Has anybody got any real news on what's happening in Zim after Mugabe's departure ??

How is "the Crocodile" performing ???

Several friends there tell me all is well, peaceful and looking ahead to better days. I will be there for two weeks in August.
Cal

Cal, it's all good. Amazing the number of folks who thought it would all be rainbows and pots of gold the day after Bob left and reality is now sinking in.

But Croc has made a lot of the right noises and seems to be credible enough at Davos. I doubt anything dynamic will happen until after the elections. On the one hand the military won't let the opposition win, but that's OK because they are worse than useless and would be just as corrupt, maybe worse. On the other hand Croc can probably win legitimately right now.

Ludicrous police presence on the roads is gone, stores are full, prices are pretty stable, and I think a lot will improve this year.

So, business as usual.

quote:

I think a lot will improve this year.

I hope and pray. The good folks in Zim can use a break!

.

Just had a PH friend and his wife visit for a few days. He also runs a family farm in Zim. He was generally optimistic and has already seen shifts in behavior by both government and banking interests. Hopefully this will play out well for all involved.

In today's news:

"Zimbabwe’s government will allow white farmers to apply for 99-year leases on land, rescinding a policy implemented under former President Robert Mugabe that limited them to five-year contracts".

Keep in mind these are incompetent corrupt Communist blacks running Zim now. Kinda like Obama

quote:

Originally posted by Bud Meadows:
Keep in mind these are incompetent corrupt Communist blacks running Zim now. Kinda like Obama

Its still a step forward and in the right direction and as far as corruption is concerned, its alive and well on a global scale, more in some places and less in others.

Old Croc, or whoever gets in at the next election, certainly has a job in front of him.

To rescue the country you'd have to get agriculture going again to feed people and generate income.

But for this you'd need tractors (and parts, and diesel), fertilizer, farmers etc..........and you'd need foreign currency to get them.

How on earth would it be possible to get the dispossessed white farmers to return??? "sure we'll guarantee your freehold title ........this time !!!"""

You'd have to replace everything that was taken from them and who'd take their family back until you were sure it would work ??

Reliable fuel would also help tourism.

Who would loan Zim the money to get the economy going again ??? the Libyans ??? the Chinese ???

How would you "undo" the resettlement program in order to resettle the dispossessed farmers who were producing crops and livestock ???

It would be a fairy tale to believe that the next lot of politicians will be any better than "uncle Bob".

But one can hope.

quote:

How would you "undo" the resettlement program in order to resettle the dispossessed farmers who were producing crops and livestock ???

You are talking about a different breed of people, these are "white" Zimbabwean farmers not city-bred Londoners, New Yorkers or Parisians.

Provided they are returned their seized properties with adequate guarantees, they will turn that industry around in next to no time but something tells me they will wait for the results of the forthcoming elections.

The old guard knew Zim for what it was and how it ended up, is far wiser than the young blood who are no better than a bunch of radicals and racists with nothing more than a chip on their shoulder, set to destroy anything that was a part of history.

All I know is that I would never bet against the Zimbos and their ability to not just persevere but to prosper in the face of adversity.

https://www.news24.com/Africa/...coup-report-20180214



US 'extends sanctions against Zim', says new govt is a 'product of a military coup' - report
2018-02-14 10:00


Harare - The United States has reportedly added more Zimbabweans to its sanctions list, with the possibility of a review after elections in July.

According to NewsDay, highly placed government sources said that the US sent a diplomatic note to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo two weeks ago saying that although it recognised the authorities in Harare, it would extend sanctions.

The report said that the sanctions were believed to include ministers who were sworn in recently to join President Emmerson Mnangagwa's cabinet.

The US also made it clear that Mnangagwa's administration was a "product of a military coup".

"The US is very clear that Mnangagwa came to power through a coup although the authorities in Harare have done everything in their power to avoid this word (coup). It was also indicated that the general elections expected in July will be the benchmark on which the sanctions will be reviewed," a source was quoted as saying.



The European Union and the United States imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe in 2000, after they accused ex-president Robert Mugabe of trampling on human rights, rigging elections and repression of press freedom - accusations that the nonagenarian denied.

The sanctions led to devastating economic challenges, with the country reportedly now sitting with about 85% unemployment.

The latest development came a few days after reports said that Britain and the European Union were divided over "the funding and support" to be given to Zimbabwe.

The privately owned Zimbabwe Independent newspaper said that while the British government was on an "aggressive drive" to bail out its former colony as "quickly as possible", the EU had adopted a "wait and see" approach.

The EU wanted Mnangagwa’s government to match its positive messages with action, particularly on the implementation of critical political and economic reforms before committing significant funding to the cash-strapped government.

Mnangagwa himself has pledged a free and fair election.

Morgan Tsvangirai is dead.
https://www.theguardian.com/wo...-leader-dies-aged-65