HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; A plane has left Zimbabwe for Singapore carrying government officials and relatives to bring home the body of Robert Mugabe, but it was still not clear where the former leader would be buried, a family spokesman said on Monday.



Mugabe’s family is pushing back against the government’s plan to bury him at the National Heroes Acre monument in Harare and wants him to be interred in his home village, relatives have told Reuters.



Leo Mugabe, the late president’s nephew and family spokesman, said a charter plane left Harare for Singapore just after 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Monday.



Mugabe’s body was expected to arrive in Zimbabwe on Wednesday at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT), Leo Mugabe told Reuters.



But when pressed on where Mugabe would be buried, Leo Mugabe was non-committal.



“Mugabe was a chief and he will be buried in accordance with tradition. The chiefs have not told us where he will be buried, so it is not clear yet. I also don’t know,” he said.



In some parts of Zimbabwe, burials of chiefs are a secret affair and people are only told the resting place afterwards.



Mugabe died on Friday aged 95 in Singapore, where he had long received medical treatment. He had dominated Zimbabwean politics for almost four decades from independence in 1980 until he was removed by his own army in a November 2017 coup.



Revered by many as a liberator who freed his people from white minority rule, Mugabe was vilified by others for wrecking one of Africa’s most promising economies and ruthlessly crushing his opponents.



Mugabe’s resting place has been a topic of discussion since the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper reported last month that Mugabe would snub the offer of a burial at National Heroes Acre &#8211; a site reserved for the country’s heroes &#8211; because he felt bitter about the way he was removed from power.



The Zimbabwean government said in a memo sent to embassies that it planned to hold a state funeral for Mugabe in the National Sports Stadium on Saturday, with a burial ceremony on Sunday, but it did not say where the burial would be.



If Mugabe is buried in Kutama village, 85 km (50 miles) from Harare, it would be a major rebuke for his successor, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, and the ruling ZANU-PF party that Mugabe helped to found.



Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Giles Elgood

Plane leaves Zimbabwe for Singapore to bring home the body of former president Robert Mugabe

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 Aerial view of Kariba dam.
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tafadzwa-makonese-750988">Tafadzwa Makonese</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-johannesburg-1275">University of Johannesburg</a>

Zimbabwe’s government has announced its facing critical power shortfalls. The country’s anchor power producer, Kariba Dam, might <a href="https://www.fin24.com/Economy/Africa/zimbabwe-to-approach-eskom-for-help-as-kariba-dam-levels-drop-20190603">have to stop</a> production in weeks due to dropping water levels. Tafadzwa Makonese spoke to Moina Spooner from The Conversation Africa about what can be done.

What are the main challenges facing Zimbabwe’s energy system?

Zimbabwe has a severe energy crisis because its major sources of electricity are struggling to keep up with demand. 

Kariba power plant dam – where Zimbabwe gets <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304021888_Renewable_energy_in_Zimbabwe">57% of its electricity</a> – has low water levels due to poor rains last year. At the moment the dam, which sits on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, is producing <a href="https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/zimbabwe-darkness-eight-to-ten-hour-load-shedding/">just 34%</a> of what it usually can. If Kariba stopped producing Zimbabwe would <a href="https://www.fin24.com/Economy/World/power-production-on-the-verge-of-shutdown-at-zims-kariba-dam-20190531">lose about 358 MW daily</a>, that’s about 300 000 homes without power. 

On top of this, Hwange colliery – which provides <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-02/hwange-of-zimbabwe-coal-output-to-surge-on-underground-mining">almost all</a> of Zimbabwe’s coal for power generation – is producing less <a href="https://www.fin24.com/Economy/World/power-production-on-the-verge-of-shutdown-at-zims-kariba-dam-20190531">because of</a> old and deteriorating infrastructure. 

Currently Zimbabwe <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/africaTech/idAFL8N237276">produces</a> 1100 MW of power against a national demand of 1500 MW. This leaves a supply gap of 400 MW. The deficit is catered for <a href="https://www.fin24.com/Economy/zim-looks-to-sas-eskom-to-help-stave-off-load-shedding-20190512">by imports</a> from Mozambique and South Africa. 

