Published by the government of Zimbabwe
10 October 2008
Harare — PRESIDENT Mugabe is expected to meet MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and Professor Arthur Mutambara of MDC to come up with guidelines for the negotiators in their consultations in the allocation of ministries.
Today's meeting follows one held by the negotiators on Wednesday which ended inconclusively as MDC-T reportedly sought to reopen issues that had already been finalised while Zanu-PF insisted that they should focus on the outstanding two ministries of Finance and Home Affairs.
Zanu-PF negotiator Cde Patrick Chinamasa confirmed yesterday that the party leaders would meet today.
Mr Tsvangirai yesterday called for the intervention of the facilitator, former South African president Mr Thabo Mbeki, claiming that they had failed to agree, but Zanu-PF denied there was an impasse as negotiations were still continuing.
Cde Chinamasa said there was no stalemate regarding the allocation of ministries and there was no need to call in Mr Mbeki because that would be tantamount to abusing him.
"The principals are meeting tomorrow (today) to continue with discussions. We met as negotiators yesterday and we had what we thought was a fruitful discussion. In fact, when we met yesterday as negotiators, there was a feeling that our understanding of our respective mandates was different. We asked the principals to meet and give us a common mandate.
"Our expectation is that they would instruct us and give us a common mandate," said Cde Chinamasa.
"MDC-T felt that their mandate was that they reopen everything that has been agreed to by the principals on the allocation of ministries," he said.
Cde Chinamasa said he hoped MDC-T was not bent on frustrating the process.
"I do not want to believe that this is their motive. I hope this is not intended to frustrate and collapse the deal. Time will tell. It's not in anybody's interest to be in the habit of constantly reversing the agreed positions. It's not an attitude that would assist the momentum forward. In Zanu-PF we have a culture of honouring commitments and we sometimes get irritated when others don't reciprocate."
Cde Chinamasa said at Wednesday's meeting, Zanu-PF gave reasons why, in its view, it should retain the ministries of Home Affairs and Finance.
He, however, would not divulge the reasons, citing confidentiality as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding that led to the power-sharing agreement.
Cde Chinamasa said there was no need to continue "abusing" the office of Mr Mbeki by asking him to mediate in a dispute on "which side of the bed either of us should lie".
"We should learn to overcome our challenges and as negotiating parties we feel that we should not find easy ways to avoid taking hard decisions," he said.
Addressing journalists at his Strathaven house, Mr Tsvangirai said while he agreed that the deal has not collapsed, in his political party's view, negotiations have reached a stage where they ought to call Sadc and the African Union, who are the guarantors of the process.
"We are very confident about the potential of the deal. There is nothing to vindicate, there is nothing wrong about the deal, but it is the process of implementing the deal where we have deadlocked. It's not about the contents of the deal, but the implementation," said Mr Tsvangirai in response to questions from journalists.
"For us to say the deal has failed because we have failed to agree on the allocation of Cabinet posts would be ridiculous."
Cde Chinamasa said the discussions on the Cabinet were ongoing and Zanu-PF was aware of the economic hardships facing people and the impact of delays in concluding the consultations.
"We have to sort this out in the interest of our people, we have to put our people first. I am happy to take note of Mr Tsvangirai's demonstrated confidence in Cde Mbeki's mediation, we owe it to him. It was through his single-mindedness of purpose that we got where we are. Before his facilitation we were estranged members of one family and he managed through his commitment to get us together again, " said Cde Chinamasa.
He castigated MDC-T for indulging in "megaphone diplomacy by continuously negotiating in public", saying doing so was acting in bad faith and in violation of the confidentiality clause in the MoU.
"We cannot get anywhere if we take a posturing or negotiate in the media, like through the Internet, CNN, BBC and SABC," he said.
"What the public needs to understand is that constituting a Cabinet is an onerous responsibility. You cannot construct a Cabinet to run this country out of beerhall talk and at a rally, which seems to be the position or inclination of the MDC-T."
"Constituting a Cabinet requires trust that certain offices are not demanded to overrun this country with imperialist agents. That trust needs to be nurtured and what the MDC-T is doing in conducting megaphone diplomacy does not help in nurturing that trust."
