Zim has UK’S backing for return from cold

THE WAY for Zimbabwe to be fully reintegrated into the global family of nations after two decades of isolation appears paved in gold.

Britain, the former colonial master which had a nasty fallout with former president Robert Mugabe over the land reform programme in Zimbabwe was at the forefront of embracing the country after November’s “coup” which removed the despot and replaced him with Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Britain’s influence was key in rallying the Western world to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Now it would seem Britain is bending over backwards to bring Zimbabwe back into the fold.

Britain wants Zimbabwe to join the Commonwealth, the club of over 50 former British colonies, which would have huge symbolic value.

This week a Zimbabwean delegation attended the club’s summit as an observer and British foreign secretary Boris Johnson was not coy on re-engaging Zimbabwe.

“The UK stands ready in friendship to support a Zimbabwe that fully embraces the rule of law, human rights and economic reform,” said Johnson after meeting Zimbabwe foreign and international trade minister, Sibusiso Moyo.

“Zimbabwe would have to formally apply to the Commonwealth secretariat and the final decision would then be for all Commonwealth members. But the UK would strongly support the re-entry of a new Zimbabwe committed to political and economic reform that works for all its people,” he said.

Even more significantly, mending relations between London and Harare is the wish of the British monarchy, in particular 92-year-old Queen Elizabeth, who once knighted Mugabe.

In January, the influential Express newspaper reported that when asked by a diplomat at a party what her hopes for this year were, “the queen replied, wishing not for world peace, nor even happiness for her own family but ‘that Zimbabwe will rejoin the Commonwealth.’”

This, as well as other geopolitical factors such as Brexit and the desire to make up for lost ground, could be critical in seeing an end to Zimbabwe’s isolation from the West.

The bar is not very high. Britain, for its part, is uncharacteristically mellow after years of a hardline stance on Zimbabwe.

Johnson said: “Mnangagwa has been in power for 150 days and while Zimbabwe has made impressive progress, there’s still much to do. July’s election will be a bellwether… the government must deliver the free and fair elections the people of Zimbabwe deserve and which it has promised.

“The UK stands ready in friendship to support a Zimbabwe that fully embraces the rule of law, human rights and economic reform.”

Mnangagwa has promised a clean election.