to have taken
the theme of their protest from themessage delivered by Andy Flower and
Henry Olonga at the World Cup. Bothplayers wore armbands during the
competition, mourning what they called thedeath of democracy in their
country.

Flower and Olonga have
subsequently ended their international
careers.

Upon their arrival in England,
the Zimbabwe Cricket Union addressedthe media and emphasised its apolitical
nature and the legitimacy of itstour. The union made clear that an
interruption of the tour by protestswould be an unjustified
act.

The economic facts of life have been spelled out very
clearly to President Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwe government. The country,
they have been told by local, African and foreign specialists, is on the brink
of meltdown; of a descent into long-term chaos.

Tobacco, once the forex mainstay of the country,
reached the auction floors here this year. But instead of earnings inbeen little affected by the
turmoil of the past year and more.

Platinum group metals seem likely to continue to be
in demand and Zimbabwe contains the second largest known deposits in the world
after South Africa. Given the dominance of the southern African region in this
marketplace and the fact that South Africa¹s Anglo American and Impala Platinum
control most production on both sides of the border, the price is unlikely to
fall.

The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and
the US have also agreed that aid will be forthcoming if a political settlement
can be reached. This, together with debt roll-overs and perhaps some forgiveness
will be desperately needed, especially if the industrial sector is to be
revived.

Zimbabwe has also lost some 60% of all its registered
professionals, ranging from doctors and nurses to engineers and
accountants.

Most appear to