The task should better be left to the principals and not to too many people who could be motivated by selfish interests or the desire to bring about a certain outcome designed to suit self-interests "like a hunter who goes hunting with salt and pepper", he said.
"I want to call on the MDC-T to refrain from leaking discussions which are conducted in confidence. We must all collectively regard the inter-party political agreement as a package in its totality and not as a buffet lunch where parties might come to take what they want and leave what they don't want," he said.
Cde Chinamasa called for a paradigm shift by all the three parties and wondered why pirate radio stations like Studio 7, Voice of America and Radio Africa were still operating as MDC-T mouthpieces 24 days after the signing of the agreement which called for their shutdown.
"We also agreed that sanctions must be lifted and none of the MDC-T leaders has privately or publicly called for the lifting of sanctions. All they do is moan about the suffering of the Zimbabwean people and forget to mention the cause of that suffering, which is primarily sanctions," he said.
Meanwhile, Sadc and the AU have expressed gratitude to South Africa for allowing Mr Mbeki to continue facilitating in Zimbabwe.
In a joint statement yesterday, the AU and Sadc commended South African President Kgalema Motlanthe and his government for reaffirming their support to Mr Mbeki's continued role as the Sadc-mandated mediator in the Zimbabwe inter-party political dialogue.
"We underscore our appreciation of the tireless efforts of President Mbeki, which culminated in the signing of the agreement on resolving the challenges facing Zimbabwe, at a ceremony held in Harare on 15 September 2008, and express our confidence in his ability to assist the Zimbabwean parties to effectively implement the commitments they have entered into."
The African bodies encouraged the parties to live up to the expectations of the people of Zimbabwe and the international community by fully and faithfully implementing the agreement, in particular through the early establishment of a new Government.
"As guarantors of the implementation of the agreement, both the AU and Sadc will spare no effort in supporting its full and effective implementation," the bodies said.
In his address, Mr Tsvangirai castigated those criticising the deal.
"Those who criticise the deal are doing so from a selfish point of view and not from a national interest point of view. The criticisms have come from both MDC and Zanu-PF," he said.
He said it was critical that people understand that the deal had nothing to do with him and President Mugabe but had everything to do with political parties.
"Let's not individualise these negotiations. I am prepared to stand to scrutiny defending this deal before my party organs and the same should happen to President Mugabe," he said.
Cde Chinamasa and the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Nicholas Goche, are representing Zanu-PF.
Secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti and deputy national treasurer Mr Elton Mangoma are the MDC-T negotiators, while the other MDC formation is being represented by its secretary- general, Professor Welshman Ncube, and his deputy, Mrs Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga.
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Europe and the US now have what they always wanted. A stalemate so that they could continue to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe. They never ever intended to lift these full blown economic sanctions. They were just waiting to exhale. Britains Movement for "Democratic" Change (BMDC) or the BBC's MDC (BMDC) have now given them the sound bites they wanted. For the coming weeks ad infinitum every single event in Zimbabwe's parliament will now be carefully scrutinised and reported in Britain. Its as though Britains very future is hanging in the balance unless she controls… [Read Full Text]
Britain will be fine. The government has nationalised the banks with tax payer money. Love to see Mugabe try that! haha, he hasnt got any money! Well he does, the country doesnt. You forget that the average Britain doesnt give a sh!t about Zimbabwe. What does the west have to gain from Sanctions on Zimbabwe? nothing. The reality is that you are completely blowing the impact of restrictions on ministerial travel and sanctions on 4 companies plus 170 odd people completely out of proportion. The real reason for Zimbabwes problems is Mugabe. The longer he is there, the longer people… [Read Full Text]
Ahh, Pat's sticking his two bob's worth in eh.Pat lost his seat and he still thinks he's the great hope for the GNU. As well he says MDC do their cabinet building in beer halls and are being selfish!!Stupid Pat .It's blokes like this that Mugga gets to soften the populace for more of his cr.p.Stupid Herald!!!