Zimbabwe re-engagement efforts with EU after the new political dispensation.

Abstract

Ever since the ascendance of Emmerson Mnangagwa to the office of president in 2017, his government has been seized with mending relations mainly with western nations. The relations had soured in the early 2000s and had largely remained so in the final years of former president Mugabe. One of the entities that the administration of president Mnangagwa has sought to entice is the European Union (EU). The EU is an important player in international affairs, holding sway on many issues. It also happens to be an important partner for Zimbabwe, having been the country’s biggest trading partner and currently being a major donor to Zimbabwe.re-engagement with Brussels is therefore a priority for the new dispensation and this has been demonstrated in rhetoric and in action. However, four years after the advent of the new dispensation, EU sanctions on Zimbabwe remain as the EU argues that Zimbabwe has not met the conditions for their removal. This research sought to interrogate the issue of EU sanctions on Zimbabwe in the context of Zim-EU relations. The research considered the causes and effects of the sanctions, the actions taken by the government to mitigate their effects and steps taken to normalize relations between the two players. Using qualitative techniques, the research gathered data from officials within the government of Zimbabwe and the European Delegation in Zimbabwe to gain a deeper understanding of the sanctions issue. The study found that there is disagreement on the causes and effects of the sanctions, rendering any potential dialogue very difficult until such a time as they can agree on what brought about the sanctions in the first place. Hence, the research also found that it is possible that the government of Zimbabwe is using the sanctions as a scapegoat for its own failures. This research revealed that events of the first of August 2018, and January 2019, cases of rampant corruption, rule of law (or lack thereof) resulted in the waning of the re-engagement efforts under the mantra ‘Zimbabwe is open for businesses, and as such failed to achieve meaningful foreign direct investments. In order to rebuild the confidence and international rapport towards Zimbabwe, the study notes the critical role which can be played by implementing political and economic reforms and combating corruption