(HERALD ZW) Zanu-PF parliamentary majority godsend – Mnangagwa
October 2, 2013
Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said the resounding victory by Zanu-PF in the July 31 harmonised elections will enable the party to effectively implement its policies and programmes in Parliament without hindrances that were caused by the previous hung Parliament.
Minister Mnangagwa said this in his congratulatory message to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Cde Jacob Mudenda, and his deputy, Cde Mabel Chinomona, in the National Assembly.
“The just ended Seventh Parliament, which was in fact a hung Parliament, naturally it was not always easy to debate issues and pass Bills as no party would effectively implement its policies or its manifesto.
“Now that Zanu-PF won a landslide on July 31 and holds and commands a comfortable majority in both Houses (National Assembly and Senate), as leaders, it is now possible to debate and enact programmes and policies outlined by His Excellency the President and Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces in his address at the opening of the Eighth Parliament of Zimbabwe,” he said.
Minister Mnangagwa said Zimbabweans now awaited the fulfilment of promises made by Zanu-PF in its election campaign, adding it was incumbent upon Cde Mudenda to direct debate in the House.
Zanu-PF won 160 seats of the 210 contested seats in the just ended elections with the MDC-T winning a paltry 49 while one was won by an independent.
With the inclusion of seats from proportional representation Zanu-PF has 197, the MDC-T 70 while the Welshman Ncube led MDC formation has two. President Mugabe trounced his MDC-T opponent Mr Morgan Tsvangirai after he garnered 61,09 percent of the vote as compared to Mr Tsvangirai’s 33,94 percent.
“The electorate now awaits the fulfilment of the promises we made to them during the election campaigns with bated breath.
“Indeed the task of superintending and ensuring robust and constructive debate around these issues without denigrating the powers of the judiciary lies in your (Cde Mudenda) hands,” he said.
Zanu-PF ran its election campaign under the theme “Indigenise, Empower, Develop, and Create Employment”.
The revolutionary party promised to vigorously pursue indigenisation policies through the transfer of majority ownership of resources into the hands of majority blacks.
Labels: CONSTITUTION, EMMERSON MNANGAGWA, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, PARLIAMENT
Read more...
A bad week for troubled Zuma
19/08/2012 00:00:00
by Jonathan Moyo
THERE are two kinds of different but equally shocking and reprehensible developments witnessed in Harare and Marikana within 24 hours of each other this past week whose damning consequences threaten to haunt, if not define, the legacy of South African President Jacob Zuma who is also the Sadc mediator in Zimbabwe’s GPA process whose end is now there for everyone to see as electoral clouds begin to gather in earnest.
The first development happened last Wednesday when Zuma used his much-awaited night visit to Harare ostensibly to review GPA progress ahead of Friday’s Sadc summit in Maputo to unilaterally install Welshman Ncube, who is also an in-law of his, as a GPA principal in a manner that shockingly violated Zimbabwe’s Constitution and sovereignty.
Less than 24 hours after Zuma’s opprobrium in Harare, at least 34 mine workers in Marikana were massacred in cold blood while at least 78 were critically injured, some in life-threatening ways by trigger-happy South African police whose lack of professional restraint was nauseatingly palpable as they unleashed an unnerving volley of gunfire from their state-of-the-art automatic weapons which were captured by television cameras and repeatedly broadcast worldwide.
While these two incidents, one in Harare and the other in Marikana, are indeed different they are nevertheless unified by quite important, legitimate and growing public concerns about President Zuma’s leadership or lack thereof on key South African and regional issues with wider cross-border implications on matters of the rule of law, constitutionalism, non-violence, accountability and respect for human life among many other related concerns.
One does not have to be a malcontent of any kind to point out that President Zuma’s handling of the Marikana massacre has seriously undermined his position as a legitimate or authoritative voice against state-perpetrated or sanctioned violence.
No matter how one looks at the Marikana tragedy, a cold-blooded massacre cannot be an appropriate police response to a labour action by down-trodden workers, even if their action is deemed illegal. By definition, a massacre breeds a culture of violence and entrenches institutional hatred.
It is for this reason that the August 16 Marikana massacre will go down in South Africa as a very dark day along with the apartheid massacres in Sharpeville and Soweto. A massacre is a massacre. Full stop. It must be condemned as a matter of course.
In civilised democracies that respect the rule of law and are committed to protecting human life, heads would have rolled by now through the immediate resignations of those who have already claimed responsibility for the Marikana massacre.
Against this backdrop, it should be said without any prejudice, fear or favour that President Zuma’s mediation capacity not just in Zimbabwe but also elsewhere in Sadc and beyond is now tainted and seriously compromised by the Marikana massacre beyond foreseeable recovery. Mediation on these matters is not about pontificating on the basis of lip-service or presumed superiority.
The integrity of mediation to foster non-violence is credible only when it is done by those who practise what they preach. This truth might be uncomfortable to some among us, especially in the solidarity front, but their discomfort cannot be as important as the truth.
There is no commission of inquiry which can erase this reality and that is why there’s no need for decent people, especially within Sadc, to wait for the findings of a commission of inquiry to unreservedly condemn the Marikana massacre in the strongest possible terms as a vulgar and intolerable attack on our moral sensibilities not just as Africans but as human beings. The tragedy speaks for itself.
People who do or defend a massacre like that in broad daylight will do or scheme worse things at night.
It is an unfortunate coincidence that the night before the Marikana massacre President Zuma was in Harare apparently scheming to install Welshman Ncube as a GPA principal in an illegal, unconstitutional, intrusive and impolitic attempt to use Sadc processes to get Welshman Ncube to replace Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara in the forum of GPA principals that is set to finalise the ill-fated Copac draft constitution one way or the other. The whole effort is informed by a plot to influence the conclusion of the draft constitution through Welshman Ncube being used as a GPA principal when he has already played his part as a member of the Copac management committee.
Last Tuesday prior to President Zuma’s Wednesday evening arrival in Harare, South Africa’s International Relations and Co-operation Deputy Minister, Ebrahim Ebrahim, told the media at large that “President Zuma is scheduled to undertake a working visit to Harare, Zimbabwe, on Wednesday.
“President Zuma undertakes this visit as the Sadc-mandated facilitator to the Zimbabwe political dialogue. During his visit, President Zuma will meet with political principals namely His Excellency, President Mugabe, Honourable Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Honourable Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara”. How and why then did things change within 24 hours?
It should be noted and emphasised that this widely circulated and quoted media statement whose contents confirmed the legal position on the composition of GPA principals did not come from any Zimbabwean but from a leading member of President Zuma’s foreign ministry team and that the statement was issued the day before President Zuma’s visit last Wednesday.
In a dramatic public display of intolerable inconsistency apparently driven by an equally intolerable big brother “knows it and does it all” mentality, upon arrival in Harare President Zuma somersaulted from the legal position given by his Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation and decided to unilaterally recompose the forum of GPA principals by removing Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara and replacing him with Welshman Ncube, who is his relative through the marriage of their children, thereby opening himself to growing allegations of nepotism that are now beginning to stick given the unsatisfactory manner in which President Zuma has used his dual role as facilitator and outgoing chairman of the Organ Troika to mislead the Sadc summit into imposing Welshman Ncube as a GPA principal.
Lindiwe Zulu hopelessly sought to explain President Zuma’s embarrassing somersault by claiming to some sections of the media that Mutambara “. . . wasn’t invited to the meeting because the President (Zuma) was meeting with leaders of political parties as in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, President Robert Mugabe and Welshman Ncube”. What party does Welshman Ncube lead and how does Lindiwe Zulu know that since she is not a Zimbabwean and is not in charge of Zimbabwean courts that are yet to settle the dispute between Ncube and Mutambara?
Lindiwe Zulu’s rant was therefore not an explanation at all. In the first place, it is notable that her claim shamelessly contradicted Ebrahim Ebrahim’s official statement that President Zuma had been scheduled to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara in his capacity as a GPA principal. This very public contradiction clearly shows that all is not well in President Zuma’s facilitation team with Zulu’s unofficial hand clashing with Ebrahim’s official hand. It is not right that the ensuing internal differences within Zuma’s facilitation team should take a toll on the GPA.
The conflicting statements issued by Ebrahim Ebrahim and Lindiwe Zulu about one and the same thing and the fact that President Zuma went with Zulu’s unofficial line shows beyond doubt that the wheels are now falling off Zuma’s mediation in Zimbabwe as it is being clouded and compromised by nepotistic considerations.
But there is something much more fundamental here which needs to be unravelled and dealt with candidly and resolutely as it speaks to what is quintessentially wrong about what has been particularly wrong with President Zuma’s mediation in the wake of the departure of former President Thabo Mbeki.
The record will show that one major outcome of the Polokwane December 2007 ANC conference on Sadc mediation in Zimbabwe which had started in March 2007 under Mbeki was that after President Zuma’s facilitation team took over, it became a determined and discernible programme of what could be best described as the “erasing of the Mbeki legacy from the Zimbabwe mediation”.
