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INSIDE AFRICA

Current Zimbabwe Situation

Aired April 27, 2008 - 12:30:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ROBYN CURNOW, HOST: Hi there, I'm Robyn Curnow. You're a watching a special edition of INSIDE AFRICA coming to you from Johannesburg in South Africa. This week, we focus on the developments in Zimbabwe and the month- long political crisis in this country.
Now, that includes setbacks for ZANU-PF, the ruling party. We'll speak to a journalist inside the country, as well as the spokesperson for the Movement for Democratic Change, the opposition party. And we'll also hear from Jacob Zuma, the head of the ANC, South Africa's ruling party, on what he thinks why diplomacy has worked.

But first, let's go to news of the day. After a week of ballot recounting, the electoral commission in Zimbabwe has finally confirmed that the Movement for Democratic Change, the opposition party, has retained its newly won majority in parliament. So, what does all this mean? Let's go to our journalist inside Zimbabwe. We can't name him for security reasons, because, of course, CNN is banned from reporting in Zimbabwe.

But so, just tell me, how are people on the street reacting to this news?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'd be surprised (inaudible) should be some excitement, or some -- but all the anxiety is on the presidential result, which is still yet to come, and yet to be known by the public.

CURNOW: So, is there a sense that people feel this process is nearly coming to an end, that the political crisis might be coming to an end?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Judging from what the (inaudible), Zimbabwe's electoral commission said this afternoon, it seems there will be the end to this long (inaudible) yet to come, because they say they are still (inaudible) recounting and all the officials (inaudible) recounting. And then on Monday, that's when they will start looking at the presidential election. And I remember them saying (inaudible) and you can't say when the presidential results will be released.

CURNOW: So, while Zimbabweans wait in this political limbo, the international community is deeply concerned about the state of fear within Zimbabwe. Give me some sense of how people are dealing with this. Is there a culture of violence and intimidation in the country at the moment?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the moment, violence is the word, you know, people are just beaten up, left, right and center. It was about 100 kilometers north of Harare, a place called Mburuwi (ph), the situation there was dire, you know. It's (inaudible), reminding for a moment that you're in a war -- in a war situation, where people's houses are being burned down. Fortunately, there was no one injured there, but those people had to leave off the farms, which have been allocated to them on the understanding that they had voted for the opposition.

CURNOW: OK. Thank you. That's our journalist inside Zimbabwe, giving us an update on the situation. And now we're going to stay inside the country. We're now going to go to Nelson Chamisa, the spokesperson for the opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change.

Thank you very much for joining us. And this confirmation of your parliamentary majority does not make any difference?

NELSON CHAMISA, MDC SPOKESMAN: Well, our confirmation of the victory in parliament is not different at all. We actually had won 99 seats out of the 207 (ph) seats, and as far as we are concerned, this recount was useless, was a waste of time. It was a diversionary tactic. The issue is the announcement of the presidential election results. Robert Mugabe (inaudible). That is the election people are waiting for. That is the election people would want to get the result.

CURNOW: Absolutely. Also, give us a sense -- we were hearing from our reporter inside Zimbabwe about violence and intimidation. Your party, your members are being deliberately targeted. According to Human Rights Watch, there is state-sponsored violence against opposition members. Give me some sense of how you and your party is dealing with this.

CHAMISA: Well, I must say that the situation is almost getting out of hand. In fact, in the villages, in the countryside, we have killings that had taken place silently. In fact, those that have been reported, we have received (ph) over 15 deaths that have been confirmed in various areas at the hands of vigilante groups and the militia groups that have been set up by ZANU-PF. ZANU-PF has gone ahead to set up death squads (ph) in those villages. Basically, it's a way of (inaudible).

So far we had more than 3,000 families that have been internally displaced, more than 1,000 homes that have been burned down because the people had been accused of supporting MDC or advocating the cause. (AUDIO GAP). In fact, the people (inaudible) June (inaudible) participate in the March election (AUDIO GAP) is refusing to go.

CURNOW: OK. Thanks. That's Nelson Chamisa, a spokesperson for the opposition, MDC. Please bear in mind, we did try to get the ruling party on air, but to no avail.

But up next, we've got Trevor Ncube, a newspaper publisher who is always ready to give us some great analysis. Stick around to listen to that. And also, we'll be hearing from Jacob Zuma, the leader of South Africa's ruling party, on whether he thinks quiet diplomacy has worked, and what South African leaders need to do about the situation in Zimbabwe. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Hello there. I'm Robyn Curnow. You're watching a special edition of INSIDE AFRICA from Johannesburg.

Now that the electoral results have come through from Zimbabwe with the electoral officials confirming an MDC and opposition majority in parliament, what does all this mean for the political crisis in this country? Well, with us is Trevor Ncube, a Zimbabwean newspaper publisher. He often gives us some pretty good analysis in terms of analyzing (ph) exactly what all this means. So, the question is what next, Trevor?

