via Foreign Affairs ministry requests Zimbabwe Parly to recall ambassadors November 20, 2013 by Veneranda Langa NewsDay
THE Foreign Affairs ministry has forwarded a financial request to Parliament to recall 10 to 15 ambassadors by next month.
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Joey Bimha yesterday told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs chaired by Chipinge South MP Enock Porusingazi that the move was a normal procedure which was done after every four years when ambassadors completed their terms.
Although he did not indicate which embassies would be affected, Bimha said the recalling of ambassadors had nothing to do with the new government, but that some ambassadors had reached retirement age or were to be appointed for other key posts.
“We are moving about 10 to 15 ambassadors and it is necessary to move them because if they stay for too long they become native and we have to move them now so that they come back here and touch base,” Bimha said.
“Their recall has nothing to do with the new government, but this is a normal exercise that the ministry carries out often.”
Zimbabwe has 46 diplomatic missions which constitute 40 embassies and six consulates, as well as nine directorates in Africa, Asia, Pacific, Europe and the Americas.
Bimha said his ministry continued to suffer hostility from some Western countries such as Britain, United States of America, Canada and Australia.
“These countries have refused to recognise the Zanu PF victory in the July 31 harmonised elections, alleging that the elections were flawed and this has an effect of tarnishing the image of the country,” he said.
Bimha said there were deliberate distortions of the country’s policies by other countries, leading to investor flight, reduced tourism inflows and capital flight.
He said resource constraints affected the ministry’s operations where only 36% of its requested budget of about $63 204 000 million was allocated to his ministry in the 2013 budget.
“A large portion of our money is covering rentals at embassies. We have managed to pay salaries, but we have suffered in terms of operations and have had a situation where we did not have fuel and where if one visited our ministry we will be unable to give teas,” he said.
MPs from the committee demanded diplomatic passports, but Bimha said a list detailing who should get a diplomatic passport was prepared by Cabinet and not his ministry.
COMMENTS
Boo hoo hoo, the Foreign Affairs Ministry cannot serve tea to their visitors! This is horrible!
So Foreign Affairs got only $22,753,440 to pay for the rent on their embassies? How much did the government spend on Education? Probably far less!
Why does a country that’s broke need 46 diplomatic outlets? New York, Brussels, Beijing and SA are the only ones that are even vaguely necessary. The rest of it is an unnecessary waste of the taxpayers money.
$63 204 000 million???. Veneranda Langa NewsDay are you using zim$?
In 2011 the WHOLE WORLD GDP was $70 000 000 million
The USA alone had $14 990 000 million.
Fire all these useless criminals laundering zanupf loot masquerading as diplomats then imprison them
What has e hostility of some western countries got to do w us when we have rigidly looked east and have told them several times to go and hang or to hell. We have told them at every international forums to kip their countries and we kip ours. We also reminded them we ar not Europeans and w don’t wish to be them. U cry capital flight bt u said those not comfortable w indigenization u can leave. I still RGM telling whites go back to Europe if u don’t want my gvt and will accompany u to e erpot. The head of state and gvt and commander in chief of e defence forces who is also e pres and 1st second of zpf and patron of the dreaded militia overt, chancellor of all state varsities and vice chair of sadc once boasted he has several degrees in violence so his party must strike fear in e hearts of e whites. The leader of overts Jabu Sibanda said he hates whites if they’re in Zim. RGM also threatened and promised to take all foreign companies saka how can they stay ivo vakamboona and vachiona how their counterparts in e agric sector lost everything