In other words, rather than building on Mbeki’s work by undertaking or facilitating a mediation informed by the political situation in Zimbabwe, the mediation done by President Zuma’s team was informed by a political agenda to undo the Mbeki legacy right or wrong.
This explains, for example, why all the members of Mbeki’s facilitation team were summarily replaced by Zuma even though common sense and good practice would have dictated the retention of at least one of them for reasons of institutional memory at the very least. A clear evidence of an anti-Mbeki stance adopted by President Zuma’s facilitation team is the megaphone approach of Lindiwe Zulu, which is apparently intended to be the antithesis of Mbeki’s socalled quiet diplomacy.
Since diplomacy pursued by former President Mbeki is by definition not only quiet but also formal, procedural and legal, its opposite pursued by President Zuma’s facilitation team is by definition loquacious, informal, unprocedural and even illegal as epitomised by Lindiwe Zulu’s conduct.
As a result of its anti-Mbeki orientation for reasons that are entirely internal to South African politics arising from Polokwane that have nothing to do with Zimbabwe or Sadc for that matter, President Zuma’s mediation has, right from its inception, sought to renegotiate the GPA itself.
In this connection, the so-called Sadc Roadmap to Zimbabwe’s Elections is an unashamed attempted renegotiation of the GPA as if the facilitation team is unaware that the GPA as signed on September 15, 2008 under Mbeki’s facilitation is in fact a very clear election roadmap with very clear benchmarks or milestones and their timelines in Article VI.
Indeed, Zuma’s facilitation team has not understood that the GPA is an agreement to form a government and not an agreement to run a government. A government must run itself in terms of the laws of the land. There is no example of a government in the world that has been run on mediation.
But even so, a major difference between Mbeki’s and Zuma’s facilitation teams is that Mbeki’s team was very sensitive to matters of the rule of law and legality as central to its mediation to the point of having a lawyer within its ranks - Mojanku Gumbi - whereas Zuma’s team, which has no lawyer, has not given a damn about using the mediation to engender and foster the rule of law in Zimbabwe but has instead done things in accordance with the whims and caprices of the law of the jungle where anything goes regardless of the legal position.
It is in this context that President Zuma’s mediation in Zimbabwe has been unmistakably loud through the media where Lindiwe Zulu typically says whatever comes to her mouth as if she or her boss is part of the Zimbabwean political process and the mediation has also been informal, unprocedural and insensitive to legal or constitutional considerations and requirements with the imposition of Welshman Ncube on the forum of GPA principals as the latest despicable example.
In the past Zuma’s mediation has used unprocedural and informal channels through the forum of GPA negotiators to make illegal decisions that are supposed to be rubber-stamped by Cabinet and implemented by line ministries but all of which have been resisted in defence of the Cabinet process and the rule of law.
One case in point are the so-called media reforms whose shocking essence is that the GPA parties should share among themselves the spoils of board members in BAZ, ZBC and Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust against very clear legal provisions and requirements for the appointment to these boards.
Another example of how the GPA has been abused by Zuma’s facilitation team through the forum of GPA negotiators is the misapplication of Article XXI which provides that, “The Parties hereby agree that for a period of 12 months from the date of signing of this agreement, should any electoral vacancy arise in respect of a local authority or parliamentary seat, for whatever reason, only the party holding that seat prior to the vacancy occurring shall be entitled to nominate and field a candidate to fill the seat subject to the party complying with the rules governing its internal democracy”.
Under the tutelage of Zuma’s facilitation team amid Sadc silence, the legalities of this provision have been ignored while the provision itself was unprocedurally extended for another 12 months and has been illegally used to deny other political parties and unrepresented constituencies their constitutional rights by not holding parliamentary by-elections whose number is now over 30 and over 500 local government by-elections across the country.
Because it is not concerned with the legal and constitutional consequences of its actions, made worse by the fact that it does not have a lawyer in its ranks, President Zuma’s facilitation team has not understood the constitutional implications of a terrible situation that has been developing under its nose with GPA chickens now coming home to roost from a constitutional point of view in terms of the rule of law which requires that the elections must now be held. This is not a matter for negotiation or mediation, it is a requirement of the law and has nothing to do with who is or is not a GPA principal.
And so it is that while some well-known GPA creatures who have no chance in heaven of winning a free and fair election and who can only possibly come back to Parliament through nomination by their parties on a gender ticket under a controversial system of proportional representation can make their usual empty noises, claiming that the Sadc summit has declared that Welshman Ncube is a GPA principal in place of Mutambara, law-abiding Zimbabweans know better. The elections are coming because the law says they must come.
GPA creatures should put this reality in their thick and empty heads and they must understand that nobody is going to become a GPA principal or political leader in Zimbabwe on account of a Sadc communique made and facilitated by an important inlaw. That cannot be right no matter how many times it is written in as many Sadc communiques.
One does not have to hold a brief for Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to understand five very clear things about why he is a GPA principal in terms of Zimbabwe’s laws and why only a court of law can change that.
First, Mutambara is a signatory to the GPA and that counts for something at law, especially given that his legal status as a GPA signatory has not been challenged in any court of law.
Second, the only matter that is in dispute before the courts is whether MDC-M held a lawful electoral congress through which Welshman Ncube was elected to replace Mutambara. That matter is on appeal at the Supreme Court and is yet to be finalised such that the issue is still to be settled legally.
Third, there is no legal challenge in any court of law to Mutambara’s GPA position as the Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe and he is therefore secure in that regard whatever is the outcome of the challenge pending in the Supreme Court.
Fourth, it is not legally clear at all as to what party Welshman Ncube now leads and the status of that party in the GPA. Is it the same party that Mutambara represented under his name and signature when the GPA was signed on September 15, 2008?
How many elected MPs, if any, does Welshman Ncube - who does not want by-elections - actually have, given the indubitable fact that some of those he has previously claimed in the past have effectively crossed to the MDC-T while others swear that their loyalty is with Mutambara?
Fifth, it is now common cause that Welshman Ncube is one of the authors of Copac’s final draft produced on July 18 2012 and he did that not as a GPA principal but as a GPA negotiator because he clearly knew and understood that he is not a principal otherwise he would not have stooped that low.
Why then does Zuma’s facilitation team think it is right or legal under the false cover of Sadc to enable Ncube to now double-dip by posing as a GPA principal? Welshman Ncube has had his say on the Copac draft constitution as one of its drafters.
He must now let the GPA principals do their work unhindered and he certainly must refrain from pushing his in-laws in South Africa to bid for his politically hopeless and illegal cause.
Labels: ARTHUR MUTAMBARA, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, JACOB ZUMA, JONATHAN MOYO
Read more...
Sadc Troika notes GPA progress at summit
Saturday, 18 August 2012 07:57
From Farai Dzirutwe in MAPUTO, Mozambique
THE Sadc Troika has noted progress being made by principals in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement. The Troika met on Thursday in Ma-puto ahead of the Sadc Summit yesterday.
President Mugabe (Zanu-PF), Pri-me Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T) and Professor Welshman Ncube of MDC attended the meeting alongside their GPA negotiating teams.
Deputy Prime Minister Professor Arthur Mutambara, who is embroiled in a leadership dispute with Prof Ncube, also attended the meeting despite being left out of Tuesday’s pre-summit meetings in Harare with Mr Zuma.
Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the Troika meeting went on well and acknowledged progress in the implementation of the GPA, but could not be drawn into the actual issues discussed.
“The Troika exhorted us to continue working towards the full implementation of the GPA and everything else went on well,” said Minister Chinamasa.
He said Prof Mutambara had raised a complaint against Mr Zuma during the meeting, accusing the South African leader of sidelining him from the GPA talks.
Prof Mutambara last night confirmed he attacked Mr Zuma’s decision to appoint Prof Ncube as a GPA principal.
He said the South African leader’s conduct was a violation of Zimbabwe’s Constitution.
“It is true that I complained bitterly about Mr Zuma’s conduct,” said Prof Mutambara.
“He came to Harare and unilaterally decided that Prof Ncube is the MDC principal and that the MDC congress was valid and yet the matter is still pending before the Supreme Court which is the final legal authority.
“Anyone who undermines the Supreme Court by making a determination on a pending issue is violating Zimbabwe’s laws and Constitution. I am the one who appended my signature to the GPA and it is high time we separated things that are legal from those that are political.
“I told the Troika that Mr Zuma should change his behaviour or recuse himself from the process and everyone acknowledged my point.”
MDC-T secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti told journalists that both the Troika meeting and yesterday’s summit deliberations went on well although there were still some issues to be ironed out.
Meanwhile, new Lesotho Prime Minister Mr Thomas Thabane said Sadc member-states should collectively call for the removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe.
He said the embargoes were undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Addressing regional leaders and hundreds of delegates after the opening of the 32nd Ordinary Sadc summit here yesterday, Mr Thabane said progress recorded in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement justified the need to lift the embargoes.
He said Sadc should not brook any external interference in Zimbabwe’s domestic affairs, adding that the recent partial lifting of sanctions by the European Union was inconsequential.
