Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change will join President Robert Mugabe in forming a unity government once constitutional amendment number 19 is passed into law, MDC deputy president Thokozani Khupe announced Friday.

Under the power-sharing deal brokered by SADC, Zimbabwe’s parliament must amend its constitution to pave way for the formation of a new government headed by Mugabe with MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai becoming prime minister.

The constitution has to be changed to enact the new government and to provide for the posts of prime minister and his deputy. The MDC also wants other outstanding issues such as the appointment of provincial governors to be cleared before they can join the unity government.

“Given the lack of sincerity and lack of paradigm shift on the part of ZANU PF, the MDC shall participate in a new government once Constitutional Amendment No 19 has been passed and effected into law,” Khupe, standing in for her boss Morgan Tsvangirai who is still out of the country following the SADC summit at the weekend, said in a statement.

“In the event of an illegitimate government being unilaterally formed, the MDC will not be part to the same and will peacefully, constitutionally and democratically mobilize and campaign against the illegitimate government.”

Khupe told reporters after an MDC executive meeting that the party’s top leadership had resolved not to join a government until all outstanding issues in the talks were concluded.

“Neither Robert Mugabe nor ZANU PF has the legitimacy of forming any government or running this country in the absence of the consummation of the global power-sharing agreement,” said Khupe.

The MDC deputy leader’s statement and remarks at the press conference seem to be varied slightly but all pointing to the fact that the MDC will no doubt be inolved in the new unity government once the constitution has been amended.

Khupe  also said the MDC had uncovered a plot to assassinate its leaders, further increasing chances that deadlocked negotiations will collapse but she did not expand on this allegation.

Attacking SADC for failing to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis at the weekend, she said: “Our issues were not addressed by SADC. All our issues were glossed over and narrowed down to the issue of the home affairs ministry.”

But she insisted that the MDC would not pull out of the power-sharing deal.

“We are committed and we remain committed to this dialogue,” she said.

The MDC implored on SADC and the AU, the guarantors of the unity deal, to step in to ensure a successful conclusion and finality to the cabinet impasse in Zimbabwe.

ZANU PF’s politburo has already urged Mugabe to form a new government with or without the MDC following the resolution by SADC that the feuding political rivals must co-share the disputed ministry of home affairs.

Apart from rejecting the SADC proposal to co-share the ministry of home affairs, the MDC accused the regional body of failing to resolve the issue of appointment of permanent secretaries, ambassadors, provincial governors and the formation of the National Security Council.

SADC, according to the MDC failed to resolve the ‘fraudulent and alteration’ of the document signed on September 11 and the one signed on September 15.

(Source)