20101118
africanews

Former Mozambican President and top ZANU (PF) ally Joachim Chisano said politicking and not sanctions is the country's top drivers for the economic problems the southern African country has been going through.

Speaking at a public lecture he delivered at Midlands State University at the weekend, the African statesman said the country was suffering from costs of political conflict.

“The ravages to the Zimbabwean economy wrought by the political crisis of the last 10 years have been documented by many economic and political analysts,” Chisano said.

He however gave credit to the current inclusive Government formed between President Robert Mugabe (Zanu PF), Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T) and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara of MDC-M, saying it had created a business environment good enough to encourage investment, noting market friendly policies and an end to price controls after the introduction of a multi-currency regime.

“These policies include the adoption of stable multiple currencies, liberalization of the current account, removal of price controls and distortions as well as the removal of surrender requirements on exporters’ foreign exchange earnings,” he said.

Chisano, in his lecture however never mentioned an issue of sanctions as being the drivers and causes of the country’s economic challenges as alleged by ZANU (PF). He instead indicated that the inclusive Government had brought to the country stability.

Recently the Zimbabwean Vice President John Nkomo who is also the national chairperson of the Organ on National Healing said that it had been a mistake on the part of their party to enter into a Government of National Unity (GNU) with the two MDC factions.