But payments for these imports aren’t easy to keep up with. For the past 10 years Zimbabwe has been going through a <a href="https://world-news-monitor.com/money/finance/2019/05/31/zimbabwe-strikes-imf-deal-to-boost-new-currency/">currency crisis</a> caused by hyperinflation. This has severely eroded the power of local currency, leaving the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority in a financial quagmire. They <a href="https://www.fin24.com/Economy/Africa/zimbabwe-to-approach-eskom-for-help-as-kariba-dam-levels-drop-20190603">currently owe</a> Eskom, South Africa’s power utility, over $33million.

Because of these challenges, any drop in national production means the government has to ration electricity. The government recently started a load shedding plan <a href="https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/zimbabwe-darkness-eight-to-ten-hour-load-shedding/">to prevent</a> the collapse of the country’s power grid.

What are the short to medium term solutions?

One short-term solution could be small solar power systems that are rolled out while the government works to improve national power generation through additional hydropower plants, solar and wind farms. 

Small solar systems are an effective source of electricity in off-grid communities or they could be set up as mini-grids in communities that constantly suffer from power-cuts. Zimbabwe <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0973082614000787">has enough</a> solar power to support these.

These solar systems could be made cheaper through the introduction of subsidies and tax incentives. Even better, the government could waive taxes on all certified systems coming into the country. 

And more needs to be done to publicise the use of gas in urban and rural households. Gas is underused in Zimbabwe, partly because it is more expensive compared to other energy sources including kerosene. The government could look for investments through private partnerships to build gas mines. Zimbabwe <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/zim-to-set-up-own-gas-mines/">has over 40 trillion</a> cubic feet of potentially recoverable methane gas in the Lupane-Lubimbi area. Considering the cost of building infrastructure to transport the gas from the production sites, it would be significantly cheaper to exploit these than to import from Mozambique. 

Industries that need to cope with power cuts should turn to energy storage. In Johannesburg, South Africa, some industries <a href="https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/energy-storage-a-viable-solution-to-load-shedding-2019-04-05">have integrated</a> energy storage into their micro-grids – the solar energy <a href="https://www.altenergymag.com/article/2019/02/energy-storage-microgrids/30388/">is stored</a> in batteries that are used when the grid fails. 

Are there experiences from other countries, in fixing a dilapidated electricity system, that Zimbabwe can draw lessons from?

Nepal and Bangladesh are good examples. 

In 2014 Nepal was experiencing up to 12 hours of power cuts for the residential and industrial sector. This was <a href="https://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2018-05-14/entire-country-is-now-free-of-loadshedding.html">finally stopped</a> in 2017. Nepal invested heavily in run-of-the-river micro-hydropower plants. These are hydroelectric systems that harvest the energy from flowing water to generate electricity in the absence of a large dam and reservoir – as opposed to conventional hydroelectric power plants which rely on the power of water falling a large distance. 

It all paid off when water levels in major rivers rose and power could be generated. By 2018 the country <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/books/renewable-hydropower-technologies/hydropower-development-in-nepal-climate-change-impacts-and-implications">produced</a> 1000 MW from 782 MW in 2016.

Zimbabwe relied heavily on the Kariba Dam power station, without establishing more hydropower plants elsewhere. It <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610217354486">has huge</a> small-hydro potential. 

Bangladesh meanwhile shows how energy-saving behaviour – like turning off lights in unused rooms, use of solar water geysers, and use of energy efficient home appliances – under its national energy efficiency and conservation master plan <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40095-019-0302-3">reduced demand</a> by up to 51%.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118209/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" />

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tafadzwa-makonese-750988">Tafadzwa Makonese</a>, Senior Research Fellow, Sustainable Energy Technology and Research Centre, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-johannesburg-1275">University of Johannesburg</a>

This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/quick-fix-solutions-to-zimbabwes-huge-electricity-crisis-118209">original article</a>.

What are the short-term solutions to Zimbabwe’s huge electricity crisis ?

