Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe today  Inflation rate of +2,200%, will rise to 5,000%  Only 20% of people formally employed  % of our workforce in the Diaspora  Lowest life expectancy on earth: 34 years for women and 37 for men  One of highest HIV rates: over 20%  GDP has shrunk by over 40% in six years  Urban poverty has quadrupled in five years  Health, education and food production collapsed

Comparative HDI levels over time: Source, UNDP. The graph ends in 2004: since the demolitions in 2005, HDI has fallen even more steeply: we are in 2007 way below Sub Saharan Africa HDI.

Zimbabwe: a legacy of torture with impunity 1890 – 1980: colonial rule: repressive laws, torture and oppression, ending with Independence and a general amnesty in : “Gukurahundi”: massacres and torture by Mugabe Government in western Zimbabwe, ending with an amnesty in : Torture, state organised violence and rigged elections  destruction of social fabric  Youth militia training  “war veterans” and torture  Torture in police custody

Operation Murambatsvina: “discarding the filth”  700,000 Zimbabweans have their homes destroyed in six weeks, in June-July 2005  An attempt to de-urbanise the population, and punish opposition  An attempt to control the informal sector The result 2007:  Massive urban poverty and overcrowding  Premature death  Children out of school, and working

The role of the church and civil society  To strive for justice, speak out: when we stand with the tortured, displaced, hungry, we do God’s Will.  Zimbabweans are disunited and afraid: the Church needs to show leadership  Work for transformation in Zimbabwe: getting rid of Mugabe will not solve the problems  We need accountable leaders, democratic institutions, new constitution and a means of enforcing it.

Events since 11 March arrests  Arrests and torture of more than 50 attending a prayer service  International outrage: Extraordinary SADC meeting  Pres Mbeki asked to head new initiative to oversee transformation in Zimbabwe, in particular reforms to ensure free and fair elections This is a fragile but important process that should be supported in every way

What we need from the SADC initiative  an end to political violence and intimidation  repeal of repressive legislation and unjust laws  opening up of political space, including media access  policies to address the economic and humanitarian crisis  the development of a people-driven Constitution that entrenches democratic, just and accountable governance  an electoral and legal framework that ensures free and fair electoral processes  agreed-to principles of governance and a leadership code  a defined process to achieve truth, justice and reconciliation

What Australia can do  Support the SADC initiative by encouraging SADC leaders to keep it on track  Support civil society processes that should parallel the political talks: to ensure a broad-based ownership of any reforms we need all interested parties in Zimbabwe to discuss and make recommendations to the main negotiating process  Continue to support appeals for humanitarian aid

Amos 6, verses 4 to 7. “Woe to those who lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David invent for themselves instruments of music; who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore they shall now be the first of those to go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves shall pass away.”