Robin Renwick

Robin William Renwick, or Lord Renwick of Clifton (Date of Birth 13/12/1937)

Carreer

This is how Robin Renwick describes his carreer at the website of the Zimbabwe Democracy Trust:

Lord Renwick was advisor to Lord Carrington during the negotiations which ended the war in Rhodesia and political advisor to Lord Soames during the ceasefire and elections leading to the independence of Zimbabwe. He served subsequently as Ambassador to South Africa in the period leading to the release of Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of the African National Congress. He received an honorary degree from the University of the Witwatersrand for his contribution to the struggle against apartheid. He served as Ambassador to the United States from 1991-1995. Lord Renwick subsequently became Deputy Chairman of the merchant bank, Robert Fleming, and is currently Vice-Chairman, Investment Banking for JPMorgan (Europe). Both banks have played a leading role in the attraction of new investment to Southern Africa. He serves on the boards of a number of companies with important interests in Southern Africa - SABMiller, BHP Billiton, Harmony Gold and Richemont. He was appointed to the House of Lords by Prime Minister Blair in 1997.

Lord Robin Renwick acted as chairman of Zimbabwe Democracy Trust, which seemed to have ceased to exist in 2005. This organisation liked to promote itself as an independent advocacy NGO:

"The Zimbabwe Democracy Trust (ZDT) was set up in the United Kingdom in April 2000 as a non-partisan pro-democracy group to campaign for the rights of Zimbabweans to live in civic peace and freedom. It was incorporated in the United States in July 2002 as a non-profit organization after its headquarters moved from London to Washington, D.C. in September 2002. In March 2003 the District of Columbia granted the ZDT charitable 501-C3 tax-exempt status."

However, early in its existence, May 2000, the organisation was exposed as a front for business promoting their interests in Zimbabwe. Research by Observer reporters Pete Sawyer and Martin Bright reveiled there was "British cash behind bid to combat Mugabe."^[1]

A prominent group of British and American politicians and businessmen - many with energy and mining interests in Zimbabwe - are behind an international organisation to fund opposition to the regime of Robert Mugabe.

The Zimbabwe Democracy Trust, whose patrons include former Tory Foreign Secretaries Malcolm Rifkind, Douglas Hurd and Geoffrey Howe has been accused of using the organisation as a cover for promoting the interests of Western multi-nationals in the troubled region.

(for the full story, see the Zimbabwe Democracy Trust profile.)

This exposure didn't keep the ZDT or Robin Renwick from lobbying for democracy in Zimbabwe. In January 2002 who wrote a strongly worded opinion piece for the Daily Telegraph Robert Mugabe has got away with murder for long enough: "This benighted regime will start to collapse when its leading members understand that they will in due course face trial and imprisonment for the crimes they have committed."^[2]

Annabel Hughes