Publications
Partners
Harare – Beleaguered President Jacob Zuma is set to fly into Zimbabwe to meet his equally troubled Zimbabwean counterpart President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe is failing in his bid to turn around the country’s economy, and battling to keep fissures in his Zanu PF party from widening further. Both leaders face growing calls to step down.
The two countries are strong trade partners, with Zimbabwe heavily reliant on its southern neighbour for most of its finished products and key raw materials as well as other equipment.
South Africa also considers Zimbabwe a key partner, with many of its companies – among them Pick n Pay, Tongaat Hulett, PPC, Impala Platinum and Sibanye Gold – actively involved in business operations north of the Limpopo.
It is against this backdrop that the two countries’ leaders are meeting to strengthen trade and cooperative ties.
However, they have to shrug off woes in their respective backyards, with Zuma facing a storm that culminated in him dropping a bid to block the release of a report on state capture by the public protector’s office.
The ANC number one has faced growing calls to step down as evidence emerged of his closeness to the Gupta family, and how they allegedly influenced his decisions in making key executive appointments.
Despite denials over this, officials and information at hand show the Guptas could have played a role in the appointment of ministers by Zuma.
The public protector’s report on state capture in South Africa was ordered to be released by 17:00 on Wednesday, following a court ruling that also said Zuma should pay for his own legal costs. It is expected to be a key blow to Zuma and his survival.
Zuma was due to fly into Zimbabwe on Wednesday evening and is scheduled to meet Mugabe for a one-on-one talk in Harare on Thursday.
Mugabe is reeling under a sustained economic onslaught that has seen businesses wilt owing to a dollar crunch.
Talk of Zimbabwe unofficially adopting the rand has however fallen on deaf ears, with Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya saying this is not possible.
In Harare on Thursday, Zuma and Mugabe will preside over the signing of bilateral agreements covering aviation and receive reports from diplomatic, economic and social commissions as well as on defence and security matters.
Mugabe is battling to keep his Zanu PF party together with a cabinet minister, Jonathan Moyo, saying he will sue Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa and another cabinet minister over “state capture” of institutions such as the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and state media.
Higher Education Minister Moyo says Mugabe’s deputy – Mnangagwa – used the ZACC to investigate him for deriving alleged personal benefit from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund. Moyo denies these claims, saying the money was used to fund Zanu PF programmes.
The ageing Mugabe has refused to take sides in the matter, saying action should not be based on media reports and advising that those alleged to have committed corruption offences should be tried in a court of law.
But this is being viewed as more evidence of how Zanu PF is torn apart along factional lines; one faction rooting for Mnangagwa and the other, popularly known as G40 – said to be fronted by Moyo and Zanu PF commissariat chief Saviour Kasukuwere – angling to thwart this.
The factional fights among Mugabe’s cabinet ministers are also viewed as holding back economic programmes and key reforms needed to attract investments into the capital-parched nation. Productivity in Zimbabwe has nosedived and the pending introduction of bond notes has caused jitters in the business community, plunging the banking sector into crisis.
The two leaders will also be part of the first session of the Zimbabwe-South Africa Bi-National Commission and they will likely find lighter moments when they sit down together for lunch before Zuma wraps up his visit to Zimbabwe on Thursday.
The trip to Zimbabwe will likely be welcome relief for Zuma, whose profile back home is increasingly being overshadowed by reports and allegations of abuse of power.
Zuma, who usually laughs and gestures in lighter moments, touched down at Harare International Airport at about 10:00 on Thursday.
* Memory Mataranyika is a Zimbabwean correspondent for Fin24. Opinions expressed are her own.
