The one enduring image many Zimbabweans have of their long-time leader is President Robert Mugabe boarding an aeroplane, a lengthy entourage in tow. But last week Mugabe cancelled a trip to a United Nations conference in Geneva after Switzerland refused to grant visas to some in his 62-strong delegation, including his wife, Grace.
The Swiss government insisted that the number of officials granted visas — including Mugabe and Information and Communication Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa — would “sufficiently represent Zimbabwe” at the ICT summit. All the visas were later issued, but Mugabe cancelled the trip and headed off to Malaysia on a personal visit instead.
So incensed was Mugabe that he threatened to take over Swiss assets in Zimbabwe. “Now they are showing that they are vicious and we will reciprocate because they have their properties here. We are not without means to reciprocate,” he said on his return last weekend.
His spokesperson, George Charamba, added: “If you [the Swiss government] don’t want visitors from Zimbabwe, why should you want to make money in Zimbabwe?”
A seat on an aeroplane with Mugabe is in much demand among top civil servants. Some officials receive a per diem allowance of $250, but the amount is much higher for senior officials. Last year, when Mugabe attended the ICT conference in Geneva, it was reported that some in his delegation had been paid nearly $50Â 000 each for the 10-day trip.
Many of Mugabe’s lieutenants are banned from Europe and the United States under Western sanctions, denying them the frequent shopping trips in global capitals they used to enjoy. However, they are still allowed to travel to UN meetings.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said foreign travel by senior officials cost more than $30-million in the first half of this year. He also revealed that Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and other officials had run up a $50-million travel bill in September alone.
Recently, Misheck Sibanda, who is the chief Cabinet secretary, sent a circular to senior government officials, ordering ministers to stop taking aides with them on foreign trips “unless advised otherwise on the basis of threat assessments by the president’s department”.
Biti admitted that he was powerless to stop the trips, which he described as “a disease”. “I appeal to the leadership of this country to strongly and boldly desist from unnecessary travel, or reduce their entourage,” Biti said last month.
The foreign-travel bill was far higher than the amount the government had spent on education, health and water sanitation, according to national treasury statistics.
A report by the finance Âministry indicated that Mugabe, in the six months to June, had spent $20.6-million of his annual $30-million travel budget, whereas Tsvangirai had spent three-quarters of his $5-million annual travel budget in the first three months.