No respite to the Zimbabwe crisis, one year after elections

STATEMENT – The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is extremely concerned that one year after the July 31 2013 general elections, Zimbabwe is yet to set itself on the path towards restoration.

We insist that the 2013 election was flawed, failed to meet the accepted local, regional and international standards and therefore returned a contested outcome that must be resolved without further delay.

Whilst we commend the critical role played by institutions such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) – through the government of South Africa – in facilitating the government of national unity (GNU) in Zimbabwe, we strongly challenge the regional body, together with the African Union to commit themselves to issuing a verdict on the fairness of the entire election process beyond “free, peaceful and credible”.

We also note the adoption of the new Constitution and view this as a very significant development towards democratic reform in Zimbabwe.

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, therefore, demands that the Constitution be implemented in full and that requisite processes needed for alignment of laws are given priority and expedited so that the people of Zimbabwe may fully enjoy the rights they have long-awaited. We contend that further delays will exacerbate a deepening constitutional crisis.

In this regard, we are, however, aware of the existing challenges in the protection, promotion and fulfillment of these rights, which are violated on a daily basis. Rights to clean and safe water, electricity, access to health and education, for example, continue to be violated through the Zimbabwe government’s inability to have these rights accessible to everyone.

We demand that the Zimbabwe government, in line with local, regional and international instruments, commit itself to upholding the Constitution and make all rights accessible to the people.

Over the past year, we have seen the positive economic gains realized during the GNU tenure being eroded by a sharp decline in economic performance.

This, in our view, is as result of the current government’s lack of policy clarity on the economy, resulting in low investor confidence and weak buying power within the citizenry. As a result, economic growth has declined from 11.4% in 2010 and 11.9% in 2011 to 10.6% in 2012 and a projected 3.4% in 2014 against a Medium-Term Plan (2011-15) target of 7.1%.

If these trends are not reversed immediately, we fear that Zimbabwe will be plunged into deeper crisis, with even more devastating impact this time around.

Finally, we wish to extend our solidarity to the people of Swaziland and pledge our commitment to helping them fight for democracy in their country.

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, therefore, makes the following recommendations:

For Zimbabwe:

–       The Zimbabwe government must urgently commit to democratic reform by upholding the Constitution, ensuring that existing laws are aligned to the Charter;

–       The Zimbabwe government must urgently issue a clear policy statement on the economy, highlighting its plans for job creation and attracting investment.

For SADC:

–       SADC member states must continue to push and apply pressure on Zimbabwe to pursue democratic reforms;

–       SADC and the International community must assist in the resuscitation of multiple donor trust funds targeting the economy and social service delivery in Zimbabwe.

For the International Community:

–       The international community must develop a principles and milestone based mechanism for re-engaging the Zimbabwe government;

–       The international community must not ignore the on-going fight for democracy in Swaziland and apply pressure on King Mswati III to institute democratic reform in the country.