The  New  Narrative  of  the  Mnangagwa  Regime     It  is  possible  that  after  an  election  in  2018,  the  Mnangagwa-­‐led  regime  could  include  individuals   from  opposition  parties  to  present  an  appearance  of  inclusivity  and  as  a  way  to  get  new  support  for   an  economy  in  deep  crisis.  At  present  the  economy  is  characterised  by  low  levels  of  production,  de-­‐ industrialisation  and  massive  informalisation  of  livelihoods.  Public  expenditures  have  also  been  on   the  rise  in  the  face  of  shrinking  revenues  and  high  levels  of  debt.  A  monetary  shortage  and   dominant  levels  of  electronic  money  use  have  fuelled  high  levels  of  speculative  activity  in  the   money  market.  The  unsustainability  of  this  set  of  production  relations  is  clear  to  all  the  major   players.       In  his  first  Presidential  address,  Mnangagwa  pledged  that  his  administration  will  carry  out  various   economic  stabilisation  measures,  including:  promoting  a  market  economy,  ensuring  the  safety  of   foreign  investment,  and  compensation  for  white  farmers  who  lost  their  land  in  the  Fast  Track  Land   Resettlement  Programme.  Mnangagwa  also  stressed  the  importance  of  unity  and  reviving  the   economy.  He  implored  all  party  cadres  to  ‘now  think,  sleep,  dream  and  walk  productivity.’  He   further  warned  his  party  that:     We  will  not  be  able  to  accomplish  much  for  as  long  as  our  sense  of  party  work  remains   hidebound  in  the  template  of  looking  at  Zanu  PF  as  about  politics,  politics,  politics.  No  more!   Its  politics  and  economics!  Let  us  recognise  that  the  best  emerge  from  the  marketplace   where  livelihoods  are  made.  Productivity  at  all  levels  must  be  religiously  encouraged…24.’             ��        Ironically,  this  discursive  emphasis  on  ‘unity’  and  ‘productivity’  harked  back  to  the  politics  of   ‘reconciliation’  and  ‘development’  of  the  1980s,  when  Mugabe  first  came  to  power  and  began  to   consolidate  his  control  over  the  ruling  party  and  the  state.25  Also  like  Mugabe  in  the  1980s,   Mnangagwa  announced  that  he  has  ‘already  begun  serious  and  focused  dialogue  with  key   constituent  countries  of  the  West….with  the  objective  of  normalising  our  relations.’26  The  first   budget  speech  of  the  new  regime  also  stressed  the  kind  of  macro-­‐economic  stabilisation  neo-­‐liberal   measures  that  will  assist  in  reviving  the  2015  Lima  Re-­‐Engagement  Strategy  agreed  to  between  the   Government  of  Zimbabwe,  the  international  financial  institutions  and  other  creditors.  In  his  speech   the  Minister  of  Finance  and  Economic  Development,  Patrick  Chinamasa,  drew  attention  to  the   ‘fiscal  indiscipline’  and  ‘quasi-­‐fiscal  expenditure’  of  the  past.  Moreover,  the  fiscal  imbalances  of  the   past,  financed  by  Treasury  Bills  and  overdrafts  with  the  Reserve  Bank  had  resulted  in  ‘destabilising   consequences’  on  the  economy.  The  new  Government’s  economic  policy,  Chinamasa  promised,   ‘will  be  predicated  on  creating  conditions  for  an  increased  production  led  economic  recovery,   targeting  FDI.’27    In  order  to  attract  FDI,  the  regime  has  also  made  changes  to  the  Indigenisation                                                                                                               24  ‘Congress  marks  New  Dawn  of  New  Era….  Zanu  PF  must  be  about  Politics,  Economics,  and  Servant   Leadership  to  Replace  Chef  Syndicate.’  Herald,  15/12/17.     25  Sara  Rich  Dorman,  Understanding  Zimbabwe-­‐From  Liberation  to  Authoritarianism,  London,  Hurst  and   Company,  2016;  B.  Raftopoulos  (ed),  Zimbabwe-­‐Injustice  and  Political  Reconciliation,  Cape  Town,  Institute   for  Justice  and  Reconciliation,  2004.     26  ‘Zim  seeks  Re-­‐engagement  on  an  Equal  footing:  Govt.’  Herald  15/12/17.     27  Government  of  Zimbabwe,  National  Budget  Statement  for  2018:  Towards  a  New  Order’.  Presented  to  the   Parliament  of  Zimbabwe  on  Thursday  December  7  2017  by  the  Minister  of  Finance  and  Economic   Development.           8