Zim will not collapse - Moyo
12/07/2007 21:54  - (SA)  

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Durban - Claims that Zimbabwe is about to collapse were a "euphemism for regime change" that had been predicted many times before, Zimbabwe's ambassador to South Africa said on Thursday.

Reacting to recent media reports that his country was in a state of collapse, Ambassador Simon Moyo said: "The fact is that Zimbabwe is under siege from the illegal economic sanctions imposed by the West because of its land reform programme.

"Despite facing considerable challenges... the country is not collapsing and will not collapse.

"The so-called collapse, a euphemism for regime change, has been predicted many times before."

He said that several publications had written about Zimbabwe's collapse "with monotonous and nauseating regularity".

Stabilise prices by freezing them

Referring to recent price controls imposed the Zimbabwe government, he said that official calls to reduce prices had been ignored "by some business people" who were pegging their prices to the black market value of the United States dollar.

"The government has taken appropriate measures to arrest a situation that was spiralling out of control and threatening the lives of ordinary consumers."

Moyo said the government was attempting to stabilise prices by freezing them at June 18 levels.

He said that police and "crack monitoring units on price monitoring" had raided warehouses and "uncovered huge stocks of basic commodities being hoarded around the country."

Moyo said the action of the authorities had forced manufacturers to increase production to meet the increased demand for their goods.

"Admittedly this situation has witnessed the emergence of unscrupulous middlemen who are buying goods and reselling them on the black market at exorbitant prices."

Perennial regime change

He said that most major businesses had complied with the government's directives and that "ordinary people" were happy and "appreciative" of the government's intervention.

Hotlines had been inundated with calls from "ordinary citizens" who had supplied "crucial information on unscrupulous and illegal business activities".

"Unfortunately for our detractors, the perennial regime change has turned into an ever-receding mirage," he said.

- SAPA

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