GERMANY - BERLIN - Zimbabwe Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai is scheduled to hold high-powered secret talks with European Union officials and top guns at a German company which used to help Zimbabwe supply its banknotes but ended links earlier this year amid outrage over the situation in Zimbabwe.

 

Tsvangirai arrived in German on Wednesday to table an urgent appeal to power houses in European countries to be generous with food aid to alleviate increasingly critical food shortages in his crisis-torn country, held to ransom by Marxist ex-guerilla leader, Robert Mugabe who has lost elections to the opposition but is refusing to let go of power.

 

While Tsvangirai told a news conference in Berlin that President Mugabe and his minority government could not govern without the support of the MDC, top level MDC sources in Harare said Tsvangirai had lined up top level meetings with EU and officials from company Giesecke & Devrient with talks reportedly set to center on the possibility of lifting the ban to provide banknote paper if the deal flies and Mugabe allows the MDC to join government as an equal partner.

ZimDaily heard that Tsvangirai, who is on a journey to campaign for more support for his country, wanted guarantees that supply of banknote paper would be availed in the short term to ease the cash crunch if there was an agreement and Mugabe allows the fair division of the ten disputed Cabinet posts, permanent secretary appointments and diplomatic appointments as well.

The MDC wants to banish the profligate printing of money once in government and force the central bank to revert to its traditional role. Giesecke & Devrient announced in July that it had taken the decision to withdraw from Zimbabwe following an official request to do so from the German government.

ZimDaily heard that Tsvangirai was set to discuss this issue with top officials in the German Foreign Office. German's cut off of banknote paper to Zimbabwe was a reaction to the political tension in Zimbabwe, which was mounting significantly rather than easing as expected ahead of the run off vote in June.

There have been significant changes since the signing of the power-sharing agreement, with the stance of the international community mellowing, including public opinion, because of the glimmer of hope presented by the Sept agreement.

Top MDC sources said Tsvangirai was acutely worried about the hardships of the people in accessing cash and how the crisis was grinding to a halt the wheels of commerce and industry.
Hyperinflation, which has risen as high as 230 million percent on an annual basis, has hit Zimbabwe's economy and accelerated the political crisis in the country.

The SADC has called for a government of national unity to be formed immediately but Tsvangirai has said it will not happen until he and Mugabe are able to share security ministries, adding Mugabe could not be allowed to have a monopoly over them when he lost the elections. The MDC fears that Mugabe wanted to use them against the opposition.

ZimDaily heard that Tsvangirai was likely to meet Dr. Karsten Ottenberg, chair of the management board and CEO of G&D, and to explain to him whether the Zimbabwean situation was increasing or decreasing tensions.

Following termination of banknote paper supplies to Zimbabwe, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s governor, Gideon Gono, issued a press release stating that its operations will not be disrupted by the action, and that contingency plans have been put into effect.

 

The crisis has proved him wrong. The RBZ has been out of depth in dealing with the unprecedented cash crunch that has seen long winding queues at banking halls where depositors can only access a maximum of a paltry ZD500 000 which can only buy three tomatoes.

An inclusive government with the MDC having control of Finance is widely expected to solve the cash crisis once and for all.

 

 

 

 

 

JOKE OF THE DAY - A Zimbo who had not drank water for a long time and was very broke but badly needed a drink, went into a bar and challenged the bar man to give him small amounts of any brand of beer, spirit, brandy, whisky and their mixtures and he would be able to tell the bar man what the contents were. The bar man tried all he could but the Zimbo came out with the correct answers.

 

Finally he was ordered to go out for the last test and when summoned back he was given a glass of water to which he said “I am sorry, I have never tested this one before but if you were to market it, it wont sell.

 

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