Messages From Zimbabwe

South Africa‘s leader has said he believes the deadlock over Zimbabwe‘s power-sharing deal has been resolved.

“We are hopeful that such an inclusive government will be put in place this week,” Kgalema Motlanthe said.

He added that the regional body, SADC, was launching an urgent aid appeal to deal with Zimbabwe‘s cholera crisis.

More than 18,000 people have developed the disease and aid agencies are warning that with heavy rains further infections are set to rise.

After disputed presidential elections in March, President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) agreed to form a power-sharing government.

But implementation of that agreement, reached in September, has been dogged by disagreements over whose supporters would get key ministries.

Months of negotiations brokered by former South African President Thabo Mbeki on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have failed to break the deadlock.

Earlier, the UK think tank International Crisis Group suggested that both Mr Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai should step aside to end the “hopelessly deadlocked” talks.

This could allow a transitional administration to implement political and economic reforms, it said.

The proposal would also give the president and his generals immunity from prosecution.

But BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut says it is unlikely either side would take up such an idea.

President Motlanthe told journalists in South Africa‘s capital, Pretoria, that he would not join calls for Mr Mugabe to step down.

African countries like Botswana and Kenya have called for Mr Mugabe to go to end the political turmoil.

But the South African leader said the power-sharing deal was about to be implemented, which would see Mr Mugabe stay on as president and Mr Tsvangirai become prime minister.

However, the MDC told Reuters news agency it knew nothing about any imminent breakthrough.

“Maybe the president knows something we don’t know, but we are not aware of any plans to form a government this week. It’s certainly news to us because the outstanding issues we have outlined remain,” MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.

Nigeria‘s foreign minister is pressed on Zimbabwe

Nigeria‘s Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe told the BBC’s HardTalk programme that while Nigeria shared the “moral outrage” about Zimbabwe, the best way to move forward was to “insist” both sides honour the power-sharing deal.

President Motlanthe said the Sadc appeal was being launched “for the people of Zimbabwe in order to help them overcome the challenges facing their country”.

The BBC’s Karen Allen, who recently travelled to Zimbabwe, says nine out of the country’s 10 provinces have reported cases of cholera.

The epidemic has so far claimed nearly 1,000 lives, but the official figure of infections could be just the tip of the iceberg, she says.

In Mashonaland – where Mr Mugabe’s party commands some support, she found patients with the disease housed in makeshift clinics.

Drugs were in short supply, clean water was scarce and many young children had succumbed to the disease – dying of dehydration in just a matter of days.

Our reporter says cholera is a potent symbol of Zimbabwe‘s steady collapse.

Piles of burning rubbish in the streets of the capital, Harare, and burst pipes spewing filthy water are now a common sight here, she says.

Last week, Mr Mugabe maintained his country had contained the cholera outbreak.

(Source)

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe probably will introduce a constitutional amendment today to allow appointment of a prime minister and two deputies, the state-controlled Herald said.

The law will then be debated in Zimbabwe’s parliament and possibly passed into law in February, Patrick Chinamasa, Mugabe’s justice minister, told the Harare-based newspaper. New elections will have to be held in the southern African nation if parliament rejects the amendments, the Herald added.

The Movement for Democratic Change, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, holds a narrow majority over Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front party, though the constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority.

Neither MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa nor Patrick Chinamasa could be immediately reached by Bloomberg News. Under a Sept. 15 agreement between the two parties, Tsvangirai will become prime minister, while Mugabe will remain head of state as president.

(Source)

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon held secret talks with President Robert Mugabe today, asking the Zimbabwean leader to conclude a power-sharing deal with opposition parties.

The two men met “one-to-one” for 30 minutes today on the sidelines of a UN development meeting in Doha, Qatar.

“I met with him about the deteriorating humanitarian situation and we discussed power sharing,” Ban said in an interview with Bloomberg News in Doha. “I agreed with him not to talk publicly about what was said. It was one-on-one.”

Zimbabwe has been without a legal government since the opposition Movement for Democratic Change won control of the nation’s parliament in elections on March 29. They haven’t agreed on a power-sharing deal and the political vacuum has created an economic and humanitarian crisis.

Mugabe last week barred former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Graca Machel, the wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, from visiting Zimbabwe to assess the humanitarian situation.

Ban met Mugabe after consulting Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete, chairman of the African Union, who encouraged the encounter, according to Augustine Mahiga, Tanzania’s ambassador to the UN.

