Zimbabwe diplomats unpaid as forex crisis bites

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• Zim envoy to Botswana says Gukurahundi a Western conspiracy

• Zimbabwe envoy to Botswana cases stir

By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE has closed some of its embassies, mainly in Asia, and its foreign envoys are going for months without pay, a parliamentary committee heard Tuesday.

The country which is gripped by an unprecedented economic crisis has also failed to raise foreign currency to pay rentals for buildings housing its foreign missions, according to Joey Bimha, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bimha was giving evidence before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign and International Trade.

He said some Zimbabwean diplomats had complained to the ministry that “their rentals have not been paid for two months ... their salaries are behind by three months.”

He told MPs: “They understand the difficult situation we are in ... missions have fallen behind in covering their rentals, utilities and salaries.”

He said the country’s Embassies in Britain and South Africa were the busiest as more Zimbabweans seek new opportunities in the two countries. A recent report suggested there were over two million Zimbabweans in South Africa.

The Zimbabwean government had no official figures on citizens living abroad, Bimha said, adding that some of them entered foreign countries illegally, and "may not come back".

Bimha revealed Zimbabwean embassies had ceased providing financial or material support for bereaved families in foreign countries due to cash shortages.

He told MPs: “In case of death, in the past we were able to assist in the repatriation of bodies (from foreign countries). Now we are not able to assist financially. We now assist with the paperwork."

At a time when President Robert Mugabe has been hailing new relations with Asian countries, and urging other African countries to "Look East where the sun rises", Bimha revealed the ministry had failed to open up embassies in those countries due to cash shortages.

But the country would maintain a presence in "hostile countries", he said.

“Because of financial constrains we have been closing other missions that have not been performing. We will not close those in countries that are hostile to us. During the cold war, the Americans had the biggest mission in Moscow and
the Russians had the biggest mission in America,” Bimha said.

He claimed diplomats in western capitals have been successful in changing perceptions about Zimbabwe as witnessed by increased tourist arrivals.

Zimbabwe's inflation surged to 1600% this week as pressure mounted on President Robert Mugabe to roll out his exit strategy after 27 years in power.

The country's civil servants are threatening open-ended strikes and the opposition parties are mulling street protests against a plan by Mugabe's supporters to push through a controversial two-year term extension for the 83-year-old beyond 2008.
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