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Cape Town — Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Friday that rebuilding his shattered country would require an international aid package of up to five billion U.S. dollars.
Addressing a news conference in Cape Town after talks with South Africa’s President Kgalema Motlanthe, Tsvangirai also signalled that he would not allow a dispute over detained opposition activists to derail efforts to secure immediate emergency assistance.
“We are working slowly to deal with [detentions]… and to make sure that it doesn’t become the [focus of] attention. The real [focus]… is the plight of Zimbabweans,” he said.
Tsvangirai flew to Cape Town to appeal for help in meeting basic, short-term needs – as basic, according to a high-level South African source, as drugs for clinics and hospitals and money to pay for last year’s school examination papers to be marked.
The new prime minister said he was appealing for help from member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) because they had guaranteed the agreement reached last September which laid the basis for the unity government.
“Starting with SADC, there must be a demonstrable show of confidence… No one is going to show confidence in the new government unless the region itself feels confident that this a process that they are able to back,” Tsvangirai told journalists.
Although a South African newspaper report suggested in advance of the meeting that Tsvangirai would ask South Africa for one billion U.S. dollars, Motlanthe asserted that “there are no figures to speak of – those are going to be crunched by the technical people by the end of next week.”
But, he added, “we’ve got to respond positively so that when we ask others to come to the party it should be that we ourselves are giving the lead.”
Tsvangirai said the unity government’s key priorities were to reopen schools, to get clinics and hospitals operating again and to feed Zimbabweans.
“As for the medium- to long-term economic recovery programme, it has not been assessed at this time how much is needed but I think it will run into billions of dollars – maybe as high as five billion dollars.
“But… what we are looking for [now] is a short-term intervention to make sure that at least we are jump-starting those facilities or those sections that affect the people.”
Asked about the plight of opposition activists – including abducted human rights campaigner Jestina Mukoko and prospective government minister Roy Bennett – who remained in detention, Tsvangirai said he, President Robert Mugabe and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara all agreed that the detainees should have the opportunity to be bailed out of prison.
“I am sure that those detainees and Roy Bennett would be processed to be given bail in the shortest possible time,” he added.
A decision on Zimbabwe’s controversial central banker, Gideon Gono, would be made “at an appropriate time” after his performance had been evaluated, he said. “I have heard people who are trying to crucify him even before you have evaluated his work.”
Zimbabwe would adopt a “a multi-denomination facility” for its currency in the immediate future – including U.S. dollars and South African rands, Tsvangirai said. Civil servants would be paid first an allowance and then their salaries in foreign currency “until the real value of the Zimbabwe dollar is established.”
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Whatever the final figure that is to be 'crunched out' by South Africa for it's contribution, I hope someone will actually work out the total cost to SA for the last 9 years of quiet diplomacy's refugee, asylum, illegal alien repatriation and policing costs, on top of the R300 million agricultural aid package and this and other future packages. Then I hope a lot of South African taxpayers will ask difficult questions of the ANC during the election campaigning as to why they could not have followed a faster time table or applied a bit more arm bending to both sides to sort out the political stalemate in Zim long before now. Much more of the economy and government services could have been saved from collapse, which would have meant the South African taxpayer having to pay for a far lower aid package!! How much more money could have been invested in SA's own poverty eradication, service delivery, housing, education, economic development and health programs?
First, it is hard core unAfrican to question the interactions between brothers and sisters at whatever level of generality. The South Africans regard Zimbabweans as their brothers and sisters. Whatever happens between them is their business.
Second, and equally significant, we lay our lives down that before we die we shall raise and resolve THE LAND QUESTION in South Africa, just as we did successfully in Zimbabwe.
All those taxes that you are talking about are peanuts compared to the 800 pound guerilla in the room, so to speak, waiting to rise and proclaim: THE LAND MUST REVERT!
And, you can bet your bottom dollar that South Africa won't be our the last stop. We shall excavate the remains of BRITISH IMPERIALISM tout courts throughout the Southern African region.
Therefrom, cleaning up the soupist occupiers of West Africa and Central Africa would be child's play. Watch them pack their bags for 'home'---London and Paris---once the reflective advance offs.
Glory then to the God of Africa and humanity, the one and only God who has kept the African people alive, who has comforted them in their world historical humiliation by European Imperialisms, and who has NOW decided to shower Africans with victory after victory.
Blessed are the patient, for they shall inherit the land, the source of everyTHING, and the MEDIATE source of African humanity.
"The South Africans regard Zimbabweans as their brothers and sisters. Whatever happens between them is their business." As far as this ruling mob in south Africa and Mugabe are concerned it's honour amongst theives!!!
We assume that you would not call President Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, leaders of the Democratic Party in the US, a "ruling mob." Both are elected representatives of the people in an imperfect democratic United States of America.
Now, it is a fact that both South Africa and Zimbabwe are democratic formations, with the usual imperfections eidetically attaching to democracies.
Now, dude or Madam, explain to world wide web eye balls why Obama ain't no part of a "ruling mob," but the GREAT WARRIOR, CDE. MUGABE and his South African counterpart are a "ruling mob."
Thats right... Obama and Pelosi were elected. Pity you cant say the same about Mugabe. The only election that was deemed free and fair by the AU, he only received 43%. Even McCain got 46%!!!!
So the title 'Ruling Mob' is fit for the theif that he is.
And before you go talking about the sham run off election... you might want to tell us why the SADC and AU dont even recognise the result...
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