed on them in accordance with international law.
"According to international law and regional statutes, SADC and AU leaders have a responsibility to intervene in Zimbabwe," Moyo said. "But it is clear that international systems have failed Zimbabwe for a very long time."
Moyo agreed that Zimbabwe is a clearly 'failed state' and regional leaders are still accommodating Mugabe because "they are not willing to admit that they have failed." She explained that SADC and the AU should be held accountable for the rights abuses continuing in Zimbabwe, but questioned how this would be possible in practice.
"How do you hold such institutions accountable in practice?" Moyo asked. "Because although they can be criticised for their failures, there is no mechanism in place to legally challenge their part in the Zimbabwe crisis."
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