Was the Global Alliance for Zimbabwe a Day After Mugabe project?

Although on its website the Global Alliance for Zimbabwe, which was registered as a charitable organisation in Washington DC in July 2011 by Movement for Democratic Change treasurer Roy Bennett, said it was “a worldwide effort to ensure non-violent, fair, and free elections in Zimbabwe”, its certificates of registration and incorporation did not mention the MDC or politics at all making one wonder what Bennett was really up to.

Instead, GAZ’s papers filed with the Corporations Division of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs of the Government of the District of Columbia say its main business was “promoting the common business interests of US entities conducting or contemplating conducting business in Zimbabwe, US business entities acquiring or contemplating acquiring products and services produced in Zimbabwe, and business located in Zimbabwe that desire to do business with US companies”.

This was quite a bizarre purpose considering that Zimbabwe was, and still is, under United States sanctions which have seen some innocent Zimbabweans having their funds confiscated even though they are not on the designated list.

Its articles of incorporation said the Global Alliance of Zimbabwe was formed to “to unite in a common organization and promote the common business interests of:

• U.S. business entities conducting or contemplating conducting business in the Republic of Zimbabwe,
• U.S. business entities that acquire or contemplate acquiring products or services produced in the Republic of Zimbabwe, and
• businesses located in the Republic of Zimbabwe that desire to do business with U.S. companies or have U.S. companies conduct business in the Republic of Zimbabwe

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