2. The Humanitarian crisis The land invasions have resulted in a dramatic drop in Zimbabwe’s capacity to feed itself. The government has at times in the last three years, used the food deficit situation to politically manipulate access to food, denying opposition supporters the right to buy it from GMB. AI has documented that Zimbabwe is in contravention of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which enshrines the right to food, and to which Zimbabwe is signatory. The government has consistently throughout 2004, claimed a bumper harvest, and has informed WFP that they do not need food aid during 2004/5. Yet UN agents predict a 50% food deficit. The GMB reports having purchased from farmers only 288,000 tonnes of maize, a shortfall of 2,000,000 tonnes. Commentators fear the probability of food becoming a political weapon ahead of the 2005 elections is great, in a situation where the ruling party now effectively controls all food in the country. Some Zimbabweans who have fled the country fear political victimisation resulting in being denied the right to food. There is a need to recognise this group of persons, which may become quite sizeable in the year ahead. 3. Collapse of social services and the economy Social indicators in Zimbabwe have fallen dramatically over the last four years. There is 70% unemployment, 80% below the poverty datum line, 27% of adults HIV positive. As a result of political decisions, around a million farm workers and their families have been deliberately deprived of their livelihoods, homes and infrastructure. Health, education and delivery of services in municipal areas are collapsing under economic and skills constraints. Economic collapse is the result of poor governance. The government orchestrated farm invasions have led to the collapse of commercial agriculture, which has had a knock on effect for other industries. Key industries have contracted by between 40% and 60% in the last three years. The mining industry has been destabilised by recent plans by government to indigenise 50% of this sector. 4. Zimbabwe’s biggest export: its people An estimated 25% to 30% of Zimbabwe’s population has left the nation. Government’s own analysts put the number at 3,4 million. Out of a population of 12 million, around half is under the age of 15, and out of the remaining 6 million adults, 1 million is retired. Out of 5 million potentially productive adults, 3,4 million are outside Zimbabwe. This is a staggering 60% to 70% of productive adults. The current exodus is not part of the long established cross border movement between Matabeleland and South Africa. Around 500,000 are estimated to have regularly migrated to South Africa for work, but there is an estimate of an additional 1,200,000 now in South Africa. The loss of skills has impacted on health and education in Zimbabwe. Many Zimbabwean have left their professions, either to go into more lucrative careers, for example in the black market in Zimbabwe, or for higher salaries abroad. Many professionals such as teachers, nurses, policemen, artisans, have been driven out by political events and are living like vagrants in South Africa. The government’s “Moneylink” scheme is official acknowledgement that our biggest export is our people. Around US$ 300,000 is returned monthly to Zimbabwe from nationals in the 8