Mahiga said that after the African Union and 15-nation Southern African Development Community failed to persuade Mugabe to agree on a deal with the MDC, Ban’s intervention might be the “last opportunity” for a peaceful settlement.

‘Brutally Honest’

“He is the only voice that Mugabe hasn’t heard and he has the moral authority of being secretary general,” Mahiga said.

“Someone has to sit down with him and be brutally honest,” said Tiseke Kasambala of New York-based Human Rights Watch in an interview from Johannesburg. “His country is in a state of collapse.”

Mugabe told the conference that Zimbabwe “has been and continues to be a victim of unilateral and illegal coercive economic measures aimed at undermining the government through regime change.”

The U.S., which doesn’t consider Mugabe a legitimate head of state, said it was a mistake for the UN to allow him to speak.

“It’s extremely ironic and unacceptable for Mugabe to be going to the UN Conference on Financing Development in Doha while you had the implosion of his economy and the crisis of his population taking place,” Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi E. Frazer said in a statement.

(Source)

Mr Thabo Mbeki

Dear Sir,

Re: Constitutional Amendment No 19

Given the fact that the SADC resolution is a nullity and has not been rescinded, it is then difficult for any of the parties to move in any direction for fear of legitimising the SADC Summit “ruling”. It means then that the negotiators cannot meet and work on the draft of Constitutional Amendment No 19.

There is a total meltdown in Zimbabwe and indeed a complete collapse of the state. Put simply, the state has lost any capacity to provide the basic amenities to the people in the form of food, education, health, transport. This situation, if left unresolved, will explode or implode and indeed such explosion or implosion will have a contagious multiplier effect in the region.

In addition to the meltdown, there are vicious attacks on the members of the MDC contrary to the dictates and spirit of the MOU and the GPA. There is a renewed wave of violence, abductions and assaults against the MDC and the people of Zimbabwe in the obvious direction of replicating the post 29 March barbaric violence, in particular the arrest and continued detention at unknown centres of MDC Mashonaland West senior leadership such as Concilia Chinanvanana and 11 others. Furthermore, the ZANU PF regime is crafting an assassination plot, code-named Operation Ngatipedzenavo (Let Us Finish Them) intended to eliminate the MDC leadership and decimate the party through frivolous allegations.

There are flimsy attempts to frame the MDC as a terrorist organisation that is training people for the purposes of banditry and insurgence. There are people that are being used to frame confessions and militias are being trained by ZANU PF to act as MDC bandits in an attempt to delegitimise the MDC.

We look forward to hearing from you on the way forward.

Tendai Biti, MP

MDC Secretary General(Mbeki’s response was addressed to “Mr Morgan Tsvangirai”)

Dear Morgan

Today I received the letter dated 19 November 2008, which was correctly communicated through the South African Embassy in Harare, written to me by your secretary general, the Hon Tendai Biti, MP, concerning Constitutional Amendment No 19.

I must confess that the contents of this letter came to me as a complete surprise, causing me grave concern.

As you know, Mr Biti’s letter describes the decisions on Zimbabwe, taken by the November 9 SADC Extraordinary Summit Meeting held in South Africa, as “a nullity”.

The letter goes further to say that “it is then difficult for any of the parties to move in any direction for fear of legitimising the SADC Summit ‘ruling’”.

The first point I would like to make with regard to the foregoing is that, as you know, we were appointed as facilitator of the Zimbabwe Dialogue by the SADC.

This position was later endorsed by both the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN), both of which expressly rely on SADC to facilitate the Zimbabwe Dialogue, and thus contribute to the resolution of the Zimbabwe problem.

You will, therefore, understand that it is absolutely impossible for us as the SADC-appointed facilitator to contemptuously to dismiss solemn decisions of an SADC Summit Meeting as “a nullity”.

Indeed, and necessarily, all such decisions serve as a binding mandate on the facilitator.

The second point I would like to make is that contrary to what the Hon Tendai Biti says in his letter, the three Zimbabwe negotiating parties, including yours, and with the support of the facilitation, have agreed that they should meet with the facilitation to consider the Draft Constitutional Amendment No 19.

The facilitation had proposed that this meeting should take place in South Africa on November 19 and 20, with the intention to finalise this draft during this interaction.

Both ZANU PF and the MDC (M) agreed to this proposal. However the meeting did not take place, essentially because of the reportedly unavoidable unavailability of your secretary general, the Hon Tendai Biti, who is one of your negotiators.

Subsequently, your negotiators suggested that the meeting should be rescheduled to take place in South Africa on November 25.

