Business Day (Johannesburg)

Zimbabwe: No Aid for Zimbabwe as Leaders Struggle to Overcome Political Impasse

Dumisani Muleya

28 April 2009


Harare — ZIMBABWE's leaders last night failed for the fourth time in a fortnight to resolve a series of contentious issues threatening to paralyse the country's shaky coalition government.

The crisis talks remained deadlocked after long hours of intense discussions, signalling a serious political problem besetting the new government. A fierce power struggle is raging behind the scenes as President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai intensify their battle for political control.

Informed sources close to the talks said last night the meeting ended in a stalemate. " The leaders agreed to meet again today to try and break the stalemate," a senior government official said. "It's proving to be very difficult because neither of the leaders want to make any concessions."

Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara met yesterday to sort out issues dividing the government. Their meeting followed similar gatherings on Monday and Thursday last week and another one on April 16.

So far the four meetings have failed to break the impasse, leaving the unity government in a state of crisis. The issues at stake include appointment of senior government officials including permanent secretaries, the accounting officers of ministries, provincial governors and diplomats.

Key Zim Govt Talks Postponed

There is also the matter of the continued detention of opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) officials and activists over allegations of trying to overthrow Mugabe, arraignment of MDC treasurer and deputy minister Roy Bennett and farm invasions. Mugabe and the two MDC faction leaders, Tsvangirai and Mutambara, are also fighting over the president's unilateral seizure of the department of communications from Information Communication Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa, a member of the MDC .

Tsvangirai said last week these issues had to be resolved to allow the government deal with the country's economic and social problems.

The deadlock came as Finance Minister Tendai Biti and his delegation to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings returned home empty-handed after failing to get a rescue package. Zimbabwe needs $10bn to fund its economic recovery programme.

The IMF said that it was not in a position to bail out Zimbabwe because of arrears and financial restrictions.

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Author: zola zazu zambezi zulu
Tue Apr 28 08:58:40 2009

I can see what Bobs going to say, The MDC has let the country down, we won't be able to feed our selves( Lines our back pockets). It is all the fault of the imperialistic west. We want unity according to the gospel of Robert Mugabe and nothing else will do. We the people(ZanuPF terrorists) need to show the world that we are a strong , vibrant and resilliant nation and until there is unity,(Death to the MDC) there will not be any progress(Decimation). This is why the outside world won't deal with the terrorist dictator. Simple solution, Bob must Go. What ever happened to Zimbabwe, that lovely country we once used to know, what ever happened to Zimbabwe, Oh I don't know, but Bob must go.

Author: rmkooistra
Tue Apr 28 10:29:17 2009

So Business Day comes with the same report as SW radio. It's clear Zola as long as the monster Mugabe and Zanu are around there will be no progress in Zimbabwe. This stupid GNU doesn't work offcourse. SA most probably wanted rest at the border, at least till the worldcup of soccer is over. That also gives the answer what the perfect moment for an uprising would be against criminal Mugabe. Odinga can tell you where a GNU brought him and his country after Kibaki stole the election. A dead end street is a dead end street no matter how many times the GNU tries to get through with Mugabe at the stirring wheel.

Author: richerson88
Tue Apr 28 14:41:54 2009

Birds of the same feathers twitter the same call: BUSINESS DUNG and SPECULATIVE SOUTH WEST RUBBISH are parrots of INVADER ideological discourse.

Author: afric35
Wed Apr 29 12:40:01 2009

richerson88 the more you write the bigger fool you make of yourself b/c you only make comments of hatred against the West but never say anything based on any facts, so go get a new job b/c this one just makes you look bad as well as the Zanu-PF and Mugabe Loyalists!!!!

Author: juhlman
Thu Apr 30 06:41:33 2009

afric:

You are so much more concise than I - you sum up the indictment of j-hollow's allegedly superior intellect brilliantly!

I'm glad that there are others who will stand up to the clever (yet obtuse) words and empty rhetoric of a ZANU-PooF/Mugabe apologist like j-hollow!

"Total Empowerment!"

Author: zola zazu zambezi zulu
Thu Apr 30 16:00:33 2009

I tend to thinkBillybongoRiechinstien, might just be Bob Mugabe. They have exactly the same traits in life. It's always someone elses fault, never their's. bet Richie has a moustache just like Bob's which is in no shadow of a doubt the same as Hitler's. There again, Hitler was famed for having one testicle and bob had to go one better by not having any, So does RiechandSon speak a load of balls, we all know the answer.

Author: jeffjedi06
Wed Apr 29 03:36:29 2009

Oh dear, Shame. What doesnt my comrade brother Bob understand? Where have my brothers all been in the last 30 years? listening to how poorly the WEST treated and blamed Bob? How they want to take over Zimbabwe again. How the West has divided up Africa for themselves? etc etc.. As an African I am insulted that Biti even tried to go and ask for money. When Bob threw my family out of Zimbabwe no one aided me nor my family. I had to get off my black bum and work. I succeeded. It took hard work. That is foreign to Mugabe. When you have thirty years of stealing from the coffers of the land, thirty years of dipping your hands into other peoples hard earned money like my fathers pension, dont try to send a messenger even if he is from the MDC to beg for more money. sometimes I am ashamed to be a Zimbabean. The whole of the country needs to get off its bum like i did and work. Not sit and wait from handouts from the same people we called "names" a few months ago. Black men are supposed to have the motivation to do it the African way so brothers get on with it. We, who live outside want to see you work as hard as we have done. You may even make up for the fact we had to do it in foreign lands without the luxury of being on home "turff." Better still let Biti send messenger boy Bob with an apology to London so they can forgive him for the massacres of the 5th Brigade. Then at the same time Messenger boy Bob can ask for more money. Someone may even give Bob sixpence. Or better still let messenger boy Bob go to SADC and the AU and get some money from them. We have learnt that talk is CHEAP, Bob has done a lot of bad talking, blaming the West for his own failure. Better still Biti should volunteer Bob for the Hague for war crimes. UNTIL zimbabwe has sorted out ZANUPF there will be little assistance. Wake up MDC, and tell the rest of my brothers there, it is time for Bob to go.

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