SW Radio Africa (London)
Tichaona Sibanda
13 July 2009
The political rivalry between ZANU PF and the MDC has burst into the open once again, when they bitterly clashed during the opening proceedings of a national conference to draw up a new constitution.
The drama unfolded Monday in Harare when ZANU PF thugs disrupted the all-stakeholders' conference at the Harare International Conference Centre, hurling abuse at the Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo and bringing the proceedings into chaos.
In his opening address Moyo told the delegates that a constitution is about the people deciding how they are governed and 'not about the government or anyone else telling the people how they want to be governed.'
Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa said police stood by as the rent-a-crowd that ZANU PF used to disrupt the meeting pelted delegates, including cabinet ministers, with plastic bottles of water and shouted abuse.
The MDC councillor for ward 6 in Bindura Rural, and Mashonaland Central province organizing secretary Gilson Chitakunye, sustained serious head injuries after he was brutally assaulted by the thugs. Chitakunye was detained in a private clinic in Harare.
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An attempt was made to proceed with the meeting as scheduled but it was disrupted and eventually abandoned, as a result of mob action. Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga told us they were determined to resume with proceedings, saying 'it would be sad if we give in to this thuggery'.
The three principals to the Global Political Agreement, Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, were conspicuous by their absence when the chaos erupted. The three were scheduled to address the conference after the welcoming remarks by the speaker, but the conference began three hours late, as the principals were nowhere to be seen.
James Maridadi, Tsvangirai's spokesman, said the Prime Minister was scheduled to address the conference later, without elaborating. Mutambara's party said the deputy Prime Minister was set to address a media conference late in the day. Late in the day Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara convened a meeting to discuss the disruption of the conference.
'There is confusion everywhere. People don't know what is taking place. No one knows if the conference has been called off or re-scheduled, there is no information coming out from the officials,' according to our Harare correspondent.
Muchemwa said the message delivered by the ZANU PF supporters was that they wanted the Kariba draft, not a people-driven constitution. The disruptions were allegedly led by Mt Darwin South MP Saviour Kasukuwere, Zvimba East MP, and Robert Mugabe's nephew, Patrick Zhuwawo, self-styled war veterans leader Joseph Chinotimba and former Hatcliffe MP Nyasha Chikwinya.
Tsvangirai has said he wants the constitutional process to be a genuine public process - with ordinary people given a real say in drafting the document. Mugabe in turn wants the constitution to be based on the Kariba Draft, which was drawn up by the parties last year. But civil society organisations say the Kariba document gives the president too much executive power.
In a statement, the MDC claimed the Zanu PF-induced chaos is obviously meant to derail the constitution-making process and to prevent the people of Zimbabwe from writing their own constitution.
'ZANU PF has chosen to disrupt a constitutional process enshrined in the Global Political Agreement. ZANU PF has not only walked out but disrupted a roadmap clearly defined by SADC and the AU as the only route to having legitimate leadership in Zimbabwe. Zanu PF has clearly relapsed into its violent mode to fight a legitimate national programme,' the MDC said.
Political analyst Glen Mpani told us that these embarrassing developments affirm the assertions that ZANU PF is not committed to the GPA and that there is no incentive for change in the party.
'To ZANU PF the whole constitutional review process is a charade to sow seeds of division in civil society and opposition with a clear agenda to strike at an opportune moment,' Mpani said.
'I hope those in the MDC who have been doing public relations on behalf of the inclusive government, can see through the devil incarnate and at least admit defeat,' he added.
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It is so clear that the PF heirarchy have no feelings whatsoever for the ordinary citizens of Zim. While its easy to be critical of Morgan and crew for trying to hang in with the GNU the moment they walk out its completely back to square one with the donors and sanctions and what improvements have happened over the past 6 months will be wiped away overnight. One seriously wonders if the Zim situation will ever be resolved by peaceful means as Mugabe and friends will hang onto power by whatever means and if that means more brutality, torture, killings and rape to their opponents it matters little to them. One day the ordinary people of Zim will say enoughs enough and we all know who to blame. Its such a sad situation.
The best that Zanu PF brings to Zimbabwe is SHAME AND SCANDALS. Zanu PF is known world over they have nothing they can offer to Zimbabweans. A party which does not care for even Zimbabwean Children, the elderly and its general population is not worthy even to take notice of. MAROMBE.
Mugabe will do anything to sabotage the drafting of a new constitution. Had those hecklers been MDC, they would all have been shot by Mugabe
What is it going to take to have Tsvangirai finally call an end to this charade?
Here is yet another example of Mugabe agreeing to a process and putting his name to a document, only to send in his thugs to achieve what he really wants. We cannot rely on the utterly hopeless SADC leaders to pressure Mugabe until Tsvangirai gives them no choice. So it is up to Tsvangirai to take his party out of the GNU until such time as Mugabe realises that the game is up and that he needs to abide by the letter and spirit of the GPA, as it the best deal that he will ever be offered.