The facilitation canvassed this proposal with the other Zimbabwe negotiating parties and secured their agreement.

Accordingly, as of now, we expect that the meeting to consider the Draft Constitutional Amendment No 19 will be held on November 25, as your negotiators proposed.

As you know, on November 17, the facilitation received from the Hon Patrick Chinamasa the First Draft of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No 19 Bill, 2008.

We immediately distributed this draft to all three Zimbabwe negotiating parties, preparatory to the meeting then scheduled to be held on November 19-20.

Subsequently, the facilitation was informed that the MDC (T) had prepared its own Draft Constitutional Amendment No 19.

The facilitation welcomed this initiative by the MDC (T), which was consistent with the manner in which the SADC-mandated Zimbabwe Dialogue has been conducted during a period of over 18 months.

By agreement, this has allowed that each and any of the Zimbabwe Negotiating Parties should be absolutely free to present their views during the dialogue process, without let or hindrance, which has happened.

I would therefore like to assure you that consistent with previous practice, the facilitation is ready to facilitate consideration of all Drafts of Constitutional Amendment No 19 in an even-handed manner, guided by what is contained in the signed Global Political Agreement.

(As has been agreed, we will take all necessary steps to ensure that Amendment No 19 includes the provisions contained in the agreement signed privately on September 11, which, for whatever reason, are absent from the agreement signed in public on September 15.)

Correctly, the Zimbabwe negotiating parties had agreed, without any SADC intervention, that some of their decisions, as reflected in the Global Political Agreement, would have to be legalised through constitutional amendments.

We are completely at a loss as to what the Hon Tendai Biti means when he writes that with regard to Constitutional Amendment No 19, “it is then difficult for any of the parties to move in any direction for fear of legitimising the SADC Summit ‘ruling’”.

When the SADC Summit Meeting called for the approval of Constitutional Amendment No 19, it did nothing more than to endorse a logical decision which the Zimbabwe negotiating parties had already concluded.

Neither the MDC (T), nor the other two Zimbabwe negotiating parties had expressed this (Biti) view to the facilitator, as we prepared for the November 19-20 and November 25 meetings, that the SADC approval of an existing decision of the Zimbabwe negotiating parties created a new problem.

And indeed, neither ZANU PF nor the MDC (M) has, to date, expressed any such view. To the best of our knowledge, they remain ready to participate in the November 25 meeting.

In addition, you will also remember that, in your presence, at the November 9 SADC Summit Meeting, both President Mugabe and Professor Mutambara informed the meeting that they accepted the SADC decisions, and committed their organisations to their full implementation.

The deputy treasurer general of the MDC (T), and one of your negotiators, the Hon Elton Mangoma, kindly conveyed to the facilitation the resolutions adopted by the 7th MDC National Council of 2008, which met in Harare on November 14, 2008.

In this regard, the facilitation took particular note of the resolution which stated that:

“3. 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.”

In this regard, the facilitation also took note of the November 14 report carried on the Kubatana Internet website, which said:

“(MDC (T) Vice President Thokozani) Khupe said: ‘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.”

All this suggested to the Facilitation that the Zimbabwe Negotiating Parties should indeed proceed as speedily as possible to agree on Constitutional Amendment No 19.

The immediate foregoing is part of the reason why we find it immensely puzzling that even after the announced decisions of the 7th MDC National Council of 2008, your secretary general has now informed us that it is in fact impossible and impermissible to draft and enact Constitutional Amendment No 19 into law.

This is not the appropriate platform to discuss the intricacies of the Zimbabwe negotiations, in which you and ourselves have been involved for many years.

However, you know the circumstances which led the SADC Troika of the Organ on Politics and the SADC chairperson, and subsequently the November 9 SADC Extraordinary Summit Meeting, to focus on the matter of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

As the SADC executive secretary reported to the November 9 SADC Summit Meeting, when the SADC Troika of the Organ on Politics and the SADC chairperson met in Harare on October 27-28, they engaged the Zimbabwe negotiating parties, including yourself, in intense negotiations, deliberately without the participation of the facilitator.

The clear message communicated to the SADC Troika of the Organ on Politics and the SADC chairperson during these interactions was that the only obstacle to the formation of the Zimbabwe Inclusive Government, as agreed in the Global Political Agreement (GPA), was the finalisation of the dispute about the political leadership of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the subsequent legalisation of the GPA through the enactment of Constitutional Amendment No 19.

You will remember your own insistence that in the context of the agreement that there should be two ministers of home affairs, these should serve in rotation, with the MDC (T) appointee taking the first slot.