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/31/zimbabwe-election-mnangagwa-and-chamisa-votes-counted.html">High voter turnout in Zimbabwe as counting is underway in tight two-horse race</a>
<ul>
<li>Votes are being counted in the Zimbabwean election which took place Monday.</li>
<li>The vote is Zimbabwe&#8217;s first since its independence from the U.K. in 1980 without former strongman leader Robert Mugabe on the ticket.</li>
<li>The presidency is tightly contested between the incumbent, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and young lawyer Nelson Chamisa.</li>
<li>Regardless of the candidates&#8217; potential to revive Zimbabwe&#8217;s basket case economy, painful reforms required by the International Monetary Fund and other donors will hit the public hard, an expert in the country told CNBC.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/31220301/105361353-1532943581894gettyimages-1007670284.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
Votes are being counted in Zimbabwe following a historic election Monday that wields the potential to bring the isolated state back into the international community and resurrect its once-promising economy.
Turnout at the polls was high, averaging at 70 percent, according to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. Voting closed at 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) as Zimbabweans selected both a new president and parliament.
Foreign observers 
 from the U.S., the European Union and the Commonwealth were present at the election in the southern African country.
The historic vote is the first in nearly four decades without former strongman leader Robert Mugabe on the ballot paper. Instead, the two frontrunners for the presidency are Emmerson Mnangagwa, currently in office and Mugabe&#8217;s former right-hand man, and Nelson Chamisa, a 40 year-old lawyer and pastor.
A July 20 survey by pollster Afrobarometer revealed that Mnangagwa was in the lead with a projected 40 percent of the vote, closely tailed by Chamisa at 37 percent. Twenty percent of voting intentions were unknown.
Mnangagwa heads up Zimbabwe&#8217;s ruling ZANU-PF party, while Chamisa leads the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Mnangagwa or Chamisa must achieve over 50 percent of the vote in order to secure the presidency or else face a run-off on September 8.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/31220307/105361350-1532943334814gettyimages-1007602496.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Dan Kitwood | Getty Images"/>
It is hoped that new leadership in Zimbabwe will revive the fortunes of a country rich in natural resources and with a youthful population. Under Mugabe, Zimbabwe was exiled from the international community and saw its economy descend into hyperinflation.
Rivalry until the very end
Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe&#8217;s 75 year-old incumbent, assumed power after a de facto military coup to oust Mugabe in November 2017. He has made internationalizing Zimbabwe&#8217;s basket case economy a cornerstone of his leadership.
Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the vote, 94 year-old Mugabe came out in support of Chamisa.
&#8220;I hope the choice of voting tomorrow will throw, thrust away the military government and bring us back to constitutionality,&#8221; Mugabe said from his mansion in the capital Harare on Sunday.
&#8220;I said I can&#8217;t vote for those who have caused me to be in this situation&#8230; so there is Chamisa left,&#8221; Mugabe added, according to Reuters.
&#8220;Mr Mugabe&#8217;s wishes are his wishes. I am going to accept any voter with open hands. The more the merrier,&#8221; Chamisa said in response to a question about Mugabe&#8217;s support.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/31220312/105361356-1532943781809gettyimages-1007636604.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Dan Kitwood | Getty Images"/>
In a video posted on his Facebook page, Mnangagwa said that Chamisa had &#8220;forged a deal&#8221; with Mugabe. Zimbabweans would be voting for Mugabe &#8220;under the guise of Chamisa,&#8221; he added.
Promise of a new dawn for investors
Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years following the country&#8217;s independence from colonial power the U.K. in 1980.
&#8220;For many Zimbabwean voters, it&#8217;s the freshness of Chamisa that makes him a political gamechanger,&#8221; Charles Laurie, head of Africa at risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, wrote in a note.
&#8220;A Chamisa victory brings the promise of a new dawn for Zimbabwe&#8217;s beleaguered investment community. A win by the MDC is the most defiant and resolute sign that the country is not just &#8216;open for business,&#8217; but committed to a deep purging of the policies and entrenched interests of the Mugabe era,&#8221; Laurie added.
But, political upheaval might not be so easy.
&#8220;Locally, there is a widely held, if cynical, view that having seized power in the military coup that ousted Robert Mugabe last November, Mr Mnangagwa and his military backers will simply not allow the opposition to win,&#8221; Pat Thaker, editorial director for the Middle East and Africa at Economist Intelligence Unit, said in a note.
&#8220;The mostly youthful unemployed may turn on the government when they realize that promised change is largely cosmetic, and that the painful reforms insisted upon by donors and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) will mean massive lay-offs in the public sector, higher taxes, spending cuts and rampant inflation.&#8221;

