Zimbabwe Update Issue 2/ 2014

Zimbabwe Update

Issue 2/ 2014

This edition of the Zimbabwe Update focuses on the split in Zimbabwe’s largest opposition party, the MDC-T; the European Union- Africa summit, which was boycotted by President Mugabe; Zimbabwe’s increasing debt and worsening economic situation; government challenges to pay its own workers; a new military loan from China; the new electoral amendment bill; police blocking a World Media Day rally, and a report from Chatham House on the west re-engaging with Zimbabwe which has provoked criticism and comment.

ACTSA produces the Zimbabwe update on a bimonthly basis. You can find past editions and more details about ACTSA’s work on Zimbabwe on the ACTSA website



MDC-T party split

Tendai Biti, Secretary General of Zimbabwe’s largest opposition party, the MDC-T, was expelled from the party at the end of May, along with eight others, following an attempt to oust party leader Morgan Tsvangirai. There has been an ongoing dispute within the party since the 2013 elections.

The dispute came to light when Treasurer Elton Mangoma published an open letter in January asking Morgan Tsvangirai to resign. On 10 April he was dismissed along with two others for “denigrating the image of the party”.
On 27 April a faction led by Tendai Biti announced they had expelled Morgan Tsvangirai and several other party members including the party chair Lovemore Moyo, spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora and 2013 election organiser Nelson Chamisa at a National Council meeting. Morgan Tsvangirai’s supporters argued that the meeting had not been legitimate as it was attended by members of the smaller MDC-Ncube party, which had itself come from an earlier split in the party in 2005.
Morgan Tsvangirai’s faction passed a resolution to approach the speaker of the national assembly, Jacob Mudenda to demand that he expel Biti and nine other MDC MPs. Tedai Biti also wrote to the speaker claiming that his faction was the legitimate one and that Tsvangirai’s faction could not overturn the decision of the National Council meeting without a court order.
Both Morgan Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti have held a number of rallies to build support for their factions of the party, with Morgan Tsvangirai’s enjoying more popular support. Seven of the MPs who attended the initial National Council meeting, which expelled Morgan Tsvangirai, are understood to have returned to the grouping led by Morgan Tsvangirai after the speaker of the House of Assembly said he had no powers to save their jobs.
President Mugabe boycotts EU Africa summit

The fourth European Union Africa Summit took place in Brussels from 2-3 April 2014. The Summit brought together leaders from both continents to discuss, the main themes of the summit, “Investing in People, Prosperity and Peace”.

Despite having his EU travel ban temporarily lifted for the summit, neither President Mugabe nor any representative of the Zimbabwean government attended the event as the ban was not lifted on his wife Grace. He is also understood to have boycotted the Summit because some African countries that are members of the African Union were not invited i.e. Sudan, Eritrea and the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) from the Western Sahara and some that are not members or suspended were invited, e.g. Morocco which claims Western Sahara and Egypt. The EU said this was an EU-Africa summit not an EU–African Union one and it was a working meeting and no spouses were invited.
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora was criticial of President Mugabe’s boycott, saying "To hold Zimbabwe to ransom simply because Grace Mugabe cannot attend the summit is the worst form of sabotage for one’s country."
A number of other African leaders didn’t attend the summit, but were represented at a ministerial level, including President Jacob Zuma, who raised concerns about the EU deciding "who must come" and "not come" to the Summit, instead of the AU deciding its representation.
British Prime Minister David Cameron also missed the event, sending Foreign Secretary William Hague in his place. This could be an objection to President Mugabe’s invitation to attend at the summit. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown boycotted the 2007 EU Africa Summit in Lisbon when President Mugabe was invited.
Zimbabwe’s debts top US$6bn

Zimbabwe’s growing debts are making it increasingly difficult to secure loans from many international sources. The country’s total public and publicly guaranteed debt is now understood to be around US$6.077 billion. This includes debts to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of $124 million, $800 million to the African Development Bank (AfDB) and $1.4 billion to the World Bank.

Minister of finance and economic development, Patrick Chinamasa, blamed the debts on sanctions “We went through the land reform programme and had sanctions imposed on us, then we began to fail to honour our financial obligations. They say it is all because of poor policies but the real issue is that sanctions killed the economy and we are still in that situation now.”
The government are understood to be considering the return of the Zimbabwe dollar to help boost liquidity, with some rumours that notes have been printed ready for circulation. Retail sales and factory production have fallen this year with many economists speculating that Zimbabwe is heading towards a recession.
The government has responded by saying that indigenisation laws may be eased to boost foreign investment. Diamond mining companies have been instructed by mines secretary Francis Gudyanga to sell their diamonds through the central bank, to help secure a government loan, possibly from China.
In April the World Bank forecast a growth rate of three per cent this year for the Zimbabwean economy, far lower than the government estimate of 6.1 per cent.
Government struggles to pay employees

The government is finding it increasingly difficult to pay its civil servants on time. In May pay was deferred for the second time this year. Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa told parliament "We run a cash budget, and a cash budget means that we wait for receipts from Zimra (Zimbabwe Revenue Authority) before we can disburse to meet the obligations of government including the salaries of honourable members."

A government decision to spend an additional US$11 million on vehicles for parliamentarians has been criticised as a result of this. In April government employees were awarded a 23 per cent pay increase, raising the pay of the lowest paid to the US$543 poverty line.
China provides US$4.8m defence grant

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces have signed an agreement with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to receive a US$4.8m grant. The agreement was announced by Deputy Chief General Staff Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo on a visit to Zimbabwe at the end of April. The Zimbabwe Defence Forces have previously received a $98m loan from China for the building of the National Defence College.

Electoral Amendment Bill passed

The House of Assembly passed Zimbabwe’s new Electoral Reform Bill at the end of May, which is intended to bring electoral law in line with the new constitution. The bill sailed through parliament with no amendments, despite calls from the opposition for a number of changes, including the introduction of diaspora voting and for the electoral commission to be responsible for the electoral register, rather than the registrar general.

Justice Alfred Mavedzenge, a constitutional lawyer, filed a High Court application in mid May in a bid to force the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to make the voters’ roll for the 2013 elections public. The ZEC claim that they can't produce the electoral roll, due to broken down machines. They did not fulfil the constitutional requirement to produce an electronic copy of the register for the elections.
Police block media day rally

Activists marking World Press Freedom Day on 3 May in Harare were met by riot police lining the proposed route, who ordered them to disperse or face arrest. The rally had originally been permitted by Harare’s Chief Superintendent Jairos Saunyama, but permission was withdrawn on the day before the rally due to policing requirements for other events.

Controversial Chatham House report

Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs) have published a report on Zimbabwe’s International Re-engagement. It has provoked some controversy and plenty of comment both from fierce critics and supporters of Robert Mugabe. It calls for the west to seek to normalise relations with Zimbabwe, dropping all remaining sanctions and measures, recognise that whatever the legitimacy or credibility of the elections, Zanu PF is the dominant political force, and the “west” should seek to have a constructive dialogue with it. It calls on the Zimbabwe government to re-engage with diplomatic and business forums and seek to re-join the Commonwealth. Some have criticised it for naivety as the report says sustainably improved relations will depend on the Zimbabwe government’s track record on governance and human rights.

The report, ‘Zimbabwe’s International Re-engagement: The Long Haul to Recovery’ is available from Chatham House who as with all their reports say the views expressed are those of the authors. Chatham House itself does not express a view. http://www.chathamhouse.org//publications/papers/view/198715

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