You affirmed that if this were to be agreed, it would mark the conclusion of the negotiations about the distribution of the ministerial portfolios, and therefore enable the establishment of the Zimbabwe Inclusive Government, with your endorsement and support.

Because of this, basing themselves on what they learnt from the negotiations they conducted directly with the Zimbabwe negotiating parties, without the involvement of the Facilitation, the Troika of the SADC Organ on Politics and the SADC chairperson concluded that the most urgent and outstanding task relating to the formation of the Zimbabwe Inclusive Government was the resolution of matters relating to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

During the SADC meetings, the Troika of the Organ on Politics and the SADC chairperson emphasised that they recognise the fact that there are some outstanding matters that still need to be negotiated, and therefore asked that the facilitator should help ensure that this happens.

As we said earlier, for us as the facilitator, this constitutes a binding mandate which we must honour.

It is therefore factually incorrect that SADC has ignored various outstanding matters which you might have raised or which have served and serve on the agreed dialogue agenda.

In this regard, I would like to make one or two observations about the matter of “equity” with regard to the distribution of ministerial portfolios, which is mentioned in the resolutions of the 7th MDC National Council of 2008.

At your request, which was supported by the other two Zimbabwe negotiating parties, we prepared and submitted a document to you as the Zimbabwe principals, naturally including you, entitled “Reflections and Proposals of the Facilitation: Towards the Achievement of the Objectives of Equity and Power-sharing in the Constitution of the Inclusive Government: Harare, October 17 2008.”

All three Zimbabwe negotiating parties responded to this document in writing. Of the three, only the MDC (T) fundamentally disagreed with the observations of the facilitator.

As you know, the facilitator’s document did not constitute a “ruling”, as it could not. It was a response to a suggestion you yourself had made, and should have been subjected to a discussion among the Zimbabwe principals and the facilitator.

However, as was your right, you responded to the facilitator in two documents. This happened shortly before the Troika of the SADC Organ on Politics and the SADC chairperson were to meet in Swaziland.

In the light of this decision, the facilitation thought it proper that it should submit to the Swaziland meeting copies of these five documents – the facilitator’s “Reflections …” and the four responses, two from the MDC (T), – both to the SADC Troika of the Organ on Politics and the SADC chairperson, as well as the SADC Extraordinary Summit Meeting, which was done.

The facilitation has no reason to assume that these documents were not considered by the SADC structures.

We are, therefore, not aware of the basis of the statement made by the 7th MDC National Council of 2008 that SADC ignored the issue that MDC (T) had raised, relating to “equity” in the distribution of ministerial posts.

With regard to other outstanding matters, in your presence the SADC executive secretary reported that the SADC Troika of the Organ on Politics and the SADC chairperson agreed that these should not be forgotten or ignored, but should not hold up the formation of the Inclusive Government.

SADC directed that the facilitator should continue to focus on these matters, within the context that it set, which coincided with the approach of the facilitation.

It is perfectly clear to us as the facilitation that SADC is firmly of the view that the sooner the agreed Zimbabwe Inclusive Government is established, the better.

Our region considers this to be the most critical and urgent strategic task to implement, to move decisively towards the resolution of the challenges facing Zimbabwe.

As you know, the facilitation agrees with this view.

In this regard, you as the Zimbabwe principals agreed with the facilitator that senior officials of the Zimbabwe and South African governments should engage one another to address the issue of the provision of agricultural inputs that would help to ensure that during the current summer agricultural season, the people of Zimbabwe do everything possible to produce the food they need.

As you will recall, this decision was taken on the basis of an urgent request presented to the facilitator by the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU).

Together we agreed with the CFU that the intervention to produce food should not be held back because of delays in the conclusion of an agreement among the politicians about the composition of the Zimbabwe Inclusive Government.

On the basis of this mandate, the relevant Zimbabwe and South African senior officials have indeed interacted with one another.

I have the assurance of the president of South Africa, HE Mr Kgalema Motlanthe, that the Government of South Africa is ready to honour its obligations in this regard, precisely because of its abiding concern about the welfare of the sister people of Zimbabwe.

I mention this particular issue, concerning the agricultural season that is upon us, to emphasise the point that all of you, the principal Zimbabwe Leaders, have consistently communicated to me your unqualified understanding of the reality that it was of strategic and urgent importance that the Zimbabwe Inclusive Government should be established without further delay, as the SADC Extraordinary Summit concurred.

