REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON: “ZIMBABWE GOING FORWARD: CONSOLIDATING THE DEMOCRATIZATION PROCESS AND REINFORCING RE-ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY” SOUTHERN AFRICA POLITICAL ECONOMY SERIES (SAPES) TRUST AND NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY (NED) 5TH AND 6TH MAY 2014 – RAINBOW TOWERS 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms 3 Background 4 Conference Objectives 5 Opening Remarks 5 Official Opening 7 DAY ONE: Enabling EnvironMent: Consolidating Constitutional ReforMs and Strengthening National Institutions Session I: Consolidating Constitutional Reforms 11 Session II: Strengthening National Institutions 22 Session III: The Role of Civil Society: From Advocacy to Engagement 25 Session IV: Examining the Role of the Media in a Democracy 28 Session V: Reinforcing Zimbabwe’s Democratization Process: A Dialogue to Reinforce Engagement 30 DAY TWO: An Agenda for EconoMic Recovery Session VI: Restoring the Social Contract 34 Session VII: An Agenda for Economic Recovery 37 Session VIII: Reviving Zimbabwe’s Productive Sectors 41 Session IX: Mobilizing Foreign Direct Investment: Transcending the Sanctions Regime 44 Closing Remarks 46 Policy Recommendations 47 Conclusion and Way Forward 50 2 ACRONYMS BOTs Build-Operate-Transfers CCZ Crisis Coalition of Zimbabwe CIMA Centre for International Media Assistance CIPE Centre for International Private Enterprise CSOs Civil Society Organisations EU European Union FDI Foreign Direct Investment GDP Gross Domestic Product GPA Global Political Agreement GNU Government of National Unity IMF International Monetary Fund ICT Information and communication technology JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency MDC Movement for Democratic Change MDC - M Movement for Democratic Change (Mutambara) MDC - N Movement for Democratic Change (Ncube) MDC - T Movement for Democratic Change (Tsvangirai) MP Member of Parliament NED National Endowment for Democracy SADC Southern African Development Community SAPES Southern Africa Political Economy Series SEZ Special Economic Zones UK United Kingdom US United States UZ University of Zimbabwe ZANU (PF) Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front ZAPU Zimbabwe African People’s Union ZCTU Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions ZIMASSET Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation 3 BACKGROUND SAPES Trust and NED work in Agreement, Zanu PF, MDC-T and MDC, partnership to promote democratisation and representatives of civic groups to and strengthen democratic institutions. attend both events, aimed at reinforcing Sapes Trust works to facilitate multi- Zimbabwe’s engagement with the stakeholder dialogue around global community. governance, democracy and national development as well as promoting civic The objectives of the May 2014 participation in international dialogue. international conference was to bring The 2014 International conference was together all stakeholders to the national aimed to build on two previous development of Zimbabwe, to conferences in July 2012 “Re-thinking deliberate and identify effective Zimbabwe” and July 2013 “Beyond approaches to reinforce the country’s Elections in Zimbabwe”, hosted by NED re-engagement with the global in Washington DC. Sapes Trust led a community and support the delegation of all the three political democratisation process. parties to the Global Political CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the conference were to; a) Encourage debate around the socio-economic and political developmental trajectory predicated on constitutional reforms, a sound macro-economic framework, strengthened national institutions, civic society engagement and re- engagement with the global community; b) Bring together government, the private sector, civic society and the international community to exchange ideas on re-engagement and investment in Zimbabwe; c) Identify lessons, constraints, design strategies and build consensus among government, the private sector, civic society and the international community in implementing policies that promote good governance; d) Build strong and joint initiatives among government, the private sector, civil society and the global community; e) Provide policy recommendations in the implementation of constitutional reforms, promoting economic recovery, strengthening national institutions and engaging with the global community; and, f) Help to strengthen initiatives towards Zimbabwe’s re-engagement with the global community. 