TREVOR NCUBE, ZIMBABWEAN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER: I think clearly we're now expecting the presidential results. And since ZANU-PF has failed to rig the parliamentary results, we expect the same result that has been publicly known, which is basically that Morgan Tsvangirai is ahead of President Robert Mugabe. To be announced perhaps Monday, Tuesday.

There are (inaudible) decisions that will have to be made, is there going to be a runoff or is there going to be a negotiated settlement.

I think increasingly, one is getting the sense that there isn't an appetite on both sides, ZANU-PF and MDC, to go for a run-off, essentially because of the violence that is around -- that is taking place around the country right now, and the sense on the part of ZANU-PF that it's obvious that the world can see what Mugabe is trying to do through delaying the results and through the intimidation and the violence that is taking place. That he failed to rig the recount, and that he is not going to be allowed by the international community to rig the runoff. That is essentially where we are at the present moment.

CURNOW: Do you get a sense that there will perhaps be some sort of negotiated settlement where ZANU-PF officials can say, listen, we concede on this if you put one of our guys in the cabinet? Is there going to be that compromise?

NCUBE: I think that seems to be the most sensible thing to do right now. I think a lot of people are beginning to ask the question, is it really necessary for us to inflict further pain on Zimbabweans who have suffered so much? (AUDIO GAP) the integrity to be trusted to run another election? Is it not better for us to try to avoid more bloodshed and more pain? People are sitting around the table and finding each other around the table and finding a settlement of some sort.

And the key issue here, it looks like, is going to be -- is it possible for whoever is running these negotiations to offer some protection, to offer some guarantees to Robert Mugabe and to the people that are around him, that have been accused of violence? Is MDC able to move (ph) that step, to be able to give comfort to the military and comfort to President Robert Mugabe, so that there is an agreement that moves the country forward.

CURNOW: You mentioned the military. And we heard from the top U.S. diplomat in Africa, who told me off the record before that there was a real sense that the generals are still in charge, that Mugabe was willing to actually step down and do the honorable thing a few weeks ago.

NCUBE: Absolutely, I think it's (inaudible) fact of life. They've been a silent (inaudible) in Zimbabwe. And right now, when you talk to the people that are actually in charge, most probably Major General Constantine Chuenda (ph) and (inaudible). And I think a message needs to go out loud and clear to these two men, that the world is not going to stand aside and watch them unleashing the kind of violence that they are unleashing on Zimbabweans, and that they are not going to get away with this. That they're going to be held accountable some day, and that thought needs to be in their minds right now.

CURNOW: Thank you. As always, thanks for your analysis. Trevor Ncube, a Zimbabwean newspaper publisher.

Now, we're going to also hear after the short break from Jacob Zuma, who heads up the ANC, the ruling party here, and he's going to talk about what kind of action should be done by African rulers, and also we'll be hearing about how Zimbabwe and African nations are dealing with a global food crisis. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Making business news in Africa this week. Nigerian rebels have written a letter to U.S. President George Bush, saying they're behind recent attacks on two oil pipelines in the Niger Delta, identifying themselves as members of MEND, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. The group asks for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to mediate talks in the volatile region. A spokesman for Royal Dutch Shell confirms its pipeline was damaged. The company says it will temporarily cut shipments while workers repair the damage.

South Africa's Vodacom is one step closer to achieving its black economic empowerment deal. The mobile phone company announced a partnership with two investment groups, which is expected to be a multibillion rand transaction. The details have yet to be announced, but the plan would put more of the company's financial stake in the hands of black employees and investors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Hi, there. Welcome back to INSIDE AFRICA, a special edition coming to you from Johannesburg in South Africa. I'm Robyn Curnow.

Now, Zimbabwe's neighbors have been watching the political crisis in Zimbabwe unfold. Many critics say the time is now here for stronger action from the Southern African leaders. In fact, Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader, has said that Thabo Mbeki, the South African president seen here with Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president, just this month should be replaced as a mediator in the crisis. Many diplomats and leaders, Tsvangirai included, believe that Mbeki and the Southern African policy of quiet diplomacy has failed in Zimbabwe.

Now, Jacob Zuma, the leader of the ANC, the ruling party here, could replace Thabo Mbeki as the South African president soon. So what does he have to say about this issue? Well, he spoke to CNN's Becky Anderson about the Zimbabwe crisis, and this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACOB ZUMA, PRES., AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS: But definitely, there is something wrong with those elections. I think it is unprecedented that you have elections and the results are not published, are not announced. And (inaudible) more than two weeks. It's unfortunate, because it does not give democratic culture a good -- a good name, a good impression, particularly in our continent where we're trying to work hard to bring about democracy.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You call it unfortunate, but yet you refer to a situation of democracy. Do you believe these were democratic elections?

