Discover Zimbabwe : Current issues

Policy

Zimbabwe is a presidential republic where the president is head of state and head of government. For two periods between 1980 and 1987 and then between 2009 and 2013, a Prime Minister was in office. Following a coup that overthrew Robert Mugabe in November 2017, the president is Emmerson Mnangagwa. One party has monopolized Zimbabwe's political scene since independence: the Zimbabwe African National Union or Union (ZANU), which became the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) in 1987, uniting with the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was led by Morgan Tsvangirai, who was Prime Minister from 2009 to 2013, and has been led by Nelson Chamisa since his death. 48 parties contested the 2018 legislative election, but only two, the MDC Alliance and ZANU-PF, received more than 5 percent of the vote. In 2018, for the first time in the country's history, ZANU-PF's power was threatened at the ballot box. The MDC Alliance, led by Nelson Chamisa, received 44.3 percent of the vote compared to 50.8 percent for ZANU-PF. Chamisa then challenged the results, but the Constitutional Court upheld Mnangagwa's election. New presidential elections are scheduled for July 2023, while daily life remains difficult for many Zimbabweans, following years of corruption and poor governance...

Economy

In the aftermath of independence, the country's economy was among the most successful on the continent, Zimbabwe was dubbed the breadbasket of southern Africa and the country was the most industrialized in the sub-region, after South Africa. But since 1987, Robert Mugabe has changed the course of events through unfavourable political, social and economic decisions, such as the land reform of 2000, the use of violence and the non-acceptance of the results of the ballot boxes during the presidential elections of 2002 and 2008. The country gradually sank into a terrible economic crisis, accompanied by hyperinflation and a very high unemployment rate. During this same period, its manufacturing sector declined drastically. In January 2008, the annual inflation rate reached a record high of 100,580.2%, while the unemployment rate approached 80%! As the Zimbabwean dollar has lost all its value, trade is increasingly conducted in South African rand, Botswana pula or US dollars. In January 2009, the Zimbabwean dollar was abandoned and the official currency of Zimbabwe became the U.S. dollar, which allowed for some economic recovery. Since then, there have been some optimistic signs of improvement in the country's economy, which the World Bank describes as "still fragile. The situation remains precarious as a lack of liquidity complicates the daily lives of Zimbabweans.

Zimbabwe's economy is based primarily on three sectors: agriculture, mining and tourism. The country's GNP depends largely on the health of the agricultural sector and the international economic situation. Neither of these are in good shape, and the country's economy is suffering profoundly. The agricultural sector has been struggling since the politically motivated expropriation of land from white farmers. The vagaries of the weather can sometimes plunge the country into serious economic crises, as was the case, for example, during some recent droughts. The mining sector is endangered by the project that requires international agencies to hand over the majority of their shares to Zimbabweans. Tourism is suffering from the country's poor image, which intimidates visitors. Despite these difficulties, the country's GDP increased after the adoption of the US dollar. The country's main economic partner is South Africa (80 percent of exports), and overall exports amount to some $2.8 billion per year.

Zimbabwe's economic issues are complex but with a common theme: agriculture. The vast majority of the country's problems stem from the land reform of 2000 and the resulting drop in agricultural production. Farms taken from their former owners were given to allies of the regime who generally had no agricultural knowledge or even the desire to use the land for such purposes. The majority of these farms, which were the wealth of the country, therefore remain unused. The domino effect of this reform has affected almost every economic sector in the country and finding a solution would be a big step towards normalizing the national economy. Today, the country is focusing on its development, especially in the tourism sector. The government has set up many projects to allow a greater opening to tourism, especially by improving the airports and increasing the number of connections.

Agriculture

Although the agricultural sector accounts for only 20 per cent of the country's gdP, it is by far the most important economic activity in Zimbabwe, supporting two-thirds of the population. Prior to the 2000 land reform, there were two types of farms: small, self-sufficient family farms with low profits, and large, modern, well-equipped farms with national and even international reach. Today, the agricultural landscape has changed somewhat, the large white producers have been expropriated and the new owners are not always as efficient as their predecessors. The leading agricultural production of all categories, in terms of profitability, is tobacco (third largest exporter in the world). The next most important crops are maize, cotton, coffee, tea, flowers (especially proteas), sorghum and fruit. Zimbabwe also cultivates sugar cane which, after processing, produces ethanol (40 million liters) which is used to enrich automobile fuel. Not to mention livestock, which includes large herds of cattle (over 5 million head), goats (over 3 million head) and sheep (several thousand head). The agricultural sector is the backbone of the country's economy, but it is highly dependent on climatic conditions. The rainy season, which extends from November to March, sets the pace for the lives of farmers and businessmen alike. The land reform undertaken by the government in 2000 has only weakened the sector.

Mining

The Zimbabwean subsoil contains a multitude of metals of all kinds (gold, platinum, copper, iron chromite, nickel, iron ore, silver, asbestos...) as well as some forty precious and semi-precious stones (ruby, diamond, emerald, sapphire...). The presence of iron, copper and gold is probably known since the beginning of the Ist millennium and their exploitation goes back at least to the XIth century. Zimbabwe is one of the world's leading gold producers and has approximately 450 gold mines. The country also has coal mines (covered and uncovered) with reserves estimated at 30,000 million tons, enough to supply the huge power plant near Hwange for some time.

Tourism

Since independence, tourism in Zimbabwe has continued to take off and open up to the world. The Victoria Falls, Hwange and Matusadona National Parks, the Matopos Mountains, Great Zimbabwe and Lake Kariba are among the most popular tourist destinations, mainly from South Africa, England, the United States, Australia and continental Europe. This is a good example of how this can be done in order to improve the quality of life of the people and the environment. Since 2010-2011, tourism professionals are enthusiastic about the recovery of business. Many efforts are being made to develop this sector. For example, in recent years, the airports in Harare and Victoria Falls have been significantly improved. The vast majority of tourists, however, remain around the latter city and it is rare to see them elsewhere in the country.