NGO’s urge IMF not to expel Zimbabwe

By Lance Guma
31 January 2006

A call by Non-Governmental Organisations in Zimbabwe urging the International Monetary Fund not to expel the country over debt arrears has sparked heated debate amongst observers. Fambai Ngirande the Communications Manager for the National Association for Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) said the expulsion of Zimbabwe from the IMF would widen the disparities between the rich and poor and was a recipe for civil strife. The call however has not gone down well with opposition figures that argue the government is already abusing whatever little resources are available now. Help in the form of balance of payment support did not necessarily mean the benefits would trickle down to ordinary people.

Ngirande told Newsreel, expulsion would worsen Zimbabwe’s international image and donors will be tempted to look elsewhere for projects to support. Already there was a feeling organisations are shunning the country and concentrating on areas like Darfur in Sudan as well as Iraq. He said NANGO had made the recommendation to the IMF because they feel it’s in the interest of ordinary people. The political problems affecting the country were an internal matter, which could be resolved amongst Zimbabweans. It was in their view important to maintain international support while working on resolving the internal political disputes.

Some however argue that the main beneficiary of international support is the same repressive government that is responsible for the people’s suffering. Ngirande himself admitted as much when he said they are not happy with the framework for accessing information in Zimbabwe. They were keen to know for what purpose the massive loans the country borrowed were used for in the first place. No one knew what the money was used to purchase and accessing such information is very difficult. Others point to spending sprees on military hardware in China as an example of how the government has skewed priorities in a country going through so much suffering.