Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday called on "resistant elements" from President Robert Mugabe's former regime to "accept change", because the country's three-month-old coalition government was "irreversible," according to dpa. Speaking as he launched the government's 100-day plan to restore basic services and infrastructure and begin resurrecting the once-prosperous Zimbabwean economy after a decade of disastrous misrule, Tsvangirai said he was "concerned about violations of the rule of law that prevent inflows of development aid and ... risk keeping Zimbabweans mired in poverty and fear of persecution." On May 22, the power-sharing government of which longtime leader Robert Mugabe is president will mark 100 days in power that have been marred by a continued crackdown on Mugabe critics that has made Western donors balk at providing much-needed aid. Among the tasks the government has set itself over next 100 days are boosting electricity output by 20 per cent, patching all potholes on the country's major roads, procuring six months worth of water procurement chemicals and ensuring hospitals have 60 percent of all their drug requirements. Minister of Economic Planning Elton Mangoma also announced an audit of Mugabe's ruinous seizures of white-owned land. "We should see ourselves with a land situation that is peaceful and encourages production," he said. Tension between Tsvangirai's former opposition Movement for Democratic Change and Mugabe's former ruling Zanu-PF has been growing steadily since the two rivals formed a unity government in mid-February. The continued arrests and detention of former opposition activists and the continuing violent invasions of white farms, as well as Mugabe's refusal to reverse his unilateral appointment of his henchmen to powerful government positions, threaten to scupper the deal. The MDC's patience was further tested this week with the arrest of two editors from respected independent newspaper, and the sentencing of an MDC MP to 10 months in jail on what are regarded as trumped-up charges of political violence. Western governments have refused to contribute towards the between 8 and 10 billion dollars MDC Finance Minister Tendai Minister says he needs to return the country to normality until seeing signs of real reform. Tsvangirai took issue with "the resistance of residual elements ... in the old government" - a reference to senior members of the security services who are loyal to Mugabe and have vowed never to salute Tsvangirai. "There is a limit to the progress we can make while the rule of law continues to be violated," he warned. Zanu-PF die-hards, who by their actions were blocking aid, were "in effect stealing from every Zimbabwean," he said. Of the billions of dollars sought, so far the largest donation has coming from neighbouring Botswana, which a total of 70 million dollars, parliament heard. There was laughter when Mangoma announced that China, long paraded by Mugabe as Zimbabwe's most loyal ally, had given only 5 million dollars. Other African countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe's most influential neighbour, have pledged support in the form of multi-million-dollar credit lines. When the MDC got into government inflation was running at about 500 billion per cent and shop shelves were bare of most foods. Under Biti's stewardship of the country's finances, the worthless Zimbabwe dollar has been scrapped and foreign currency adopted, leading to a stabilization of prices and easing food shortages. Schools and public hospitals have also reopened, but, without more funding, the situation is tenuous as the teachers threaten renewed strikes for better pay.