4 OPENING REMARKS Ibbo MandaZa: SAPES Trust and Dave increasingly apparent, was a new model Peterson of NED set the tone by of African political systems which welcoming participants and re-affirming seemed to be bucking the trend of the objectives of the conference. The democratization on the continent. conference is an opportunity and a These systems happened to be not critical space for reflection, experience simply authoritarian, but in many sharing and charting a unified way respects, verging on totalitarian, forward in re-enforcing re-engagement according to the classic model of state- with global community and party-social conflation, ideological drive, consolidating democracy. The centrality and mass participation. Yet these of multi-stakeholder collaboration in countries were close partners of the Zimbabwe’s current economic, social Western democracies, particularly the and political climate cannot be US. overemphasized and SAPES is committed to facilitating the dialogue in Zimbabwe, by contrast, had been an open, forthright and constructive isolated. The elements of this new manner. The oil that drives nation authoritarianism, however, did not building lies in joining forces in the spirit seem to be present here. Instead, for all of truth, collaboration and mutual its weaknesses and dysfunction, accountability. We appreciate all the Zimbabwe seemed to have a multi-party support and contribution given to SAPES system, even during the government of by all and look forward to open and national unity. The elections, whatever forthright discussions as we chart the their flaws, including unfortunate way forward for Zimbabwe. violence, seemed to be some reflection of the popular will, especially when Dave Peterson: This is the third in a tracking them with credible polling data. series of Zimbabwe conferences we Crucially, civil society seemed to be have held in partnership with SAPES robust and operated with reasonable Trust. It really began with a freedom. Freedom of the press, despite conversation Ibbo Mandaza and I had some limitations, nevertheless some four years ago. I have known and appeared to be substantial. There was a respected Ibbo Mandaza for more than serious, independent trade union 20 years, but after having been out of movement and business community. touch for a while, I sought to tap his Few remnants remained of an all- wisdom regarding the nature of the encompassing ideology, and the kind of Zimbabwean state. I had been doing compulsory mass participation some research on some other African identified with the neo-totalitarian political systems and was coming up systems was not apparent either. I with some intriguing findings and could only conclude that there was a wanted to explore with him how they double standard at work. might apply to Zimbabwe. What I had found, and what is becoming 5 The first two conferences in this series, and culture. Freedom House has given in their own way, succeeded in pointing Zimbabwe a modest arrow ticking up out this contradiction. We brought this year, but I think there is no reason representatives of all the parties why the country should not be rated in together in Washington, along with the free category in the near future. business and labour representatives, There’s a lot of work to do, and I expect political analysts, as well as US this conference will lay out some of the government spokespersons. I would like benchmarks and strategies for getting to think these two events helped de- there. mystify Zimbabwe for some policy- makers in Washington, as well as I hope that Ambassador Wharton and contributing to the debate in Zimbabwe, his staff will be able to convey to by showing that real democratic Washington that this conference has exchange could happen among intensified the engagement between Zimbabweans and that there was the US and Zimbabwe, and has made a considerable consensus around which contribution to democracy here. In progress could be encouraged. All sides some other countries to which I have were able to express their positions travelled recently, citizens are afraid to freely, and I don’t think any of us was debate openly or express any criticism. blind to the problems and differences Other countries are consumed with and challenges that still exist. horrific civil war and even genocide. Here in Zimbabwe we are able to come This conference that is now being held together and discuss controversial in Harare is intended to take this issues openly and peacefully, in the conversation one step further. I spirit of fellow Zimbabweans and consider now to be an opportunity to international partners. That’s the way it restore friendly relations between the should be. I must make it clear that my US and Zimbabwe, both politically and remarks today are my own personal economically. I believe that with views and do not reflect the policy of implementation of the new constitution the National Endowment for and greater political will, Zimbabweans Democracy, and certainly not that of the can make sustained progress in US government. consolidating democratic institutions 6 OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE CONFERENCE