“The progress that is being recorded in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement in Zimbabwe is not insignificant.
“We wish that sisterly country success in the full implementation of the agreement.
“Our region has consistently stood together to reject externally-imposed solutions that seek to undermine the hard-earned political and economic independence of Zimbabwe.
“Despite the limited relaxation of sanctions by countries of the European Union, we must continue to call for the lifting of all sanctions against Zimbabwe.”
In his salutation before delivering his speech, Mr Thabane referred to the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Mugabe, as “our father” to applause from the summit delegates.
Mr Thabane, who became Lesotho’s Prime Minister on June 12, succeeding the long-serving Pakalitha Mosisili, also urged the regional bloc to urgently act to resolve the political crisis in Madagascar and the military conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo where government forces are battling insurgents.
The new Lesotho PM was among three new regional leaders invited to make their maiden addresses to the Sadc leaders together with Zambian President Mr Michael Sata and Malawian President Joyce Banda.
The three took office after the last ordinary Sadc summit, with President Sata assuming the presidency on September 23 last year while Mrs Banda was sworn in on April 7 this year following the death of Professor Bingu wa Mutharika.
Mr Sata stressed the need for regional peace, stability and security saying these were necessary ingredients for sustainable economic development.
He said conflicts affected trade among member-countries, adding that there was need to pursue peaceful dialogue in the remaining conflict areas Mrs Banda called for closer regional co-operation and thanked Sadc member-states for supporting Malawi following the death of Prof wa Mutharika, for whom a minute of silence was observed at the start of the summit.
She said the region was enjoying peace, except for a few pockets of political instability, adding that sustainable economic development could not be achieved without tranquility.
Newly-elected African Union Commission chair Mrs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and African Development Bank president Dr Donald Kaberuka also addressed the summit.
Mrs Dlamini-Zuma, the first woman and southern African candidate to land the position, urged Africa to unite in confronting burning issues such as food and water security, climate change, pandemics and the empowerment of youths and women.
Labels: GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, SADC
Read more...
Zanu PF factions blocking draft: MDC-T
10/08/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
THE MDC-T has claimed factional fights within Zanu PF are holding back the constitutional reform programme after the Politburo said Wednesday it would take its reservations over the draft direct to the coalition principals.
The MDC parties have since endorsed the draft while Zanu PF’s politburo ended its third meeting over the document late Wednesday with officials saying the party was now finalising proposed amendments before making public its verdict.
“Some of us are not taking this thing lightly. It is important that we scrutinise every aspect and every word. We are not against the whole document,” said party spokesman, Rugare Gumbo.
“There are some good provisions in the document, but there are also other areas we felt deviated from what the people said during the outreach.
“Our legal team is now putting our amendments in legal language. We should be able to submit the document to the principals after the Heroes holidays.”
But MDC-T spokesman, Douglas Mwonzora, said the delays were not acceptable, adding Zanu PF should take its reservations to the second stake-holders conference as agreed under the constitutional reform process.
“Asking Copac or the management committee or the principals to re-negotiate is tantamount to asking Copac, management committee or the principals to decide on the factional feud within Zanu PF,” he said.
“We are totally against any further negotiations because it is time-wasting and unproductive. Besides, this document is a product of the outreach and negotiation processes.
“The document must be taken to the Second All Stakeholders Conference where Zanu PF is included, to interrogate the document. They can also wait for the referendum to air out their views.
MDC official, Qubani Moyo, said Zanu PF’s reservations over the draft came as a surprise claiming the party’s negotiators had endorsed the document. He said the party should campaign for a ‘No Vote’ during the referendum if it was not happy with the document.
“Every paragraph, line, comma and full stop were negotiated and agreed on by the parties and signed by all their negotiators as confirmation that they identify with both the content and process of Constitution-making,” he said.
“As such, let the document that has been signed be taken to a referendum as it is and the people will decide through a referendum whether they want it or not.
“If Zanu PF is strongly against the draft as we are hearing now, they have an option of mobilising their supporters to vote “NO” and if their views are truly the views of the majority of Zimbabweans then obviously their day will prevail.”
Gumbo however, dismissed the criticism, insisting Zanu PF was right to take its time scrutinising and auditing the draft.
“They (MDC parties) have a right to express their views, but they will see when we come up with a radical position that we are not playing games,” he said.
“We are not worried by what they are talking about because we are focused on what we want to achieve. They will see from our position paper that we are serious.
“There is no factionalism they are talking about. We are all in agreement with what we are doing. Everyone participates and there are no contradictions.”
Writing a new constitution is part of a number of political reforms agreed under the Global Political Agreement (GPA) which facilitated the formation of the coalition government.
The draft charter is expected to be put to a national referendum leading to new elections now expected next year.
Labels: CONSTITUTION, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, MDC, ZANU-PF
Read more...
Zimbabwe sanctions: Zanu-PF slams EU’s ‘cheap propaganda’ and ‘arrogance’
This article was written by Our reporter on 25 July, at 02 : 33 AM
The Zimbabwean Government has dismissed as a non-event the European Union extension of Zimbabwe sanctions by another year. Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi told journalists in Harare yesterday that Government wanted the EU to unconditionally lift the embargo.
He added that the Western bloc is trying to hoodwink the public with its ‘cheap propaganda’ by saying they will ease some of the measures, while in fact they are extending them.
Mumbengegwi also added that the EU does not have the mandate to supervise implementation of the Global Political Agreement signed by President Mugabe and the MDC leaders as a precondition to lift the sanctions.
Minister Mumbengegwi said the GPA was an internal document that has nothing to do with the EU.
“In May, we sent a three-member delegation of the ministerial re-engagement committee which represented all the parties in Government to Brussels at the invitation of Lady (Catherine) Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
“The delegation carried a clear message that Zimbabwe was demanding an immediate and unconditional lifting of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
“Yesterday (Monday), the EU issued a statement in which they demonstrated that either they did not listen to the demand of our delegation or they did not understand.
“But whatever the case, their statement is just a demonstration of the EU’s arrogance. As we all know, the GPA is an agreement among Zimbabwean parties and the EU is not part of that agreement.
“Now they have arrogated themselves the role of supervising the agreement which they are not party to.
“They have no power or responsibility to supervise our GPA. That is the height of arrogance which is not acceptable,” he said.
Minister Mumbengegwi said anything short of an unconditional lifting of the embargo was not acceptable to Zimbabwe.
He said the sanctions were imposed unilaterally and Zimbabwe stood by its position demanding unconditional lifting of the sanctions.
Minister Mumbengegwi said the EU sanctions were illegal and had received worldwide condemnation from all progressive forces such as the African Union, Sadc, the Non-Aligned Movement and Comesa.
He said more than two million Zimbabweans also made a strong case against the sanctions after signing Anti Sanctions Petition forms in 2010.
“They (sanctions) are illegal in terms of the African Caribbean Pacific and the EU statutes themselves …”
The minister said as long as one person or one company remains on sanctions, Zimbabwe would not be satisfied.
Minister Mumbengegwi said the European bloc was playing cheap propaganda tactics by claiming that it had suspended part of the sanctions regime.
“What is suspension? It is either they are there or they are removed. How can you suspend something which is not there? This is cheap propaganda to try and deceive the people of Zimbabwe and the international community.
“The statement by the EU is totally irrelevant and meaningless,” he said.
“All we did was repossessing our land. Anyone who says that is an offence then obviously they are colonialists and there is no room for colonialists in independent Zimbabwe,” he said.
Minister Mumbengegwi said the fight against sanctions was a continuation of the liberation struggle that Zimbabwe was destined to win.
Former president of the Zimbabwe Union for Democrats Mrs Margaret Dongo said the EU was violating Zimbabweans’ human rights.
“The extension of the sanctions does not make any sense. We have the inclusive Government and the sanctions should have been removed from the first day we entered into the inclusive Government for it to work.
“The EU is not seeing the suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans here and there is a lot of hypocrisy surrounding this whole issue.”
She called PM Tsvangirai and his party to lead the call for the lifting of the sanctions as they called for the embargo.
Political analyst Ambassador Chris Mutsvangwa condemned the sanctions extension.
He said: “The EU sanctions are an unleashed arrow that is getting even weaker as they search for an elusive target. Ten years ago the original aim was to avert or overthrow national liberation movements and install a puppet neo-colony and reverse land reform.
“Now their purpose change at each new EU meeting as they wither in the face of Zimbabwe’s resilience.”
He said the EU meetings have turned into confusion and cross purpose.
“Terms of debate changed to how we remove them, not how to make them (sanctions) more potent. Confusion is now a new order among EU allies.
“Meanwhile, they lose business opportunities like Marange and Zisco to China, India and other BRICS countries.”
He said the land reforms were permanent and irreversible.
“This EU soft power punch has landed on hard Zimbabwe ground.”
The Herald/TZG
Labels: EU, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, SANCTIONS, SIMBARASHE MUMBENGEGWI, ZDERA
Read more...
