'Don't give Mugabe money'

As President Robert Mugabe steps on the American soil this week for the annual United Nations (UN) General Assembly meeting — the world is being reminded of the "dangers" of rescuing his stone  broke government with a bailout package.

Mugabe will join other world leaders in New York this week for the UN assembly at a time his government has come under the microscope for human rights violations which include police crushing of lawful demonstrations.

On Friday, an arch critic of his government, Patson Dzamara, petitioned the World Bank(WB) not to deal with Mugabe's government in its efforts to attract international financiers for the country's dying economy.

In presenting his petition to the WB president Jim Yong Kim at their headquarters in Washington, Dzamara said Mugabe's government did not deserve funding because of its treatment of dissenters.

"For an international institution such as the World Bank to now even consider extending financial help to such a government is more than disappointing, it is a betrayal.

"Let me be clear. Any such financial aid should NOT be extended to Zimbabweans, and would NOT benefit people on the ground,' said Dzamara.

"Quite the contrary, it would extend the life-span of a crumbling regime that is harmful to the future of the people and nation of Zimbabwe.

"It is actually likely that such financial support would directly fund the very mechanisms, physical and otherwise, that cause such harm to a long-suffering population.

"The on-going unrest in Zimbabwe is a result of a patient and consistent attempt to be heard by our own government.

"They have ignored our plight, and in their intransigence, cracked down on their own citizens, leading to many often horrific human rights violations,'' he added.

Patson is younger brother of Itai who went missing more than a year ago amid allegations that he had been "abducted" by security agents.

The journalist-cum-activist has not been found since despite police launching an investigation which has been dismissed by the family on claims that it is half-hearted.

Patson's petition to the WB comes as Mugabe's government is reeling from acute shortages of currency which critics say is a result of mismanagement and pillaging of the country's once vibrant economy.

The economic turmoil has seen government failing to pay civil servants on time and last week Mugabe reversed austerity measures announced by Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa which included culling the bloated civil service and suspending bonuses among a raft of other measures.

Dzamara said re-engaging with Zimbabwe would be a catastrophic and irresponsible mistake that would only serve to extend the financial lifeline of the Zanu-PF regime.

"For over a decade, despite cosmetic changes and several elections of questionable validity, this same government in its various incarnations has presided over the catastrophic decline of the economy," Dzamara said.

"The effects of this economic mismanagement are well-recorded. Standards of living in Zimbabwe have declined to subsistence level, the education and health systems have largely collapsed. Calling the result ‘misery' for the majority of the population that has remained in Zimbabwe is no understatement."