BuaNews (Tshwane)
Bathandwa Mbola
21 April 2009
Pretoria — Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is to lead a team of ministers on an international tour to lure Western countries to urgently invest in Zimbabwe.
Foreign Affairs Director General Ayanda Ntsaluba said on Tuesday the decision was taken that Mr Tsvangirai, together with a team of ministers, will go to the major Western nations to see if they can partner in assisting Zimbabwe.
"The tour basically will be aimed at enticing investment," he said.
Zimbabwe's government, which is made up of President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, is seeking $8.5 billion from international donors for its short-term emergency recovery program.
However, international donors have said they will only dispense aid once there is clear evidence of real change within the shattered country.
The United States and European Union maintain visa bans and asset freezes on individuals and companies linked to human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, as well as embargoes on the sale of arms and equipment that could be used for internal repression.
Mr Ntsaluba said the region has begun to see progress in the union government, though it was still early stages.
He added that South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) remained committed to assisting in resolving the economic crisis in that country.
"South Africa will help in alleviating the plight of the most vulnerable in terms of targeted sectors like health and education and in terms of credit line," Mr Ntsaluba said.
Government is currently in discussions to determine how much it is prepared to give to Zimbabwe, but declined to speculate on how much.
"We'd prefer not to say how much is involved as discussions are still underway," Mr Ntsaluba said.
It was vital for other the SADC countries to join in helping out in Zimbabwe as the inclusive government there continued to work together as a unit.
"We continue to be encouraged by progress the inclusive government is making. We get a sense of greater coherence and commitment by all parties involved," Mr Ntsaluba said.
Zimbabwe Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma on Monday declared the Zimbabwe Dollar a dead currency.
He said it could be returned as a different currency or as notes, once inflation was under control.
Speaking in Pretoria, Mr Mangoma, who was in South Africa to lure South African business to invest in Zimbabwe, said officially the rand was the most favoured currency for trade while the US dollar, the Botswana pula and British pound were also allowed.
"The Zimbabwe dollar is dead. It is no longer being printed and not likely to be used for a year at least," he said.
Mr Mangoma said the role of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the powers of its governor have been reviewed and considerably reduced so that they no longer determine and pioneer economic policies and direction.
"It is the unity government that has agreed on the macro-economic framework and will be driving its implementation," Mr Mangoma said.
He assured South African businesses that his government would protect their investments.
An deal with the South African government on the protection of investments according to international conventions was being finalised.
The time was right for South African businesses to invest in Zimbabwe. - BuaNews-Xinhua
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Zim Patriots MUST remain eternally vigilant against re-colonization and neo-colonization of Africans!
Get all the wealth possible from the West; because Africans ARE OWED compensation for evil European destruction of things African. However, Africans can never again tolerate European domination via inimical investment by KNOWN thieves.
In Asia lies the FRIENDS of Africans! After first relying on themselves to the max, Africans can then "Look East" to the RELIABLE FRIENDS of Africans.
Moreover, it is far easier to control Chinese in Africa should they unfortunately decide to be unpleasant. Ridding Africa of European thieves has proven a nightmare all over Africa. Therefore, Africans MUST exercise maximum caution when dealing with the KNOWN RACIST ENEMY of Africans! Europeans are beastly in nature; they only know to pounce wildly and destructively should they perceive weakness and folly in those who are Mentally Deluded by Colonialists (MDC).
So for sure take back the African wealth from the Europeans; but NO foothold in Africa! No renewed domination of Africans by beastly beings.
Omugabe, Wether you like it or not, Zimbabwe is being recolonised buy foreign countries. They are doing it economicaly. When Zim doesn't pay up for the loans, guess what, the other countries would just take everything that was promised to them and take Bob to an interntional court. Your own cde's in arms are prepared to stab you in the back for a few US dollars, fact. Everyone is worried about whats in their back pockets and if you think brotherly love of the african union will prevail, then you are deluded. Wake up man.
Colonialism is in esse extra-judicial, the extra-judicial control of the lands of other people, followed by the judicial justification of the land grab, the theft. Hence, the judicial justification is illegal.
If Paul steals Peter's land and Paul records 'his' land in the approriate institution, the registration, which is a legal act, does not efface Paul's act of theft---that he stole Peter's land.
You need to show that foreign investment in Zimbabwe conforms to the model of colonialism posited in the preceding paragraphs.
You have not done so; accordingly, your post is non-responsive, to borrow a word from lawyers.
Moreover, you need to show that capital invested by foreign nationals in Zimbabwe is the private property of "foreign governments." You have not done so.
Most economists agree that the capital that circulates in the existent world capitalist market knows no borders, that capital is not stamped with the image of a country's flag, that capital is nationality "indifferent."
You fail to demonstrate that you either understand that or disagree with that; or, perhaps, you are unaware of the theories of the economists, in which case you can neither understand nor understand their theories and, eo ipso, you can neither disagree nor agree with their theories.
As long as the devil Mugabe would refuse to take the back seat in the GNU, it would be a waste of time and money for Tsvangirai to plead for a resumption of foreign investments.
Mugabe has torpedoed the SADC Court of Appeal concerning the land issue raised by some farmers. Who then would dare invest in this country where evil Mugabe alone decides what constitue the rule of law?
Mugabe is still refusing to swear in Tsvangirai nominee, Bennett. Mugabe refused Tsvangirai the right to address the Independence Day celebrations!
How can Tsvangirai convince donors that things have changed for the better?