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NGOs in Anti-Privatisation Drive -Global Policy Forum- NGOs NGOs in Anti-Privatisation Drive
By Kumbirai Mafunda
allAfrica
August 5, 2002
The government's privatisation drive, which is intended to raise $40,9 billion this year alone, faces a big snag as it emerged this week that a network of non-governmental organisations is ganging up to armtwist government to immediately halt the initiative.
Jonah Gokova, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) which is the lead agency of the Anti-Privatisation Network, told Standard Business last week that the network was going to push government into suspending the privatisation drive because it was not in the interest of the workers and the nation.
"We want to target privatisation because it is not in the interest of workers, so we are calling government to stop the process because it comprises the security and interests of workers. Currently we are in the process of identifying parastatals to target and we are conscientising workers on the implications of privatising national entities such as the National Railways of Zimbabwe and Net*One, among others."
Gokova said his organisation was also against the privatisation of local authority services.
"We are against a process whereby even refuse collection is being privatised. We believe refuse collection should be provided for residents without a profit motive. These are essential services that shouldn't be privatised," he said.
The much vaunted programme embarked upon in 1997 raised only $7,1 billion out of a targeted $22 billion in the period ending December 2001.
A performance review statement issued by the Privatisation Agency of Zimbabwe (PAZ) in July listed only Dairibord, Cottco, Rainbow Tourism Group and Jewel Bank as having realised sufficient profits and regained the ability to pay corporate taxes. It also added that only four out of 32 companies that were placed under the much talked about programme were success stories.
The Zimcodd chairman said the network will organise a workshop to engage parliamentarians. "Our concern is the programme has been abused as asset stripping and has not been transparent. Those who have bought the privatised assets and benefited are only connected people," said Gokova.
Upon commencement, the programme was designed to bail the government out of its financial woes. It had also earmarked part of the $22 billion to service its external debt.
However the Zimcodd has described part of the astronomical debt as illegitimate and an unnecessary burden to the populace as its uses have not benefited the nation at large.
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