Significance
Discontent over President Robert Mugabe's mismanagement of the economy is deepening, particularly over high unemployment and severe cash shortages, which have caused the government to delay paying civil servants' salaries.
Impacts
Pretoria's demands that Harare drop its restrictions on South African imports will likely increase bilateral tensions.
Smugglers will take advantage of the region's porous borders to circumvent these rules, eg by routing goods via Mozambique.
The mines and minerals amendment bill, which requires mining firms to list on the local bourse, will likely deter investment.
Tensions between Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa and leftist ministers could result in further policy reversals.
Plans to gain a sovereign credit rating and issue Eurobonds to fund development will remain unrealised, at least for several years.
On a New Corporate Bond Pricing Model with Potential Credit Rating Change and Stochastic Interest Rate