SW Radio Africa (London)
Tichaona Sibanda
4 November 2009
column
On Thursday Zimbabwe's political stand-off will be tabled before a SADC Troika summit in Maputo, Mozambique.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his delegation, that includes negotiators to the inter-party talks, left Harare Wednesday morning, flying to Maputo via Johannesburg. Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and his negotiators also left Harare for Maputo on Wednesday.
Robert Mugabe is expected to fly direct to Maputo either late Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.
After intense and wide ranging consultations around the region there are reports suggesting the Troika summit will try to force the three party principals to comply to comply with the spirit and the intent of the Global Political Agreement. Whether SADC will indeed try to make Mugabe stick to his side of the bargain, remains to be seen
A communiqué issued over the weekend, after a SADC Troika ministerial team completed its two day fact finding mission in Harare, recommended that the parties should also re-engage in dialogue in order to find a lasting solution to the outstanding issues towards the full implementation of the GPA. The latest crisis was triggered by the MDC's boycott of cabinet and council of ministers meetings three weeks ago.
Speaking ahead of the summit Tendai Biti, Secretary-General of the MDC-T, said they were hopeful SADC will do the right thing by ensuring that the country's political parties comply fully with the provisions of the SADC Communiqué of 27 January 2009 and the GPA.
In an interview in the Prime Minister's weekly Newsletter Biti said they cannot spend nine months still trying to deal with the same issues, such as the appointment of the Attorney-General and the Governor of the Reserve Bank, appointment of ambassadors and the distribution of provincial governors.
'We are encouraged that the SADC team listened to the issues we were making. What is essential is to be able to stand up to the truth and in this case the truth is not a fantastic construction. It is just directing that parties comply with the things they agreed to,' Biti said.
The SADC summit communiqué of January specifically mentioned that the appointments of the Reserve Bank Governor and the Attorney General would be dealt with by the inclusive government after its formation.
A political analyst told us it was worth noting that all three parties are heading to Maputo having agreed in meetings with the Troika team to attend to all outstanding issues.
The impasse between Tsvangirai and Mugabe has seen a new surge in violent attacks and abductions against MDC supporters and top officials from the civil society organizations.
In the latest case, Gertrude Hambira, the Secretary-General of the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe, narrowly avoided abduction by suspected state security agents Tuesday night. It's believed Hambira was not been harmed in the attack.
Human rights defenders have called on the SADC leaders to exert pressure on Mugabe and his secret police and militia, to cease their harassment of officials from civic society organizations.
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This ZANU PF hogwash should stop. If Lesotho was also a point of focus why have we not heard of their representation at the summit? You just want to water down the strong fact that this summit had the sole purpose of resolving the issue of Zimbabwe that seems to be never ending as if it's a child's play with its 'youngest brat' being the 85-year old Mugabe. No shame at all. How long can you survive on falsehoods and disinformation? Todya manyepo here? We know ZANU PF made some promises to the Troika that they have absolutely no will to meet. What a shame? What's going to be their next talking point? Anyway, this is not an issue to them as they are devoid of even shred of good senses! Tichanyareiwo
I am waiting for the leaders in the white man's SADC to finally tell Tsvangirai, the white man's stooge, to grow up and submit himself to the will of the electorate like a man.
[ or else he can decamp to his racist masters' west of the plundering, land-grabbing europeans - who as long as Tsvangirai is useful to them, they can tolerate him and stroke his infantile ego ...]
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"I am waiting for the leaders in the white man's SADC to finally tell Tsvangirai, the white man's stooge, to grow up and submit himself to the will of the electorate like a man."
As I recall, that's exactly what he did in March of 2008. Then, when the electorate chose him as President, he was forced at gunpoint to submit himself to the will of Robert Mugabe, where he's been ever since.
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Active Discussions: SADC Leaders Meet in Maputo Over Zimbabwe