JOMIC presses leaders on violence
04/06/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
PARTY leaders must back their calls against political violence with concrete action and “immediately” hold joint rallies to help end clashes between their supporters across the country, Jomic officials have said.
The call by Jomic – the committee which monitors the GPA - follows last week’s disturbances in Mudzi where violent clashes between MDC-T supporters and Zanu PF rivals resulted in the death of an MDC-T activist.
Both President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have called for an end to political violence but they are yet to hold the joint rallies promised by their parties as part of efforts to calm divisions.
Addressing a press conference in Harare Monday Jomic national committee members said the GPA principals must “walk the talk” to help end political violence.
Said Tabitha Khumalo of the MDC-T: “It’s now a trend that whenever the word election is mentioned, violence erupts. Elections do not mean war. It is about campaigning and selling your party’s ideology and there is no reason to fight.
"Our principals should move in quickly and work with various stakeholders to avoid more shedding of blood."
Frank Chamunorwa (MDC) added: “If they (leaders) are all genuine in their calls to end political violence and if it is not grandstanding then they should go to all corners of the country instructing, preaching peace and persuading their members to desist from violence.
“It is high time they stand up and walk the talk than just denouncing it through the media. The principals are a key component if we are to take information to the grassroots levels.
“Yes, they might denounce violence at public gatherings but remember people are in all parts of the country and there will be sense in it if they visit all the 10 provinces.”
MDC-T activist Cephas Magura, 60, was allegedly stoned to death after clashes broke out between MDC-T and Zanu PF supporters attending rival rallies at a Mudzi business centre. Seven people have since been arrested and will face murder charges.
Chamunorwa said the police did not helped matters by allowing the parties to hold rival rallies at the business centre at the same time.
“Our police is one of the best in the world but I am surprised that in some cases they book two political parties at the same venue at the same time despite the fact that they know how polarised the environment is,” he said.
“Some police officers are overzealous and they masquerade as entities on their own without following the protocol.”
Zanu PF’s Jomic representative Oppah Muchinguri said political parties should also engage their provincial structures and local leaders such as chiefs as part of the campaign against violence.
“It’s high time stern action be taken against those who incite or are involved in political violence. Let us quickly trace the history of this violence and find ways of dealing with this issue of individualism,” she said.
“What happened in Mudzi is a peculiar and disturbing situation and we are calling on all stakeholders including MPs, councillors and chiefs to dissuade people from engaging in violence.
“Murder and violence should be dealt with and the onus is on us to engage as many stakeholders as possible. We should speak one language and condemn whoever and whichever political party is involved in violence.”
Labels: GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, JOMIC, POLITICAL VIOLENCE
Read more...
Zuma team holds GPA meetings
28/05/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
SOUTH African President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team held meetings with GPA negotiators in Harare on Monday ahead of an extraordinary summit of SADC leaders which is set for Angola this Friday.
Zuma is SADC’s point-man for Zimbabwe and is helping facilitate dialogue between the three main parties in the coalition government over political reforms and a so-called roadmap to new elections.
The dialogue has stalled and the parties disagree on the timing of new elections, with Zanu PF insisting the polls must be held before year-end while the MDC factions want political reforms completed first.
Foreign affairs secretary Joey Bimha dismissed speculation that Zimbabwe was topping the agenda of the regional leaders’ Angola meeting.
“In the customary SADC tradition, extraordinary summits are one item agenda and in this particular case regional integration is the agenda for SADC,” he said.
“If there are any other issues brought before the summit, there would be mere reports for noting by Heads of State and not agenda items for discussion. It is under these circumstances that the summit in Angola would be held.”
But President Robert Mugabe has, over the past two weeks, dispatched top aides to lobby regional leaders ahead of the meeting.
Vice President, John Nkomo, was sent to Botswana to deliver a special message to President Ian Khama. Defence Minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa, delivered a special message to the Presidents of Angola and Mozambique while State Security Minister, Sydney Sekeramayi, met the leaders of Zambia and Tanzania.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who is presently on an official visit to China, is also expected to attend the SADC meeting.
“It is true that the PM is going to Angola for the summit, but I do not have the details,” MDC-T spokesman, Douglas Mwonzora, said.
Mugabe will need the backing of regional colleagues if he is to push through plans for new elections this year to replace the coalition government, which all the parties agree is no longer workable due to policy differences.
The Zanu PF leader has threatened to name an election date if no progress is made in ongoing constitutional reforms but his rivals say he does not have the authority to unilaterally call for elections.
Both Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara insist that new elections are only viable in March next year.
Labels: GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, JACOB ZUMA, SADC
Read more...
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
Read more...
PM overestimates his power: Madhuku
10/02/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
A LEADING constitutional lawyer says there is nothing to stop President Robert Mugabe renewing the contracts of the military and police top brass.
Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly, says Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Arthur Mutambara negotiated a flawed power sharing agreement which left all executive authority at Mugabe's discretion.
Tsvangirai and Mutambara are fuming after Mugabe extended the term of Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri to 2014.
Mugabe’s announcement of the move came a day after the MDC duo came out of a meeting with the veteran leader and told journalists that the police chief was in the position in an acting capacity while consultations continue.
Mugabe’s rivals are keen to see the back of Chihuri, accusing him of presiding over a partisan police force and unprofessionalism.
But Madhuku says Tsvangirai and Mutambara are seriously constrained by their lack of authority on the matter.
"This is what we have always seen with the inclusive government,” Madhuku told the Voice of America’s Studio 7 on Friday night.
“The reality is that power resides with the President, but the other players in the inclusive government will always want to pretend that they also have some power, some responsibility, and this is what keeps creating this circus.”
Tsvangirai’s spokesman, Luke Tamborinyoka, insisted on Friday that Mugabe had agreed in meetings with the Prime Minister on Monday and Wednesday to delay Chihuri’s appointment until further consultations had been held.
“We refuse to be seduced into believing the position being articulated by Cde George Charamba [Mugabe’s spokesman] merely because it is averse and allergic to common sense; it is allergic to the constitution and it is allergic to the agreement by the principals themselves.”
He described Mugabe’s decision to extend Chihuri’s term as mischievous and called it a “technical coup”.
“I would assume that the principals will put finality to this whole issue when they meet again on Monday,” Tamborinyoka added.
Labels: ARTHUR MUTAMBARA, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, LOVEMORE MADHUKU, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT
Read more...
Tsvangirai’s letter to President Mugabe
Posted by By Our reporter at 5 February, at 05 : 58 AM
MEMORANDUM
TO: H.E. President Robert Mugabe
cc: D.P.M. Mutambara
FROM: The Right Honourable Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai
RE: Status of the Inclusive Government
Date: 2 February, 2012
Your Excellency, in just over a fortnight, the Inclusive Government will have been in existence for three (3) years. I believe that it is proper for us to reflect on the state of the Inclusive Government particularly over the last twelve months in order for us to chart a way forward.
Although there have been some notable achievements that have been made by the Inclusive Government, it is undeniable that this Government has not “fully” achieved what it set out to do in February 2009. This Memo brings to your attention some of the critical issues that we need to address although the list is not exhaustive.
1.0 The GPA
In 2008, we entered into an agreement which amongst other things sought to achieve two broad objectives.
(a) Restoration of Economic Stability
(b) Restoration of peace, stability and implementation of democratic reforms including a new constitution.
The pursuance of the above broad objectives were intended to prepare the country for a fresh election, which is free, fair, credible and respects the will of the people.
2.0 PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES
2.1 Restoration of Economic Stability
l We have largely restored basic services although more work is needed
l We have recorded modest growth rates
l Our industrial capacity utilisation is improving although we still face challenges of liquidity in the economy and access to credit lines
(i) Sanctions and Measures
The parties to the GPA agreed that all measures must be removed. SADC on its part has been engaging the EU and the USA without success. On our part we established a Reengagement Committee headed by our Foreign Affairs Minister and no progress has been made to date. Your Excellency, I believe that we should resuscitate our committee in order to keep this matter alive. I believe it is only through dialogue and our unwavering commitment to the implementation of our agreement that will resolve this matter.
(ii) The Government Work Programme (GWP)
Non-attendance by Ministers to the Council of Ministers’ meeting
There remains a disturbing trend where some ministers and in particular Zanu-PF ministers are not attending the Council of Ministers, thereby derailing the implementation of the Government Work Programme. Some of the ministers who have been invited to be part of my tours have not shown up. This trend, Mr President, if allowed to continue, will make this government totally dysfunctional. It is also disturbing to note that some of the Zanu Pf meetings, especially the Central Committee meetings, have been slated for days meant for the Council of Ministers’ meetings. We must speak with one voice in urging all Cabinet Ministers to respect our State institutions.
iii) The Land Commission
Cabinet in 2011 mandated the Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement to recommend to the Principals and Cabinet persons fit for appointment to the Land Audit Commission which will be given the task of undertaking the Land Audit.
The Minister of Lands has not recommended any names as directed. Neither Cabinet nor the Principals have yet received any recommendations relating to this resolution.