High voter turnout in Zimbabwe as counting is underway in tight two-horse race

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/15/zimbabwe-election-23-candidates-including-mnangagwa-chamisa.html">A record-breaking 23 people want to be the next president of Zimbabwe</a>
<ul>
<li>23 candidates have put themselves forward to contest Zimbabwe&#8217;s election on July 30.</li>
<li>Among those who will be on the ticket is incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power last November after long-term leader Robert Mugabe was ousted in a coup.</li>
<li>Mnangagwa has pledged that the vote will be free and fair. A delegation from the European Union will be present.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/15150232/105275679-GettyImages-968434492.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
A record-breaking 23 people have put themselves forward to lead the southern African country of Zimbabwe in the country&#8217;s historic election next month, the highest number of candidates since the country gained independence from the U.K. in 1980.
Among those signed up to contest the presidency is incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power in November last year after long-term leader Robert Mugabe was 
ousted in a coup 
. Mnangagwa is Mugabe&#8217;s former deputy, and represents Zimbabwe&#8217;s ZANU PF party.
Also with his name on the ticket is Nelson Chamisa, the young leader of Zimbabwe&#8217;s main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change.
The large number of candidates &#8220;is likely to work in Mnangagwa&#8217;s favor by splitting the opposition vote,&#8221; William Atwell, practice leader for Sub-Saharan Africa at emerging markets advisory firm Frontier Strategy Group, told CNBC via e-mail.
The election, to be held on July 30, is momentous because it will be the first without Mugabe on the ticket in nearly four decades. Mnangagwa has pledged that the vote will be free and fair, and has invited western observers. 
A delegation from the European Union 
 will be present.
Attwell added that he expected Mnangagwa to be re-elected, &#8220;albeit not with a thumping majority.&#8221; The sitting president could benefit from his incumbency, and has sought to present himself as a reformer.
Mnangagawa has pushed reform in Zimbabwe in an attempt to heal the economic wounds left from previous decades of mismanagement, which resulted in hyperinflation. He has 
courted foreign investors 
, and when launching the ZANU PF manifesto in early May, said that $11 billion had been committed.
Zimbabwe has also applied to re-join the Commonwealth, a bloc of former U.K. colonies which could bear economic fruit.
Earlier this week Mnangagwa hosted the China-Zimbabwe Business Forum in the capital Harare, at which he presented Chinese investors with an array of areas in which to put their money.
&#8220;The fact that we have 23 presidential hopefuls indicates that there is an opening of political space following the fall of former autocrat Robert Mugabe,&#8221; Attwell added.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/15150240/105275726-GettyImages-969073530.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>

