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Stop the war on the business community
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
July 16, 2007

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition deplores the current stop gap measures of price slashes by the government of Zimbabwe. The guerrilla warfare against the business community is a threat to national development and peace in the country as it has resulted in food shortages and poverty which will affect the citizenry negatively.

The stop gap measures, will only but bring more suffering to the nation. It is given that the state actions are not a culmination of a well thought out process, but rather a hurried decision to hoodwink the electorate as we head towards the 2008 elections. It is mean to lure the urban populace who are highly loyal to the opposition into voting for the ruling party which has exhibited policy bankruptcy during its 27years of running the country. It is mind sobering to note that after the calamity of destroying the businesses, the government has no clue as to how the country will function after the companies close down as they shall fail to sustain the costs of production in the near future.

The incumbent government has failed to perform the universal functions of a government which are listed below:

- allocation role[1]
- regulation[2]
- distribution[3]
- stabilisation[4]

In such a desperate situation which the government is in, prudent procedures of concepts of democracy such as accountability, transparency and commitment to ethos of zero tolerance to corruption are down trodden.

If the incumbent government was legitimate, it was supposed to have tabled the idea before parliament for approval or disapproval since the parliament is supposed to be a representation of the people's choices. However, the decision was settled at the ruling party's headquarters and inflicted to the country like a deadly virus.

The acts by the government are a violation of property rights and soils investor confidence in the country. The injuries inflicted on the economy by the ruling Zanu PF party shall remain a lifetime mortgage to the future generations. The majority of companies are already moving out of the country to our neighboring countries such as Zambia, South Africa, Mozambique among others.

The government has become a national liability, it has lost its confidence to continue clinching to power. We therefore call upon the government to stop digging further, the country is trapped in a gorge of poverty, HIV/AIDS, a run away inflation of 4500% , unemployment levels of more than 85%; the collapse of education and health.

Since the inception of the warfare on the business community more than 1400 business leaders where arrested. Some of the detained people are listed below:

• Willard Zireva :Chief Executive Officer, OK Zimbabwe
• Michael Folwer : Innscor Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
• Zed Koudounaris: Innscor non-executive director
• Gavin Sainsbury: Colcom CEO
• Norita Adams: Sale Executive at Colcom
• Tambudzai Dakwa: pork shop manager at Colcom
• Misheck Ndlovu: Wholesale Manager at Colcom
• Robinur Parlou: a general manager at Spar
• Adam Wsats: Group Finance Director at Edgars and Express
• Charles Janga: Operations Manager at Harare Edgars Stores
• Larry Mukombe: Operations Manager at Power Sales
• Archlas Ringirirai: a director at Jaggers
• Garrith Lumsden: of Buchu Butchery
• Kuda Mufukari: a senior Deport Manager at National Foods
• Bervin Nyandoro: a manager at Little Harrods Fife Avenue
• Vladmir Branchev a West Oils Director
• Phineas Mhike: A sales manager of Goldline Motors
• Zedias Chinjiva: a manager at City Lane Motors
• Stobbers Brilliant: a director at Union Avenue Car Sales
• Trymore Simango: a director at Top Wheel Car Market
• Leroy Murape: a director at Motorview Trading

The arrests were illegal as there is no legal instrument promulgated to enforce the state's ill conceived campaign. The current inflation rate of 4500% is out of the government's own making, built on the government's inconsistent policies which can never be solved by declaring war on business. If the government is sincere about fighting inflation and stabilizing the economy it must adhere to the following prescriptions;

- Protect private property
- Stop land invasions and to stop the criminality that has affected conservancies, including poaching and cutting down of trees;
- Exercising restrain in setting prices
- Respect existing and future investments protection agreements
- Stamp out corruption
- Reduction of government expenditure

It is therefore the Coalition's humble position that Zimbabwe ardently needs a new people driven democratic constitution which safeguards private property and the rule of law as an incentive to lure foreign direct investment, which will lead to economic growth and reduced unemployment.

[1] It refers to the role of government in achieving an efficient allocation of resources or public goods and externalities (as opposed to the government officials primitively accumulating the resources such as farms.)

[2] The legislation and other measures aimed at ensuring that efficiency and certain minimum standards (rather than criminalizing the business community)

[3] Steps taken by the government to achieve a more equitable distribution of income (farm workers are earning ZWD $96 000 per month which has been referred to as legalized slavery by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights [ZLHR]! 85% of the populace is leaving below the poverty datum line.)

[4] It refers to monetary, fiscal and other measures to promote macroeconomic stability (the price slashes by the state are a violation of maintaining and performing the role as it has led to economic destabilization in the broader economic scheme of things, as noted in the introductory phrase, things fall apart as the center fails to hold.)

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