Harare — PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe was on Friday forced to accept the January Sadc Summit Communiqué that eventually led to the formation of the coalition as a binding document, sources revealed yesterday.
The communiqué, which the veteran leader had all along refused to recognize arguing that it was not part of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), stipulates among other things that the appointments of the Reserve Bank Governor and the Attorney General would be dealt with by the inclusive government after its consummation.
Section 7(vi) of the communiqué says: "The appointments of the Reserve Bank Governor and the Attorney General will be dealt with by the inclusive government after its formation."
The sources said by acknowledging the January communiqué as binding, Mugabe had effectively agreed to review his position regarding the appointment of RBZ governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana.
The continued stay in office of Gono and Tomana is an "outstanding issue" that has caused serious friction in the coalition.
Mugabe had vowed not to replace Gono and Tomana saying the appointments were done "constitutionally".
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC-T a fortnight ago suspended co-operation with Zanu PF citing Mugabe's refusal to recognise the communiqué.
Mugabe has also refused to share the posts of provincial governors, noting that those appointments were dependent on his benevolence. This was in contradiction of section 7(vii) of the communiqué, which states that "the negotiators of the parties shall meet immediately to consider the National Security Bill submitted by the MDC-T as well as the formula for the distribution of the Provincial Governors".
Mugabe also refused to swear in Deputy Minister-designate Roy Bennett, who is currently battling what his party says are "trumped up" terrorism charges.
Sources told The Standard it became clear that Mugabe was the stumbling block after the Sadc foreign ministers' review of the GPA on Friday.
Sources who attended the closed meetings said the ministers were "shocked" by the slow implementation and blatant disregard of the agreement, which led to the formation of the inclusive government.
"It became clear in the meetings that Zanu PF is the culprit. The visit clearly exposed Mugabe and Zanu PF as the stumbling block," said one of the sources.
This forced Mugabe to make a major climb down from his position regarding the January Sadc Summit Communiqué.
In a statement the Sadc ministers on Friday said: "The parties agreed to attend to all outstanding issues arising from the implementation of the GPA and the Sadc Summit Communiqué of January 2009."
The foreign ministers from Mozambique, Zambia and Swaziland - the three countries forming the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security - then recommended the holding of a regional summit to deal with the Zimbabwe political stalemate.
"We will be consulting on the summit. I cannot tell you when it will take place but, trust me, it will be soon, very soon, almost immediately," said Mozambican foreign minister Oldemiro Baloi, who headed the three-member Sadc delegation.
The delegation met the negotiators before they paid a courtesy call on Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara during the two-day visit between Thursday and Friday.
The visit followed Tsvangirai's regional tour to drum up support following his party's disengagement from Zanu PF in the inclusive government citing Mugabe's reluctance to address "outstanding issues".
The MDC-T has since added Presidential spokesperson George Charamba to its list of "outstanding issues", saying he was communicating "hatred and causing discord" on the GPA implementation as well as rising cases of violence against its supporters.
Meanwhile, Tsvangirai's spokesperson James Maridadi said the MDC-T was happy with the outcome of the meeting because the regional ministers managed to impress upon Mugabe that the January communiqué was as binding as the GPA.
University of Zimbabwe political scientist John Makumbe said the Sadc visit exposed Mugabe because he had been refusing to recognise the communiqué.
"Mugabe has been exposed. It has become clear that Mugabe is refusing to comply with the Sadc communiqué," Makumbe said.
He said the 85-year-old leader risks losing the support from his colleagues from the region if he continues to flout the agreement.
Yesterday Mugabe appeared conciliatory when he addressed mourners at the burial of Shamva-Bindura Senator Misheck Chando.
Although he struck his familiar chord on Western interference, Mugabe called for more dialogue with his estranged coalition partners.
"They (western countries) want us to go down on our knees and beg them to forgive us. We ask who they are?" he said.
"When you have as party, even as individuals, taken a stand that you shall work together with our political neighbours, and they have reciprocated at the same terms, then the requirement is that we continue step by step together," Mugabe said.
The conciliatory tone was in sharp contrast to his address to the Zanu PF Central Committee where he said the MDC-T's disengagement will not affect the operations of the inclusive government.