I must point out, Mr President that the failure to fully implement these decisions impacts on the extent of government’s ability to fund and source other support for the agricultural sector. Secondly, the maximum utilisation of the land cannot be ensured when government remains in the dark on the current patterns of land possession and use. May I implore you to urge the Minister to comply with Cabinet decisions?
2.2 Restoration of Peace, stability & implementation of democratic reforms including the constitution making process
(i) Violent Acts
Your Excellency, up until the tripartite Meeting of the parties and Government, there was tension in the country with reported incidences of violence in urban areas, some of which occurred in our Parliament Building. Whilst the perpetrators of these acts of violence are known, both the Attorney General and the police are yet to act. May I implore you to urge the Police to act.
(ii) Disruption of PM’s Government Programmes
The Prime Minister’s supervision of Government programmes such as the Marange Diamond mining operations or drought mitigation programmes in the provinces have been deliberately disrupted by public officials including the police. Of note is the police role in the Lupane incident on Saturday, October 29, 2011. I was prevented from touring St. Paul’s Hospital in Lupane after police unlawfully barricaded the entrance with chains. Hospital staff were chased away from the hospital premises by armed riot police who threatened to shoot and intimidated residents gathered there. This happens nowhere in the world where a Prime Minister is treated like a common criminal. May I implore you to instruct the police to respect members of the Executive in the discharge of their duties.
(iii) Arrest of Ministers
During the period under review, two Cabinet Ministers from my party namely Hon. Elton Mangoma the Minister of Energy and Hon. Jameson Timba the Minister of State in my office were arrested on flimsy charges which our courts threw out. The same kind of harassment also visited three Ministers from MDC-N who were kept at a police station for hours for no justifiable reason. This environment of harassment Your Excellency does not promote cohesion and mutual trust amongst parties in the same government. May I implore you to instruct the police not to be overzealous in the discharge of their duties and to be sensitive to the fragility of our transition.
(iv) Attorney General’s Office
The Attorney General’s Office Bill has been passed by both houses of Parliament yet the responsible Minister Hon Patrick Chinamasa has not caused it to be gazetted as required by law. A professionally managed and fully equipped Attorney General’s office is a key ingredient of our stability. May I implore you to urge the Minister to gazette the bill.
(v) Appointment and promotion of Service Chiefs and other Security personnel
Your Excellency, I believe you are aware that our amended constitution requires that all appointments that you have to do under the constitution or any act of parliament have to be done in consultation with the Prime Minister. I deal with some of the recent appointments and also under separate cover and as an annexure to this memo bring to your attention the issue of the impeding appointment of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander and the Commissioner General of Police whose terms of office have expired.
(a) Promotion of Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba
In June of 2011, a senior member of the Zimbabwe National Army, Brigadier-General Nyikayaramba labelled me a security threat in an article that received prominent coverage in the Herald newspaper. He then proceeded to state that Zanu-PF and the security forces were inseparable. The Minister of Defence then issued a statement dissociating the security forces from Nyikayaramba’s. I am of the view that Nyikayaramba’s statements should have attracted sterner action from his superiors other than a mere repudiation of his statements.
It was with a sense of shock and profound sadness that I learnt through the press in December that you had promoted Brigadier-General Nyikayaramba to the rank of Major General, barely six months after he had committed what can be at the very least described as a serious act of misconduct.
The impression that his promotion creates in the minds of the public is that not only do you condone the statements that he made in June 2011, but that you have also rewarded him for making them. This inevitably undermines the Inclusive Government.
(b) Appointment of the ZDF Commander and the Commissioner General of Police.
See attached letter.
(vi) State Visits to Zimbabwe
Your Excellency, we have an embarrassing situation in which foreign Heads of state visit our country and there is no courtesy from your office to advise my office of an impending visit. In most cases the delegations of the Head of State would send emissaries to my office when my office is not briefed. I believe this matter needs to be regularised to avoid embarrassing our country.
2.2.2 Implementation of Democratic Reforms
2.2.2.1 Constitution Reform Process
The Constitution Making Process is at drafting stage as you are aware. It is important that you and I ensure this process continues with minimum disruptions so that we can proceed to a referendum in the shortest period of time and thereby prepare the next phase which calls for the realignment of some of our laws which might be in conflict with the new supreme law.
2.2.2.2 Media Reforms
The reforms that we have agreed to as Principals have failed to take off. For instance:
(a) Mass Media Trust Board
The 7 trustees were to be selected on the 3:3:1 agreed ratio. To date notwithstanding the letter written by the Chief Secretary to the President instructing the Minister of Media to facilitate the same nothing has been done. (See attached letter). May I implore you to urge the Minister to comply with our directives without further delay.
(b) Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe Board (BAZ)
The negotiators, the principals and the Prime Minister and the President agreed that the board was unlawfully constituted and that the Minister was supposed to regularise the same in terms of the law. Several attempts by myself and yourself to have this done have fallen on deaf ears. The issue of the BAZ Board has been further complicated by the fact that the current board, which the Minister of Media has failed to reconstitute despite express instructions for him to do so by Cabinet and the Principals, has issued radio licences in circumstances that have generated controversy. The applicants who were not awarded radio licences by the un-constituted BAZ Board have since petitioned the Administrative Court seeking the nullification of the awarding of the radio licences. The letter and spirit of the GPA is such that we must immediately process applications for new broadcasting licences for new players. We also agreed that in order to deal with the issue of extra-territorial broadcasting, we should encourage Zimbabweans working for those stations to operate locally. One of the companies operating outside the country applied for a licence and it was denied. May I implore you to urge the Minister of Media to comply with our directives and reconstitute the Board which must in turn licence other broadcasters in a fair manner.
(c) Hate Speech
As a direct consequence of the Minister of Media’s refusal to implement the Media Reforms that we have agreed on, the State controlled media has embarked on an overt and relentless campaign to demonise and denigrate me and the party that I lead. This onslaught has been led by The Herald, The Sunday Mail and the ZBC.
The state media routinely propagates hate speech against me whilst occasionally publishing stories that are designed to incite public disharmony. Only a few weeks ago, the ZBC ran a story falsely accusing me of bribing some journalists in the independent media in an effort to induce them to run favourable stories about me.
This story was gleefully published by the Herald on their front page when it should have been abundantly clear to them that these allegations were totally without substance. All this is happening under the watchful eye of the Minister of Media, Information and Publicity.
I must emphasise that I do not expect special treatment from any media institution, state controlled or otherwise.
A democratic society requires a vibrant, impartial press. The manner in which the state-controlled media institutions are operating, however, is unacceptable in any peace-loving society. The Minister of Media must take full responsibility of this current state of affairs and I implore you to urge him to regularise this matter before our political environment is further poisoned before the next election.
(d) ZBC Board — The 12 Board members were to be selected on a 5:5:2 ratio.
Your Excellency, the principals agreed that in the spirit of inclusivity we should appoint a new Board for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings. We agreed this had to be done on the basis of the above ratio. To date, the Minister of Media is yet to facilitate this notwithstanding the letters written to him by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet. (See attached letter). May I implore you to urge the Minister to comply with our directives.
(e) Reform of Media Laws
Your Excellency, in 2009 we adopted a Government Work Programme that had a comprehensive legislative agenda. One of the key pieces of legislation that required attention was the media law AIPPA. It was agreed that two bills would replace it i.e. a Media Practitioners Bill and a Freedom of information bill. To date nothing has been done, instead the Ministry of Media have come out public in the media that such reform is not going to take place. May I implore you to urge the Minister to comply with a government programme.
2.2.2.4 Electoral Reforms
* The Draft Bill is now in parliament and must stay there until enacted
* Parliament has decided to exercise its independence as a way of resolving differences within the Executive on certain clauses, particularly the one referring to polling station based voters roll. Let us allow our Parliament to go through its normal process and assist us in resolving any disputes amongst the executive on aspects of that bill.
NB. We must also resolve other electoral discussions left outstanding by the negotiators.
Your Excellency, all the issues that I have mentioned above deserve our urgent collective attention and I propose that we discuss them on the occasion of our next meeting. I am of the view that failure to address these issues effectively will undermine the efforts of the entire Government as well as the public confidence in our collective willingness to fully implement the GPA. I believe that you have the authority to instruct and censure any of your nominees to government who are incapable or unwilling to carry out Cabinet decisions on our programme to fully implement the GPA. Failure to do so might be construed to mean that they are defying us and Cabinet with your blessing.
3.0 Election Road Map Issues
Your Excellency, our negotiators have met countless times and there are still areas of deadlock which we must resolve.
These areas can be summarised as follows:
3.1 Enhancing free political activity
My party and our coalition partner MDC-N agree that there is need to enhance the freedom of our people by amending those aspects of our Public Order and Security Act which curtail freedom of association. Your party does not seem to see the need for increasing the freedoms of our people. It is my view that we must facilitate the amendments by our Parliament through an Amendment Bill to be presented to our Parliament as this will be beneficial to all parties. The fastest way of dealing with this matter is for our negotiators to inherit the Private member’s amendment Bill currently in Parliament and agree on the required amend-ments.
