In November 2017, the political landscape in Zimbabwe changed abruptly and unexpectedly. The leadership of President Robert Mugabe, the 93-year-old who had been president of Zimbabwe for 37 years, came to an end with his resignation on the 21st of November 2017. This development was because of military-led “Operation Restore Legacy”. The military intervention was triggered by the increased factional fighting in the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF), which saw firing of the former Vice President (VP) Mnangagwa by former President Mugabe on 6 November 2017. A new political dispensation, which has significant implications on the country’s political, social and economic context, has subsequently been ushered in.Mnangagwa was sworn in as President on 24 November 2017. He is to serve out former
President Mugabe’s term until elections scheduled for August 2018. Key plans for the country by incumbent President include:
• Free and fair elections in 2018.
• Addressing corruption as this has heavily impacted on the development of the
country.
• Government will also ensure security and safety for all citizens.
• Zimbabwe will contribute to the well-being of the global political order through the
United Nations and continue to contribute to the international peace and security
within the framework of the UN.
• The need to revamp the economy and create jobs for the people, reengagement
with the international community across for mutually gainful agreements to boost
our economy.
• Addressing liquidity challenges where people must be able to access their earnings
and savings as and when they need them and all foreign investments would be safe
in Zimbabwe.
• The need to address complex issues of land tenure. The Land R eform programme
will not be reversed and Land Reform beneficiaries are expected to contribute to the
revival of the economy. The Government is committed to work on a compensation
plan for former land owners: Economic policies will hinge on agriculture, with
programs like command agriculture.
The ushering in of a new political dispensation provides a window of opportunity for engagement between civil society and government on policy and legislative matters. Following the transition, the National People’s Convention (NPC) was established in December 2017, to develop a cohesive vision for the nation and have a more organized
and inclusive civil society to engage with Government. The NPC, of which ActionAid Zimbabwe was party to is a broad- based platform bringing together civil society apex bodies from church, human rights, labour, media, resident, social movements, students, people with disabilities, women, youth, NGOs and vendor associations. Key areas that the NPC will engage on under governance are: The full Declaration of Rights, Chapter 4, its full complement of civil, political, cultural, and economic rights must be upheld, particularly, recognition and upholding of civil and political rights by the government as second-generation rights are not recognized or upheld in Zimbabwe. In addition to the new government has indicated the need to ratify international human rights treaties. For example, on Electoral Reforms - the previous government’s hesitancy to sign, ratify and domesticate the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG)
could be reversed by the new administration. This could be a far-reaching development that might provide the necessary framework for widening participatory democracy, providing a framework for electoral reforms to create an environment for free and fair elections, as well as transparency and accountability in public service provision. The current macroeconomic policy framework remains highly consumption oriented, leaving very little fiscal space for capital and social expenditures. The country is also wallowing in a liquidity crisis. The liquidity crisis is a manifestation of structural deficiencies and distortions in the economy, typified de-industrialization, rising informality, high public debt, dwindling capital inflows, capital leakages, poor infrastructure and institutional weaknesses, among others. The increasingly informal nature of the economy present
challenges for domestic resources mobilization within the context of budget financing. Although the country is registering relatively high employment levels of 80.4 percent in 2014, the quality of employment is low as it is mainly in rural subsistence agriculture. Thus, high employment-to-population ratios (EPRs) are coexisting with high income poverty levels. Over the last two decades’ poverty has become widespread in both urban and rural areas of Zimbabwe, with poverty in urban areas increasing at a faster rate than in rural areas. Results from the Poverty Income Consumption Expenditure Survey (PICES) of
2011/12 carried out by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) indicate that 38 per cent of urban households, and almost 47 per cent of people living in urban areas in Zimbabwe were classified as poor. The hash brand of this urban poverty is visible mostly
among women and youth as compared to men1. According to ZIMVAC 2017, women are also disadvantaged because of their economic status as they are mainly in informal subsistence sectors which keep them resource poor. The persistent gender inequality results in - among other things - labour market discrimination, unequal access
to social services and economic resources such as land. To compound the situation, unpaid care work is predominantly regarded as women’s work and it is difficult to do in the context of poverty as basic amenities and access to public services are lacking. The
funds needed to purchase goods and services for the care work may not be available. The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey of 2014 showed some progress in the country’s social services over the past five years. This is exemplified by the infant mortality rate which declined to 55 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2010–2014, from 58 in 2005–2009.About 99 percent of pupils enrolled in primary education complete that level. About 76 percent of household members use improved sources of drinking water and 35 percent of household members use improved and unshared sanitation facilities. Yet, challenges remain— for example, the health delivery system is affected by sporadic outbreaks of typhoid and dysentery and by shortages of funds to procure essential drugs . Also, the massive exodus of skilled and experienced people from the country (about 3 million since 2000) has created a capacity deficit, especially in the public sector, which has hindered the provision of public services in health and sanitation, transport, energy, and education . Despite a gloomy picture above, the current political administration in Zimbabwe has promised to restore the economy and promote democracy in the country. It is yet to be seen how far this dispensation would turn the socio-economic and political fortunes of the country.