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Zimbabwe-UK diplomatic ties are continuing to improve since the first steps that were made in November 2017.

For about 17 years, Harare and London fought, principally over the land reform and redistribution programme. 

However, when President Mnangagwa assumed power seven years ago the situation started to change.  Rory Stewart, then a British Minister, attended his swearing in, the first time in decades that a British politician of that stature had visited our country.  

It was on that day that President Mnangagwa pronounced the engagement and re-engagement policy and that his government wanted to make the country a friend to all and an enemy to none.

Thereafter, the Government indicated its willingness to rejoin the Commonwealth having pulled out of the organisation in 2003.  Indications are that that will happen in the not-too-distant future.

Speaking after meeting the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere early last month, Britain’s new Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Peter Vowles decried that the two nations had spent a long time “shouting” at each other but now was the time to mend the ties.

Amb Vowles, who once taught here, regularly posts on social media in Shona, perhaps an indication of his personal and his country’s desire to be as close to Zimbabwe as possible.

European Union

On Wednesday, the President met UK legislator and Westminster Africa Business Group chairman, Mr Laurence Robertson in Harare.  Mr Robertson, a ruling Conservative Party MP, spoke encouragingly about the improving political relations between the two nations and the strong likelihood of that assisting in the resetting of economic relations.

“I do not think we have always been a world trading nation but since Brexit, since we left the European Union, I think there has been a greater emphasis on the need to look across the world in trade, increase our trade, increase our share of the trade across the world and we are doing this in a number of countries but we are very pleased to be doing this in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“The Westminster Africa Business Group exists to promote trade between the African continent and the UK and also uses politics to promote that trade.  

“So, we are here to pay a courtesy call on the President and a number of other ministers with a view to looking at how we can increase trade, co-operation and friendship between our two countries.”

The chemistry is indeed encouraging. We want to see Harare and London co-operating across all sectors for the betterment of their peoples, thus Mr Robertson and his group as well as his compatriots must be free to do business with Zimbabwe.  

History connects the peoples of Zimbabwe and Britain.  The history between them is not one for us to crow about that much some would say, but we cannot rewrite it at this stage.   

However, the new relationship that is re-emerging must be mutually-beneficial based on mutual respect and no horse-rider undertones.  Zimbabweans are a proud people, who liberated themselves through the barrel of the gun.  

They are now their own masters out to chart their own development path, by working with all as equal partners. 

Therefore, we are happy with the moves and language between Harare and London, anticipating tangible results on the ground but, we emphasise, that must be based on mutual respect.