“Afrikaners
are
African,” reported TimesLive
after
the
meeting,
which
was
intended
to
rebuild
regional
integration
and
overcome
past
hostilities.
“They
are
African.
They
live
here.
They
built
their
lives
and
businesses
here,
and
they
must
be
part
of
Africa’s
future,”
Zanu-PF
spokesman
Christopher
Mutsvangwa
is
reported
as
saying.
“Afrikaners,
like
all
Africans,
have
a
duty
to
reinvest
in
the
continent
and
contribute
to
its
growth.”
Mnangagwa
said
it
is
time
to
focus
on
rebuilding
Zimbabwe,
and
that
required
acknowledging
past
challenges
while
working
together
for
a
united
future.
“Capital
knows
no
race,
and
we
are
calling
on
all
who
identify
with
this
continent
to
invest
in
it.”
Shifting
political
winds
The
meeting
comes
the
same
week
that
Zimbabwe
started
compensating
dispossessed
white
farmers
with
an
initial
payment
of
$3.1
million
(R58
million)
out
of
a
total
of
$3.5
billion
(R66
billion)
agreed
under
the
government’s
2020
Global
Compensation
Deed
(GCD)
pledge.
This
is
an
agreement
to
compensate
nearly
4
000
former
farm
owners
for
the
seizure
of
their
farms
under
the
Fast
Track
Land
Reform
Programme
initiated
under
former
president
Robert
Mugabe
nearly
20
years
ago.
Payments
will
be
made
for
improvements
to
the
land,
not
the
land
itself.
In
another
sign
of
the
shifting
political
winds
in
the
region,
Zimbabwe
became
the
first
African
country
to
suspend
all
tariffs
on
goods
originating
in
the
US,
just
three
days
after
the
US
imposed
18%
tariffs
on
exports
from
Zimbabwe.
“In
the
spirit
of
constructing
a
mutually
beneficial
and
positive
relationship
with
the
United
States
of
America,
under
the
leadership
of
President
Trump,
I
will
direct
the
Zimbabwean
government
to
implement
a
suspension
of
all
tariffs
levied
on
goods
originating
from
the
United
States,”
wrote
Mnangagwa
on
X.
“This
measure
is
intended
to
facilitate
the
expansion
of
American
imports
within
the
Zimbabwean
market,
while
simultaneously
promoting
the
growth
of
Zimbabwean
exports
destined
for
the
United
States.”
“This
action
underscores
our
commitment
to
a
framework
of
equitable
trade
and
enhanced
bilateral
cooperation.”
The
dropping
of
tariffs
on
US
goods
and
paying
out
dispossessed
white
farmers
is
part
of
a
charm
offensive
by
Harare
to
unlock
international
financing
and
re-engage
with
international
financial
institutions
like
the
International
Monetary
Fund
and
the
World
Bank.
Mixed
reactions
in
Zimbabwe
The
outreach
to
the
Afrikaner
business
community,
with
representatives
from
sectors
such
as
agriculture
and
energy,
has
drawn
mixed
reactions
in
Zimbabwe.
Some,
such
as
political
analyst
Alex
Rungunda,
see
this
as
a
rhetorical
departure
for
Zanu-PF,
which
historically
adopted
a
confrontational
stance
on
land
and
race.
However,
it
may
also
be
a
sign
of
desperation,
he
says,
as
the
country
urgently
needs
capital
and
goodwill.
War
veterans
and
land
reform
activists
were
less
accommodating
of
the
softening
stance
on
historical
injustices.
On
Zimbabwe’s
dropping
of
tariffs
on
US
goods,
journalist
Hopewell
Chin’ono
says
the
move
is
more
political
than
economic.
“Perhaps
the
president
believes
this
could
serve
as
a
sweetener
for
his
removal
from
the
Global
Magnitsky
Human
Rights
Accountability
Act
sanctions.
A
long
shot
though!”
he wrote on
X.
Zimbabwe
did
not
coordinate
the
move
with
its
regional
partners,
whereas
the
EU
will
put
forward
its
response
to
tariffs
as
a
bloc.
“Economically,
it
does
not
make
much
sense
for
Mnangagwa
to
prioritise
appeasing
the
United
States
in
this
way
–
especially
through
unilateral
concessions
or
alignments,
given
Zimbabwe’s
trade
realities
and
regional
context,”
says
Chin’ono.
ANC
‘uncomfortable’
with
all
this
Advocate
Simba
Chitando,
chair
of
the
Zanu-PF
Sandton
branch,
speaking
in
his
private
capacity,
says
many
members
of
the
ANC
are
uncomfortable
with
the
bridges
Zanu-PF
is
building
with
the
West
and
with
white
farmers,
which
will
lead
to
rapid
economic
growth.
“They
don’t
want
Harare
to
reach
its
potential,
because
they
believe
Pretoria
would
be
weaker,
and
black
South
Africans
poorer
than
black
Zimbabweans,”
he
said.
“A
fear
that
is
at
the
root
of
xenophobia,
and
tensions
between
the
two
people.
“However,
the
world
can
no
longer
ignore
the
fact
that
Zimbabwe
is
on
the
rise
while
South
Africa
is
on
the
decline.”
Post
published
in:
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