A record-breaking 23 people want to be the next president of Zimbabwe

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="http://https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/03/zimbabwe-opposition-leader-wants-to-give-china-investors-the-boot.html">Zimbabwe opposition leader reportedly wants to give Chinese investors the boot</a>
<ul>
<li>Nelson Chamisa, Zimbabwe&#8217;s main opposition leader, has reportedly vowed to tell Chinese investors in Zimbabwe that their deals are &#8220;unacceptable,&#8221; should he win the country&#8217;s July election.</li>
<li>Chamisa&#8217;s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said in a statement on Wednesday that it &#8220;will audit all business deals and those that fail the national interest will be reviewed.&#8221;</li>
<li>Anti-China sentiment speaks to the MDC&#8217;s political base, an expert said.</li>
<li>Zimbabwe&#8217;s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has pledged &#8220;free and fair&#8221; elections this summer, the first in decades without ousted former leader Robert Mugabe on the ticket.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/05/03/105180673-GettyImages-953359776.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
Chinese investors are &#8220;busy asset-stripping&#8221; Zimbabwe&#8217;s resources, the country&#8217;s main opposition leader said in a speech this week, according to reports.
&#8220;I have seen the deals that (Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa) has entered into with China and others, they are busy asset-stripping the resources of the country,&#8221; Nelson Chamisa said at a May Day rally on Tuesday, as reported by the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-43973908">BBC</a> and <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/ill-boot-out-chinese-chamisa/">local press</a>.
Chamisa is leader of Zimbabwe&#8217;s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
&#8220;I have said (that) beginning September when I assume office I will call the Chinese and tell them the deals they signed are unacceptable and they should return to their country,&#8221; he added.
CNBC was not able to independently translate Chamisa&#8217;s speech.
On Wednesday, the MDC published a <a href="http://www.mdc.co.zw/index.php/meda/news/373-correction-of-the-herald-story">statement</a> on its website addressed to Zimbabwean state-owned newspaper The Herald. The statement accused the newspaper of publishing &#8220;malicious falsehoods&#8221; about Chamisa, although it did not specify what these were.
The &#8220;gist and essence&#8221; of Chamisa&#8217;s May Day speech was that his party &#8220;will not allow the mortgaging of this country for political expedience,&#8221; it said, attributed to Luke Tamborinyoka, presidential spokesperson and director of communications.
An MDC government &#8220;will audit all business deals and those that fail the national interest will be reviewed,&#8221; it said.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/04/03/105105656-GettyImages-941323932.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name=""/>
&#8220;Chamisa&#8217;s comments will play well with the MDC&#8217;s political base, who see Chinese loans as being fundamental for helping keep the former Mugabe regime afloat,&#8221; William Attwell, practice leader for Sub-Saharan Africa at emerging markets advisory firm Frontier Strategy Group, told CNBC on Thursday. &#8220;His comments seek to tap into growing frustration in Zimbabwe that Chinese investment has brought very little in terms of material benefits for locals.&#8221;
Mnangagwa&#8217;s nascent presidency has been characterized by his intention to revive the country&#8217;s economic fortunes through building bridges with both the East and the West. He initially came to power after former leader Robert Mugabe, under whom Mnangagwa served as vice president, was ousted in a military coup in November.
Mnangagwa&#8217;s first visit outside the African continent was to China last month, with attracting foreign investment high on the agenda. China has described itself as an &#8220;<a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-04/18/c_136217738.htm">all-weather friend</a>&#8221; of Zimbabwe.
Zanu-PF, the party of Mnangagwa and Mugabe, is to release its election manifesto on Friday.
Mnangagwa has pledged &#8220;free and fair&#8221; elections to be held in July of this year, and has said that he will invite international observers.
Attwell said that it was unlikely that Chamisa would be able to deliver on his pledge, should he win the upcoming vote.
&#8220;The raw fact is the Zimbabwe needs Chinese investment,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Whoever wins the July election is going to need as much funding as possible — from China and the West — to rebuild the country&#8217;s decaying infrastructure.&#8221;

