Kitsepile Nyathi
14 October 2008
Harare — Zimbabwe's fragile power sharing agreement was facing parliamentary scrutiny on Tuesday as former South African President Thabo Mbeki pressed on with efforts to break the impasse over the allocation of cabinet posts.
"We should be back to work today (cabinet negotiations)," said Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Patrick Chinamasa.
He was speaking ahead of another round of meetings between Mr Mbeki and leaders of the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions.
"We hope the facilitator will come up with fresh ideas."
The re-opening of parliament, more than a month after opposition MPs heckled and jeered President Robert Mugabe at the official opening of the legislature is seen as a major test for the deal already poisoned by the ruling party's resolve to retain key ministries.
The highlight of the first session of the seventh parliament is expected to be the Constitution Amendment (No.19), which will give effect to the framework for a unity government between Mr Mugabe's Zanu PF and the MDC factions.
The agreement brokered by Mr Mbeki after a bloody election season in the southern African country will see the main MDC leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai becoming Prime Minister while Professor Arthur Mutambara of the small MDC faction becomes his deputy.
Mr Chinamasa said Mr Mugabe will not wait for parliament to pass the amendment before swearing in Mr Tsvangirai, Prof Mutambara and Ms Thokozani Khuphe who will take the second post of deputy prime minister.
"Mr Tsvangirai could be appointed Prime Minister pending the enactment of No.19," he told the state controlled Herald newspaper. "The President has the right to appoint provided those he appoints find seats in parliament.
Mr Tsvangirai and Prof Mutambara are not members of Parliament and seats have to be created for them within three months of taking the oath of office.
The seats would be found through the constitutional amendment, which will increase the number of senators that could be directly appointed by the president from five to 11.
Mr Mugabe has already sworn two of his deputies from the ruling Zanu PF who hold parliamentary seats.
Analysts expect the amendment to sail through parliament once the disagreements over cabinet posts are resolved.
But they warned opening parliament before the talks are concluded will see impatient MPs venting their anger in public at delays in implementing the deal and worsen the polarisation.
"Zimbabweans are expecting a lot from the parliamentarians," said Mr Jethro Mpofu, a political analyst. "There is no food in the country, the education system has collapsed and people cannot access their cash from the banks.
"So it would be unwise for the parliamentarians to concentrate on booing and heckling each at the expense of very urgent business."
Mr Chinamasa said the two sides were close to reaching a deal under Mr Mbeki's mediation saying only the Ministry of Finance was still under dispute.
The MDC insists that all cabinet posts have not been agreed on and has also hinted that it would pull out of the deal if Zanu PF refuses to compromise.
Meanwhile, Dr Simba Makoni a former Mr Mugabe ally has warned that if the deal collapsed the economic and political problems will intensify because of international isolation.
"Since the deal was signed, the suffering of the people has actually become worse," Makoni told journalists in Harare.
He added: "The people are suffering immensely, they are angry and frustrated and they feel hostage to leaders who seem uncaring and insensitive to their plight. We share the people's anger and frustration.
Dr Makoni, a respected businessman and former diplomat, was expelled from Zanu PF forchallenging Mugabe in the March 29 presidential election in which he came a distant third.
"We wonder what compelled the leaders to sign an incomplete agreement, if there are major issues unresolved. They raised the people's hopes and expectations, whetted the national appetite for progress, only to dash the hopes and expectations."
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