DFID's Assistance to Zimbabwe
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House of Commons International Development Committee DFID's Assistance to Zimbabwe Eighth Report of Session 2009–10 Volume II Oral and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 16 March 2010 HC 252-II Published on 26 March 2010 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £0.00 International Development Committee The International Development Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for International Development and its associated public bodies. Current membership Malcolm Bruce MP (Liberal Democrat, Gordon) (Chairman) John Battle MP (Labour, Leeds West) Hugh Bayley MP (Labour, City of York) Richard Burden MP (Labour, Birmingham Northfield) Mr Nigel Evans MP (Conservative, Ribble Valley) Mr Mark Hendrick MP (Labour Co-op, Preston) Daniel Kawczynski MP (Conservative, Shrewsbury and Atcham) Mr Mark Lancaster MP (Conservative, Milton Keynes North East) Mr Virendra Sharma (Labour, Ealing Southall) Mr Marsha Singh MP (Labour, Bradford West) Andrew Stunell (Liberal Democrat, Hazel Grove) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/indcom Committee staff The staff of the Committee are Carol Oxborough (Clerk), Keith Neary (Second Clerk), Anna Dickson (Committee Specialist), Ian Hook (Senior Committee Assistant), Vanessa Hallinan (Committee Assistant), and Alex Paterson (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the International Development Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 1223; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] Witnesses Tuesday 26 January 2010 Page Mr Donald Steinberg, Deputy President (Policy), International Crisis Group; Ev 1 Professor Teddy Brett, Associate Programme Director, London School of Economics; and Dr Steve Kibble, Zimbabwe Europe Network Mr Rob Rees, Africa Advocacy Co-ordinator, CAFOD; Mr William Anderson, Ev 10 Country Manager Zimbabwe, Christian Aid; and Mr Justin Byworth, Chief Executive, World Vision Tuesday 23 February 2010 Mr Gareth Thomas MP, Minister of State, and Mr Mark Lowcock, Director Ev 18 General, Country Programmes, Department for International Development, and Mr John Dennis, Head of Zimbabwe Unit, Foreign and Commonwealth Office List of written evidence Action for Southern Africa Ev 35 Professor E.A. Brett Ev 38 CARE International UK Ev 41 Christian Aid Ev 42 Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) and the Local Government Ev 44 Association of England and Wales (LGA) Consortium for Street Children Ev 47 Department for International Development Ev 48; 94; 95 Dr Steve Kibble Ev 63 Leonard Cheshire Disability Ev 75 Donald Steinburg, Deputy President, International Crisis Group Ev 77 TUC Ev 80 WOMANKIND Worldwide Ev 85 World Vision UK Ev 88 List of unprinted evidence The following written evidence has been reported to the House, but to save printing costs has not been printed and copies have been placed in the House of Commons Library, where they may be inspected by Members. Other copies are in the Parliamentary Archives (www.parliament.uk/archives), and are available to the public for inspection. Requests for inspection should be addressed to The Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament, London SW1A 0PW (tel. 020 7219 3074; email [email protected]). Opening hours are from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm on Mondays to Fridays. “Who Controls the ‘New’ Zimbabwe?” – Unpublished paper by Dr Steve Kibble, Zimbabwe European Network, 24 February 2009 Processed: 22-03-2010 23:06:55 Page Layout: COENEW [SO] PPSysB Job: 002028 Unit: PAG1 International Development Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the International Development Committee on Tuesday 26 January 2010 Members present Malcolm Bruce, in the Chair John Battle Mr Virendra Sharma Hugh Bayley Andrew Stunell Richard Burden Witnesses: Mr Donald Steinberg, Deputy President (Policy), International Crisis Group; Professor Teddy Brett, Associate Programme Director, London School of Economics; and Dr Steve Kibble, Zimbabwe Europe Network, gave evidence. Q1 Chairman: Thank you very much for coming in. Government of National Unity that performs after As I think you will know, the Committee is actually a fashion; we have seen the creation of a plan for visiting Zimbabwe next week and we are obviously national reconstruction that has worked to at least anxious to get your expertise and your views to help convince international donors that something us focus our questions. Can I say that we have a serious is going on here. At the same time we have particularly busy week as we are going away next seen a continuation of farm seizures—about 150 week, so we are a little bit tight for time. We do want during the course of the last year; we have seen a to hear from you, but perhaps if you could be continuation of intimidation; we have seen hard line reasonably crisp with your answers; not all of you elements within ZANU-PF in particular stifle the have to comment on every question, but do tell us working of this Government. So the question is: are what you think we need to know. If we can start with you seeing a process that is moving towards a the general political situation, which is clearly successful conclusion or are we about to see the complicated. The Government of National Unity process fall apart? I think that there are three formal has been in existence for coming on for a year. challenges that we have to see met and three Obviously there has been dollarization of the informal challenges. Just very quickly, on the formal economy which seems to have led to some recovery, side we have to see completion of the Global and there is some indication that there are things in Political Agreement. There are a number of key steps the shops; that schools are functioning, and so on. that have to proceed. We have seen some good However, from your perspective what do you believe movement, both in terms of formation of the is the current political and economic situation; and Government and formation of committees on how firmly is the Global Political Agreement human rights, on the media, on electoral processes, embedded? It has had a pretty rocky road; so if you but the record is still very mixed. We have not seen could give us a take on that? I should have asked the National Security Council, for example, take you, for the record, to introduce yourselves, so if you over the security dimension from the heinous Joint could do that first? Operations Command; we have not seen the Mr Steinberg: I am Donald Steinberg and I am appointment of MDC governors; we have not seen Deputy President for Policy of the International a resolution of the issues regarding the Chairman of Crisis Group. the Reserve Bank, Gideon Gono, or the Attorney Dr Kibble: Steve Kibble, representing the Zimbabwe General. So that is a real question. The second Europe Network. formal challenge is to complete the constitution. Professor Brett: Teddy Brett from the London There is a process underway right now; it is stalling School of Economics. for the time being but I think there are some Mr Steinberg: Mr Chairman, when Morgan relatively good signs out there that people Tsvangirai and the MDC decided to join the Unity understand that this is not a process that can be run Government last January I think a lot of people said exclusively by the Executive and by the legislature. It that he was setting himself up for a fall; that he was is a people-orientated process—or at least it should simply the latest victim of Robert Mugabe’s attempt be. There are other signs that the Kariba Draft, to divide and conquer and that the Government of which is the anti-democratic executive power National Unity was doomed from the word go. In structure draft that was agreed to before, is being put the year since that Government was formed we have aside and that would be a positive element. On the seen enough evidence to justify the views of sceptics elections, I think there is an emerging view that 2011 but enough evidence as well to justify the faith that would be too soon to hold elections and we as the Morgan Tsvangirai, Arthur Mutambara and others International Crisis Group would support that view. had in that process. We have indeed seen a We believe that holding premature elections, solidification of the economic situation—very little allowing politics to reassert themselves at this point new growth but stability, a currency that is stable, would be a somewhat dangerous process. I think the goods returning to market places. We are seeing a MDC is coming to that view as well, both as they try Processed: 22-03-2010 23:06:55 Page Layout: COENEW [E] PPSysB Job: 002028 Unit: PAG1 Ev 2 International Development Committee: Evidence 26 January 2010 Mr Donald Steinberg, Professor Teddy Brett and Dr Steve Kibble to show the people of Zimbabwe that they are Unity-inclusive Government is actually a plus. But reasonable stewards of the public domain, and also the major decisions have still to be confronted, in they are very concerned about how the military my opinion. would react to the election of the MDC at that point, Professor Brett: I think that was a very useful which I think is a forgone conclusion.