Interview: ‘Our re-engagement efforts are bearing fruits’ 

Source: Interview: ‘Our re-engagement efforts are bearing fruits’ -Newsday Zimbabwe

David Musabayana

NEWSDAY (ND) reporter Harriet Chikandiwa recently had a one-on-one interview with Foreign Affairs and International Trade deputy minister David Musabayana (DM) on a wide range of issues. Here are the excerpts of the interview.

ND: How far have you gone with the engagement and re-engagement efforts, and which countries have you made breakthroughs with?

DM: Our current foreign policy thrust as the second republic is engagement, re-engagement and re-affirmation. I am happy to state from the onset that Zimbabwe has successfully re-engaged the international community and has been readmitted into the community of nations as an equal and responsible member.

Sanctions on the country, notwithstanding, the second republic has gone a long way in engaging and re-engaging all countries and international institutions that had isolated the country since 2000 when Zimbabwe implemented the land reform programme to reverse colonial land imbalances.

Through our current foreign policy drive, we remain open to all co-operating partners irrespective of the past and try to build bridges in order to reach out to everyone. You may need to take note that Zimbabwe’s re-engagement efforts are not an event, but an ongoing process which we are undertaking seriously.

To date, we have witnessed an increase in exchange of visits and consultations from all countries, which is evidence of how far we have come since relations took a turn for the worst post-2000.

We continue to engage the European Union, United States and the United Kingdom at every opportunity. With regards to the EU, we have been having dialogue at various levels in order to deepen our understanding of each other. The EU has progressively removed most of the sanctions on the country, save for those on the Zimbabwe Defence Industry.

In February this year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa attended the EU-Africa Summit following an invitation from that body. It was the first time in decades that Zimbabwe was invited to attend such a high-level event.

All this serves to prove that our re-engagement efforts are bearing fruits. We will continue to call for the removal of the remaining EU sanctions, since the stigma of sanctions scares away investors.

Our re-engagements with the US are also going on well. For the first time, Zimbabwe was invited to attend the US-Africa Summit in December. Zimbabwe will have an opportunity to have closer and direct engagement with the US during that summit.

Zimbabwe’s re-engagement with the UK is also bearing fruits. For the first time, Mnangagwa was in the UK in 2020. He was also invited to attend the Queen (Victoria II)’s funeral this year, although he delegated that responsibility to the Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister (Fredrick Shava) because of other commitments.

All this came about as result of a deliberate foreign policy thrust of the second republic aimed at bringing Zimbabwe back into the fold of the community of nations.

ND: What efforts have you made in trying to protect Zimbabwe’s image?

DM: Zimbabwe’s foreign policy objectives are grounded in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity and the protection of its image and prestige, among others things.

As you may be aware, the significance of international engagement and re-engagement and image building is amplified in chapter 10 of the National Development Strategy 1, 2021-25 under which the Foreign Affairs and International Trade ministry will champion Zimbabwe’s efforts to improve its image and international relations.

The ministry strives to improve the battered image of the country. We are fighting tooth and nail at every opportunity that presents itself to us, so that Zimbabwe returns to its rightful place in the community of nations after years of isolation and confrontational diplomacy.

The ministry is guided by the second republic’s mantra that we do not want to leave anyone and no place behind. In advancing that policy, the ministry undertook various public diplomacy initiatives and awareness campaigns in the country and abroad. These were intended to improve the country’s perception and image.

In sprucing up the country’s image and perception, the ministry started renovations and improvements of government properties (chancelleries, residences and staff accommodation) abroad.

In the financial year 2022 alone, the ministry started renovations at its 15 buildings abroad, namely: New York, Pretoria, Washington, Johannesburg, Maputo, Gaborone, Nairobi, Lilongwe, Abuja, Windhoek, Paris, Lusaka, Ankara, Berlin and Beira.

ND: There have been issues of human trafficking, how has Zimbabwe been affected in 2022? How has the government assisted trafficked victims?

DM: Zimbabwe has not been spared from the scourge of human trafficking, especially its transnational manifestations. The increased migration by our nationals to other countries in search of the proverbial greener pastures has ended in agony for some, who have ended up being trafficked. This has been unfortunate.

The search for opportunities on the wide web has also compounded the problem, as our unsuspecting citizens have ended up being trafficked by persons promising educational opportunities, scholarships and employment abroad.

The involvement of foreign nationals has made the quest to enforce justice a complex affair. There have also been instances in which locals have been working in cahoots with foreign nationals.

Fortunately, our law enforcement agencies have worked to address these problems.

Owing to the prevalence of human trafficking, Zimbabwe enacted the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Act in 2004. The legislation criminalises the voluntary and involuntary transportation of persons, for unlawful purposes, into, outside and within Zimbabwe.

The Act laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Anti-Trafficking Inter-Ministerial Committee (ATIMC) comprising representatives drawn from key line government ministries and departments to co-ordinate the national response to human trafficking.

The Foreign Affairs and International Trade ministry heads the protection pillar (although its role cross-cuts to prevention and to some extent, partnership (co-ordination) pillar.

Apart from government agencies, the government has closely worked with stakeholders such as the International Organisation for Migration, International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, among others, as part of multi-stakeholder collaboration efforts.

The ministry is responsible for the protection of the country’s interests and the safety of Zimbabwean nationals abroad. Through our 48 diplomatic missions across the world, Zimbabwe has repatriated some of its citizens who had found themselves in unfavourable situations.

In some instances, consular visits have also been made in hotspot areas, as part of efforts aimed at assisting our nationals abroad. Clearly, our interventions have been collaborative on many fronts.

ND: How far have you gone in assisting Zimbabweans in South Africa to get permits (ZEP)?

DM: Government continues to assist Zimbabwean citizens to secure the required documents for their stay in South Africa. We have constantly been engaging with our counterparts in Pretoria to ensure that information is timeously given to our nationals in South Africa. In line with the of Foreign Affairs and International Trade ministry’s mandate, we are working to ensure that the safety of our people is guaranteed.

Through our consular function of issuing civil registration documents and complementary initiatives such as the mobile registration exercise, we have facilitated access to birth certificates and most importantly, passports which are an immigration requirement meant to comply with the immigration requirements of our citizens resident in South Africa. Our main goal is to ensure that all our nationals are documented.

Bilateral engagements regarding the modalities on the implementation of the new permit dispensation will continue between our two sister republics. To avert misinformation which has been rampant especially on social media, we will ensure that we continuously give official positions for the benefit of all our nationals.

ND: What assistance are you giving to the returning citizens?

DM: Government has set guidelines to assist returning residents under the ZEP regime. The guidelines outline a cocktail of measures to facilitate easy movement for our nationals when the policy comes into effect. Government has put regulations allowing nationals to bring their belongings duty-free, including one vehicle. For learners, government through the relevant ministries will ensure that students secure places.