SA awaits Zim loan answer

2005-08-07 22:22

Jan-Jan Joubert and Barnabas Thondhlana

Pretoria - South Africa set strict conditions for granting a loan to save Zimbabwe from its financial troubles, but President Robert Mugabe's government apparently refuses to accept the democratic requirements that may save his country's economy.

Senior South African government sources, following ongoing negotiations between the two countries, confirmed on Sunday that South Africa insisted on a return to true democracy, orderly land reform, media freedom and strict economic reform measures before granting a loan.

The loan, which would be about R3bn according to the latest proposals, would not be paid directly to the Zimbabwean government, but rather to aid organisations such as churches and the United Nations, the Sunday Times reported.

In order to ensure that the Zimbabwean government didn't just agree to the reforms and later do an about-turn, it was proposed that the payments be made in instalments to coincide with the execution of agreements.

Interviews

However, interviews with the country's authorities by the state-controlled media indicated no sign of these.

Nathan Shamuyarira, spokesperson for the ruling Zanu-PF party, reiterated that his party would not negotiate with the opposition, the MDC.

The MDC requested Zanu-PF to put the country's poor first.

Dr Gideon Gono, president of the Zimbabwean reserve bank, was cautious and said loan agreements were not negotiated through "loudspeaker-diplomacy".

There have been rumours that Zimbabwe had approached Namibia and Uruguay for aid after China refused and South Africa had set certain conditions.

Back at home, the DA as well as the SACP criticised the Zimbabwean government on Sunday.

The SACP said it was "very concerned about the danger that a loan (to Zimbabwe) would simply lengthen the shelf life of class-orientated, anti-worker, anti-poor and authoritarian policy and actions".

While the DA, through its leader, Tony Leon, requested President Thabo Mbeki to take South Africans into his confidence about the Zimbabwean situation, government spokesperson, Joel Netshitenzhe, was not available to shed any light.

Conditions

Murphy Morobe, the presidency's communications chief, didn't want to comment on reports that South Africa had given Mugabe one week to agree to the conditions or forfeit the loan.

On a political level, a new constitution, which was acceptable to the opposition, had to be accepted in order to promote a more democratic electoral system.

The contentious land reform programme, during which "war veterans" simply took over the land of white farmers, had to be stopped and replaced with land reform that would return to productive farming.

Media freedom had to be reinstated and the Zimbabwean economy would be subjected to strict structural reforms in a bid to prevent a recurrence of the problems.

- Beeld