/ 3 October 2014

International community is Zim’s only hope – report

International Community Is Zim's Only Hope Report

Zanu-PF should decide at its December congress who will replace President Robert Mugabe to avoid uncertainty and possible crisis, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).

In a report released this week, the group warned of the possibility of the country degenerating into conflict should the economy continue to fall. ICG is a Brussels-based organisation committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict. The ICG said the factional fights of Mugabe’s Zanu-PF, which is locked in a succession battle, have compromised efforts to revive Zimbabwe’s waning economy.

Zanu-PF’s victory in last year’s general elections failed to secure broad-based legitimacy for Mugabe, a foundation for salvaging the economy, the report noted, saying the party should urgently solve the dispute and clarify key policy areas, namely indigenisation, land reform and anti-corruption.

This, the ICG said, undermines economic recovery prompting fears that a serious and possibly violent internal crisis could result. The opposition was not spared the ICG’s criticism: “Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai are embroiled in major internal power struggles that distract from addressing the corrosion of the economic and social fabric.”

The group noted that companies had shut down in Zimbabwe, reflecting the depressed investor mood. Industrial production has fallen below 40% and formal unemployment is estimated at over 80%.

Zanu-PF, opposition parties and the international community ought to engage to ensure Zimbabwe does not degenerate further, it said, urging China to encourage Zimbabwe’s government to promote political inclusiveness and policy coherence to resuscitate the economy. It said countries that had imposed restrictive measures on Zimbabwe should clarify what measures it should take to expedite removal of sanctions.

Zimbabwe is in such a bad state it could only come out of the hole with support from the international community, because neither the government nor the opposition parties have a viable plan, the report noted.