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Passive
genocide in Zimbabwe threatens major southern African economic &
political crisis
CIVICUS
December
26, 2008
http://www.civicus.org/csw/csw-take-action/937-passive-genocide-in-zim
CIVICUS: World
Alliance for Citizen Participation undertook a visit to Zimbabwe
from December 19-26, 2008, in response to the worsening crisis in
the country. The mandate of the mission included expressing solidarity
with civil society groups in Zimbabwe who are subjected to severe
repression, investigating reports of breakdown of the rule of law
and governance structures in the country and obtaining suggestions
for action and strategies by which international and African civil
society organisations can provide support to civil society in Zimbabwe.
The mission
members, including Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS Honorary President, Mandeep
Tiwana, CIVICUS Programme Officer and Rikhado Makhado, a volunteer
amateur photographer, met a wide range of church leaders, trade
union representatives, community workers, human rights lawyers,
NGO activists and ordinary men, women and children in Bulawayo,
Harare and Gweru. The team noted that despite the recent campaign
of abductions, disappearances and other forms of intimidation, Zimbabwean
civil society continues to engage in courageous and vital work.
Observing the
total governance and economic collapse in the country, Kumi Naidoo,
Honorary President of CIVICUS and co-chair of the Global Call to
Action Against Poverty noted: "The situation in Zimbabwe is
much worse than what is believed by Africans and citizens around
the world alike. It has been a bleak Christmas, characterised by
despair, desperation and destitution with a particularly devastating
impact for women and children".
Assessing the
report delivered by the mission members, Ingrid Srinath, Secretary
General of CIVICUS urged the South African Government, SADC and
African civil society to immediately step up pressure to restore
democracy and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. "The total breakdown
of state structures and governance if left un-addressed by Zimbabwe's
neighbours, will cause widespread destabilisation in the Southern
African region", warned Srinath.
The following
are the key observations of the Mission:
Disillusionment
with SADC mediation
There
is a pervasive feeling that the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) and South African government, in particular, have not done
enough to pressure the government of Zimbabwe to restore democracy
and constitutional order. This failure to act decisively has aggravated
the suffering of the people. There is extreme disillusionment with
South Africa's role and many feel that it is propping up the "undemocratic
regime" in Zimbabwe.
Complete
absence of democratic governance
The democratic freedoms of expression, association and
assembly are being severely curtailed. Civil society and political
activists are under constant surveillance and subject to multiple
restrictions. Since the beginning of November, security agencies
have launched a campaign of abductions and enforced disappearances
against civil society activists and members of the opposition. At
least 26 individuals including Jestina Mukoko, head of the Zimbabwe
Peace Project, which has been documenting the political violence,
have been abducted. Fourteen individuals including Jestina were
located in various police stations around Harare on 23rd December,
after repeated denials by the government and the police that they
did not have them in custody. At least, 12 civil society and political
activists are still missing. High Court orders to produce the missing
persons are openly disregarded. Public demonstrations are not being
permitted in violation of constitutional and legal provisions. They
are often broken up through use of disproportionate force. Arbitrary
detentions and torture remain rife.
Economic
meltdown
The economy of Zimbabwe has collapsed. Banks do not have
adequate reserves of hard cash. It is extremely difficult to access
money. This is borne out by interminably long queues at banks, with
as many as three hundred people sleeping overnight at banks operating
in Zimbabwe. Most retailers are not accepting Zimbabwean currency.
Goods are being sold mainly in US Dollars and South African Rands
leading to Zimbabweans describing their country as being "dollarised"
and "randarised". This has pushed up the prices of basic
food items, water, fuel and medicines, putting them out of reach
for ordinary people. There is a massive unemployment crisis. The
formal unemployment rate is widely believed to be as high as 80%
as many businesses and industries have closed down. The informal
business sector is severely affected. Many small entrepreneurs are
rapidly closing shop and preparing to migrate to neighbouring countries.