3.2 Realignment of our Security Establishment to a multi-party democracy
Your Excellency, I have no doubt in my mind that you are a firm believer in the doctrine that the military must subject itself and owe its allegiance to the civilian authority. During our struggle for independence and after it you have always maintained that “Politics leads the Gun” and not vice versa.
My party and our partner MDC-N agree that the statements issued by some of our Security personnel to the effect that they will not recognise the outcome of an election where their preferred leader and party is not elected is in conflict with your own belief and our constitution.
In this regard, our negotiators resolved that Service Chiefs should publicly state that they will respect our constitution and the will of the people after an election. Your party seems to think that this must not be done. It is also within your power to ensure that members of the security sector submit to the supremacy of the Constitutional order.
Our two parties also agreed that in order to enhance the public accountability of our State Intelligence services, there is need to enact a law governing them. This is now a trend in the region and recognised as best practice internationally. Your party seems to be happy with the status quo arguing that it is modelled around the British system. Why Your Excellency should we maintain this colonial relic thirty two years after our independence? I believe that we should facilitate the enactment of an appropriate Act of Parliament and also instruct Service Chiefs to publicly withdraw the unconstitutional statements they made.
3.3 Professionalisation of the Zimbabwe Elections Commission Staff (ZEC)
My party and MDC-N agreed that there is need for ZEC to instil confidence in contesting political parties and the generality of the people of Zimbabwe by ensuring that the staff who work for them are considered and viewed to be non-partisan.
My party’s view is that considering that over the years the institution has been staffed by both serving and retired security personnel whose leaders have publicly declared their allegiance to your party it is important that ZEC because of the new order is seen to act on this.
A case in point is Brigadier Nyikayaramba, who is now Major General Nyikayaramba and used to work for the Electoral Supervisory Commission that was succeeded by ZEC whilst still serving and several other security personnel who are still with ZEC. On the basis of this, I believe you will understand the apprehension of the other two parties.
I maintain that we should facilitate the professionalisation of ZEC staff which your party does not seem to support.
3.4 Amendment of Section 121 of the Criminal Code
All negotiators agreed that there is need to amend aspects of the above Section of our criminal code which over the years has been used by the Attorney General to deny bail to members of my party. To date nothing has been done. The responsible Minister to facilitate this is the Minister of Justice and may I implore you to urge him to do so without further delay.
In summary, my views and position on the way forward with respect to the matters I raised above is as follows:
Sanctions and Measures
Let us resuscitate the re-engagement Committee and accelerate the implementation of the GPA
Attendance at Council of Ministers
Let us speak with one voice urging all Ministers to respect Executive State institutions
Land Audit
May I implore you to urge the Minister to comply with decisions of Cabinet.
Violent Acts
May I implore you to urge the police to act on the perpetrators who are known.
Harassment of the PM by the police
May I implore you to urge the police to respect the office of the PM
Arrest and harassment of Ministers
May I implore you to urge the police not to be overzealous and to be sensitive to our fragile transition.
Attorney General’s Bill
May I implore you to urge the Minister of Justice to gazette the bill
Appointment of Service Chiefs (ZDF & Police)
May I implore you to allow a discussion and agreement between us on suitable appointments as provided for in our constitution.
Constitution Making Process
Let us see the process through.
Media Reforms
May I implore you to urge the Minister to comply with all our directives.
Electoral Reforms
May I suggest we let Parliament go through its constitutional role and enact the Electoral amendment Bill as it sees fit.
Election Road Map Issues
(i) Free Political activity (POSSA).
Our negotiators should inherit the POSSA Private members bill in Parliament and agree on amendments.
(ii) Realignment of Security Sector.
May I implore you to instruct the service chiefs to publicly state that they will respect our constitution and the will of the people after an election.
(iii) State Intelligence Service.
Let us enact an appropriate Act of Parliament which our negotiators can agree on.
(iv) Professionalisation of ZEC Staff.
Let us urge ZEC to professionalise their staffing in order to give confidence to all parties.
(v) Amendment of Section 121 of the Criminal Code
May I implore you to urge the Minister of Justice to bring the proposed amendments to Cabinet without further delay.
Finally, Your Excellency, time is not on our side as we move towards the next election. Let us give momentum to our agreement by facilitating the creation of an enabling environment for our people to exercise their right to choose their leaders freely and fairly. This is one of the principles of our liberation struggle and we owe it to current and future generations to ensure that it is upheld.
Sincerely,
Morgan Tsvangirai
Labels: GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT, ROBERT MUGABE, ZANU-PF
Read more...
GPA negotiators meet
Saturday, 19 November 2011 00:00
Herald Reporter
Negotiators from parties to the Global Political Parties yesterday met ahead of a high-level meeting between South African President Jacob Zuma's facilitation team and party principals next week. Zanu-PF negotiator Cde Patrick Chinamasa, yesterday confirmed the meeting held at a secret location in Harare. He said the meeting would continue on Monday.
"We met today in an exercise to choose issues that should be on the agenda when the facilitation team and negotiators meet next week," he said.
President Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara are scheduled to convene the meeting on Wednesday next week. The meeting would be attended by the facilitation team of Mr Mac Maharaj, Mr Charles Nqakula and Ms Lindiwe Zulu in preparation for President Zuma's visit.
Minister Chinamasa said: "We expect to be joined by the facilitation and work on and agree on issues that need to be ironed out in the forthcoming meetings."
He insisted that Zanu-PF was calling off discussions on the forum of negotiators saying it had failed to yield results.
"We are not discussing new issues and we cannot continue talking without implementing the agreements," he said.
The negotiators, in their previous meeting with the facilitation team early this month, agreed that President Zuma convenes a meeting with the GPA principals, their negotiators and the facilitation teams to bring finality to the implementation of the agreement.
Labels: GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, PATRICK CHINAMASA
Read more...
No more discussions with MDC-T: Zanu-PF
Posted by By Our reporter at 3 November, at 03 : 25 AM
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party says the current negotiations with the MDC-T have come to an end and new platforms should now be explored. The party says it has lost faith with the Global Political Agreement forum of negotiators.
Negotiating teams from Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations met Sadc facilitator South African President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team in Harare on Wednesday.
The team which included Charles Nqakula and Lindiwe Zulu, met with the negotiating teams of Patrick Chinamasa and Jonathan Moyo (Zanu-PF), Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma (MDC-T) and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Moses Mzila Ndlovu (MDC).
Chinamasa said Prof Moyo attended the meeting in place of Nicholas Goche and Emmerson Mnangagwa who were not available yesterday.
He said the Zanu-PF negotiators made it clear to the facilitation team that the forum for negotiators to resolve outstanding issues had failed.
“It is clear that the MDC-T has withdrawn their co-operation from implementing negotiated and agreed positions.
“We no longer have the energy, inclination or willingness to maintain the team of negotiators as a forum of resolving any disagreements,” Chinamsa said.
However, MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora accused Zanu-PF of trying to delay the resolution of outstanding GPA issues.
Chinamasa accused MDC-T negotiators of refusing to own up to agreements even when signed documents are produced.
“They tend to varicate and ponder in successfully undermining the negotiated and agreed positions.
“This is not the first time they have done this as they have always raised issues that undermine the agreed positions.”
He accused a member of the MDC-T negotiating team (Elton Mangoma) of vowing to undermine the agreed positions.
“He had the temerity to say that he would do everything possible to undermine the agreed position.
“We have lost faith in this forum and we cannot continue drifting into the wilderness. We accept their attitude and we will not be seen to negotiate new issues that they do not own up to,” he said.
The MDC-T negotiating team, he said, lacked the courage to own up to negotiated agreements and positions.
“We took the opportunity to convey our extreme disappointment towards the MDC-T attitude of undermining the forum of negotiators and making them worthless.”
Chinamasa said it took two years to negotiate the Human Rights Bill and electoral Amendments Acts, only for MDC-T to backtrack and refuse to own up to the agreements.
“We feel, as Zanu-PF, that it serves no use to negotiate, agree and subsequently be undermined by people who agreed and appended their signatures.
He said the negotiators had agreed and accepted that they introduce the specific polling station voters’ roll to eliminate the issue of double voting.
“It was discovered that their supporters were guilty of double voting in the last election. We agreed that we should work on a new voters’ roll to ferret any deceased persons,” he said.
Chinamasa said the number of deceased persons appearing on the voters’ roll had been highlighted by Mr Biti.
Biti alleged that there were four million ghost voters on the roll which has just over five million registered voters.
“We have agreed on the new voters’ roll that everyone buys into and eliminates any shortcomings. The MDC-T are refusing to accept despite the fact that it is an agreed position,” he said.
Chinamasa dismissed claims that there was selective application of the law in Zimbabwe.
“No one is ammune to the full application of the law and no one is above the law. We are all subject to the laws of the country.
