Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Zvamaida Murwira
20 November 2008
THE facilitator of the inter-party talks, former South African president Cde Thabo Mbeki, has scheduled a meeting of the negotiators in South Africa next week to discuss the draft Consti-tutional Amendment Number 19 Bill.
The Government’s legal department completed the draft, which was sent to Cde Mbeki for scrutiny. Cde Mbeki, in turn, called for a meeting with the negotiators in South Africa next week to study the draft.
The three parties are currently studying the document. MDC secretary-general Professor Welsh-man Ncube yesterday confirmed the negotiators had been summoned to a meeting in South Africa. Prof Ncube and his deputy Mrs Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga are the MDC negotiators.
He said his party had since received the draft from the South African Embassy in Harare after Government dispatched the document to Cde Mbeki.
"We collected the document from the South African embassy on Tuesday. We were supposed to go to South Africa to discuss the document this week, but the facilitator told us that the MDC-T had indicated that they could not make it this week so it was deferred to next week," Prof Ncube said.
Asked if the commencement of discussions of the constitutional amendments would entail the early reconvening of Parliament, Prof Ncube said that was not necessary.
"Parliament would not convene early for purposes of debating Constitutional Amend-ment Number 19. It must first be gazetted and there should be a period of 30 days allowing public scrutiny and observations and this is a constitutional requirement that should happen before it is tabled," said Prof Ncube.
MDC-T spokesman Mr Nelson Chamisa said his party had not seen the draft Bill, but was aware that it had been sent to the facilitator.
"We have done our own draft which is now ready for scrutiny. We have not seen that Zanu-PF draft, but we understand that it is in South Africa. We hope that our document would be similar to the Zanu-PF document. Our draft has tried to capture the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding," Mr Chamisa said.
Minister of Information and Publicity Cde Sikhanyiso Ndlovu on Tuesday told church leaders in Harare that the draft was complete and had since been forwarded to Cde Mbeki.
He said the Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs — who will be drawn from MDC-T — would steer the Bill in Parliament through all the four stages.
The MDC-T was allocated the Legal and Constitutional Affairs portfolio when President Mugabe gazetted ministries recently.
The Bill requires a two-thirds majority vote, in both Houses sitting separately, to become law.
If passed into law, the resultant Act would give legal force to the offices of Prime Minister and his two deputies and also create positions for nine non-constituency Senators.
Cde Ndlovu said he expected all the parties to support the Bill.
Zanu-PF will be represented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa; and the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Nicholas Goche; while the MDC-T negotiators are party secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti and deputy national treasurer Mr Elton Mangoma.
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Kbagyenim; You are totally mistaken about the role of a mediator/facilitator. You mistakenly and foolishly believe that for President Mbeki to be 'fair' he should side with MDC or Zanu pf. From the word go, President Mbeki has been more than fair to the MDC in general and Tsvangirai in particular. We all know that MDC has made an uncountable number of demands and all were considered and taken on board by the facilitator. If President Mbeki had sided with Zanu pf, the MDC would have withdrawn from the negotiations a long time ago. The fact that MDC still agrees to continue negotiations means that the facilitator has been as fair as fair can be to all the parties
MDC proposed the pasting of results outside polling stations, the creation of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) - which is composed of members from both Zanu pf and the MDC, voter education by ZESN and other NGOs were all proposals from the MDC just to mention these few. Tsvangirai demanded the Ministry of Finance and was given through the skillful mediation of President Mbeki. He and Mutambara proposed the co-management of the Ministry of Home Affairs. At one time he proposed that the Ministry be rotated between the two main parties but only changed this position when Zanu pf counter proposed that it be given the opportunity to head the ministry first (for six months).
