Maravi

(HERALD) Zuma's GPA role under scrutiny

Zuma's GPA role under scrutiny
Monday, 20 February 2012 00:00
Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter

ZIMBABWE reserves the right to reject facilitators whose conduct exhibits bias towards another party in the coalition government, President Mugabe has said. He said South African President Jacob Zuma was chosen as an individual and his facilitatory role had nothing to do with Pretoria. The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces said this in an interview with Radio Zimbabwe to be aired at 8:30 tonight.

"Facilitators that we are given are leaders selected on the basis of their standing to assist a country that has differences so that the country can find a common ground and resolve its differences," said President Mugabe.

"Facilitators do not carry the name of their home country to the countries they would be facilitating."

The President gave examples of individual leaders who have been appointed facilitators in various countries.

He said former Botswana President Sir Ketumile Masire was once selected to facilitate in Lesotho, but the kingdom later rejected him after they felt that he was biased towards the opposition.

"Saka Zuma tinokwanisa kumuramba masikati machena. Takatomuudza izvozvo tikati aiwa we are not forced to, but we don't want to do that, tinoda kunzwanana. But this woman, Lindiwe Zulu, thinks it's South Africa, it's not South Africa but President Zuma and Zuma alone."

The President was once selected to facilitate in Mozambique together with former Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi, leading to an agreement that saw Frelimo and Renamo going for elections.

President Zuma is the facilitator to the Global Political Agreement which resulted in Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations forming a coalition government.

The President bemoaned the African Union's deviation from its mandate, saying the bloc had failed to protest over the West's attack of Libya and interferrence in the affiars of Tunisia and Ivory Coast.

He said when the then Organisation of African Unity was formed in 1963 by late nationalists like Kwame Nkrumah and Julias Nyerere, it was meant to assist those countries that had not yet attained political independence.

It was wrong for the AU to fold its arms while Western powers attacked a member country.

The President said most African countries could not protest because former colonial masters like France are financing the bulk of their budgets, including the payment of salaries for the army and civil servants.

"We had three African countries representing Africa at the United Nations Security Council when the no fly zone resolution was adopted, Nigeria, South Africa and Gabon. They were supposed to oppose the resolution. Vaisungirwa kuchama, kuti resolution hatiide," he said.

At the just-ended AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the President warned that recolonisation of Africa might take place if leaders fail to handle issues as the continent's founding fathers used to do.

He said the AU should not rush to recognise Libya's National Transitional Council, but look at exactly what happened in that country leading to the callous murder of Colonel Muammar Gaddaffi.

On corruption in local authorities, President Mugabe slammed MDC-T for handpicking unfit people to be councilors.

MDC-T councillors, the President said, see their presence in council as an opportunity to enrich themselves.

"Chigaro chandawana ichi handichazochiwana, rega ndizvibatsire ndiunganidze, zvandibvira nepiko. Mudzimu yangu yakandifungawo saka ndozvibatsira, mangwana ndinenge ndisipo," said President Mugabe in reference to the councillors.
The councillors were selected on the basis of their loyalty to the party and not because of their qualities.

He said the only way to deal with such people was to vote them out of office.
"Vanhu vasina maprinciples, they don't have ideology, political ideology," he said.
It was up to the people to re-elect these councillors and endure poor service delivery or vote wisely by choosing people who can deliver.

There have been reports of rampant corruption in the MDC-T dominated councils where councillors have abused their offices.

Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo has on many occasions invoked the Urban Councils Act to instill discipline by suspending the offending councillors.

Some of the local authorities hit by corruption are Harare, Bindura, Chinhoyi, Chitungwiza and Mutare.

Labels: GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, JACOB ZUMA

posted by MrK @ 2:07 PM