Campaign Latest
Latest news on our campaign for debt justice for Zimbabwe.
22 February - UK government rejects calls for Zimbabwe debt audit
Secretary of state for International Development Andrew Mitchell has said the UK does not support the holding of a debt audit in Zimbabwe. Campaigners in Zimbabwe are calling for a debt audit to increase transparency and accountability, learn lessons from past lending and borrowing, and find out whether or not all the debts are legitimate.
25 January 2012 - Government confirms Land Rover loans
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass has raised the question of the UK's Land Rover loans to Zimbabwe in the House of Lords:
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether United Kingdom Government loans to Zimbabwe in the 1990s were used to finance the Zimbabwean police service while it was engaged in internal repression, as implied in the recent Jubilee Debt Campaign UK report Uncovering Zimbabwe's debt: The case for a democratic solution to the unjust debt burden.
Baroness Northover: The Government of Zimbabwe took a loan in 1998 to procure 1,500 Landrovers from the UK for use by the Zimbabwe Republic Police Force. In order to soften the financing, the UK Government underwrote the loan of just over £15 million. The Department for International Development signed a grant agreement with the Government of Zimbabwe under the Aid and Trade Provision to meet 35 per cent of the cost of the Landrovers, spare parts and UK-sourced technical support for management and maintenance.
In May 2000 the Landover supply project was suspended on the grounds of concerns at the way in which the vehicles were being used and as a result of a default by the Government of Zimbabwe on its loan repayment obligations. At that time 1,049 Landrovers had been supplied.
5 December 2011 - Drop It magazine on Zimbabwe's debt
We've released our Winter 2011 issue of our campaigner's guide, Drop It!, which covers the need to audit Zimbabwe's debt. If you'd like to receive Drop It! in the post, sign up here. You can also read it online below.
30 Nov 11 - Details of Zimbabwe's $7bn debt revealed for first time
We've kicked off our Debt Justice for Zimbabwe campaign with the release of a new report Uncovering Zimbabwe's debt: The case for a democratic solution to the unjust debt burden.
Using newly uncovered documents, it reveals that Zimbabwe’s £210 million debt to the UK includes loans from Tony Blair’s government to Zimbabwe’s police force while they were engaged in internal repression. Read more >>