Zimbabwe: Mired in Transition

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Description

Three years after the advent of Zimbabwe's Inclusive Government in February 2009, the country still awaits the elections that people hope will lead to a more enduring political settlement. Zimbabwe: Mired in Transition reviews the experience of recent years assesses the progress that has been made. What is the public mood, and how has it changed? What steps have been taken to reform the media? How important is a new constitution. Although the economy has stabilised to some extent with the adoption of a multi-currency regime, industrial and agricultural production are depressed, and investment inflows are limited; what spaces exist for fiscal reform? Are local authority structures and the state bureaucracy equipped to handle the tasks that will ne asked of them? In terms of two important areas, the book extends its analysis further back than 2009. First, is the issue of emigration. Estimates of the number of Zimbabweans in the diaspora range from three to four million; what impact us this having on national development, and to what extent might the trend of migration be reversed? The second concerns young people, the chapter on which concludes: 'We already have a "lost generation" - those who were once called the "born frees". Unless positive changes are made, we will still have another'. This collection of eleven essays examines in detail some of the pressing questions which Zimbabweans must ask as they chart a way forward.

Informations

• Publié par: Weaver Press
• Date de parution: 02 avril 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781779222077
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

Zimbabwe: Mired in Transition

Zimbabwe: Mired in Transition

edited by Eldred V. Masunungure & Jabusile M. Shumba

Published by Weaver Press, Box A1922, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe with IDAZIM 329 Samora Machel Ave, Harare, Zimbabwe

© The Institute for a Democratic Alternative (IDAZIM), Harare, Zimbabwe, 2012

Typeset by forzalibro designs Cover: Danes Designs, Harare Printed by Sable Press, Harare

All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the express written permission of the copyright holders.

IDAZIM also notes that any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the responsibility of the individual authors and that IDAZIM does not necessarily subscribe to these opinions and views of the contributors.

ISBN: 978-1-77922-202-2

Contents

Acknowledgments Foreword

Introduction

1 The Public Mood on Zimbabwe’s Political Transition Eldred V. Masunungure & Anyway Ndapwadza-Chingwete

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2 29 Political Speech and Access to Public Broadcast Media by Political Parties in Zimbabwe Lyndon Tuyani Nkomo

3 Reflections on the Significance of Constitutions & Constitutionalism for Zimbabwe Greg Linington

4 Transitional Justice & Security Sector Governance Combating Sexual & Gender-Based Violence in Zimbabwe Annie Barbara Chikwanha

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5 125 Exorcising the Spectre of Electoral Authoritarianism in Zimbabwe’s Political Transition Eldred V. Masunungure & Jabusile M. Shumba

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CONTENTS

6 Fiscal Space Challenges, Policy Options & Zimbabwe’s Economic Recovery Jabusile M. Shumba & Mohammed Jahed

7 Migration & Development Issues & some Lessons for Zimbabwe Daniel Makina

8 Upgrading Zimbabwe’s Bureaucratic Quality Myo Naing

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9 230 The Role of Local Authorities in Democratic Transitions Norbert Musekiwa

10 Youth in Zimbabwe – A Lost Generation Mary Ndlovu

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11 283 The Fast-Track Land Reform Programme Impacts on the Environment & Agriculture Vupenyu Dzingirai, Emmanuel Manzungu & Owen Nyamwanza

Contributors

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Acknowledgments

Many individuals contributed towards the preparation and production of this book, and to all we are extremely grateful. Foremost we extend our profound gratitude to the authors, who painstakingly persevered throughout the iterative journey of this publication; we appreciate their patience. Special thanks to the meticulous work of the edito- rial team. Frances Marks, who joined the team mid-stream but soon assumed the steering wheel, earning herself the reputation of being a ‘tough, no-nonsense’ editor, deserves special mention. Thanks also to Murray McCartney and Irene Staunton at Weaver Press for accepting our work in their tight publishing schedule. The team at the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for Zimbabwe also lent their full support to the project. Anyway Ndapwaza-Ching- wete and Obert Hodzi worked tirelessly with the Institute support team, and Antonetta Guveya and Viola Chideme provided the logis- tical and administrative support. Davie Malungisa, the Executive Director, and Joy Mabenge, the Programmes Director, facilitated the project and ensured that we remained on course. Last but not least, we thank our partners who generously supported the project. To them we are most grateful. None but ourselves bear the responsibility for any deficiencies.

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Foreword

Zimbabwe’s democratization debate has occupied much discourse on whether the conflict-ridden country is in transition or not. This is in a context where there is doubt about the nature of the state itself: on one hand, is it a fragile state, and on the other, is it a strong and unco-operative regime? Our conceptualization is that a transition is an interval of intense contestation and uncertain outcomes between political regimes. Zimbabwe entered such a period with the signing of the GPA, but the transition is nascent, fragile and far from complete. The pre-2009 state had, by many measures, deteriorated into a frag- ile one. Electoral controversy resulted in international isolation. By the end of 2002, the European Union had imposed a non-comprehensive set of sanctions and restrictive measures, while the United States of America enacted the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recov- ery Act. The 11 March 2007 violence against pro-democracy actors invited regional attention, forcing the SADC bloc to appoint South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki as an inter-party dialogue facilitator. The tortuous and rather secretive negotiations culminated in the sign- ing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in September 2008. Thus, the deteriorating socio-economic and political situation was, in part, reversed. The Inclusive Government (IG) brought into the pic- ture a new trajectory in the country’s democratization. Political and economic reforms were agreed, and helped in halting the slide towards an economic implosion. To its credit, the IG introduced,alia, inter

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Davie Malungisa

the Government Work Programme (2009); the Short-Term Emergency Recovery Program, STERP I (2009) and the three-year Macro-Eco- nomic and Budget Framework, STERP II (2010); the Medium Term Plan (2011); the National Trade Policy (2012); the Industrial Policy (2012) and the Accelerated Arrears Clearance, Debt and Development Strategy (2012). However, the terms of international re-engagement are yet to be defined, and a shift towards a neo-liberal order cannot be ruled out. On the political front, the IG has introduced key political reforms. These include the constitutional reform process, guided by the Consti- tutional Parliamentary Committee. Key parliamentary commissions such as the Human Rights Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commis- sion and the Media Commission are in place, and are enjoying mixed success. However, the absence of a paradigm shift in the exercise of political authority is evident. Distrust among the political parties has actually increased, the security services sector still wields overbearing political power and electoral reforms are limping along. Is Zimbabwe moving backward or forward? Faced with such a question, the search for a rigorous analysis has always been crucial. Both state and non-state actors are paralyzed when it comes to find- ing a way out of the seemingly complex transition. As an Institute specializing in democratic governance, our mandate is to step back and contribute to the analytical debate; this book was conceived as an attempt to fulfill that mandate. The chapters inZimbabwe:Mired in Transitionseek to explore the dynamics working for and against a suc- cessful democratic outcome. The search for a democratic alternative – where citizens are at the centre of democratic governance – remains IDAZIM’s value proposition.

Davie Malungisa IDAZIM Executive Director Harare May 2012

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