“They are asking for immunity from arrest and prosecution and that is not the future of Zimbabwe.”
He said the MDC-T should not distort facts to present themselves as victims when they are the perpetrators of both intra and inter-party violence.
Chinamasa reiterated that the security sector reforms was not a GPA issue.
“What we have agreed on and implement is for the inclusion of Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Laws in their curriculum,” he said.
TH/TZG
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS (ZIMBABWE), GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, MDC, PATRICK CHINAMASA, ZANU-PF
Read more...
Inclusive Government illegitimate: Mugabe
Posted by By Our reporter at 8 October, at 02 : 07 AM
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Thursday said Zimbabwe’s inclusive Government was illegitimate and needed to give way to an elected administration. He, however, said he could not determine when a fresh vote could be held.
President Mugabe has been pushing for a poll to end a power-sharing government he formed two years ago with MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister, following the contentious 2008 elections.
Addressing Zanu-PF supporters in Harare, President Mugabe accused Tsvangirai and the MDC of “dragging their feet” and delaying he writing of a new Zimbabwe constitution, a key step before any new elections are held.
“Those riding on the chariot of this creature (inclusive Government) and enjoying it don’t want the pleasure to go,” President Mugabe said.
“It is an illegitimate one because it’s a political creature not really born out of the wishes of the people but the wishes of the parties to create a transition to elections.”
While expressing his frustration at ideological and policy differences within the inclusive Government, President Mugabe said the timing of a fresh vote was not entirely in his hands.
“I am sorry we have not been in control of the mechanisms, mechanisms that we thought would lay the road to an election this year in terms of our decision taken at our last conference in Mutare (last December),” he said.
“The constitution-making process has been moving at a tortoise’s pace.”
Zanu-PF declared President Mugabe its presidential candidate at a party conference last December and resolved to push for elections this year.
However, the MDC-T, backed by regional leaders, has insisted on the completion of constitutional and other political reforms before a new vote.
In September, President Mugabe vowed to call an election by March 2012, despite possible objections from his inclusive Government partners.
Elections are due in 2013 but President Mugabe says the inclusive Government ran its course last February.
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, ROBERT MUGABE
Read more...
Plot to smuggle Ncube as GPA principal exposed
Tuesday, 19 July 2011 02:00
Herald Reporters
MDC-T is pushing to modify the meetings of principals to the Global Political Agreement to "smu-ggle" in Professor Welshman Ncube who leads the other MDC formation as a principal, but the plan is doomed to fail, sources said yesterday.
The plan, the sources said, is being pushed by MDC-T leader and Prime Minister in the inclusive Government Mr Morgan Tsvangirai in a bid to win the support of the smaller MDC formation, which is embroiled in a fight on who between Prof Ncube and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara should sit in the principals' meetings.
Mr Tsvangirai and Prof Ncube are also under pressure from their western sponsors and handlers who want them to unite ahead of the elections.
The Herald is reliably informed that the US, UK and some members of the EU want a united MDC as they now believe the emergence of the Welshman Ncube-led MDC and other parties in Matabeleland has cost Mr Tsvangirai some ground in that region.
Yesterday, Mr Tsvangirai's spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka confirmed the premier was in South Africa, but he was in that country for a different reason.
"The PM has children studying in South Africa and he was in South Africa to see his children," claimed Tamborinyoka.
He would not comment further referring all questions to do with the whole entourage to MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora.
Mr Mwonzora referred The Herald back to Tamborinyoka.
However, information at hand shows that there is a renewed bid by the MDC's British and American handlers using various organisations like the Freedom House and International Republican Institute (US) and the Zimbabwe Democracy Trust (UK) to unite the factions.
The Freedom House was founded in 1941 by Americans and claims to "support democratic change, monitor freedom and advocate democracy and Human Rights".
MDC spokesman Mr Kurauone Chihwayi said they were prepared to form an "alliance with anyone who is serious".
"We made an effort as a party to engage the Tsvangirai group in 2008 and proposed a united front, but they turned us down.
At the moment, we welcome people who are serious with the coalition idea including Tsvangirai but we have no intention of begging them," he said.
Mr Tsvangirai and his senior officials flew to South Africa last Thursday to meet their sponsors as well as discuss the alliance with Prof Ncube.
However, Prof Ncube - who was scheduled to also fly to SA - failed to do so.
The trip coincided with the arrival of British premier David Cameron's advance team to SA.
In the wake of the dispute between DPM Mutambara and Prof Ncube, which is pending before the courts, President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai agreed that DPM Mutambara would continue as a principal since he was the signatory to the GPA.
It was also felt that the goings-on at the smaller MDC formation should not be allowed to disrupt the inclusive Government while awaiting a decision of the courts on the matter, the sources said.
This made Prof Ncube to believe that it was Zanu-PF, which was blocking his ascendance to the DPM's post and recognition as a political principal since he assumed the leadership of his MDC formation after elbowing out Prof Mutambara.
Sources said an alliance was being forged between MDC-T and Prof Ncube's formation especially after last week's meeting of the principals where Mr Tsvangirai felt abandoned after he failed to foist his party's agenda on the principals.
The sources said Mr Tsvangirai tried to get the principals to act on the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe which his party claims was not complying with the Act, constituting it.
This was despite the recent briefing to the principals by Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu who explained that BAZ was complying.
"Tsvangirai brought the agenda of his party to the principals. They (MDC-T) want a foothold on internal broadcasting just as they have on external broadcasting (through foreign based pirate radio stations)," a source said.
But Prof Mutambara questioned the motive and that left Mr Tsvangirai feeling abandoned hence the reaching out to Prof Ncube and the attempt to "smuggle" him in as a principal.
"Tsvangirai is now pushing for a new arrangement for the meeting of principals. The MDC-T is proposing a meeting of political leaders which would involve himself, Welshman Ncube and the President to strip Mutambara of political status while smuggling in Ncube. Tsvangirai is trying to help the talks between the MDC-T and MDC-N," said the source.
Contacted for comment yesterday Presidential spokesman Mr George Charamba said:
"I am unaware of the scenario you are drawing up but I can only confirm that the Monday (principals') meeting took place and comprised the President, Prime Minister Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara. Whether they met as political principals or leaders of government I can't quite say but what I happen to know is that the Monday meetings are both political and governmental, which means they can deal with political and government issues."
Presently President Mugabe, PM Tsvangirai and DPM Mutambara meet as both political and government leaders in their Monday meetings.
However, when there are issues that need the collective attention of Government they meet as six - the President, the two Vice Presidents, the Prime Minister and the two Deputy Prime Ministers.
But Mr Tsvangirai now wants the Monday meeting limited to him and President Mugabe and then have the meeting of political leaders involving him, the President and Prof Ncube.
Mr Charamba said President Mugabe was unlikely to commit himself to Mr Tsvangirai's proposal.
"The President cannot commit himself to such a forum (meeting of political leaders)ahead of a court determination on the issue of the MDC leadership which is before the courts. The President has no intention of undermining the court processes," he said.
Sources say the talks for the MDC-T and Prof Ncube's formation to forge an alliance moved into top gear last week on Thursday when MDC-T senior officials flew to SA to patch up their differences away "from the madding crowd in Zimbabwe".
The first batch of officials who left on South African Airways flight number 032 at about 1300 hours was made up of MDC-T national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo, his deputy Mr Morgan Komichi, national organizing secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa and Mr Tsvangirai's spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka.
At about 1450hours another group followed on British Airways flight number 6268 made up of MDC-T deputy treasurer Mr Elton Mangoma, deputy secretary general Mr Tapiwa Mashakada.
Later in the evening at about 1845hours the last group flew out on South African Airways flight number 8103 made up of Mr Tsvangirai, MDC-T secretary general Mr Tendai Biti, secretary for international relations Mr Jameson Timba, MDC-T national executive member Mr Ian Makone and Mr Tsvangirai's personal aides Edgar Gobvu and Edward Gudhe.
Sources said the trip took place as British PM Cameron's advance delegation to SA was arriving to provide an opportunity for contacts between the MDC-T and the British establishment.
But Mr Tsvangirai tried to de-link the contact with the British, the sources said.
"The PM was very careful that he flies out (of South Africa) when the British PM was flying in," one of the sources said.
The sources added that the MDC-T undertook the SA trip to also discuss the alleged irregularities involving its senior officials serving in Government.
Sources say the formations then leaked to the SA Sunday Times the story that Mr Tsvangirai faces arrest over alleged financial irregularities involving the renovations of his Highlands official residence.
Sources said US$1,6 million, which the Ministry of Finance released, is involved in the alleged irregularities over the renovations of the PM's official residence and police are making headway into tracking the money.
The ministry released the money despite the fact that renovations to the house had been done to the satisfaction of the PM, the sources said.
Police have also launched an investigation into a case in which Finance Minister, Mr Biti, is suspected of unlawfully authorising an officer in his ministry to go on several foreign trips and awarding her per diem at "special" rates.
Minister Biti is arguing that the probe was aimed at destabilizing the inclusive government and invading his privacy.
