A third eye at Tanzania ,Zimbabwe relations in the Second Republic

Opinion by Adeline Patrick Lusubilo / Tatenda Paradza.

After 37 years in power, the late former President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe was toppled via a military coup in November 2017.

His successor and former vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, promised a break from Mugabe’s authoritarian rule and economic mismanagement, declaring a “new Zimbabwe” that is “open for business.”

This article analyzes Zimbabwe’s political and economic reform efforts after Mugabe in relation to Tanzania.

Due to a highly cartelized and patronage-based economy, politics and economics are inseparable in Zimbabwe.

Although the Mnangagwa government has taken some modest steps that could be seen as an indication of progress—particularly on the economic front—there is a wide gap between the government’s reform rhetoric and the reality on the ground.

The government’s pledges have fallen short, as genuine reform has been extremely sluggish and repression has increased under Mnangagwa.

These well-rehearsed slogans appear to be largely political theater targeted at the international diplomatic community and investors.

Even where modest progress has been made, such steps appear to be largely cosmetic in many cases, a box-ticking exercise directed mainly at international actors rather than any real commitment to reform. Tanzanian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Professor Emmanuel Mbennah in 2021 posited that Harare and Dar es Salaam have strong political and historical ties and will enhance economic cooperation to improve the welfare of their citizens. Indeed, Zimbabwe and Tanzania are long standing friends, historical ties go far back from early 1960s from the time when the struggle for independence was being fought.
The two nations stand together when it comes to working with other nations on the continent and abroad.” Prof Mbennah, whose country achieved a middle-income economy in 2020, said the policies being vigorously pursued by President Mnangagwa under the Second Republic will see Zimbabwe attaining an upper middle economy by 2030.
“The Government is very clear that Zimbabwe is open for business and that goes beyond the expressions,” he said. “The environment is very conducive and attractive for investment, business and economic activity.

“I hope the world is looking and seeing for themselves that Zimbabwe is the place to go, a place not to hesitate or wonder.” Prof Mbennah said the two counties will be following up on the five agreements signed under the Zimbabwe-Tanzania Joint Permanent Commission Cooperation in 2019.

The MoUs are on diplomatic and political consultation, cooperation on economic, industry and trade relations, tourism development, promotion of small and medium enterprises development and cooperation towards the promotion and empowerment of women, gender equality and community development.

“Those agreements are still in place; there was a little bit of a slowdown due to the pandemic in executing some of the things that are stipulated in those agreements. Both countries remain committed to executing the areas under the agreement,” he said.

On infrastructure development, Prof Mbennah said the two nations share joint vision that infrastructure was key to national development and prosperity. “In terms of infrastructure development, the joint vision to have strong infrastructure is in the area of cooperation in supporting each other and how we share resources, be they financial or technical to make sure that we both move forward in developing our countries,” he said.

However, although Tanzania achieved a middle-income status in 2020, the country’s economic growth is not guaranteed to produce a direct impact on the well-being of the most poverty-impacted and vulnerable people least say for Zimbabwe (World Bank, 2021).

For example, the 2019 Tanzanian Mainland Poverty Assessment noted that, despite sustained economic growth and a persistent decline in poverty, the absolute number of poor people increased from 13 million in 2007, to 14 million in 2019.

The same assessment concludes that for every four Tanzanians who moved out of poverty, three fell into it. Many Tanzanians who live just above the poverty line are at risk of slipping below it. Beyond the persistent gaps between urban and rural areas, there are also substantial disparities in the distribution of poverty across geographic regions (World Bank, 2021).
Furthermore, in 2019 under President Mnangangwa, Zimbabwe and Tanzania were set to further deepen bilateral ties as they are scheduled to hold a three-day Joint Permanent Commission on Co-operation (JPCC) in Harare. The last JPCC between the two countries was held in Dar es Salaam in 1998. The revival of the commission underlines President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s commitment to engage and re-engage with African countries and beyond.

The then Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, late, Dr Sibusiso Moyo and Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Co-operation Professor Palamagamba Kabudi led the delegations from the two countries. In a statement, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ministry spokesperson Mr Shepherd Gwenzi posited the JPCC seeks to leverage on sound political relations between Harare and Dar es Salaam. “The excellent political relations between Zimbabwe and Tanzania date back to the days of the liberation struggle when the latter gave us invaluable moral, political, diplomatic and material assistance. Since the attainment of our independence, these relations have continued to blossom.”
“However, trade relations between Zimbabwe and Tanzania are not commensurate with the close political relations between the two countries.” Mr Gwenzi said trade between the two countries “is very low”, with statistics showing that volumes amounted to US$8,5 million and US$9,5 million in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

He said the JPCC will scale up co-operation in existing and new ventures as well as improve socio-economic relations. “There is some cross-investment in each other’s country by the private sector. Notable Zimbabwean companies such as SeedCo and BancABC have investments in Tanzania. Tanzanian companies have also invested in Zimbabwe, notably Bhakresa Holdings, which acquired Blue Ribbon Foods.
“Another Bhakresa subsidiary, Azani TV, has applied for a license to operate in Zimbabwe. The two countries also continue to co-operate in the aviation, education and defence sectors and are exploring new areas to consolidate their bilateral relations.

The upcoming JPCC, therefore, is expected to broaden and deepen bilateral cooperation between Zimbabwe and Tanzania for the mutual benefit of the two people.” Mr Gwenzi said Tanzania was the first African country to donate food and medical supplies to Zimbabwe following the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai.
In May 2019, Tanzania’s President Magufuli visited Zimbabwe and extended his stay in the country as he knuckled down to strengthening ties between the two countries.

In conclusion, while it may be too early to conclude on the political, economic and social impact the 2 countries has made, it is also important to take note of the significant strides that have been taken to improve the relations.

Adeline Patrick Lusubilo and Tatenda Paradza are final year international relations students at Africa University Zimbabwe.They write in their own capacity.