IMF visit could influence South Africa loan

By Tererai Karimakwenda
29 August 2005

Business Day reports that Zimbabwe's risk of expulsion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has increased substantially after a visiting team failed to secure any serious commitment to economic reforms and debt repayment. The country faces expulsion by the international money lender after failing to repay its debt arrears of US$295 million. According to the report, a senior government official said the reforms demanded by the IMF needed time and money. The IMF team's visit ends Monday, while no progress has been reported in negotiations for a loan from South Africa either.

There will be an IMF meeting on September 9 in Washington which is likely to decide whether or not to expel Zimbabwe. It appears Mugabe's refusal to accept conditions as part of any deal may be causing problems. The regime continues to be stubborn about accepting any conditions from both the IMF and South Africa, and has also been difficult regarding efforts by the United Nations to raise funds to assist victims of its own cleanup operation. Food and blankets donated by South African churches a month ago has still not reached the needy families who are living without food or shelter.

So why does everyone seem to be babying Mugabe, allowing him to destroy and then set the conditions when he needs help? Elinor Sisulu of The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition in South Africa, said regional support for Mugabe has been the biggest problem. She says when Mugabe first came with the race card, ranting against white commercial farmers, he got full support from the region because they like that kind of anti-imperialist rhetoric. But Sisulu believes the regional leaders are now too embarrassed to withdraw that support.

Sisulu said she does not understand why it is difficult for African leaders to apply peer pressure in Zimbabwe, particularly when Mugabe is in breach of most regional human rights charters and many international ones as well. There should be no discussion as to what to do with him. She said even in the ECOWAS region where interference made a difference, the leaders went only so far before allowing a flawed election to take place in Togo. Sisulu believes the African Union should have supervised that Togo election. She also believes that when peer review is practiced, things will change in Africa.