2008 Articles 25 Dec Kingdom Come 21 Dec Christmas 15 Dec Step Forward 5 Dec Beginning 1 Dec Amendment 30 Nov Facilitation 26 Nov Genocide 24 Nov Running Out 17 Nov Crisis 15 Nov Somalia 12 Nov What Next? 8 Nov Leadership 2 Nov Chipo 1 Nov Rome Burns 29 Oct Failure 25 Oct High Noon 19 Oct Never Easy 10 Oct Abyss 8 Oct Filibustering 4 Oct Chaos in Zim 29 Sept A Mule? 21 Sept On Step 16 Sept The End 12 Sept New Beginning 11 Sept Deal? 6 Sept Consequences 3 Sept Need a Deal 2 Sept Dollar Died 31 Aug Steering 29 Aug Unstuck 23 Aug Betrayed 18 Aug The Devil 13 Aug 13 Aug 08 12 Aug Today 11 Aug Cliffhanger 8 Aug Whats Going On 27 Jul Progress 22 Jul Agree to talk 21 Jul Mbeki kicks 16 Jul Crunch Time 13 Jul Economics 9 Jul Reality Looms 2 Jul Where? 30 Jun Looking Glass 26 Jun Battle 22 Jun What Now? 21 Jun The Commitment 16 Jun Do or Die 13 Jun Morning After 10 Jun Closing Doors 26 May Current Outlook 24 May Fan Club 19 May Tyranny 17 May End Game 15 May Flushing 8 May Violence 6 May Bizarre Process 25 Apr Cornered 20 Apr Electoral Fraud 19 Apr Jesse 17 Apr This Farce 11 Apr The Devil 6 Apr Wounded Buffalo 1 Apr Dying Kick 31 Mar Politcl Tsunami 27 Mar Current Situ. 26 Mar 4 days to go 21 Mar 8 days to go 15 Mar Election Time 27 Feb Games Begin 17 Feb Public Office 11 Feb Choices 4 Feb Decision Time 26 Jan Ambushed 25 Jan The Struggle 20 Jan Truth or Fiction 12 Jan Mugabe Mistake 8 Jan Surprise 2 Jan Kenya Lessons
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Sliding into the Abyss
Yesterday the World Food Programme issued an alarming statement on the food
crisis in Zimbabwe. They appealed for an additional US$140 million to cover
the shortfall in basic food aid for the next six months. What they did not
say was that this still leaves a shortfall in overall cereal and oilseed
supplies of 800 000 tonnes for the next 6 months.
It also failed to highlight that we are now weeks away from the start of the
rains and there is very little land preparation, virtually no seed and
fertilizer. It is too late to import supplies in any quantity and even if we
did we would have to distribute by air, as local transport capacity is
almost non-existent. They also did not tell the world that the funds they
had paid to the NGO's doing food distribution had been taken by the Reserve
Bank and the organisations could not pay their transporters for transport
services or buy fuel.
The gold producers have sold gold to the Reserve Bank over the past 9 months
and have not been paid - they are now unable to operate and are closing
their mines down allowing them to flood and in some cases they will not be
able to reopen them. It is not only the NGO's who have had their FCA's
looted - virtually every business that I know has had their FCA cleaned out
and they have been unable to access them to pay suppliers.
These funds - legally property of the account holders, have been taken by
the Bank and then sold to Zanu PF leaders at the 'official' exchange rate -
this is technically legal but is clearly theft. The official rate is a small
fraction of one cent per US dollar. In fact it is 0,000000003 local dollars
per US dollar. This means that US$10 000 would cost a Zanu PF heavy
Z$0,003 - not even one cent in the new local currency.
The physical evidence of this theft of resources is everywhere. Reports of
people arriving at homes for sale and paying cash in foreign exchange -
without trying to negotiate the price. New cars without number plates (we
have run out of number plate materials) are all over Harare. The reports of
the Governor handing out expensive vehicles as if they were his own - one
report that the Pastor who buried the governor's younger brother being given
a new twin cab as a thank you for a few hours work and kind words.
I would hazard a guess that in the past few months no less than US$500
million has been pilfered from the State and private coffers in this way.
That is enough money to feed the entire population for 7 months. No wonder
they do not want to wrap up this agreement and swear in a new government.
They must be terrified of anyone getting into the vaults and records at the
Reserve Bank.
While they fiddle and prevaricate, the country burns. Lawlessness is
rampant; gangs of thugs are seizing private property on farms with no fear
of intervention by the Police. This seems to be being even encouraged by
rouge elements in Zanu PF who want the negotiated deal to fail and at the
same time are lashing out at the defenseless in an orgy of thuggery and
theft.
Since our priority is to feed people the needs of our animals are being put
on the back burner. I get reports of dairy cows dying of starvation. The
largest pig producer in the country is about to slaughter their entire
commercial breeding stock - 33 000 pigs. Poultry producers have cut back
their activities to the minimum. Once this is carried out reestablishing
this productive capacity will be a long process.
Yesterday the President of the MDC and now the new Prime Minister, held a
press conference in Harare. In that meeting he stated that no progress had
been made in the past 24 days since the SADC agreement was signed in
September. He went on to say that he was suspending any further contact with
Zanu PF until the regional mediation team was present to arbitrate those
discussions.
In addition to this he made the extraordinary disclosure that the agreement
signed and subsequently published, did not include the full details that had
been negotiated and signed during the process. He requested that the
mediators remedy this by publishing a new version of the agreement in full.
He also said that Zanu PF - in complete violation of the agreement, was
refusing to review the appointment of 10 Governors to the Provinces and to
then reallocate these posts on the basis of the majority representation in
each Province. The Governors play an important role in local politics and
the administration and Zanu is insisting that the 10 people appointed - in
clear violation of the SADC process, should remain. If the reallocation of
Governors based on the Party majorities in each Province were carried out
MDC (T) would get 5, Zanu PF 4 and MDC (M) 1.
Clearly the SADC process can only proceed if this impasse in the allocation
of powerful political posts is resolved. Zanu PF is reluctant to let go
because of the consequences to themselves and the loss of privilege and
protection. But that is of little concern to the region and should not be a
factor. They never sought or obtained an amnesty for what they have done in
the past and must face the consequences of their actions.
The delay in the consummation of this deal is now having very critical
consequences. Every day lost is a serious matter. Inflation at 1,4 trillion
percent in September is destroying all forms of economic activity. The
collapse in the economy and in all social services is driving tens of
thousands of Zimbabweans, skilled and unskilled out of the country. We are
now into new territory in this saga - one from where it will be very tough
to claw ourselves back.
The new President of South Africa said yesterday that he would back Mr.
Mbeki's mediation with the resources and the influence that was needed. If
the SADC mediation team does not engage very shortly, they will put the
country and the region into jeopardy.
Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 10th October 2008
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