Tsvangirai proposed that the issue of the co-management of the ministry of Home Affairs be referred to the SADC Troika but then refused to travel to Swaziland for very lame and flimsy excuses which are not worth of someone who wants to be Prime Minister of a proud country like Zimbabwe. He once again proposed that the issue of the co-management of the ministry of Home Affairs be referred to a full SADC Summit but we all know what then happened after the summit - he refused to accept the summit ruling because it does not favour the interests of his masters. Now you, Kbagyenim, I think can clearly see who “…is in bed with…” the mediator. Who has been a cry baby and is being handled with kid's glooves? Obviously it is none other than Tsvangirai. With all the flippy-floppying that Tsvangirai has done since the start of the negotiations, it is clear that President Mbeki would have long declared the negotiations over but he continues to ably and professionally perform his duty as a facilitator.
President Mbeki tolerated all the stupid and foolish nonsense from Tsvangirai because he understands what the role of a mediator or facilitator is. He is not supposed to support one side at the expense of the other. He should also be able to take insults – and for sure many insults were thrown at him by Tsvangirai and the MDC. His role is to bring the protagonists together. His role is to narrow the differences between the opposing parties in Zimbabwe. His role is to try and remove the polerisation that has reached dangerous levels in Zimbabwe today.
President Mbeki has addressed concerns raised by all the parties and this includes violence (declaration signed by the three parties acknowledging their roles in violence and calling for the end to same). All the three parties acknowledged their different roles in violence against the other parties without any reservations, before, during and after the 29 March and 27 June elections.
I think if Zimbabweans want to be fair to a good man we should give praise where it is due and in this case the former president of South Africa has distinguished himself as an accomplished diplomat and a statesman. He is second to none. He is a patient and tolerant mediator who should be praised for a job well done instead of being demonised.
If anything we should all be proposing the awarding of the highest honour that Zimbabwe can offer to a Pan-Africanist like MBEKI.
As for how the President is going to rebuild the country without outside support, well, I think it is quite clear that Zanu pf and the President are empowering Zimbabweans and that is how he is going to grow an economy which is truly Zimbabwean. He has given his people land and that is the first and foremost form of empowerment that people should expect from a revolutionaary leader like President Mugabe. He has also given his people education and there is no doubt in anyone’s mind as to how this has assisted Zimbabweans both inside Zimbabwe and in the diaspora and this has help all of us to cope with the difficult times we are facing, and which were brought about by the sanctions that Tsvangirai called for.
For those who have opted to go into full time farming, the President, through the RBZ, is mechanizing their farming ventures so that they are productive enough to feed the nation. Obviously this is a process and not an event. The President has also enacted a law which requires that disadvantaged indigenous black Zimbabweans acquire 51% share holding in any foreign company be it in manufacturing, industry and commerce, mining and what have you.
We have two conflicting reports regarding the issue of the draft amendment bill. The Herald of Mugabe is telling us a different story from that by other correspondents.Who is fooling who?
I live half way around the world from Zimbabwe (I knew it as Rhodesia) and anything that Mbeki touches a big, big joke. Hell I think he sleeps with Mugabe....
Mbeki is not fair regarding his role as a negotiator between the fashions in Zimbabwe. He is in bed with Mugabe and will go along with anything Mugabe wants regardless of the will of the people. He hasn't been fair to MDC at all. Mbeki was aware the final draft was doctored but yet did nothing. He is privy to the turturing going on against MDC member by Mugabe tugs, but nothing has been said about it. Mbeki, and infact SADC, can't be trusted as fair abitrators because they've failed to tell the truth to Mugabe who is infact the embodiment of the problems of Zimbabweans.
Mugabe should be shown a red card, and sent packing. He is going down and will go down with the so call leaders of SADC. I can't envision how Mugabe who is morally, politically, spiritually, politically and economically bankrupt can rebuild Zimbabwe as a leader. How? The man has nothing good to offer his people, period. Where is the economic support coming from? He's taken a whole nation hostage at gun point with the support of SADC. Mugabe and ZANU-PF only care about themselves; always enriching themselves at the expense of the nation.
Every aspect of the Zimbabwe is crumbling and Mugabe doesn't give a damn. The man led a libration war; we all acknowledge and appreciate that, but has failed miserably as a leader of a nation. He is intolerable, doesn't listen to his people, self-centered and brutal to his people. Look, the king is naked, and should be told.
Power to the people.