THE United States and the European Union have taken a new approach towards Zimbabwe.
Democracy and human rights are no longer at the centre of relations, but minerals and trade.
For the greater part of the last two decades, the US and EU unilaterally imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe.
The sanctions ranged from economic sanctions under Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera), targeted travel sanctions to a ban on supply of military hardware and equipment.
The sanctions were implemented soon after Zimbabwe embarked on an ambitious and chaotic land reform programme in 2000.
About 8 000 commercial farms were gazetted for compulsory acquisition without compensation.
Many of the farms were invaded by militias who would torch farm houses, workers’ houses, damage equipment and forcibly takeover operations.
It was a crunch time. About a dozen white commercial farmers and over 200 farm workers died during the chaos.
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Commercial farming was disrupted.
Zimbabwe became a net importer of maize, ground-nuts, sugar, edible oils, fruits and vegetables.
On the meat and dairy products side, a significant population of animals were killed indiscriminately, further affecting supply chains.
The chaos on the farms and threats to indigenise the manufacturing sector scared many investors, who quickly divested and packed their bags and left.
Zimbabwe lost its manufacturing status in the region.
It used to be the second highest manufacturer after South Africa.
Many big multinational companies relocated to other countries, leaving many industrial areas desolate.
The Zimbabwe economy collapsed or was in survival mode.
Many workers lost their jobs, with the informal sector on a surge.
Skilled workers migrated and many became economic refugees in South Africa or Western Europe.
Zimbabwe had no option, but to look East — China, Brazil, India and Russia for economic support.
It could not borrow from multinational financial institutions such as Africa Development Bank, International Monetary Fund or the World Bank.
It had unsustainable debt and much of it was in arrears.
China and Russia took advantage of the situation.
They quickly negotiated to extend loans that were backed by mortgaging minerals.
In that light, China got large quantities of minerals such as the platinum group of minerals, chrome, iron and lithium.
In fact, China has become the biggest investor in Zimbabwe’s mining sector.
Now the EU and US want to claw back and have a stake of Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth, especially lithium and rare earths.
They have strategically and systematically started dismantling their sanction regime on Zimbabwe.
The US started by putting Zimbabwe under the Magnet-sky Act and initiatives to repeal Zidera.
Sanctions lists were redrawn, leaving only about 15 individuals and about a dozen companies.
The EU has joined the bandwagon.
This week, the EU eased sanctions on Zimbabwe.
It removed travel bans and asset freezes.
This is significant in that people who used to be on the list can now freely travel and conduct their business anywhere across the globe.
However, the EU kept the arms embargo on Zimbabwe in place.
The military cannot rearm or replenish its dwindling stocks.
Zimbabwe has to get Chinese or Russian military ware or has to discreetly buy through third parties if making acquisitions from the EU.
This puts a premium on the cost of arms.
The EU and US have gone back to nationalism, looking after their interests first and international co-operation second.
In this new reality, they don’t care about democracy and human rights or good governance.
They need minerals for their industries, energy and war resources.
This reality further complicates issues in Zimbabwe.
The present regime has initiated a process amend the Constitution for the third time since the November 2017 coup.
As traditional, the regime has tabled an omnibus amendment changing a total of 22 sections in one swoop.
These changes include abolishing direct presidential election and replacing it by election by Parliament, increasing the length of presidential and parliamentary terms from five years to seven and enlarging the Senate by allowing the president to appoint 10 senators based on technical competencies.
Interestingly, the incumbents want to benefit from the amendments they have proposed, despite the Constitution clearly stating no incumbent should benefit from an amendment.
The regime has further said there would be no referendum on the amendments.
The regime is oblivious of the apparent conflict interest by parliamentarians who have to pass the amendments and in the process benefit from a two-year extension of their term.
It seems, the regime has its ducks in a row and the world (EU/US) embroiled in their own fight for survival to think of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Zimbabwe is on its own.
For the first time in decades, Zimbabweans have to fund their own struggles for democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
They have to be ready to go to the picket lines, organise their town-hall meetings to discuss the amendments, write and amplify their own voices in mainstream and online social media platforms.
This is not negotiable. There are no other options.
The US and EU are looking aside.
Zimbabwe and have to fight and fund their battles.
The world has changed boundaries, each man for himself.
This is the new reality.
The world has crawled back into nationalism.
The EU and US no longer fund democracy and human rights or the rule of law.
They are too busy trying to extract minerals for their industries to mind about democracy.
I cannot think clearly of which George Orwell book best describes Zimbabwe at the moment — the pigs in Animal Farm or big brother in 1984.
However, whichever one chooses, we are still in perilous danger.
I’m out!
