The government has admitted that last week’s violent protests which left 12 people dead while several others were injured, damaged the country’s image at a time the President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration was desperately looking for international sympathy and credibility.
The violent protests came at a time when Mnangagwa was on Eurasia visit that took him to Russia, Belarus and two other countries where he had gone to establish trade relations in an effort to rebuild the ailing economy.
Presidential spokesperson, George Charamba, told the media that the protests not only put a dent on the country’s image but on all political parties.
“It’s been a damaging week for the government, for political parties, for political leadership which must, in fact, inculcate a sense of peace, a sense of order, a sense of constitutionalism in this country,” Charamba said.
The latest wave of violence came on the heel of a recent report on the Commission of Inquiry into the August 1 post-election violence, which killed six civilians after the army unleashed terror.
The Mnangagwa administration has been on a desperate attempt to woo investors into the country but political instability coupled with low confidence has made it a tall task.
There have been concerns that the country’s investment and labour laws are outdated and needs to be reformed to attract foreign investors.
However, Charamba defended the administration saying the reforms must be to the country’s interests rather than being influenced by the outside world.
“If there are senses of change, they have to follow a national trajectory which is nothing but to our interests. We have a program which has to do with the national interests of Zimbabwe and that is the trajectory we are following,” Charamba said.
It his 2018 election manifesto, Mnangagwa promised to “reopen Zimbabwe for global business while protecting the national interest and security but mending strained international relations, strengthening existing and creating new friendships.