Collapse
of essential services
Municipal councils and public offices are functioning without
budgeted funds. Government employees and those staffing essential
services are unable to access their salaries. This is causing both
absenteeism and exacerbated levels of corruption. Most public hospitals
are operating with inadequate numbers of doctors and nurses. The
situation in public mortuaries is grim with a lack of funds, an
erratic supply of electricity affecting refrigeration and an increase
in the number of deaths due to the failing health of the population.
This is leading to decomposition of dead bodies stored there before
burial. Essential municipal services such as garbage collection
have not been functioning in many places for months, leading to
health hazards and the spread of cholera and other communicable
diseases. The water supply is contaminated, untreated and sporadic.
Educational facilities are crumbling. Schools and universities are
heavily understaffed and virtually non-functional in many areas
due to an exodus of trained professionals from the country, and
the fact that the monthly salary for most teachers is less than
the cost of transportation to their places of employment. The public
transport system has largely disintegrated due to fuel shortages
and lack of funds for spare parts, causing great hardship to the
population.
Impending
humanitarian disaster
There
is widespread hunger throughout the country. A common refrain heard
by the team was "we are surviving on water and one meal a day".
Inadequate levels of nutrition have pushed up the number of AIDS
and cholera related deaths. One senior church leader remarked, "we
have become pastors of the graveyard". Severe scarcity of medical
supplies and lack of basic sanitation are contributing to the spread
of diseases and health problems which could lead to an impending
humanitarian disaster of epic proportions, with the potential for
a full blown cholera epidemic and a substantial increase in the
number of HIV/AIDS related deaths.
In the event
of the prevailing situation not being addressed immediately, the
CIVICUS Solidarity Mission foresees the following consequences:
- Further exodus
from Zimbabwe to neighbouring countries, potentially threatening
regional economic, social and political stability.
- Increased
likelihood of violence and vandalism, driven by sheer hunger and
desperation
- Chronic
food and medicine shortages coupled with cholera and AIDS epidemics
are likely to cause a fresh wave of deaths and even further drop
in life expectancy below the current estimate of 35 years.
- The infrastructure
of the country is verging on collapse. If it is not addressed
immediately, the cost of reconstruction is likely to rise sharply.
The following
are some recommendations:
Diplomatic
pressure
The
Government of South Africa, SADC and AU Heads of Government must
abandon the policy of "quiet diplomacy" and put necessary
pressure upon the "government" in Zimbabwe to uphold the
values of justice, democracy and good governance. In particular,
SADC and AU need to recognise that the Zimbabwean government is
in gross violation of their stated commitments, including various
protocols and international agreements, on human rights and democracy.
Restoration
of democratic governance
- The present
government must cede power to a transitional government to prepare
the ground for drafting a new people-driven constitution and the
holding of free and fair elections in the future.
- Missing
civil society and political activists must be immediately released
and their whereabouts made public by security agencies.
- Security
units responsible for the recent campaign of abductions and ongoing
gross violations of human rights must be dismantled or restructured.
- All security
agencies must be instructed to observe human rights standards
and subject to strict sanctions for abuses.
- Freedoms
of expression, association and assembly must be respected in letter
and spirit. Regressive laws such as the Public
Order and Security Act (POSA) and Access
to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) must
be repealed.
- Judicial
independence and prestige should be restored. Security agencies
must be instructed to comply with judicial orders forthwith.
Address
the economic meltdown
- An African
led currency commission comprising competent economists must be
established at the earliest possibility to address the devaluation
of national currency and ensure its availability in banks.
A pervasive
network of fair price shops should be established throughout the
country to ensure availability of essential items at reasonable
prices.
- Maximum
retail prices of food items, bottled water and other basic goods
should be fixed to prevent excessive pricing.
Restore
essential services
Efforts must
be made to obtain the assistance of African and international agencies
in the restoration of essential services including medical and health
services; electricity, water supply and sanitation; and schools
and universities.
Address
the humanitarian crisis
- Efforts must
be made to enable proper distribution of food items without discrimination
of any kind. Civil society organisations including churches must
be involved in food distribution to ensure an equitable and non-partisan
spread.
- SADC nations
must grant refugee status to Zimbabweans exiting the country due
to the political and economic crisis precipitated by the failure
of governance, as recommended by the OAU's 1969 Refugees Convention.
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