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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 09 2010 23:30 | LAST UPDATED Feb 09 2010 23:30 |
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Edith Tembo sits on the pavement outside a Zimbabwean bank, tired and dejected after waiting all night to withdraw money that is barely enough to pay for her bus fare home. A deadlock over the allocation of Cabinet posts has dashed hopes that a power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai would bring quick relief for Tembo and others hurt by the nation's economic crisis. Zimbabwe is struggling with the highest inflation rate in the world -- pegged at more than 11-million percent -- and chronic shortages of food, foreign currency and fuel. There is now a shortage of Zimbabwean dollars. "When the deal was signed, we expected that at least things would start changing for the better, but our situation is actually worse now," said Tembo, who supplements her husband's income by selling scarce groceries on a roadside stall. "Everywhere, queues are longer and goods more expensive than before." Tsvangirai, who is set to become prime minister under the power-sharing pact, came face to face on Friday with the extent of the once-prosperous nation's crisis on a visit to banks in Harare's central business district. Hordes of residents waiting for cash in lines that spilled on to the streets greeted him. "We are hungry, prime minister," a young man in the crowd said, as he enthusiastically shook Tsvangirai's hand. "Please help us, we've been here for hours and the money can't even take us far." Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), promised to address the situation.  CONTINUES BELOW Limits on cash But his success hinges on his ability to work with Mugabe, his bitter rival. The veteran Zimbabwean leader, in power since 1980, had routinely dismissed Tsvangirai as a Western puppet before agreeing this month to form a unity government. The deal was hatched in the wake of the country's disputed presidential election. Tsvangirai won the first round and withdrew from the second after his supporters were attacked by Mugabe's security forces and his Zanu-PF party. Former South African president Thabo Mbeki helped broker the deal between the ruling party and the MDC, which was supposed to get the majority of Cabinet positions. Mbeki, however, was ousted from power last weekend and the impasse over who will get what Cabinet positions has led to growing frustrations on the streets of Harare. "We are suffering, facing problems on every front," said Munashe Mpofu, who is unemployed. "No one is addressing this crisis." Apart from cash shortages at banks, Zimbabweans endure long queues for transport, food, including bread, meat and maize, and other commodities. There are also frequent power cuts. Some routinely spend the night outside banks to be first in line to get cash. But the central bank imposes strict withdrawal limits in its effort to stem black-market trade in foreign currency, often leaving customers unable to take out enough cash to do their basic shopping, especially on the thriving black market. On Monday it will raise those limits, a decision that comes in the wake of its recent decision to relax foreign-exchange regulations to allow 600 traders to charge for goods and services in foreign currency. But analysts say such measures are unlikely to improve the situation given the existing political uncertainty. "There is a crisis of expectations. People were already sceptical about this deal and were only willing to give it a chance out of desperate hope for services, products and jobs, but it has not had the best of starts," said Lovemore Madhuku, a political commentator. "Instead, what they see is politicians bickering over jobs, [which] increases their desperation and does not bode well for the future." Last August, Zimbabwe lopped off 10 zeros from its currency in a bid to fight the effects of hyperinflation that saw shoppers carrying huge piles of banknotes for simple transactions. -- Reuters TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
Comments
I wonder why in the wisdom of the widely celebrated mediator, Mbeki the "historic deal" did not deal with the thorny issue of cabinet posts. It would have prudent for this to have happened basing on the Kenya experience where this also proved to be a bone of contention after the deal had been. Is it that the mediator/mediating team wanted to be recalled so as to perpetuate their relevance? As it is everything is at a standstill in Zim and people's hopes and renewed spirit and optimism have been put on hold. I seriously continue to doubt the sincerity of Zanu to this deal as Mugabe thought it more appropriate to go to New York (with, I understand about 54 of his Zanu cronies) and blast the West instead of starting to work on righting the wrongs and evils in Zim. Such arrogance and shortsightedness in my view is tatamount to blatant disregard of the deal.
Bantu Buntu on September 29, 2008, 10:19 am
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