Tsvangirai and team leave Sadc empty-handed

Tsvangirai and team leave Sadc empty-handed
By: Mkhululi Sibanda in GABORONE, Botswana
Posted: Sunday, November 21, 2010 2:50 am

PRIME MINISTER Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T delegation left Botswana with their tails between the legs after their attempt to smuggle Zimbabwe into the agenda during the official opening of the Sadc headquarters in Gaborone hit a brick wall as the Troika meeting failed to take off on Friday night.

The PM and his delegation wanted to take the opportunity in Gaborone to talk about the so-called crisis in Zimbabwe and also to try and push their agenda to postpone elections scheduled for next year.

Instead, the facilitator to the Global Political Agreement, President Jacob Zuma, only met the three principals to the GPA for about 30 minutes, much to the chagrin of Mr Tsvangirai, who wanted to use the meeting to convince his Western handlers that he is doing something about his imagined crisis in Zimbabwe.

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara also came along with the Tsvangirai delegation that included Cabinet ministers Professor Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, Tendai Biti, Elton Mangoma, Jameson Timba and officials in the Prime Minister’s Office Luke Tamborinyoka, James Maridadi and Abigail Gamanya.

The MDC-T leader had hoped that the Sadc Troika on Politics, Defence and Security would convene a meeting for the three principals in the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

President Mugabe, who arrived in the Botswana capital on Friday afternoon for yesterday’s official opening of the Sadc headquarters in his capacity as the Head of State and Government, joined his counterparts in witnessing the official opening while the PM was frantically trying to sneak his agenda into the programme.

However, the Troika meeting failed to take off because there was no quorum as the chair of the Troika, Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda, and his Mozambican counterpart, President Armando Guebuza, were not in the Botswana capital.

Earlier on Mr Mr Timba had told Zimbabwean journalists that the Troika would sit and he even went on to misrepresent facts, saying President Banda had left Lusaka for Gaborone for the “crucial” meeting.

After President Zuma had briefly met the three principals, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Cde Patrick Chinamasa told journalists that the meeting had not taken off because there was no quorum.

“There was no meeting because other members of the Troika are not here, so there was no quorum,” said Minister Chinamasa.

Minister Chinamasa said the failed meeting had been pushed by MDC-T.

“It was caused by a fabricated political crisis in Zimbabwe and it was being pushed by MDC-T,” he said.

“In fact, MDC-T had been going around canvassing for the Troika meeting and that meeting was not justified and in actual fact it was misplaced.

“There is no need for Zimbabweans to seek solutions outside our borders when we can handle some of these issues domestically.

“We are our own liberators and we have a responsibility to determine our own affairs.”

Minister Chinamasa said it was disappointing to note that MDC-T was even looking for solutions from the European Union and some Western countries that had imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Analysts also said there was no need for the Troika to meet over Zimbabwe as PM Tsvangirai had just wanted to use the gathering in Gaborone to please his Western masters.

“Tsvangirai just wanted to create a crisis where there is no crisis.

“To imagine that someone who has the ambitions of ruling the country can travel all the way to Gaborone to create a scene is just ridiculous,” said an analyst.

“He just wanted a platform to be seen to be doing something in the eyes of his Western handlers.

“He is used to making excuses and that is what he came here for.

“My advice to Tsvangirai is that he should be careful about his advisors, some of whom are fond of making elementary mistakes.

“How could they tell him to come here and present his case?

“Now they are leaving this country with tails between their legs.”

“I now believe that some of these people just mislead him so that they can laugh at him.”

PM Tsvangirai is accused of furiously trying to stop the elections because he now realises that his party does not carry the support he thought he had.

MDC-T is claiming that President Mugabe was in breach of the GPA by re-assigning ambassadors, re-appointing governors and swearing-in High Court and Supreme Court judges.

However, President Mugabe merely re-assigned serving ambassadors and did not appoint any new ones.

As for governors, the three principals agreed that any changes would have to be implemented in tandem with the lifting of illegal Western sanctions on Zimbabwe that MDC-T campaigned for. On judges, the President constitutionally moved in to fill vacancies as per the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission.

Meanwhile, at the official opening of the US$30 million Sadc headquarters, President Mugabe joined other Heads of State and Government who included Presidents Zuma, Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia, Joseph Kabila of the Democratic of the Republic of Congo, Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi and Seretse Khama Ian Khama of Botswana.

Giving his keynote address Sadc chair President Pohamba paid special tribute to the founding fathers of the organisation, namely Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Sir Seretse Khama of Botswana, Dr Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, the late Dr Antonio Agostinho Neto of Angola, Samora Machel of Mozambique, King Sobhuza of Swaziland and Chief Leboa Jonathan of Lesotho.

All except Dr Kaunda are late.

President Pohamba described them as visionary leaders who demonstrated extraordinary foresight and collective wisdom in conceptualising and establishing the Southern African Co-ordinating Conference (Sadcc), the forerunner of the now Southern African Development Community.

“Amongst their countless contributions to the liberation of Southern Africa from the yoke of oppression, the quest for regional unity was part of their unrelenting resistance to apartheid aggression, economic blackmail and destabilisation,” said President Pohamba.

“I also wish to pay particular tribute to the people of the then Frontline States for their steadfast support for the liberation of Southern Africa.”

He said many people in the region were killed, maimed and their properties wantonly destroyed by the forces of apartheid, but they stood firm and did not waver.

“Thousands more in Sadc member states sacrificed their lives and shed their precious blood, so that today, we can celebrate this new Sadc headquarters with dignity, peace and freedom,” said President Pohamba.

In his welcome remarks, the host of Sadc headquarters, President Khama, said the opening of the new offices was a milestone for the people of the region.

He said that would further push regional integration.

Speaking at the same occasion, Sadc executive secretary Dr Tomaz Salomao said the headquarters were testimony to the fact that where there is a will, leadership and commitment, important goals would always be achieved.

He said the headquarters were also a symbolic statement to the strides made by Sadc over the last years.

“During all these years when Sadc secretariat staff were scattered all over Gaborone, we experienced many challenges and tribulations,” said Dr Salomao.

TSM