Dumisani Muleya
16 April 2009
Johannesburg — ALL Southern African Development Community (Sadc) states other than SA missed this week's deadline for pledges to raise $2bn in emergency funding to rebuild Zimbabwe's shattered economy.
The $2bn is part of a $10bn bail-out package Sadc member states say the country needs.
Inquiries at Sadc headquarters in Botswana yesterday established their failure to make pledges on how much they would give Zimbabwe, despite the expiry of Sadc's self-imposed Tuesday deadline.
Sadc states promised to contribute to Zimbabwe's economic recovery at an extraordinary summit in Swaziland last month.
Only SA has committed - a pledge of about R800m.
Official sources in Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo said they had not yet set aside funds for Zimbabwe because "consultations were still going on".
Western countries, the US and European Union states that have imposed sanctions on Harare have said they would not give Zimbabwe economic aid until they were satisfied by reforms made.
Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has said Sadc had dispatched teams of ministers to lobby for reconstruction funding and the lifting of sanctions targeting President Robert Mugabe and his cronies.
Sadc leaders agreed in Swaziland to send teams to the Americas, Europe and Asia.
The inability of the region to raise the rescue package has left Harare's unity government bankrupt and facing the grim prospect of collapse.
The shaky government is struggling to ride out a storm of internal conflicts arising from its failure to implement the political agreement that led to the unity arrangement.
Infighting in the government led by Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has intensified after Mugabe last week seized the telecommunications department from a ministry under Nelson Chamisa, a member of the Movement for Democratic change (MDC).
The government is also divided on matters such as the rule of law, renewed farm invasions, human rights abuses, the continued detention of MDC activists, Mugabe's refusal to swear in MDC deputy minister Roy Bennett (who was detained on dubious charges of trying to topple the government), and the implementation of political and economic reforms that have been agreed on.
Many provisions in the agreement are yet to be implemented. There is also a fight brewing over the constitutional reform process.
The government has announced a 25-member committee made up of Zanu (PF) and MDC MPs to spearhead the process of drafting a new constitution by next year. But the parties are not agreed on who will chair the committee and have been battling to outmanoeuvre each other, creating fresh divisions.
The government is on a collision course with civil society groups over the constitutional review process.
Some have said they will fight the government over the constitution because "what they are proposing is not a people-driven process, but a political process by the parties to consolidate power".
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Unforgiveable! Having crafted an African solution for an African problem, SADC has failed to meet its own deadline to show that they mean business. Other than SA, they will now spend more money sending officials first class around the world and staying in five star hotels to plead for outsiders' money; than they will actually donate to Zimbabwe's budget.
If ever there was a good example of the realities of geopolitics this is it.
Katz, I never imagined that SADC would foot the bills for Zimbabwe! SA is probably the only country that is capable. The truth of the matter is you can not ask other poor countries to help you to clean the mess you caused. Zimbabwe clearly did not follow sound economic or political process to allow the kind of development that other SADC countries have experienced. I also think SA has it's own interest in reviving the Zimbabwean economy. After all Zim was the largest trading partner for SA in SADC.
Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Namibia have their own problems. Should they be asked to assist Zimbabwe's purchase of luxury cars for it's cabinet? I do not think so! Should they be asked to pay the salaries of Zimbabwe's blotted huge number of cabinet ministers? I don't think! What is needed now in Zimbabwe is a reality check of wasteful spending and cutting down Cabinet ministers perks (house, bodyguard, luxury cars, cell phones etc)
Phiri - I concur with you entirely about where the blame for Zimbabwe's malaise lies and the difficulty of expecting one's neighbours to dig the country out of a self-made hole. Your comments about the necessity for a dose of economic realism are also spot on.
Nevertheless, when one considers the discussions and negotiations that must have gone on behind closed doors in the lead up to the GPA, with the likes of Botswana and Zambia arguing for a change and Angola and Namibia defending Mugabe, it is very disappointing that not even the latter two could have put their money where their mouths were. It makes a mockery of SADC as a regional bloc, and that is bad news. The region has invested massive political capital in this solution, which it now appears (for the time being at least) could have been spent better elsewhere.
I sincerely hope that the huge goodwill that will be generated from a successful hosting of next year's World Cup is not overshadowed by collapse and anarchy in Zimbabwe. The region needs a boost and nothing should spoil it chance of getting one.
Update: I have read with great satsifaction that Botswana has now pledged a US$70m line of credit. That is awesome for a country as small as Botswana, and whose own budget is now stressed by the mothballing of a very large diamond mine. Well done Botswana; especially given the bile and denigration aimed at the country by Mugabe and his band of thieves.
Where the hell is Angola, Namibia and Mozambique who are amongst Mugabe's strongest supporters?
Katz, Botswana continues to be an example. As a Zimbabwean myself, I'm always disappointed that Zimbabwe has a bad record of keeping it's promises with it's neighbours. I hope Botswana gets it's money back. Botswana is also linked to Zimbabwean industries and tourism. Batswana used to go to Victoria falls on the Zimbabwean side, although now they have been going to the Zambian side.
Angola, should also be doing well since it is a major oil producer. They do have plenty of US dollars to lend to Zimbabwe, but considerable poor in human capital and development.
I have to agree with you Phiri on this one, well put.
Infact I agree with both Katz and Phiri, both have very valid points of view.
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