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The New Age Voices - Issue 5
Youth Agenda Trust
September 27, 2010

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GPA 2 years later: Zim a country in dire straits

On September 15, 2008, the three main political players in Zimbabwe, namely Zanu PF, MDC-T and MDC-M signed the Global Political Agreement (GPA) which became a precursor to the unity government that took off in February 2009.

September 15, 2010, marked the second anniversary of the GPA. Political, economic and social analysts have expressed varying opinions in their assessments of the achievements of the coalition government but there has been a general consensus among many that the arrangement has been a great betrayal.

On the economic front, the coalition government has managed to stabilise the economy which has seen inflation which peaked at 500 billion percent to go down to just under 7 percent.

In the social services sector, the Government of National Unity (GNU) has seen the civil servants to work, notably the return of nurses, doctors to hospitals and clinics which had become ghost centres while the return of teachers saw schools reopening after lengthy periods of dog fighting with the then Robert Mugabe led government.

Despite the return of civil servants to work, the government has failed to properly remunerate them, most of them averaging US$150 which falls far below the poverty datum line. They have threatened to strike for the second time this year if the government continues to pay deaf ears to their calls.

Millions of youths are still jobless, with the unemployment rate hovering above 90 percent.

Although supermarket shelves have filled, basic foodstuffs still remain beyond the reach of many while most parents continue to struggle raising tuition fees for their children with tertiary fees around US$800 but the majority of them earn less than US$100.

On the political front, the GNU only ensured the suspension of fierce rivalry between the political archrivals but the backstabbing has never ceased.

However, despite the marginal successes of the coalition government, it has been clear on the surface that there has been a lot of discord among the 3 principals to the agreement.

There has been a lot of heckling among the principals on what they have termed "outstanding issues" which has seen the SADC appointed mediator Jacob Zuma occasionally engaging them in a bid to find a lasting solution but to no avail.

Mugabe has refused to abide by the SADC communiqué that compels him to swear in 5 MDC-T Governors, and 1 from MDC-M, a clear indication that he is not prepared to relinquish power to the other partners.

He has also been adamant to swear in deputy agriculture minister designate Roy Bennet arguing that he is facing criminal charges ranging from banditry to terrorism. Realising that he was losing the war to incarcerate Bennet, Zanu PF aligned Attorney General Johannes Tomana cooked up fresh charges accusing him of holding huge stocks of grain.

Mugabe has also refused to dismiss Tomana and Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono from their positions saying that they were properly appointed to their positions while Tsvangirai is adamant that their appointment was done against the spirit of the GNU.

Mugabe on the other hand says he is not prepared to address MDC-T concerns unless sanctions are removed.

Amanda Atwood on her take on Governance told Kubatana.net that the trauma faced by Zimbabweans is beyond political violence.

"I think the trauma Zimbabweans have experienced goes beyond just political violence. It's about our economy, our governance and the myriad ways in which people have been disempowered over the past 10 years.

"We're so traumatised that we are grateful that 'some things are happening', that there is fuel at the service station and bread in the shops. We view that as progress - rather than viewing that as normal, and demanding more from our government." Atwood said.

Alex Magaisa who is based at Kent Law School in UK said that it was a difficult to measure the success of the agreement but said there has been some movement. "I am not ashamed to admit that when the GPA was signed, I was among those who thought the options were limited and that it was the lesser of many evils available at the time. I don't know if it has made a difference but I do not know that there is a difference in the physical appearance and atmosphere among the people I met between the end of 2007 and the start of 2010.

"Virtually every person that I have met at home has described 2008 as the year of the greatest suffering. The way they describe it, you're almost moved to regret that you weren't there to experience that moment of history. There are many challenges still, no doubt, but the GPA provided a soothing effect, albeit temporary, to a severely wounded nation," Magaisa said.

Financial Gazette Assistant Editor Njabulo Ncube said that while the inclusive government has scored some marginal successes, it has largely under-performed in the premise of the agreement upon which it was set.
"The GNU has succeeded in arresting runaway inflation and ruinous economic depletion that had become characteristic of the country's economy.

"Economic stabilisation was achieved through the adoption of a multi-currency regime, the removal of price distortions and the introduction of cash budgeting among other austerity measures." Said Ncube.

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