By Correspondent
In February 2024 Zimbabwe signed a memorandum of understanding with Belarus under which the latter would set up a factory to assemble Belarusian buses.
The agreement was between AVM Africa and Minsk Auto Mobile Plant of Belarus (MAZ).
It was one of two agreements inked during the Zimbabwe-Belarus Business Forum.
The other agreement was for the supply of Belarusian fire-fighting equipment to Zimbabwe.
While the fire tenders have already ignited a firestorm after former Local Government Minister July Moyo unilaterally grabbed devolution funds and bought them, the buses have their own tale.
Since the signing of the agreement there has been little traction towards production.
The proto-type bus, unveiled by VP Chiwenga at the Forum, is the only flicker of life.
The reason for that may be what happened to MAZ a few months before the MoU.
Borrowing More Sanctions
The US Treasury Departmnent in March 2023 issued new Belarus-related sanctions against nine individuals and three entities.
This was in response to an ongoing crackdown on the country’s pro-democracy movement and civil society.
The sanctions were announced by the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Among the singled entities was Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ).
MAZ is one of the biggest automotive manufacturers in Belarus and a significant source of revenue for Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenka.
It was accused of threatening employees who took part in strikes and peaceful protests in the aftermath of the fraudulent August 2020 presidential election.”
Protest participants were intimidated and then laid off at MAZ.
MAZ’s Director Valery Ivankovich was also blacklisted by OFAC.
“The authorittarian Lukashenka regime relies on state-owned enteprises and key officials to generate substantial revenue that enables oppressive acts against the Belarussian people,” OFAC said.
The United States stated that it will continue to impose costs on the Belarussian regime and on people who support it.
Resultantly, there has been significantly reduced action on the association with AVM to improve Harare’s transport system.
President Mnangagwa has repeatedly spoken about modernising and revamping the railway system.
However, there has been no significant overture for the realization of that.
The ZUPCO bus project,essentially floundering from the start, has ultimately broken down.
A novel partnership with a foreign nation of repute in the transport sector, such as Belarus, may have worked.
However a sanctioned partners isn’t the most viable route to revive a dead parastatal.