ZUMA: The elections themselves, as people were voting, I think for the first time, (inaudible), they were very peaceful. There was no intimidation, nothing, and everybody thought that it was going very well. I think the Zimbabweans came out in big numbers. They voted without interruption.

I think the problem came in terms of the results, of when the people were done, that's where the problem started.

So I think we need to separate the process of elections and the process of announcing the elections. That's where the problem is.

ANDERSON: There were open letters in the British press today from church leaders, calling for certain types of action, one of which was intervention. Would you support either a Security Council authorization for intervention by others, or indeed, a coalition of the willing to go into Zimbabwe if needs be?

ZUMA: No, firstly, I believe that the situation in Zimbabwe is unacceptable. I think the manner in which the electoral commission has acted has discredited itself, and therefore that is tantamount to sabotaging elections. I totally agree to that.

With regard to the remedy -- I think that is a situation we need to talk about. What is it that needs to be done in Zimbabwe? If people have good (ph) views, they will articulate that. And I'm sure those are the views that need to be tested, particularly with Zimbabweans, with the region. Naturally, what we could agree on is that something extra has to be done in Zimbabwe. But as to what, in terms of the specific things, I think that's the matter that people need to (inaudible).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: OK. Well, Zuma also told Becky Anderson that he feels it's not yet time -- the time is not yet right for an international arms embargo.

But inside Zimbabwe, the official inflation rate is a mind-boggling 160,000 percent. A loaf of bread costs about 50 million Zimbabwean dollars. That's if you can find one. Poverty and hunger are rampant.

Now, Zimbabwe, though, used to be the bread basket of Africa. Its lush, highly productive farms used to export food, but now Zimbabwe, along with 20 other African nations, are gripped by a food crisis. Jim Clancy looks at how (inaudible) and high prices are damaging the continent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From South Africa to Senegal, widespread protests over the soaring costs of food.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time the prices are rising, the (inaudible) because of the (inaudible). And the government doesn't do the real job to put the prices down.

CLANCY: Overall, world food prices are up as much as 45 percent in just nine months. Hardest hit -- staple commodities like wheat and rice. And nowhere are the effects being felt more harshly than in Africa, where many people spend as much as 75 percent of their income just on food.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not just about meals foregone today or (inaudible).

(AUDIO GAP)

CLANCY: Out of the 36 countries on the United Nations world food security crisis list, 21 are in Africa, forced to rely on food aid.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, the countries that are hardest hit are the ones that are importing food, that cannot produce it on their own, that are reliant on the outsiders, on other countries, and that of course could easily lead to tensions.

CLANCY: The global food crisis is (inaudible) existing hardships in Zimbabwe. (AUDIO GAP) Southern Africa. Government redistribution of land has left many of Zimbabwe's farms in ruin. Now, faced with empty store shelves, people are forced to cross the border for basic supplies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The responsibility lies first and foremost on the African countries and their governments to put in place the right priorities that will support agricultural development. Agriculture is the engine for economic growth.

CLANCY: Successes do exist in Africa. Malawi, once forced to import most of its food, is coming off a record year for food production. Temporary government subsidies and international support have allowed Malawi to become a net exporter of food.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Malawi story is a great one. It shows that it can be done. But these things have these -- these strategies have to be sustainable, and that is where the international community, the world, needs to support such programs like in Malawi.

CLANCY: What Africa needs today, in the view of many experts, is long-term assistance that leads to sustainable progress in agriculture. The Bush administration has announced plans to buy more food aid from local producers rather than ship it in from America. But in the short term, millions of Africans will remain at the mercy of high prices and aid from overseas.

Jim Clancy, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Stick around after this break. You'll get to sneak a peak inside Jim Clancy's personal photo album. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back to this special edition of INSIDE AFRICA. I'm Robyn Curnow here in Johannesburg. Now, in recent years, 25 percent of the Zimbabwean population has fled their country's economic meltdown and political oppression. They are of course a big part of this Zimbabwe story. Well, recently, Jim Clancy, our CNN correspondent, met a young Zimbabwean here in Johannesburg. His name is Eli Amar (ph). And we now leave you with a song Eli wrote, accompanied by some of Jim's personal photographs from a recent trip he took here to South Africa. So, thanks very much for watching INSIDE AFRICA. I'm Robyn Curnow. Bye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Eli Amar (ph). I'm a musician from Zimbabwe, and I want to dedicate this song to all my brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe and to the rest of the continent, Africa.

(MUSIC)

The song (inaudible). It's a basic story about a greedy man that doesn't want to give up power, but encouragement is (inaudible) to anybody else, but within yourself for power and strength. And jealousy and greed are the ingredients that kill and destroy our society, and we don't need more (ph), especially in Zimbabwe.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

END