|
Zim's trouble was 'economic'
04/02/2004 14:26 - (SA)
Donwald Pressly
Cape Town - Director General in the presidency Frank Chikane has located the source of Zimbabwe's current trouble in mistakes made in the economic management of that country.
Speaking at a Cape Town Press Club dinner on Tuesday night, the director general suggested that Zimbabwe had overspent on health services and education and had found itself faced with spiralling debt.
Noting that an analysis had been done on the Zimbabwean economy, he said resources had been shifted to these areas, and taxes had been increased, especially on business, "which crowded out (local and foreign) investments". The result was the crowding out of "productive investment".
This had led to loan repayment problems, an issue which South Africa had avoided. South Africa, instead, had agreed to technical assistance "but not loans... you can't take loans for consumption".
Chikane who serves under President Thabo Mbeki and Deputy President Jacob Zuma - and who is deeply involved in negotiations to find a settlement between the two major groupings in Zimbabwe - was asked why the process of quiet diplomacy had taken so long to resolve that country's problems.
He answered candidly: "I don't know." But he went on to say that if he were a Zimbabwean "I would have an interest in finishing this thing (the political settlement) quickly and solving it because it is no good for the country."
Turning to the South African experience leading from negotiations to political settlement between the ruling Afrikaners and the black majority, he said: "It took us four years (of negotiation)."
Chikane, a cleric by profession, pointed out that it would be "foolish of me to be judgmental" with Zimbabweans "when I an directly involved in talking to them... I would then not be useful."
In a clear - but unstated - reference to opposition calls for the tightening of the screws on Zimbabwe - which is suffering from rocketing inflation, growing unemployment and lowered production levels - he said when one was not doing something "to help them solve the problems... one can be as noisy as you can."
"You can't just say whatever you want to say. I am convinced that both sides (the ruling Zanu-PF of President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai''s Movement for Democratic Change) understand they have to resolve the matter. They understand (the need) to talk."
Noting that President Mugabe had said it "on camera", he said the time was ripe for informal talks to become "formal". Unfortunately the agreement to talk was made in December when everyone was going on holiday. "People went on holiday and only came back now."
- I-Net Bridge (News24)
|