Labels: GEORGE CHARAMBA, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, MDC, TENDAI BITI, WELSHMAN NCUBE
Read more...
President to table sanctions issue at Sadc, says Gumbo
Tuesday, 19 July 2011 02:00
Herald Reporter
PRESIDENT Mugabe will table the issue of the West's illegal economic sanctions at the Sadc Summit to be held mid-next month in Angola backed by the voices of over 2,2 million Zimbabweans who signed the National Anti-Sanctions Petition, Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo has said.
Zimbabweans countrywide signed the petition following the launch of the campaign in March that drew tens of thousands of people from all walks of life, among them academics, political, business and religious leaders.
Cde Gumbo yesterday said the people's position on sanctions would also be raised at other regional and international forums such as the African Union and the United Nations.
"We have collected more than two million signatures and we are waiting for the President to announce the decision on the results of the campaign. He (President Mugabe) will go with that result to the forthcoming Sadc summit to be held in Angola next month.
"People have spoken strongly against these illegal sanctions and we cannot ignore their voices. It is our understanding that the same message will be sent to those countries that have imposed sanctions on us," he said.
Cde Gumbo said numerous events were also lined up across the country as the anti-sanctions campaign gathers momentum.
Said Cde Gumbo: "From next month, we will be making tours across the country campaigning against sanctions. We will also stage demonstrations and marches at various centres to be announced in due course.
"We are also going to have an anti-sanctions gala to be held next month as a way of campaigning against these ruinous sanctions," he said.
Cde Gumbo said the campaign had so far received overwhelming respo-nse from Zimbabweans across the political divide.
The United States, EU, Australia and New Zealand imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe following Government's decision to acquire land from white former commercial farmers for distribution to the landless black majority.
Sadc, Comesa, the AU, the Non Aligned Movement and other progressive people and organisations the world over have denounced the illegal embargo which precipitated the economic decline of the past decade.
Zimbabwe's local business community has also slammed the widely discredited embargo, arguing that it was causing major setbacks to economic recovery.
It is only the two MDC formations that have remained mum on the sanctions. This is despite their commitment in the Global Political Agreement that they would campaign for the lifting of the embargo.
Recently, Sadc sent a high level delegation to a number of European capitals calling for the lifting of illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.
However, little headway has been made since the European Union and the United States of America are not willing to lift the sanctions claiming that Zimbabwe had not fully implemented the GPA and that there was no consensus on the sanctions in government.
This is despite that Zimbabwe has implemented all outstanding GPA issues with the only remaining issue being the removal of the illegal sanctions.
Zimbabwe has also set a local reengagement team to Europe that has also failed to make significant impact.
Labels: GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, ROBERT MUGABE, RUGARE GUMBO, SADC, SANCTIONS, ZDERA
Read more...
Sadc's true position on Zimbabwe
Monday, 13 June 2011 23:03
NO amount of agenda-setting or misinformation can change the outcome of the Extraordinary Summit of Sadc Heads of State and Government that rejected the Livingstone Troika document and refused to entertain issues outside the province of the GPA, analysts have said.
The two-day extraordinary summit, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, over the weekend; caught merchants of illegal regime change flat-footed with some ascribing their own, hoped for meanings, to a communiqué that is in black and white.
Much of the media reports stem from insistence by MDC formations that the Livingstone report was adopted by summit when it was not.
A southern African diplomat accre-dited to Zimbabwe told The Herald, on condition of anonymity, that those conversant with diplomatic conventions would ascribe no other meaning to the fact that summit's decision to "note" rather than "endorse" the Livingstone report meant that Livingstone was consigned to the dustbins of history.
‘‘In diplomatic terms, if there is a report of a sub-committee of a body, if the report is not adopted that's the death of the report, and if you notice the communiqué has no reference to Livingstone,'' the source said adding, ‘‘If the Livingstone document was still a living document of Sadc, then it would have been formally adopted by summit, which it wasn't.
"So the fact of none adoption, of silence marked the death of the Livingstone document.
‘‘In any case, all the principals from the three parties acknowledged that the situation in Zimbabwe was now radically different from what it was during the time of the Livingstone Troika Summit,'' he said.
Despite this, in a statement released after the summit, the MDC formations principally MDC-T, made several claims among them that summit had adopted the Livingstone communiqué, that the facilitator report had identified Zanu-PF as the offending party in Government and that Sadc resolved that the Troika would appoint a team of officials to join Jomic to ensure the monitoring, evaluation and full implementation of the GPA.
‘‘It is gratifying to note that the Sadc summit adopted the resolutions of the troika in Livingstone.
"The adoption of the facilitator's report is particularly important for Zimbabwe as it identifies Zanu-PF as the offending party in the Inclusive Government,'' the MDC-T statement said in part.
Other papers claimed President Mugabe had been shot down over elections.
Contacted for comment, Presidential spokesman Mr George Charamba laughed off the poll claims.
‘‘You can not argue, you can not claim that Sadc overruled President Mugabe on elections while at the same time saying Sadc asked the parties to produce a timeline for elections. The correct position is negotiators were asked to produce a timeline to the bundle of activities that they produced by first week of July so that the proposed timeline is ready for the August Summit of Sadc,'' he said.
A South African official said Tshwane wants to finalise the GPA issues before the August Summit where it will assume the chairmanship of the Troika because then it would be difficult to balance the roles of facilitator and Troika chair as it creates a conflict as SA will have to report to itself.
A source close to deliberations in the closed session revealed that Summit dwelled on three substantive points; the illegal economic sanctions, the Jomic report and the election roadmap.
‘‘Summit received and deliberated on a report on sanctions led by the Sadc Committee that was sent to Brussels, London and the US, which reported back to Summit on its findings and to the consternation of the Summit, they said the Americans told them that the Government was not speaking with one voice on sanctions as there was a section within Government - in apparent reference to MDC-T - which was saying keep the sanctions in place because the sanctions are our sole leverage against Zanu-PF,'' the source said.
Contrary to media reports that Troika would be seconding a team to Jomic, the diplomat said, the issue had not yet been finalized as the facilitator was still to furnish the three main political parties with the terms of reference.
‘‘The issue of Jomic was embraced in principle in Livingstone but Zanu-PF and the MDC (Ncube formation) insisted that lets look at the terms of reference and discuss those to find out exactly what is being meant by this proposal. So the terms of reference are awaited from the facilitator,'' he said.
Negotiators to the GPA revealed earlier this month that they had agreed on and endorsed minutes of the workshop they held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, which minutes formed the basis of the chairman's report to Summit.
Labels: GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, SADC
Read more...
Zanu PF against new election roadmap
Friday, 20 May 2011 22:32
From Munyaradzi Huni in Windhoek, Namibia
ZANU-PF is "totally against the idea of a new election roadmap" and maintains that the GPA, which clearly states that elections should be held this year, remains the only roadmap, the party's chairman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo has said.
The party's position paper to the Extraordinary Summit being held here states that the three political parties to the GPA have failed to work together for the development of the country and elections should be held this year.
"As a party, we maintain that the GPA remains the only election road map.
"We are totally against the idea of a new election roadmap as it means re-negotiating the GPA instead of implementing it," said Cde Khaya Moyo.
He added: "It is a fact the three parties to the GPA have failed to work together as a team for the development of the country.
"They have failed, for example, to fight the illegal sanctions together, to support the agrarian reform together, and have failed to speak with one voice on the indigenisation and people's economic empowerment thrust led by Zanu-PF . . .
"The party will religiously adhere to the tenets of the GPA and ensure its full implementation.
"This is the reason why we are saying we need to go for elections this year and not next year as this is consistent with the provisions of the GPA.
"The GPA clearly stipulates that elections should be held two years after the formation of the inclusive government and this is the reason Zanu-PF is maintaining that elections should be held this year after the completion of the constitution-making process.
"The GPA envisaged the completion of the constitution-making process within 18 months after the GPA came into force.
"This has not been achieved because of MDC-T's strategy to delay the holding of elections by boycotting sessions of Copac on very flimsy excuses.
"In addition, the donor community and the Government through the Ministry of Finance which is under the control of the MDC-T have delayed releasing funds for the process."
He said Zanu-PF was disturbed that the MDC formations were not lobbying for the removal of sanctions which "they continue to call restrictive and targeted measures," adding that sanctions were affecting every Zimbabwean including even MDC supporters.
He said Zanu-PF abhors violence in whatever form and from whom so-ever.
Said Cde Khaya Moyo: "The only way forward is for the parties to the GPA to speedily conclude the constitution-making process and allow the people of Zimbabwe to proceed to a referendum and harmonised elections.
"The current delaying tactics employed by the MDC formations is a recipe for political and economic instability. Zimbabwe cannot afford such political gimmick.
"There is no cohesion in the inclusive Government and prolonging the constitution-making process can never be the solution."
l See full text of Zanu-PF's position paper on Page 5
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS (ZIMBABWE), GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, SIMON KHAYA MOYO, ZANU-PF
Read more...