Sources said Mugabe was trying to placate party supporters who had called for Zanu PF to ditch the unity government. Zanu PF insiders said Zimbabwe's long time ruler realised the coalition was "his only salvation".
Baloi said Mugabe and Tsvangirai will meet tomorrow to discuss the "outstanding issues".
After presenting his speech at the Heroes' Acre yesterday, Mugabe held a brief discussion with Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara who attended Chando's burial.
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With Mugabe finally realizing he needs the MDC to survive I wonder if he will still have the temerity demand more concessions? As far as I'm concerned the MDC already conceded too much and the agreement is no longer negotiable. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Mrzyphl;
President Mugabe does not need MDC-T and all its leaders. What is MDC-T after all - a puppet and sellout party that was created by the CIA and MI6 to destabilize our country and effect regime change with money from Westminster Foundation.
A party that has caused so much suffering through Tsvangi's call for sanctions against the people of this country can never be liked by any right thinking Zimbo. We do not need it, the majority of Zimbabweans hate this party and all that it represents and that is why they rejected it on June 27, 2008.
However, we realize that there are some (a minority though they may be) in MDC who are just blind followers, thus, have not put much thought into what kind of monster they are following. These are the people President Mugabe is concerned about.
He wants to unite his people the same way he united them during the liberation struggle when Sithole sold out, when Muzorewa sold out and when Chikerema teamed up with Boers to slow down the pace of liberation.
He wants Zimbabweans to unite in their diversity, to realize that the interests of the country called DZIMBAHWE are more important than individual interests and to seriously interrogate the actions that MDC is taking in trying to make them suffer much longer.
A lot of people are being hoodwinked into believing that Tsvangi and his bunch of sellouts are doing something meaningful when in actual fact they are incompetent and a liability to Zimbabwe.
you may hate MDC but Mugabe knows he cannot do without it, do you think that Mugabe is stupid by taking MDC on board. Please do not insilut the inteligence of our Prsident Cde R.G Mugabe. If you think Zanu has made a mistake by taking MDC on board then if you are man enough and not Mugabe's wife like what Jonathan Moyo once said that most Zanu people are Zanu do not have the spine they are not man enough, they are not AMADHADHA SIBILI, Then why are you being loyal to a party that is making mistakes. The liberation war that we fought is for democracy whereby if one thinks that ALL the political parties are not goo enough you simply go ahead and form your party sell your good ideas and see if we are not going to vote for you if you have something better to offer. Please do not underate yourself Mugabe grew up hearding cattle and he become a teeacher and now president, Morgan was a tea boy, the list is long look at the history of many Presidents they were not borne in royal families Zuma in SA, current Pres of Zambia/Malawi grew up in Matebeleland as a poor boy....... My advice my bro is if you having something better we are prepared to vote for you, your comment shows that you are more intelligent than Mugabe and Tsvangirai you just need to be man enough
Edaniel2009;
"Do you think that Mugabe is stupid by taking MDC on board? Had you the shreddest of intellect you would have realized that your question is well answered in my piece - re-read before responding to my articles next time because if you don't I will not spare you the laugh this time round.
I am loyal to Zanu-pf because thats my party, thats where I belong. I was born and was bred in that revolutionary party. My veins carry more Zanu-pf than blood. What about you?
You say you fought in the liberation war for "democracy". Where, when and how did you fight for this "democracy"? I do not remember fighting for democracy but LAND. Everything else that fell within the liberation terminology, including democracy, freedom and/or one-man-one vote, were all peripheral issues to LAND.
Land was central to our struggle in Zimbabwe. LAND and LAND alone drove Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana to take up spears, bows and arrows to fight the invader - Roy Bennet, Eddie Cross, Trude Stevenson, David Coltart and whoever you have in your thick head.
What that means is that we were in different camps opposing each other - you fighting to perpetuate white rule while I fought to free my occupied land. We will, thus, never see things the same way - where you see me as attacking the revolutionary party I am actually strengthening it and where you pretend to like Zanu-pf I see through the veil that YOU ARE A SNAKE trying to enter the house through the back door.
more nonsense from Takunya, dont listen to him. He thinks the CIA invented homosexuality and spread it to africa, and he also thinks that the MDC killed 130 of their own supporters last elections and then blamed in on the ZANU PF to make them look bad.
Clearly he's a few sandwiches short of a picnic.
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