Posted by Zim News Flash 4 December 2009
SA’s new Zim team plays it safe
It has been a quiet end to Thabo Mbeki’s “quiet diplomacy” on Zimbabwe, with little emerging from the first meetings of Jacob Zuma’s new task team in the country to suggest a major shift in approach. Instead, old disputes were being piled up again between Zimbabwe’s two main parties, as both sides tried immediately to get the measure of Zuma’s new team. Zuma has sent in Charles Nqakula, Mac Maharaj and Lindiwe Zulu to mediate in a row threatening Zimbabwe’s unity government. A second Southern African Development Community (SADC) deadline to resolve the dispute passes this weekend with no real solution in sight. The Zuma team’s appointment officially ended the Mbeki mediation, despised by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and activists for chumming up to Mugabe, but hailed by its supporters for brokering a deal that has brought some kind of stability to Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe politics casts shadow over economic recovery
Zimbabwe’s economy has started expanding again after a decade of contraction, but uncertainty on the political front remains a deterrent to crucial foreign donor aid and could dampen long-term growth prospects. A unity government formed by bitter rivals President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in February to end a protracted political crisis remains fragile, with tensions simmering over how to share executive power.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said on Wednesday the coalition government had nonetheless presided over Zimbabwe’s first growth in a decade, with expansion of 4.7 percent seen this year after the economy shrank by 50 percent between 2000-2008. In his 2010 national budget speech, Biti projected 7 percent economic growth for next year. Analysts say the growth forecasts may be overly optimistic, with much depending on the country’s wobbly power-sharing government holding and pushing through key reforms necessary to attract Western financial support.
THE HERALD:CZI hails 2010 National Budget
The confederation of Zimbabwe Industries has hailed the 2010 National Budget as a progressive budget that seeks to address issues relating to reconstruction, equitable growth and stabilisation amongst others. CZI vice president, Mr Joseph Kanyekanye who presented the CZI review of the budget said as an organisation they appreciated the minister’s acknowledgement that the situation in the country was still critical. “The theme of reconstruction, equitable growth and stabilisation was an appropriate theme that shows that the minister has a clear vision of what the budget set out to achieve,” he said. On the positives in the budget, Mr Kanyekanye said that the crafting of a medium term framework to guide the budget was a welcome development. He was, however, quick to point out that this would only work as long as the measures outlines in the framework are in line with the goals of the budget. He said as CZI they were convinced that in terms of the economic growth, the country had reached a plateau and that the Special Drawing Rights funds from the International Monetary Fund will help spur the country to higher levels. The re-affirmation of the continuation of the current multi-currency regime in the economy, he said should help bolster confidence within and outside the country.
The confederation of Zimbabwe Industries has hailed the 2010 National Budget as a progressive budget that seeks to address issues relating to reconstruction, equitable growth and stabilisation amongst others. CZI vice president, Mr Joseph Kanyekanye who presented the CZI review of the budget said as an organisation they appreciated the minister’s acknowledgement that the situation in the country was still critical. “The theme of reconstruction, equitable growth and stabilisation was an appropriate theme that shows that the minister has a clear vision of what the budget set out to achieve,” he said. On the positives in the budget, Mr Kanyekanye said that the crafting of a medium term framework to guide the budget was a welcome development. He was, however, quick to point out that this would only work as long as the measures outlines in the framework are in line with the goals of the budget. He said as CZI they were convinced that in terms of the economic growth, the country had reached a plateau and that the Special Drawing Rights funds from the International Monetary Fund will help spur the country to higher levels. The re-affirmation of the continuation of the current multi-currency regime in the economy, he said should help bolster confidence within and outside the country.
Tsvangirai asks countrymen to come home
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai wants his countrymen to return home to take part in the reconstruction of the country. Tsvangirai told journalists in Cape Town that he was having to convince sceptics that had a role to play in rebuilding the country. “My message is that this is the time to consider taking part in the reconstruction phase of Zimbabwe by Zimbabweans who are in the diaspora,” Tsvangirai said. He said the Zimbabwean diaspora constituted almost four million skills of various attributes needed in Zimbabwe for its reconstruction.
Parties Agree to GPA Reforms
The Zanu PF negotiating team in the current round of talks with two MDC formations has angered its party leaders after making critical concessions on the media without consultation, in a move which could see President Robert Mugabe’s party losing its grip on the public media. The situation has triggered uproar in Zanu PF which has left the party divided on contentious issues at the negotiating table, while reinforcing the main MDC faction’s leverage in the increasingly problematic talks. Sources close to the talks said Zanu PF negotiators Nicholas Goche and Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was standing in for Patrick Chinamasa while he was out of the country, surprised even MDC negotiators when they gave in on the media reforms. MDC-T has tabled a number of proposals on media changes including reforms of public newspapers under the Zimpapers group and the state broadcaster ZBC. The party also wants sweeping reforms of media laws.
