Covid-19 has in a fundamental way transformed how countries
conduct diplomacy and manage their international relations. In the case of
Zimbabwe, the pandemic has stalled the country’s engagement and re-engagement
initiatives that were beginning to bear fruit in terms of thawing relations
with erstwhile adversaries. The Herald’s Deputy Editor Ranga Mataire (RM)
recently spoke to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso
Busi Moyo (SB) on how Covid-19 has affected the country’s re-engagement efforts
and plans to rescue Zimbabweans who are stranded outside the country
RM: Let’s start by looking at the state of our embassies’
preparedness in light of Covid-19 and how the pandemic has in general affected
the Government’s re-engagement efforts?
SB: Indeed, Covid-19 has affected everyone in the world. It
doesn’t matter whether you are a diplomat or not. That is a fact. Our policy of
engagement and re-engagement was in full gear. Our drive to invite Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI), tourism and secure markets was on course, but alas the
arrival of the coronavirus that has wreaked havoc has hampered efforts by the
ministry and embassies. We have had to instruct embassies to scale down and
conform to all the laws that are being effected in those host countries. The
situation was that it was difficult even now to make a programme to go and meet
anyone. So it’s true that our embassies are to an extent affected.
RM: Has the Government coordinated initiatives to
repatriate citizens who could be stranded outside the country, especially in
countries hard hit by coronavirus?
SB: Yes, actually the Government of Zimbabwe has begun the
repatriation of our citizens stranded abroad following distress calls received
throughout various embassies. As you are aware, the outbreak of this virus has
resulted in most countries across the world closing their borders. Government
has had to engage other governments to seek authorisation for our citizens who
wish to return home to be granted passage.
In some cases, we are actually doing this on a reciprocal
basis by allowing repatriation of citizens of other countries who are in our
country. You will recall that we facilitated the repatriation of Pakistanis to
Islamabad from our country recently who were coming from Zambia through
Zimbabwe and to South Africa through OR Tambo International Airport.
RM: In terms of our citizens stranded outside the country;
do you have any specific numbers and countries help is needed?
SB: Since the lockdown started, I think over 700 citizens
have arrived from Botswana. Repatriation from our neighbouring countries continue
and efforts are underway to improve communication and coordination channels
with authorities there in Botswana to ensure that we at least organise the
return of our citizens who are coming out of that country. Last week, the first
batch of 20 citizens from Namibia was received in the country.
These returnees are quarantined at Mosi-oa-Tunya High
School in Victoria Falls. Distress calls have so far come in from as far as
China where about 300 nationals have registered for repatriation back to
Zimbabwe. These are people who were caught by Covid-19, but most of the
students who were at universities are fine.
We also have in the United Arab Emirates, a number of our
citizens who have contacted our embassy in Abu Dhabi to register their wish to
return home. Similarly, India has some Zimbabweans who had gone for medical
treatment who had reached out to our mission seeking assistance to return home.
The highest number of Zimbabweans seeking to return home is basically from the
region. In this regard, we are currently engaged in negotiations regarding our
nationals in South Africa who wish to return home.
Our diplomatic mission there has opened a web-link for all
distressed nationals who wish to return home register. As at 1 May 2020, we
were expecting to repatriate around 3 000 from South Africa. Furthermore, over
4 000 Zimbabweans in distress in that country have registered for food
assistance and we are working with the Department of Social Welfare and the
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) so that we can assist them. We
have also had a lot of Zimbabweans who are stranded in ships — those are
working in ships.
For example, we received distress calls from our nationals
who are currently at sea working for various international cruise liners and are
seeking to return home. One such ship from USA; we were informed is currently
heading to Cape Town and we have about 30 or so Zimbabweans on board. There is
also a second one on its way, in which we are still to ascertain the number of
Zimbabweans aboard.
RM: Do you have the exact number of our nationals in the
United Kingdom wishing to come home?
SB: In UK we have quite a number, but our challenge at the
moment even with many other countries like India is the lack of airlines.
RM: What is the latest update regarding the restructuring
of embassies in terms of cutting costs by reducing the numbers and
tailor-making them to suit the new thrust of the New Dispensation anchored on
economic diplomacy?
SB: Well, in the diplomatic arena, the opening and closing
of an embassy requires multi-stakeholder consultation. Announcing missions for
closure might jeopardise the whole process before it even begins. So the
disengagement process requires diplomatic engagement of the host country itself
because they will say why are you closing the embassy. Is it because our
relations are bad?
There are some internal administrative processes that need
to be followed; advising staff to avoid shock of seeing information in the
Press. However, you may wish to know that driven by our national thrust of
engagement and re-engagement, we have definitely downsized a lot of embassies
and we have also opened new ones.
We have downsized embassies and personnel so that they are
repositioned in line with their new mandate. We recently deployed a lot of
diplomats after a lot of rigorous training to orient them into understanding
economic diplomacy. As we were doing that, we were opening other missions where
we were identifying potential markets. We have opened embassies in UAE, Turkey
and Rwanda and we are still in the process of closing some like in Singapore.
RM: Still on re-engagement; can you briefly outline how far
as a country we have gone in rejoining the Commonwealth?
SB: First, let me tell you that the process of rejoining
the Commonwealth was and is for the interest of Zimbabweans to benefit, but not
to satisfy certain capitals. As a result of that, we indicated that we wanted
to rejoin. So there is a whole process of rejoining that we have had to follow.
We have done all the processes and as far as we are concerned, we have even
managed to invite the Commonwealth Election Observer Mission.