Zimbabwe opposition leader reportedly wants to give Chinese investors the boot

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="http://https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/01/zimbabwe-mass-strikes-trouble-president-mnangagwa-ahead-of-election.html">Mass strikes in Zimbabwe trouble the new president ahead of keenly watched election</a>
<ul>
<li>Zimbabwe has been plagued by a succession of strikes in recent weeks.</li>
<li>In mid-April, 16,000 nurses were fired by the Zimbabwean government following a multi-day walkout over unpaid wages.</li>
<li>Government workers were taking advantage of new President Emmerson Mnangagwa&#8217;s &#8220;less authoritarian leadership&#8221; and recognized that civil satisfaction would be under the spotlight as the country gears up for elections in July, an expert said.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/05/01/105173372-GettyImages-949116972.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
May 1 might be celebrated as International Workers&#8217; Day across the globe, but in Zimbabwe government employees have rallied together in protest in recent weeks by staging a series of strikes.
On Friday it was announced that members of the Zimbabwe Teachers&#8217; Association would strike on May 8 when schools re-open after the holidays. The 44,000-member group cited stagnant pay and restrictive annual leave as reasons for the action.
&#8220;No amount of threats or illegal declarations from individuals in government will stop or intimidate teachers from exercising their constitutional and legal right to participate in industrial job action,&#8221; said a statement by the Zimbabwe Teachers Association Monday, addressed to the Education Ministry.
In mid-April, 16,000 nurses were fired by the Zimbabwean government following a multi-day walkout that began on April 16 over unpaid wages. The strike took place just one day after a month-long walkout by junior doctors ended.
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga described the nurses&#8217; strike as &#8220;politically motivated.&#8221;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/05/01/105173405-GettyImages-948122764.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
The present wave of striking reflects malcontent that has &#8220;long simmered under (former President Robert) Mugabe&#8217;s leadership,&#8221; Charles Laurie, director and head of politics at consultancy firm Verisk Maplecroft, told CNBC Monday.
Zimbabwe&#8217;s workforce has &#8220;seen a rot in their earnings under generally inhospitable investment conditions,&#8221; he explained. Government workers were taking advantage of the &#8220;less authoritarian leadership under (new President Emmerson) Mnangagwa,&#8221; and recognized that civil satisfaction would be under the spotlight as the country gears up for elections promised by the president in July.
Laurie described the &#8220;contagious effect&#8221; of the succession of strikes as different groups of government staff attempted to improve their working conditions.
Mugabe was ousted in a military coup in November last year after nearly four decades of rule. He was replaced by his deputy Mnangagwa, who has pledged &#8220;free and fair&#8221; elections this summer and pushed the mantra that &#8220;Zimbabwe is open for business&#8221; in an attempt to revive the country&#8217;s economy.
But, &#8220;the man on the street has not benefited from the positive changes that are slowly taking hold in the country,&#8221; Samir Shasha, chief executive of Zimbabwe-focused investment firm Cambria Africa, told CNBC Monday. &#8220;The promised investments by visiting entrepreneurs will only bring long-term benefits,&#8221; he added.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/05/01/105173398-GettyImages-948137814.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
Zimbabwe&#8217;s economy infamously suffered from hyperinflation in the 1990s and 2000s under Mugabe. Shasha referenced the decline in the purchasing power of money as a possible reason for the dissatisfaction which caused the strikes.
Zimbabwe&#8217;s bloated civil service — an attempt to create jobs in the country — means that the government struggles to meet its wage bill every month, Laurie said.
Unemployment figures for Zimbabwe vary widely. The <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/10000939?__source=cnbcafrica|inline|story|&amp;par=cnbcafrica &amp;doc="> 
World Bank 
</a> has measured the figure at 5.2 percent for 2017, though above 90 percent has been cited by other sources. This is down to the extent of Zimbabwe&#8217;s informal economy, and the prevalence of subsistence farmers.
In December 2014, Zimbabwe&#8217;s late opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai accused Mugabe&#8217;s government of creating a &#8220;poor nation of vendors; a country where everyone is trying to sell something to someone.&#8221;
Laurie said that Zimbabwe&#8217;s workforce was currently looking ahead to its brightest future in decades given the recent governmental upheaval. &#8220;Politicians need to be more receptive to their demands,&#8221; he added. But, striking workers &#8220;need to be careful of settling for unrealistic promises from politicians that are ultimately unsustainable,&#8221; he warned.

