Saturday, June 30, 2007

The Zimbabwe Situation

What started as a political project (namely, the land reform) mutated into an economic crisis rendering the Zim dollar into a worthless currency. In fact, economic crisis in Zimbabwe display in part what is termed stagflation. In definition, stagflation is high inflation coupled with high levels of unemployment. During a talk show on KayaFm presented by John Perlman, one caller suggested that the solution to the Zimbabwe problem will not come from Mbeki or ZanuPF-MDC negotiation but from a negotiation process that will include ZanuPF, MDC and Britain.

3 comments:

Thomas Michael Blaser said...

You are discussing a touchy issue. I have never had a discussion about Zim without passions going through the roof. But I think the 'Zim problem' will go down in history as a dark chapter for South Africa, the African Union and for the international community. On the altar of realpolitik, all the nice discourses and laudable ideals have been thrown out. I mean people are being killed for their peaceful, political activism only because they are with the 'wrong' party. This should ring alarm bells with all true democrats, yet in South Africa, everything is 'as usual'. Depressing, indeed.

Ijeoma Uche-Okeke said...

Yes a very touchy topic indeed. Today I was speaking with a friend that works for NEPAD. And his take is that Zim will come out better for these dark days. He cited Idi Amin's Uganda as an example. Today he says Ugandans are in a better space, economically, because they 'own' whatever they have. Not working for colonialists. I don't know what I think about that. For me if the citizens have to go through untold suffering for Zim to be rid of its 'white' citizenry.... surely there must be a better way...

Bruce said...

The Zim problem is a serious problem. But I hope sanity will prevail eventually.