The Best Path to a Prosperous Zimbabwe
By Prof. Arthur G.O. Mutambara
Former Deputy Prime Minister, Zimbabwe
(A Response to the Keynote Address by SA Minister of International
Relations and Cooperation – Naledi Pandor – at a Symposium on Zimbabwe
at UNISA, Pretoria, South Africa, on 18 November 2019)
The
starting point in the journey to a prosperous Zimbabwe is to understand
the nature and character of Zimbabwe's problems. The country has
inextricably linked, seemingly intractable, political and economic
challenges. On the political side, there is a nagging political crisis
of legitimacy and governance. The key problem is that of polarisation,
which is a product of legitimacy issues arising from a disputed outcome
of the July 2018 presidential elections. Compounding this quagmire, is
the dearth of leadership and statesmanship in the country.
The
economy is in free fall, debt-ridden and characterised by a shortage of
electricity, a currency crisis, hyperinflation and low productivity
coupled with low capacity utilisation. Further challenges include
unprecedented deindustrialisation, a crippling trade deficit, lack of
competitiveness, high sovereign risk undermining FDI, reckless spending
by a blotted and profligate government, a shrinking tax base, and
debilitating unemployment. Social services have collapsed, in
particular, the healthcare sector.
With an unequivocal and
robust appreciation of the political and economic nature of the beast,
the next step is to develop and proffer both political and economic
solutions, taking cognisance of the primacy of the political
interventions. Without resolution of the political challenges, all
economic efforts will be futile. Toxic politics create a disenabling
environment for economics.
A prosperous Zimbabwe demands peace,
security, stability and unity of purpose. Zimbabweans must find each
other. It is essential to engage in genuine all-inclusive dialogue
rooted in absolute clarity on the causes of the current polarisation.
The agenda, format, structure and objectives of the dialogue must be
clear and shared by all protagonists. Pursuit and centrality of the
national interest must force all Zimbabweans to acknowledge the
immortality of the case and need for an all-inclusive conversation.
There is a need for all stakeholders to agree on and implement
political reforms to deepen democracy and enhance accountability in
general, while specifically improving the management of election
processes to ensure freeness, fairness, credibility and transparency,
thus guaranteeing undisputed poll outcomes. This will address the major
source of Zimbabwe’s perennial polarisation – stolen or rigged
elections. Electoral reforms must be implemented to enable fair, free
and credible elections, reduce disputed poll outcomes and thus prevent
illegitimacy. ZEC must be reformed as the manager of elections in
Zimbabwe. It has perennially and consistently – in 2002, 2008, 2013 and
2018 – failed to deliver legitimate election results.
Beyond
elections, there is a need for electoral reforms to broaden and deepen
the democratic space in the country. These reforms include ensuring
impartiality and independence of state institutions; a functionally
independent judiciary; genuine reform of oppressive legislation which
inhibit political rights and freedoms – not the charade which was
witnessed with the enactment of an equally pernicious MOPA which
replaced POSA; training of law enforcement agents and institutions to
ensure constitutional and measured policing; curtailment of politically
motivated arrests; removal of impunity by ensuring that perpetrators of
politically motivated violations and human rights abuses are held to
account; and emphasis on Parliament as source of laws and not statutory
instruments or decrees. There must be security sector reforms to enable
demilitarization of politics and public administration. Furthermore, the
state media must be professionalised to ensure non-partisan coverage.
Major media reforms are required to enable independent private player
participation in all forms of media, including radio and television. All
provisions of the 2013 National Constitution must be complied with, in
particular, devolution of public service provision to provinces and
municipalities.
While political reforms are critical, it is
imperative and prudent to note that they are necessary but not
sufficient for a successful journey to a prosperous Zimbabwe. With a
solid foundation anchored in agreed and implemented political reforms,
Zimbabweans must then collectively develop and adopt a shared national
vision and strategy with three pillars – social, political and economic.
The vision framework must have overarching values and principles to
underpin a new dispensation. Mega-impact projects must be identified,
which will have a disproportionate impact on economic growth and GDP. To
complement the shared national vision, a national brand must be crafted
to sharpen country competitiveness and foster country reputation
management.
Implementation planning and dogged execution must
accompany all national plans, while monitoring and evaluation are
dutifully applied. There is need to develop detailed economic blueprints
and implementation plans for all key sectors such as Agriculture,
Mining, Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Health, Education and Tourism,
with emphasis on moving up global value chains, innovation and
entrepreneurship, use of high technology and climate change – proofing
of all initiatives.
In addressing the prevailing debilitating
economic challenges, holistic solutions targeting the underlying causes
must always be sought. For example, the currency crisis is a symptom of
the general economic malaise pervading the country. This must be taken
cognisance of. One can introduce as many currencies or reforms as they
wish, but without addressing the fundamental issues, it will all be in
vain. Currency reforms must be predicated upon confidence and trust in
the country and its economy by its citizens, businesses and investors.
There must be enhanced productivity and production as a foundation for
effective currency interventions. There must be reserves to back any new
currency while fiscal consolidation, coupled with the elimination of
profligacy, is instituted. There is a need to ring-fence savings,
deposits and pensions from the potential value destruction that might be
occasioned by currency reforms.
Sanctions constitute a symptom
of bigger problems in Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans must solve these more
significant and massive challenges by embracing what has been
articulated above. Sanctions are not the core issue in Zimbabwe. In any
case, Zimbabweans must address the reasons why the sanctions were
imposed in the first place. This must be done, not to please the
external players – the imposers of sanctions – but in pursuit of our
national interest. For the avoidance of doubt, this does not imply
reversing the land reform program. Not at all. Furthermore, we must
address self-imposed sanctions which are in the form of corruption,
primitive accumulation, misgovernance, the rigging of elections,
violation of human rights, disrespect of the rule of law, police
brutality, and general subjugation of citizens.
Beyond the
country, Zimbabwe must leverage continental integration and the Fourth
Industrial Revolution. Africans across the continent must take a vested
interest approach to the resolution of Zimbabwean challenges. Why? First
and foremost, all people of African descent are the same people. Ubuntu
and Pan Africanism bind us together. Secondly, the economic prosperity
of African countries is inextricably linked. Under globalisation, our
African economies will flourish or degenerate together.
The above framework will constitute the Best Path to a Prosperous Zimbabwe.