Southern Africa Report

The report argues that Zimbabwe's commitment to economic and political reform is largely a 'theatre of reform' designed to maintain ZANU-PF hegemony rather than address systemic issues. While the government has engaged with the IMF through a Staff Monitored Programme and proposed the 'Lima Strategy' to clear debt arrears, progress is stymied by endemic corruption, a ballooning civil service wage bill, and fierce factional battles over Robert Mugabe's succession. The document highlights critical failures in land reform transparency, the 'looting' of Marange diamonds, and a compromised voter registration process, suggesting that the country is on course for another disputed election in 2018.

• The government's reform efforts are viewed as superficial, focusing on symptoms rather than underlying causes to preserve the ruling party's power.
• The public sector wage bill has become unsustainable, estimated at 83% of government expenditure, leading to delayed payments for security forces.
• Significant financial malfeasance occurred in the Marange diamond fields, where Robert Mugabe claimed over $15 billion worth of diamonds were produced since 2009, but less than $2 billion was accounted for.
• ZANU-PF is deeply divided by factionalism over Robert Mugabe's succession, specifically between supporters of Emmerson Mnangagwa and the 'Generation 40' (G40) group supported by the First Family.
• The 2018 elections are likely to be disputed due to a lack of trust in the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) and a compromised voters' roll.
• International engagement is split, with the EU adopting a policy of 'constructive engagement' and encouragement, while the US maintains sanctions under ZDERA until tangible reforms are evident.
• Land reform remains a point of contention and opacity, with a 2015 UNDP pilot audit confirming that top government and ZANU-PF officials owned multiple farms.

APA

Pigou, P. (2016). Southern Africa Report. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sareport6-2.pdf

Chicago

Pigou, Piers. Southern Africa Report. Institute for Security Studies, 2016. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sareport6-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pigou |first1=Piers |title=Southern Africa Report |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=September 2016 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sareport6-2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pigou2016southern, author = {Pigou, Piers}, title = {{Southern Africa Report}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sareport6-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }