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(STICKY) (HERALD) GPA: Fresh issues emerge

GPA: Fresh issues emerge
By Mabasa Sasa

President Mugabe yesterday met the visiting South African mediation team to the inter-party political talks amid revelations that more "outstanding issues" have arisen to the Global Political Agreement.

The team of former South African Cabinet ministers — Charles Nqakula, Mac Maharaj and President Jacob Zuma’s international relations adviser, Lindiwe Zulu — which arrived in Harare on Sunday night met President Mugabe at Zimbabwe House where they briefed him on their terms of reference and how they intended to go about their business.

It is understood that the mission met the negotiators as a group after briefing President Mugabe.

Sources said an MDC negotiator insisted on meeting the delegation collectively after saying there was a danger that separate meetings could result in a distortion of the manner in which the inclusive Government was progressing.

However, it emerged that the issues on the talks agenda had grown from the eight presented in Mozambique when the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security met about a fortnight ago and now included 21 separate items.

Sources said last night that the SA team was "not impressed" by the ballooning in agenda items and expressed "anxiety" that if new issues kept arising there would be no forward movement.

When the parties met in Maputo they agreed that the issues to be discussed were sanctions, pirate radio broadcasts, external interference, and the setting up of parallel government structures.

Other contentious issues include the appointments of Roy Bennett as a deputy minister, the proposed national economic council, a land audit and the status of the Attorney-General and Reserve Bank Governor.

However, these issues had since grown to include provincial governors, the media, review of ministerial allocations under the GPA, electoral vacancies, parallel government structures, security sector reform, constitutional commissions, national heroes, ambassadors, permanent secretaries and other issues.

A source close to the proceedings said the visiting team queried how the issues had grown and pointed out that at the current rate there would be "endless talks without resolution".

It is understood that the introduction of issues that were not agreed on at the Maputo Troika summit were masking the "real issues" stalling progress.

"One of the negotiators insisted that the talks be held with everyone present so that there would be no distortions behind closed doors.

"One of the first matters that arose in the subsequent meeting was that of Zanu-PF’s insincerity in meeting MDC concerns to which Zanu-PF’s negotiators said they had played their part.

"They said MDC-T had refused to call for the lifting of sanctions and had done nothing to lobby for anything to that end.

"Zanu-PF said nothing had also been done on the front of the illegal broadcast of hate messages into Zimbabwe from outside the country.

"The Zanu-PF negotiators pointed out that MDC-T had opposed any initiatives to stop Madagascar and Botswana in particular from playing host to relay stations for Studio Seven and Voice of America while at the same time supplying them with false data to discredit President Mugabe and his party.

"They said MDC-T’s attempt to introduce the land issue as a two-pronged item on the agenda was designed to reverse the land reform programme."

According to the agenda items, MDC-T now wants land to be dealt with as a dual issue incorporating a land audit and tenure systems.

The sources said MDC-T introduced tenure systems as a means of reversing land reforms through "banking systems".

"Zanu-PF said MDC-T wants the introduction of title deeds for farms so that they become a bankable instrument through which banks can demand collateral and when new farmers fail to meet banking requirements the banks take over the land.

"They are aware that there is no way that new farmers can take out huge loans right now and thus need collateral.

"They want to make the farms the collateral and then seize the land from them. But what people have to understand is that farmers need State support, in this case the support of the inclusive Government.

"Besides, many countries have succeeded from the land tenure system obtaining in Zimbabwe in which people are given leases.

"In Mozambique it has worked and there is no reason why it should not work in Zimbabwe unless we are saying the new farmer should not be given a chance," the sources said.

On the issue of the setting up of parallel government structures, the sources said Zanu-PF was prepared to reveal the names of the people incorporated in "this subversion of the State".

The source said the negotiators had a list of the people involved.

Investigations by The Herald have shown that the Public Service Commission is worried by this infiltration of the bureaucracy and will soon move to act on it.

Independent sources have said some of the people believed to be in the parallel government in the Prime Minister’s Office are:

l Martin Rupiya (international relations)
l Emmanuel Chimwanda (security)
l Andrew Chadwick (communication)
l Jacob Mafume (funding co-ordinator)
l Rosemary Ann-Zigomo (legal)
l Moses Chundu (economic cluster)
l Lazarus Muriritirwa (policy implementation)
l Abisha Nyaguwo (social cluster)
l Denis Murira (public affairs)
l Thandiwe Hlabangana (Deputy PM T Khupe’s Office)
l Sabelo Ndlovu (Minister Gorden Moyo’s Office)

The sources said parallel structures had also been set up in Bulawayo to represent the PM in Bulawayo.

Among the people believed to be in this office are Dumiso Mtshazi, Thamsanga Ncube, Thabang Nare, Eddie Cross and Tholani Zitha.

It could not be established at the time of writing if Zanu-PF’s negotiators were going to present this list to the visiting SA delegation.

The SA team is expected to end its mission tomorrow.

Labels: COLOUR REVOLUTIONS, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, LAND REFORM, MUGABE, NEOCOLONIALISM, SOUTH AFRICA

posted by MrK @ 3:20 PM