10 November 2008
Southern Africa's leaders have told Zimbabwe's two main parties to form a unity government and to share control of the ministry which supervises the country's police force, but Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai has rejected their decision.
Tsvangirai told a news conference at the end of a regional summit early on Monday that in view of the "utter contempt" with which his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was treated by President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF, sharing control of the Home Affairs ministry "cannot work."
He went on to accuse Southern African heads of state of not having "the courage and the decency [to] look… Mr Mugabe in the eyes and tell… him that his position was wrong." It had been agreed earlier in negotiations that Mugabe would retain the Defence ministry, which controls the army and air force.
Zimbabwe's leaders have been deadlocked for two months over the composition of the power-sharing government agreed to during September. Regional leaders represented by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) called the extraordinary summit on Sunday in an attempt to resolve the deadlock and to discuss the crisis in the war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
MDC
Morgan Tsvangirai.
At the end of the summit – attended by five of 15 heads of state – SADC issued a communiqué saying it had "decided that the inclusive government be formed forthwith in Zimbabwe [and that] the Ministry of Home Affairs be co-managed…" It said the arrangement should be reviewed after six months to see if it was working. It also told the parties to implement constitutional changes to form a government.
Defending SADC's position, its executive secretary, Tomaz Salomão, repeatedly told a news conference after the summit that it was dealing with an "above-normal situation."
"We cannot afford to postpone the formation of an inclusive government because there is a difference on who appoints the Minister of Home Affairs," he said. "The view of the summit is probably, with the appointment of two ministers, we can pave the way to build some trust between the parties… This may be a good starting point, who knows? Let's give them a chance and we will see in due course."
According to transcript of Salomão's remarks issued by South Africa's foreign ministry, he said Zimbabwe's parties had asked SADC for a ruling on their deadlock, and its ruling now had to be implemented whether the parties agreed with it or not.
"The parties must, without any further delay, I repeat without any further delay, introduce the Constitution of the Zimbabwe Amendment 19 meaning… meaning that the implementation of the decision is a matter of urgency," he said.
Asked how "co-managing" would work in practice, Salomão said: "I have been a minister for 22 years and I have not had an experience of how you co-manage a ministry, but if you take the Ministry of Home Affairs, you have the police, immigration and probably many other matters of concern for Zimbabwe and it is up to them, to the two ministers, to agree on how they are going to manage the ministries and if they differ, they go to Cabinet that 'we agree here, we differ here' and Cabinet can make the ruling."
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"Total Empowerment!", "African Solutions for Africans!", empty slogans by a dying generation of liberation leaders who have shown an incredible lack of intestinal fortitude by ducking their heads in the sand and hoping the problem of Zimbabwe will just go away.
Because of the SADC's decision to side w/ ZANU-PF/Mugabe, Zimbabwe is now "totally empowered" to starve. ZANU-PF/Mugabe will hold ever more tightly to the strings of power. The "African Solution" is to allow ZANU-PF/Mugabe to continue to rape, torture and murder anyone who opposes them! Once again, African leaders have failed to solve one of their own regional problems, are they the ones who will have to clean up the resulting mess they have created? I think not.
Who is going to help feed the estimated 6 million Zimbabweans who will require food aid because of ZANU-PF/Mugabe's failed land redistribution/agricultural policies? Who is going to provide the HIV/AIDs drugs to care for the afflicted in Zimbabwe? Who is going to provide foreign currency to Zimbabwe's ZBC to stabilize a currency that is not worth the paper it's printed on? Who's going to fix the sewers so that people don't die from Cholera? Who's going to supply and staff the hospitals? The schools?
Will any of the SADC's members like South Africa, Mozambique, Angola be able to stem the rising tide of refugees fleeing Mugabe's murderous thugs? Will any of them commit to financing the large scale food aid that Zimbabwe will need as the country continues to implode?
Demonizing the West makes for catchy political slogans, nothing more. SADC has embarrassed all of Africa and has shown why "African Solutions for Africans" don't work. No one will make a tough decision, no one will pressure ZANU-PF/Mugabe for whatever reason. SADC has failed to provide an "African Solution", what they're advocating is no solution at all.
Problem is: Zimbabwe will suffer for the lack of principles of SADC. Then Zimbabweans will flood the countries of the very people who betrayed their hope of a new democratic future for Africa. Without strong leadership (as opposed to strong leaders....) Zimbabwe is doomed to more failures on the part of ZANU-PF's so-called "leadership".
