The financial future of Zimbabwe, which is being carefully planned by the Finance Ministry headed by the MDC, is reportedly adding more fuel to the fire of animosity between the party and ZANU PF.
The Ministry, which inherited empty coffers and a rotten international reputation for corruption from the Robert Mugabe regime, has been fighting a losing battle to secure direct cash investment in the government. Donor countries have demanded that real change be evident in Zimbabwe before investing, and have understandably held back funds in the face of ongoing violations of the Global Political Agreement.
So far, only credit line pledges to support the private sector have been made, while international donor governments have only funnelled cash directly to aid groups battling the humanitarian crisis.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti is now set to launch a new campaign to mobilise donor funds through structures that are not part of the government, which still has Mugabe and his cronies in top positions.
The Finance Minister last week met with donors on the path to creating a Multi-Donor Trust Fund to mobilise donor aid under the 'Humanitarian-Plus' initiative; an initiative that will see aid not being limited to humanitarian needs but will also not extend as far as development assistance.
The Fund will be driven and controlled by the MDC led Finance Ministry, along with the World Bank, African Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme, and will completely exclude the involvement of ZANU PF. Biti has also proposed a 'focal unit' within his Ministry, which will receive and coordinate donor funding while the Trust Fund is being established.
The plan is now reportedly causing anger among ministers in Mugabe's party, who believe the MDC is trying to 'hijack' the unity government by creating a financial centre of power, separate from the government.
South African based economist Luke Zunga explained on Friday that ZANU PF "does not want this unity deal to succeed and they will do all they can to see it fail." He argued that the party will continue to 'frustrate' any process that will see the MDC become successful, saying ZANU PF would rather "lay the blame of the failure of the unity government at the MDC's feet."
Ironically, when forming the unity government, MDC control of the Finance Ministry was one of the first concessions made by Mugabe, because of the party's probability in securing cash injections in the government.
But Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai himself has admitted that ZANU PF hardliners within the government are intent on seeing the unity deal fail.
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OOPs...no more barbecue for you Zanuobos. Your turn to eat roots and berries. How arrogant to think that the world owes you to maintain the standard of living that you've stolen from your subjects!! Count yourself lucky if your boyz are able to steal anything this winter. Start praying to your sazda bowl and squeal to the nordics that they're empty. Change will come along with foreign aid money only when the Zanupoids are gone. Otherwise, get used to it.
mr bells you are ringing your bells to the wrong people. MDC played a very big part destroying our economy. Everybody with common sense knows that . They wanted to get into power and they had pple like who had a problem with Mugabe to finance them. Now there are in power and still those who used them wont give them the money they promised them- are we surprised -NO. For the sake of our country I wont get into what I really think of this whole mess. But it looks like pple like you are not going to stop & if MDC let you use them, well, we will be left with no choice but to stop them. For the sake of the real victims lets co exist. Nuff destructive behaviour already.
Oops, you just slipped up. 100 days and the MDC is getting the country moving, ZanuPf has just screwed the country into the ground for the last 29 years. Please state the gains of ZanuPf in the last 29 years please. I can count them on one hand and can't get past one.
Oops, your way of thinking is just that - oops!
I just wet myself.
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