Mnangagwa determined to forge ahead despite sanctions

Q: Sorry to come back on the question of financial loans, with IMF and the World Bank out, what is your plan? Are you going to get a loan from China, Saudi Arabia, Japan or any country to tackle the debt question?

A: The IFIs are not totally out. We are going to make an appeal to the Paris Club to deal with the debt so that perhaps we can succeed to have some of it to be perhaps cancelled or rescheduled.

But on a bilateral level, we relate with many countries: Russia, China, Japan, Brazil, India — many countries — and we discuss bilateral support. That is how we are approaching it.

Q: Do you have a target amount of the debt you want cancelled by the West?

A: Currently, our external debt is about US$8 billion. My Finance Minister (Professor Mthuli Ncube) is discussing with the creditors, some may wish to cancel, others may wish to reschedule. It’s not us who decide. But that should not be the saviour for Zimbabwe. The saviour for Zimbabwe should be us to say what resources do we have and how we can use those resources to grow our own economy and modernise our own economy.

Q: Can you say what is caused by the drought has become a humanitarian crisis, with people struggling for food?

A: No! We have capacity currently. In past seasons, we had a surplus and we kept a strategic reserve to feed our people. The strategic reserve for feeding our people is still there and we are using it. But (it) cannot bridge us from one season to the other. That is why we are appealing for support to bridge the gap from November to March next year. We have enough food to feed our people for the next two to three months, but we are busy looking for support to bridge the gap to the next season.

Q: If some of the US$8 billion debt you owe is cancelled, is it your plan to have support from IMF and the IFIs?

A: I do not think you were listening. The Bretton Woods institutions are controlled mainly by America and America is bound by ZDERA, which forbids these institutions to extend lines of credit to Zimbabwe. What is critically important is removal of ZDERA. We are busy discussing with the Trump administration to remove ZDERA.

Q: I understand the United States is concerned by the issue of restrictive laws in Zimbabwe?

A: There is Posa and Aippa, which are in the process of being repealed. We are not repealing to please America, we are repealing because it is necessary for us. It is for Zimbabwe and if it helps the Americans, so be it.

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