Posted on 12/17/2002 4:07:42 AM PST by Clive
"I don’t understand why there are fuel problems in the country," Mugabe said when closing his party conference in Chinhoyi. "Why offend the Libyans by buying fuel from other suppliers?," he added, blaming his own fuel procurement agency, and finishing with a threat to nationalise the country’s filling stations. How is it that he doesn’t know why, when the whole world – including everyone in Zimbabwe – knows why?
The reason why there is no fuel is that fuel costs hard currency - and Zimbabwe isn’t earning any. The Libyans may have originally agreed to accept local currency, and expropriated farms and businesses, in payment, but that was when the Z$ and the farms and companies were worth multiples of what they are worth now, and many more multiples of what they will be worth next year. The reason why fuel was sought from other suppliers is also very simple. You run up an account with the Libyans of more than US$360 million, and they stop supplying. You then scratch together a bit of hard currency, and you have two choices – give it to the Libyans, who will then expunge a bit of that outstanding debt, or use it to buy a little fuel – cash on the nail – from someone else. Less debt, or petrol. The choice is, as they say, a no-brainer.
The whole world knows that the Libyans have strategic interests elsewhere in the world. It is no secret that the EU has been using these interests to put pressure on Libya to stop propping up Zanu PF. It is also no secret that Libya (or anyone else) does not like to be made a fool of. And that is just what has happened. Libya, and its state oil company Tamoil, have come to realise that they have joined the long list of countries and companies that have fallen for a well-practised Zanu PF sales-pitch. Eskom, Sasol, the Port of Beira, the government of Botswana, the lessors of Air Zimbabwe’s aircraft, the entire populations of Zimbabwe and the DRC; the list goes on. All have ended up with Zanu PF on their bad debtors' list. Why offend the Libyans? They were already offended. Why threaten the nation’s filling stations? A last offer to the recently-departed Libyan delegation to persuade them to part with a few more barrels, perhaps? Why blame NOCZIM and the banks? The whole world knows that NOCZIM and the Zanu PF banks are corrupt and inept, and have been for years. That is nothing new.
Mugabe knows perfectly well why there is no fuel. The whole world knows why there is no fuel. He knows the whole world knows. The whole world knows he knows. But there is one big reason (apart from the Libyans) to feign innocence. You can bet the presidential petrol tank that yesterday in Cape Town Mugabe was trying to persuade President Mbeki to give him credit for fuel. One more prospective punter - one more prospective confidence trick.
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