by Justice Zhou
It’s easy to connect the dots between bad politics and a
faltering economy. In Zimbabwe, the
effects of how politics and the economy are not mutually exclusive have been
glaring throughout Robert Mugabe’s chequered tenure in the position of power.
An atmosphere characterised by radical ideological fantasies
and the tendency to whip up emotions and discredit each other has for quite a
long time put paid to the country’s potential, but if Zimbabwe is really open
for business, this probably could be the best time.
Even though the new government finds itself going out to the
world with cap in hand once again, it looks like the prospects are far much better
this time around. The post-Mugabe administration, regardless of its
shortcomings, deserves a round of applause for the spirited efforts in bringing
about a new order in which the economy is no longer a back burner issue as compared
to cheap politics.
It takes a lot of
getting used to, especially in a country where those in the upper echelons of
society are obsessed with triviality, conspiracy theories and gamesmanship—
from politicians to the intellectual classes— at the expense of the
generality of the ordinary masses on the ground.
However, events in the past few weeks are proof that it has
finally dawned on our political leaders that Zimbabwe isn’t an island unto
itself after all, and nothing can stop the country rising again from the ashes
like the proverbial phoenix as long as they do the right thing.
I have a strong conviction that the newly-appointed president
Emmerson Mnangagwa, is aware of what it takes to rebuild an economy whose
ousted former boss ran to the ground over a period of 37 years.
His promises to relax the hostile indigenisation policy,
embarking on greater structural reforms, upholding the rule of law, cracking
down on graft and cutting back on wasteful government expenditures among other
bespoke policies, appears to have struck the right cord with potential
investors and the global lenders.
The past week saw Mnangagwa enjoying the international media
spotlight at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The elite meeting
of global heavy-hitters offered him the platform to clearly outline his intentions
to break away from ruinous policies, helping reintegrate the country into the interconnected
global economy, reaching out to old friends in the West and rolling out the red
carpet to international investors.
This couldn’t have come at a better time than when Zimbabwe
desperately needed to avoid sliding back into a protracted recession similar to
the one it experienced between 2000 and 2018. With capital inflows hard to come
by, signs where already showing it was in the process of hitting the skids.
