Ann: IVZ launches Entitlement Offer, page-148

Martin, that seems to be most governments - Australia included...

But, like China after the Mao's Red Guard era, Zimbabwe's elites (however cunning and conniving politicians in general may be) have had "a full dose" of what over-cooked political derangement did to their only real asset - the naturally blessed and once prosperous country we call Zimbabwe.

So like Deng's China, we can hope the "elites" learn that lesson, at least for a generation.

Because, frankly, most governments get it - that while political derangement can be propagated to justify virtually anything, to be a worthwhile kleptocracy you need a viable economy to tax.

The more prosperous the economy, the more there is to plunder. It's an optimisation game, that the Mafia call skimming.

Yes even the Mafia understand the game. You don't kill your laying geese. To steal lots of golden eggs, you let the goose live, grow, eat, and nurture a few of it's golden eggs for goose replacement, and future growth. "Cooking your own goose" is a dead end. Bottom line, resources companies still do good business in many terrible African jurisdictions.

Maximising the skim, throughout human history, has encouraged those with power to behave, and try to appear to behave.

So Zimbabwe knows it needs others to develop this golden goose. They can use IVZ, an unthreatening small fish, to kick start their new O&G province. They'll let that run a bit...

Sensibly, they can then smoothly migrate the project to utilise the resources, financing and competencies of the global majors and institutions, while taking an increasingly jammy slice for their country/themselves.

OK, yes, at some point, they may go off-piste again. Next generation?

The biggest short term disruptor, that could drive a burgeoning Zim O&G industry into belt and road, almost overnight, is finance. If the West simply won't deliver.

Well then Zim can blow the BRIC's trumpet - rattle "the global systems" cage? See if "the west" wakes up?

But will Zim really, eagerly, like a mouse who just sees Beijing's cheese as a free gift, but not the trap, lock themselves into belt and road? I mean not play off the two sides, but lock in, like where Mugabe was heading before he was disposed?

I think not.

Not for while anyway. They've had that with Mugabe. They know free cheese comes with a trap.

I'd wager, before too long, IVZ as we know it will be gone, bought out, or, just conceivably, morphed into some kind of national oil company. Our IVZ, the IVZ of Aussie retail visionaries, will have done it's job, and taken it's success fee.

Western governments have been slapped hard around the face quite a bit in just the last couple of years for all their indulgences - it's time to get sober and serious. Energy is a geopolitical driver, and Southern Africa matters. Time to do business!