Southern Africa: Zuma to Report to Regional Leaders On Zimbabwe

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File photo: President Jacob Zuma, center, with President Robert Mugabe, right, on a previous working visit to Zimbabwe.
14 August 2012
allAfrica.com
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Washington, DC — Excerpt from a media briefing by the South African Deputy Minister of International Relations and Coooperation, Ebrahim Ebrahim, on August 14, 2012:

It appears that there is noticeable progress in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in Zimbabwe as evidenced by a near complete constitution-making process and legislative reforms that are required in terms of the GPA.

The Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) has reported that the final draft of the new constitution has been completed and has been signed off by all the party negotiators to the GPA, as well as members of COPAC's Management Committee.

The draft constitution has now been circulated to the political Principals namely President Mugabe, Prime Minister Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara, as well as Parliament's Presiding Officers, the Speaker of the House of Assembly and the Senate President.

The next step will be an All Stakeholders' Conference to be organised and convened by COPAC to give the ordinary Zimbabwean citizens an opportunity to look at the draft new constitution before it is tabled in Parliament and thereafter subjected to a referendum.

We have taken note of this development and on the whole we are satisfied with the progress in the implementation of the GPA.

The SADC Facilitator (President Zuma) remains seized with the process in assisting the Parties to fully implement the GPA, as well as an election roadmap which should assist the country to create a conducive environment for the holding of a credible and peaceful referendum and elections.

To this end, President Jacob Zuma is scheduled to undertake a working visit to Harare, Zimbabwe on Wednesday, 15 August 2012. President Zuma undertakes this visit in his capacity as the SADC mandated Facilitator to the Zimbabwe political dialogue.

In fulfilling his mandate, President Zuma is, from time to time, expected to interact with the parties' signatory to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) essentially to assess progress in the implementation of the GPA.

During the visit, President Zuma will meet with the political principals to the GPA namely, His Excellency, President Mugabe, Honourable Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Honourable Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara.

Following the visit, President Zuma will be expected to report to the SADC Summit to be held in Maputo, Mozambique from 16 to 17 August 2012.

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