Zimbabwe is back to square one. The Global Political Agreement was signed in 2008. On Thursday South African President Jacob Zuma announced that the main political parties in Zimbabwe had finally agreed to implement what they had signed up to, after more than a year of haggling.
Although there has been no official confirmation on what exactly has been agreed, speculation is rife that the leaders have negotiated the positions of the two staunch ZANU PF allies - Central Bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana. Reports suggest Gono will retain his position, but that Tomana will be given a less key position.
Some say a deal, over the two, had to be made to make the inclusive government move forward, while others say this will still leave in place the people who funded or perpetuated the repression.
Critics say if indeed Gono remains and Tomana is moved to another position it will be the MDC who will have made a huge concession. The MDC has pushed for the removal of both the men, since Mugabe made their unilateral appointments, in contravention of the Global Political Agreement.
The negotiators of the three main parties are set to resume talks to discuss the 'implementation mechanisms', starting March 25. They are expected to report to the facilitator by the 31st March.
Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya said: "The problem that we can see here is of a political party that has a junior party mentality - a political party that has given too much respect to Robert Mugabe. It's a political party that has an electoral majority but they don't seem to be getting to grips of the situation."
Ngwenya added that it's time the MDC showed what alternative they have to offer Zimbabwe, if this agreement does not work by the March 31st deadline and stop the 'diplomatic talk about Mugabe being a good partner', when he has clearly failed to change.
One observer said: "I think we should be highly skeptical of any deal: last time a timeline was set, Mugabe went on an overseas trip. I think the one positive thing is the meeting with Roy Bennett, after all he is on charges of terrorism and was warmly greeted by the South African President."
The South African leader also met with Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, plus Gono and Tomana.
The Star newspaper reports that Zuma used tactics different from the 'soft' approach by former president Thabo Mbeki, resulting in Mugabe agreeing to swear in MDC governors. It is still not known when the governors will be sworn in as they have already lost almost two years of their term in office. Mugabe had unilaterally appointed ZANU PF governors in 2008, shortly after signing the GPA.
The South Africa newspaper also said: "And on the thorny issue of the EU's targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies, Zuma managed to get a deal whereby a committee from the government, comprising all three political parties, would be sent to Brussels next month to tackle the subject directly with the EU."
Meanwhile the pressure group, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, said it is deeply concerned over the failure to democratise the country and implement the GPA. "What is of concern to civil society are statements by some political players that elections would be held in 2011 yet no progress has been made in creating a conducive environment for such."
Mugabe recently said there will be elections in February 2011 when the lifespan of the inclusive government comes to an end, with or without a new constitution. "This means Zimbabwe might go to another poll with the same skewed voter's roll, a partisan Electoral Commission and flawed delimitations, repressive laws and a militarised political environment - all ingredients for another contested electoral outcome. What this simply means is that the same old politics that led Zimbabwe to where it is today will be repeated and lives lost to politically motivated violence," said the Coalition in a statement on Friday.
Civil society and Zimbabweans everywhere now wait, once again, to see if finally Mugabe is going to genuinely share power, and fully implement the GPA.
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i believe President Mugabe should now retire for the sake of the country's development.Let us look at all our neighbours ie.Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, S.Africa. Since Mugabe came to power in 1980 till todate,some of these States have had 3 or 4 Presidents and he is still there. The more you stay in power the more you commit crimes against humanity. If Mugabe had retired after his first two terms in office, I beit he could have been at par with Mandela or even surpassing him. Some of the top leaders in the Government joined the liberation struggle after committing serious crimes back home. They were fugitives not refuges and they returned home being 'CHEFS'.and occupying top posts.How can criminals lead the Government?These guys have perpetuated their criminal activities tarnishing the images of people like Mugabe who of late has been covering them up ending up with him sailing in the same boat. Now he cannot retire because of what he knows he did in the past. But still even if he dies in office, leaves behind children and relatives and vengeance can be done on them..Hapana rugare apa !!
Yes Josiah.........
How can the war criminals or those who commited crimes against humanity be shielded by Comrade Bob? THAT is a question ALL of us in the real world would like answered............
How is this possible? How is it that a so-called "liberation-hero" allows people who committed serious crimes to be part of his security apparatus?
Why is it that people who have tortured/raped/murdered people are given protection by ZANU-Poof? Why does ZANU-Poof protect such people?
Comrade Bob's time is coming, whether it be from God of from one who has experienced the pain and suffering he has imposed......... Bob's gonna die, eventually.............
What's ZANU-Poof's back-up plan? They have none, sadly, Zimbabwe will dissolve into chaos when it happens.............
But at the present, ZANU-Poof has NOTHING to offer, they have no policies, they have no results to show for their 30 years of kleptocracy! Let's just see how long the ZANU-Poof kleptocrats keep hold of their ill-begotten wealth once a democratic regime takes hold.............
But again, ZANU-Poof PROMISED Zimbabwe that it would be "Totally Empowered!" - just how "empowered" are you?
"Total Empowerment!"
JUBOY, you have now exposed your sordid and disdainful hand.
Josiah expressed his opinion that Mugabe should retire, for reasons that are, in my opinion, unpersuasive. But, in a democracy , such as Zimbabwe, even silly opinions should be heard.
