Zimbabwe: An Update from the Ground

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Open Society Institute cosponsored a panel discussion, "Zimbabwe: An Update from the Ground."

South African-mediated talks to resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe have entered their final leg in Pretoria, and an agreement between the ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition MDC party is expected soon. However, on the ground in Zimbabwe, an economic meltdown is afoot with inflation over 7,500 percent, unemployment above 80 percent, and food shortages and violence on the rise.

This analysis of the crisis in Zimbabwe featured:

• Bella Matambanadzo, Harare-based Zimbabwe Program Manager for the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa;
• Deprose Muchena, Economic Justice Program Manager at the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, based in Johannesburg;
• Dave Peterson, Senior Director of the Africa Program of the National Endowment for Democracy (moderating the discussion).

Read a summary of the event on the Woodrow Wilson Center website.