Mass strikes in Zimbabwe trouble the new president ahead of keenly watched election

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="http://https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/09/zimbabwe-us-could-lift-sanctions-if-mnangagwa-holds-fair-elections.html">The US could lift sanctions on Zimbabwe — but only if the new president holds fair elections</a>
<ul>
<li>U.S. Senators Christopher Coons and Jeff Flake met with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare over the weekend to &#8220;explore ways of strengthening the bilateral relationship,&#8221; according to the U.S. embassy in Zimbabwe.</li>
<li>Coons and Flake are behind a proposed amendment to the U.S.&#8217; Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act which outlines the steps the African country must fulfill for U.S.-imposed sanctions to be lifted, namely the holding of &#8220;free and fair&#8221; elections.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/03/19/105073957-GettyImages-878420096.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Wilfred Kajese | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images"/>
Two U.S. senators have met with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa as part of an exploratory trip which could lead to the U.S. lifting sanctions on the once-pariah African state.
U.S. Senators Christopher Coons and Jeff Flake&#8217;s visit to the Zimbabwean capital of Harare over the weekend was to &#8220;explore ways of strengthening the bilateral relationship,&#8221; said a tweet by the U.S. embassy there. The two politicians met with the new president, as well as members of the opposition and civil society.
Coons and Flake, both on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are behind a proposed amendment to the U.S.&#8217; Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA). The bill details the steps which Zimbabwe must take for U.S. sanctions to be lifted, namely the holding of free and fair elections.
&#8220;The president (Mnangagwa) has made a commitment to take action, but some of the important actions required for progress towards the conditions for free and fair and credible elections have not yet happened,&#8221; Coons told the media, <a href="http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/main/trump-opens-window-for-mnangagwa/">as reported by the Zimbabwe Mail</a>.
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Mnangagwa has said that he is committed to holding open elections in July of this year and has invited external observers to the expected event.
It is hoped that such elections could lead to the removal of U.S.-imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, which has seen its economy crippled by decades of mismanagement under former President Robert Mugabe.
But, &#8220;Lifting U.S. sanctions is time consuming and not straightforward,&#8221; Alex Vines, head of the Africa program at think tank Chatham House, told CNBC via e-mail. &#8220;The easiest way would be for the Zimbabwean government to prove that it&#8217;s fulfilled the requirements of ZDERA.&#8221;
Nonetheless, Coons and Flake&#8217;s visit could symbolize the latest in a warming of relations between the U.S. and Zimbabwe. In March, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/11/opinion/zimbabwe-emmerson-mnangagwa.html">Mnangagwa penned a column in the New York Times</a> which highlighted Zimbabwe&#8217;s newfound openness.
In February this year, U.S. chain Pizza Hut opened its first branch in Harare. The move, according to the <a href="https://zw.usembassy.gov/american-franchise-pizza-hut-opens-zimbabwe/">U.S. embassy&#8217;s website</a>, &#8220;is a demonstration that American companies see attractive business prospects in Zimbabwe.&#8221;
&#8220;We would hope to expand the people to people relationships, relationships between companies, hospitals, researchers, but also much more investment from the United States to reviving the economy to rebuilding infrastructure and advancing the country,&#8221; Coons <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2018/04/us-sets-terms-to-revive-zim-business-ties/">told Zimbabwean news outlet NewsDay</a>.
The U.S. has imposed financial sanctions on Zimbabwe since 2001, in response to human rights abuses by Mugabe. The sanctions include financial and travel restrictions, as well as banning the transfer of defense items or services.
Last week <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/105105579?__source=cnbcafrica|inline|story|&amp;par=cnbcafrica &amp;doc="> 
Mnangagwa was in China 
</a> on a five-day state visit, his first outside of Africa since coming to power in November last year. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/04/03/105105670-GettyImages-941280668.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Greg Baker | AFP | Getty Images"/>
&#8220;The new president (of Zimbabwe) can expect to get both financial aid, more help with infrastructure (including the expansion of Harare airport) and technological assistance, as well as Chinese participation in agricultural projects,&#8221; Jonathan Fenby, China chairman at research firm TS Lombard, told CNBC last week of the visit.
In what could signify further rapprochement with the West, it has been reported that Zimbabwe is in talks to re-join the Commonwealth, a 53-nation bloc consisting of the U.K. and its former colonial territories. But, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC on Friday that the organization has not received a formal application from Zimbabwe to do so.
Mugabe withdrew Zimbabwe from the group in 2003 following a dispute over sanctions.
Zimbabwe is a former British colony, previously known as Rhodesia, and was declared independent in 1980.

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