It was an unprecedented move because legally, the
Commonwealth cannot observe an election in a non-member state. But we managed
to agree with the secretary-general Madam Patricia Scotland until she
constituted a mission, which came to observe our elections. That was after my
first visit to London when I met the now Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
We had breakfast together and he was upbeat as far as I was
concerned about the desire to see Zimbabwe back in the Commonwealth. So the
observation of the election was the first assessment and you recall that there
was a second assessment mission. In fact, that second assessment mission came
to Zimbabwe when I was in UK for the second time where I met the
secretary-general. And on many other occasions, the secretary-general met
President Mnangagwa in New York and everything was moving positively.
We then submitted issues to do with our Constitution and
then finally, some capitals then decided to say our reforms were slow. Well, we
told them candidly that it’s not that we are so hungry to be in the
Commonwealth, but we thought we could just be together with our brothers whom
we had been familiar with for a long time. But if some capitals are opinion
makers in the Commonwealth, then it becomes problematic. What consoles us is
that we have some countries in Africa, Asia and everywhere who are in support
of Zimbabwe rejoining the Commonwealth.
RM: Are you positive that post-Covid-19, something positive
might come out in regard to the Commonwealth?
SB: I don’t want to take that position. All I can say is
that we are entitled to be there.
RM: Minister, in your assessment how are Zimbabwe-Britain relations
likely to be in the post-Brexit era?
SB: I am surprised on one side, but not surprised on the
other hand. It was UK which influenced the European Union (EU) to impose
sanctions on Zimbabwe. So naturally, the thinking is that when they get out of the
EU, they would want to get out with their paperwork and that paperwork includes
sanctions on Zimbabwe. On the other hand, we had been having a lot of bilateral
relations and this has been in line with the assumption of office from the 24th
of November 2017 when His Excellency President Mnangagwa made engagement and
re-engagement the hallmark of his New Dispensation. And this positive
interactive foreign policy has generated a multifaceted and palpable growth in
Zimbabwe-Britain relations, which gives confidence that these bilateral
relations are progressively moving towards normalisation, not towards retention
of the illegal sanctions. So the evidence of the growing bilateral relations
includes that at Britain’s request, Zimbabwe and Britain have just signed and
ratified an interim East and Southern Africa trade agreement.
RM: What does that mean Minister? What is the significance
of this agreement?
SB: We signed this agreement at the end of last year. There
are groupings of nations in the Pacific and also Africa. Zimbabwe was
apparently grouped within the islands of Mauritius and Seychelles. This
positive characteristic gave confidence that our bilateral relations were
headed for normalisation. Only last month, Britain became the biggest
contributor (US$43,6m) to the Zimbabwe efforts to combat Covid-19 pandemic.
Zimbabwe is most grateful and we appreciate that support and when we interact
we speak as equal brothers, partners. In February 2020, the Government hosted a
British government delegation that came to amicably negotiate the repatriation
of Zimbabweans — who are on social welfare. And this was made possible by his
Excellency President Mnangagwa. Such kind of cooperation is a welcome build-up
towards the normalisation of our bilateral relations.
RM: So why this perpetuation of sanctions by the same
Britain which you say was the instigator of the economic embargo in the EU?
SB: We have had incessant calls by Britain and other
countries to institute various reforms and President Mnangagwa has embarked on
implementing a wide range of reforms that also give confidence that the
international community, including UK will welcome this as a basis not to
continue the isolation of Zimbabwe. You will recall that even on the fiscal
front, these reforms have resulted in the New Dispensation now progressively
achieving monthly budgetary surplus as opposed to perennial monthly budgetary
deficit. The recent rating by World Bank has also upgraded our position to
number 51 out of about 170 countries.
RM: From what you are saying, it means there is hope that
relations between Zimbabwe and Britain will turn for the good?
SB: Removing sanctions is a process not an event, but our
expectations are that very soon we are going to have meetings between ourselves
and the EU. These meetings are the ones that result in understanding of certain
facts. What complicated or dented the
process that we had initiated was the changes that we have had in UK. We waited
for the changes to settle in so that we could resume bilateral engagements.
It’s usually easier to have virtual meetings with somebody you have met
before. At the moment, the focus of most
leaders is on saving lives and it is not the ideal time to let someone refocus
on something else.
RM: Lastly Minister, what is your general assessment of the
impact of Covid-19 on Zimbabwe’s international trade and what plans are in
place to capacitate companies in the post-pandemic period?
SB: I think generally; Covid-19 is a bad virus, but what I
will assure you is that it has made everybody in the global village to speak to
each other. Secondly, within nations, it has united nations.
Not only to unite nations, but to find time to reflect and
rethink of opportunities and various interests, which are available as a result
of Covid-19. In my view, Covid-19 impact is such that it closed borders and it
means nations eat what they produce and that is why President Mnangagwa has
quickly realised this balance — that we have to deal with Covid-19
simultaneously with the economy.
We need to put our hands together. A good example is that
we are one of the few countries in the world that produce platinum second to
South Africa and Russia. If we are to come together with South Africa, we can
form an oligopoly and we will then have our own market; have our own bank; have
one currency and that will be the basis of what I see Covid-19 is impacting on
nations.
It is the spirit of collaboration. We must integrate our
region. The regional integration agenda must be the top priority in SADC. The
impact of Covid-19 must be looked at in terms of opportunities and then those
opportunities must then be tackled as a united force. The unity that has been
displayed during the course of this Covid-19 pandemic if it is maintained
afterwards, this country will fly. Herald
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