What the democratic STATE OF ZIMBABWE will not permit is your open, boneheaded, and perverse rhodist wish that Mugage's life be snuffed by "God of (sic) from one who has experienced the pain and suffering he has imposed...."
Accordingly, since it is obvious that God will one day call Zimbabwe to his heavenly abode, the real issue is whether you have just called on some rhodist nut to ASSASINATE MUGABE?
JUBOY, your post is unequivocal on the issue: YOU HAVE CALLED FOR THE ASSASINATION OF MUGABE.
That means that you have crossed the rhetorical line, that you have now become an ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE AND THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA.
But, that's hardly surprising: it is a rational grounded expectation that all supremacist rhodists and INVADER BOOLICKERS would like to KILL MUGABE.
Behold, African people, this degenerate, perverse and ideological mouse and immoral rhodist bootlcker, this JUBOY, HAS CALLED FOR MUGABE to be assasinated.
JUBOY, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT SPELLS?
TREASON, boneheaded JUBOY. TREASON, ANTI-ZIMBAWEAN JUBOY. TREASON, ANTI-AFRICAN JUBOY,
O, ye lost one, ye who desires the VICTORY OF INVADERDOM in Africa---JUBOY, you need to take an annointing bath in River Jordan where the Holy Spirit, the Father, AND Christ rock, where, BY AND THROUGH THE MERCY OF THE TRINITY, you may be forgiven for your thoughts inhuman, for your thoughts thougtless, for your thoughts spineless, and where youR soul can be cured of its ANTI-AFRICAN AFFECT.
Cheers, then, from the ever-forgiving, but vigilant PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE, and shame upon shame upon shame on you beyond Cantor's first transfinite number, weil JUBOY EIN UNDING IST.
ALLES, THEN, FOR AFRICA.
J-hollow................... for THAT is what you always be to me - hollow of intellect but filled with hate............
WHERE did "I" call for the assaniation of Comrade Bob? You can infer whatever you want but "I" NEVER explicitly called for, or "recommended" the violent removal of "Bloodstained Bob".................. I have NEVER explicitly calld for THAT.
But again, you make inferences in most of your responses that the original posters NEVER made to make your vapid arguments somehow more "weighty" even though most of US in the real world are no longer even curiour to read your diatribes against "WHITE" people............
Whenever YOU post, it's always about the color of one's skin............ such monotony tells all of us the depths of your racism..........
You continually bleat "don't look behind the curtain" because those that shout the "Emperor has no clothes" are somehow "Rhodies" or somehow care less about the people of Zimbabwe than you supposedly do...........
You are wrong, I can't say it in more abosolute terms - Mugabe and his bootlicking cadres in Zimbabwe are precisely THE problem............
THEY continue to enrich themselves while the remaining people of Zimbabwe continue to suffer!
What exactly does your CIO/JOC controlled mind NOT GET! The rest of Zimbabwe suffers while Comrade Bob and his minions continue to fleece the people!
What is blocking your obviously clouded mind from grasping the immense crime your "Glorious Leader" (grovelling like they do in North Korea) is literally tearing the guts out of your supposedly precious Zimbabwe?
Your just deserts are that you finally gain a "totally empowered" Zimbabwe thast has NO "white people" and had no foreign investments and where no country will buy your diamonds.........
But again, YOU aren't in Zimbabwe either, are you? So although you are in the pay of the CIO/JOC to pollute these boards with your hate of "white" PEOPLE, consider your own position............
If YOUR standards were applied elsewhere, it would call for ethnic cleansing - but we ALL know YOU are in favor of THAT!
Fortunately, WE, in the rest of the world, are against you - keep your racial hatred to yourself you bigot!
"Totall Empowerment!" MF
JUBOY, are you that stupid not to recognize your own words?
YOU EXPLICITLY CALLED FOR THE ASSASINATION OF MUGABE in your post supra. Not implicitly, but, EXPLICITLY, rhodist parrot.
Your attempt to erase your KILL ORDER by surfing in the claptrap of 'black' versus 'white' and similar obscurantist 'concepts' shows that you are not only ANTI-AFRICAN, but bone chilling intellectually dishonest, and this from a rhodist with the brain of a mouse.
Yet, your noise makes no difference to patriotic Africans: most rhodist would like Mugabe to die, BUT YOU ARE THE FIRST TO ANNOUNCE ON THIS INVADER FORUM THAT HE SHOULD BE ASSASINATED.
Accordingly, it is never the crime, but the cover up that morphs the criminal into a moral monster.
And, what a wobbly cover up!
Accordingly, encore, JUBOY, you need to retract your order to have Mugabe snuffed. Stupid JUBOY, if you desire the death by assasination of Mugabe, you don't announce your order, which I deem CREDIBLE, on the web; that, however, suggests that you are THE PARROT of a network of reactionary rhodists that is READY AND WILLING TO TAKE MUGABE OUT.
LYING JUBOY, JUST RETRACT YOUR KILL ORDER, O.K?
Cheers, then, from OPERATION COME CLEAN in ever lawful, ever beautiful, and ever truthful Zimbabwe, THE HAMMER AND THE PARADIGM.