As if we thought things could not get worse in Zimbabwe, watch out, here it comes. MDC-T is likely to back out of the GNU agreement, they owe nothing to the SADC. It's time for them to sit in "loyal" opposition in Parliament. Let ZANU-PF/Mugabe attempt to "govern" without their consent. Let ZANU-PF/Mugabe attempt to pass legislation through Parliament. Let Parliament begin to open investigations of ZANU-PF/Mugabe regarding political violence, ZBC "stealing" foreign aid money from the people to finance ZANU-PF activities. Force Mugabe to suspend Parliament and show his true dictatorial colors to the rest of the world!
In the meantime, inflation will continue to skyrocket faster than the RBZ can print money. The banknotes in Zimbabwe will soon have more zeroes than there are decimal points in Pi! Forex alone cannot sustain the economy - RBZ hasn't paid the mines for over a year, so the mines are closing, and RBZ is losing out on more foreign currency as a result. People are going to get hungry - including the Army and the War Vets and the Green Bombers.
It's almost like Comrade Bob and the Politburo are saying "let them eat cake", and we all know how that story ended............
SADC had a chance to stop this from happening, but they couldn't and now all of Africa, and the rest of the world, will see what a dismal failure they are.
"Total Empowerment!" for the people of Zimbabwe to starve, die of easily treated diseases or be beaten, raped or tortured to death! Be proud of Africa, Africans! You have shown the imperialist West your mettle! You have shown the world that you can handle your own affairs........... you certainly don't need any assistance from the neo-colonial, imperialist, running-dog capitalists of the West now - you are totally empowered!
"Total Empowerment!"
SADC should be shamed for showing its inability to align itself with the will of the majority of Zimbos! It's a total abdication of its moral obligation to promote genuine democracy. SADC is backing a monster, a murderer, an imposter illegitimate confiscator of power!
We should not be surprised if Congo is going through civil war and that it may in due course spread over also into Zimbabwe.
MDC should feel emboldened to return to the grassroot and cultivate an alliance with progressive forces in the region in order to promote the emergence of a new progressive political force that can carry forward the peoples' wish.
Down with monster Mugabe and his cronies!
As a matter of principle SADC has not sided with Mugabe but has made its own ruling. We now have a SADC position that the parties can now factor into their own decision making. In my opinion the parties must respect the SADC ruling for the sake of the people and not allow their petty pride to prolong the totally unnecessary misery and suffering.
The SADC is waste of our tax money. These leaders have blood on their hands and Mugabe would not be doing what he does if he did not have their support. Just a bunch of fleas sucking on the dying southern African country. Many see a democratic and vibrant Zimbabwe as a threat to their own survival. Its disgusting. The AU is no better. The only solution now is the UN.
Hey brother where are you coming from. You only believe in the whiteman thats why probably you are here to clean their old people. Whats so special about Morgan, remember Robert was forced by Samora to attend the Lancaster coference which brought all these problems we have. So what special about the uneducated, inexperienced big headed little man who wants to see the population suffer because he wants to be the headboy. Obama does not negotiate with bush because he beat him resoundingly at the ballot. Why did your little president bulk at the last moment, as usual . Whose lives was he protecting and only to kill them with sanctions and his stupid utterances. Whose lives when i lost my entire family at the hands of Smith. Where was Morgan when brave guys where dying in anthrax painful deaths. Where was morgan when peolple perished in the protected villages. Where was morgan when guys where being hanged in one wat trials. Suppose you will tell me it was war. Then its war now. Morgan is actually getting what he doesnt deserve. He may show some intelligence by speaking to his friend Odinga who killed 200 people to be prime minister. Morgan you will not kill anyone anymore. Go into parliament and show that you reason and you may get my vote next time. To my brother SADc is not useless you are.
sorry i wasnt aware that you only deserve to have the respect of the people because you fought in a war, geez the ancient greeks got democracy all wrong didnt they. Maybe we need world war 3 that every democratic country will have a legitimate president not long after. Better yet, how about you show some common sense and stop denying the truth about the Murderous fiend that the good people of Zimbabwe are forced to support.
simon where was the UN during Rwandas genocide? what have the UN done to stop bloodshed in Iraq, Afghanistan,Congo DRC,etc?
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