1. The Need for U.S. Involvement in Resolving the Zimbabwe Crisis
The formation of the unity government in Zimbabwe under the Global Political Agreement
(GPA) presented an important opportunity. However, the GPA has not resulted in meaningful
change for the majority of people who continue to require humanitarian support.
Background on Zimbabwe:
The Global Political Agreement (GPA) was signed on September 15, 2008, following protracted violence
and contentious negotiations in the wake of disputed election results in March and June 2008. The
GPA, negotiated and guaranteed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), was an
agreement between Zimbabwe’s three main political parties: President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF,
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)-T, and Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambura’s MDC-M. Under the GPA, the parties were to share power under the new
Government of National Unity (GNU), with the stated goal of creating “a genuine, viable, permanent,
sustainable and nationally acceptable solution” to the problems Zimbabwe faces. Chief among the
GNU’s new challenges was to consult with the people of Zimbabwe to draft a new constitution.
However, the GPA was not implemented until February 11, 2009, when the GNU was officially
established and most MDC-T/MDC-M members took their ministerial positions in the new Cabinet.
An Update on the Current Crisis:
Zimbabwe has had a long history of political violence, economic collapse, human rights violations, food
scarcity and health crises. While Zimbabwe experienced some semblance of stability following the
establishment of the unity government in February 2009, the truce was clearly unsustainable, as it lacked
genuine reforms. Food insecurity remains a pressing problem and most Zimbabweans continue to live
in extreme poverty. Moreover, incidents of political violence continue in violation of the GPA. As a
result of continued breaches, Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s MDC formation disengaged from the unity
government, forcing SADC to intervene. On 5 November 2009, SADC announced that the parties had
reached an understanding and renewed their commitment to the GPA. As part of this compromise,
Tsvangirai agreed to ‘suspend [his party’s] disengagement’ for 30 days, during which time the ZANU-PF
has promised to fully implement the GPA. Considering the ZANU-PF’s history of flagrantly breaching
the GPA, however, it is unlikely that they will live up to their promises, and there is no telling what will
happen to the GNU if this tenuous new agreement falters.
Situation on the Ground:
Despite modest improvements in Zimbabwe’s economy, the country’s human rights situation remains
grim. Little has changed in the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans. The GPA contains provisions promising
an end to violence and the disbanding of structures of violence, respect for human rights, and security
sector reform, but these promises are generally ignored by the GNU. A climate of fear prevails as
ordinary citizens are subjected to daily harassment by corrupt police forces seeking to supplement their
income through bribery. Rights to freedom of speech and association are routinely violated, and recently
violations have become even more extreme. Human rights defenders and opposition supporters are
frequently harassed, intimidated, arbitrarily arrested and detained and are often abducted and tortured for
protesting the abuses of President Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party. Women, whose equality is explicitly
recognized in the GPA, remain second-class citizens and the victims of violence.
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2. Zimbabwe’s once highly advanced education system has seriously deteriorated. Zimbabwean children
are largely denied their right to education. Teachers, unable to earn a living wage, have resorted to
demanding incentives from parents. This, on top of exorbitant school fees and uniform and book costs,
has contributed to high numbers of dropouts. School closures due to a shortage of teachers and a lack of
textbooks and other facilities, including water, have also weakened the school system to the point of
collapse. Teachers and schools also remain a priority target for state-sponsored harassment and threats.
Although Zimbabwe declared an end to last year’s cholera epidemic in July 2009, it now faces another
outbreak that could prove catastrophic as the rainy season approaches and widespread water cuts and
sewage inadequacies remain a fact of life in most cities. The healthcare sector is ill-prepared to handle
daily health demands, let alone another wide-scale outbreak of cholera, as most hospitals remain severely
under-resourced. In this context, Zimbabweans continue to die from treatable diseases. Zimbabweans
have the lowest life expectancy in the world, as the combination of HIV/AIDS, malnutrition and
opportunistic infections hound people into early graves.
In addition, Zimbabwe continues to experience severe food shortages, particularly in rural areas. In early
2009, 7.3 million Zimbabweans were on food aid. Experts predict food shortages to continue as
harvests fall short of the population’s minimum needs, and as once again, Zimbabwe has failed to
prioritize preparation for the agricultural season. Politicians have a history of using food as a political
weapon, and with a referendum and/or election approaching, the hungry are extremely vulnerable.
Lastly, though the economy has improved, 94% of the nation’s citizens remain unemployed, and
informal trade has been criminalized by a state that allows looting to perpetuate its systems of patronage.
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA):
WOZA is the recipient of the 2009 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. WOZA was formed in
2003 as a social justice movement to provide a platform for Zimbabweans to speak out on issues
affecting their daily lives and to hold their leaders accountable through nonviolent direct action.
The RFK Center for Human Rights and Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) respectfully
request that the United States Government take the following actions:
1. Continue to provide humanitarian aid that has saved lives in Zimbabwe, but adopt stringent
controls to ensure this help goes directly and equitably to ALL persons in need.
2. Assist with civic education to strengthen Zimbabwean’s understanding of and participation in
democratic practice. Provide technical assistance where possible to build and enhance
democratic institutions.
3. Urge the SADC and AU leaders, as the guarantors of the GPA, to ensure that the parties to the
agreement conform to their obligations under the GPA, particularly with respect to human rights
reforms. The leaders should pay particular attention to the ZANU-PF’s treatment of human
rights defenders, including the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
4. Work closely with SADC to develop an independent monitoring commission to observe the
parties’ progress under the GPA in Zimbabwe, from month to month, to ensure the GNU’s
compliance.
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For more information please contact:
Sushetha Gopallawa, Advocacy Director, (202) 463-7575 x270, gopallawa@rfkcenter.org
www.rfkcenter.org
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