In his November 19 2008 letter, the Hon Tendai Biti, secretary general of MDC (T), raised various matters of grave concern to the MDC (T).

In particular he mentioned:

·  a complete collapse of the Zimbabwe state;

·  the absolute inability of the state to “provide the basic amenities to the people”;

·  the threat of an “explosion” or “implosion” in Zimbabwe, which would “have a contagious multiplier effect in the region”;

·  “a renewed wave of violence, abductions and assaults against the MDC and the people of Zimbabwe“;

·  the “crafting (by ZANU PF) of ‘an assassination plot, code-named Operation Ngatipedzenavo (Let us Finish Them) intended to eliminate the MDC leadership and decimate the party through frivolous allegations;

·  “flimsy attempts to frame the MDC as a terrorist organisation that is training people for the purposes of banditry and insurgence”; and,

·  “people being used to frame confessions, and militias being trained by ZANU PF to act as MDC bandits in an attempt to delegitimise the MDC”.

Again, as you know, the letter from the Hon Tendai Biti ends with the appeal to the facilitator – “We look forward to hearing from you on the way forward.”

The above observations and allegations made by the Hon Tendai Biti are indeed extremely grave and demand immediate action.

The very firm and unequivocal view of the facilitation in this regard, which the Hon Biti requests, is that we must move with the greatest speed to establish the Inclusive Government, as provided for in the Global Political Agreement.

We must, as a matter of extreme urgency, establish the new Zimbabwe government, which will include the three parties represented in the democratically elected Zimbabwe parliament.

This government must operate according to the principles and procedures detailed in the Global Political Agreement, which both determines that RG Mugabe will be president, and that Morgan Tsvangirai will be prime minister, and specifies the roles of these leaders in the Inclusive Government.

The MDC (T), like the other Zimbabwe parties, must, within an Inclusive Government, take responsibility for the future of Zimbabwe, rather than see its mission as being a militant critic of President Mugabe and ZANU PF.

The signing of the Global Political Agreement has provided the possibility for the leaders of the people of Zimbabwe to govern Zimbabwe together, and together to solve the national problems, including the ones raised by the Hon Tendai Biti in his letter to me.

All that is now required is that these leaders must remain true to their word. They must implement the agreement they have signed.

In this regard, they have absolutely no need to refer to their external supporters for approval, however powerful they might seem, including any and all South African formations.

All that is required is that you, the leaders of the people of Zimbabwe, should do what you have committed yourselves to do, and that is all!

In the context of the observations made by the Hon Tendai Biti in his November 19 letter to the facilitator, Zimbabwe urgently needs precisely the agreed Inclusive Government, to:

·  rebuild the state machinery of Zimbabwe;

·  enable it to meet the needs of the people;

·  overcome the current socio- economic crisis;

·  end the threat of the explosion or implosion of Zimbabwe;

·  end all manifestations of repression, intimidation and violence; and

·  guarantee the democratic and human rights of all Zimbabweans, including their political and other formations.

The Hon Tendai Biti should not transfer the achievement of these tasks to the facilitator, SADC and the AU.

This responsibility belongs squarely to the people of Zimbabwe and their leaders.

The official signing of the Global Political Agreement in Harare on September 15 opened the way for you as Zimbabwe’s leaders, and the formations you represent, to act together not as political opponents, but as partners in pursuit of a shared and defined objective of the reconstruction and development of Zimbabwe, the reconciliation and unification of its people, and the entrenchment of democracy.

As you have agreed, in the first instance this must be expressed in the formation of the Zimbabwe Inclusive Government, which must work together as a cohesive formation, together as one, to address the priorities identified in the Global Political Agreement, in the manner prescribed in this agreement.

You and I know that objectively, Zimbabwe desperately needs the establishment of this Inclusive Government, and that this is the most urgent demand of the masses, the people who elected the three parties, including yours, which are represented in the Parliament of Zimbabwe.

Without in any way reflecting on their merits, which would require protracted investigations, the only and most rational way to address the challenges raised by the Hon Tendai Biti is to form the Zimbabwe Inclusive Government and table the matters at issue even at the very first meeting of the cabinet of the Inclusive Government.

We suggest, humbly, that given the fact of the Global Political Agreement, the MDC (T), and indeed the MDC (M), should no longer treat themselves as opposition parties or protest movements, and neither should ZANU PF consider and relate to them as such.

The agreement that has been reached and signed provides that Zimbabwe will and must have a ruling coalition of three co-operating parties.

Acting together, within the agreed framework, these will and must constitute the new “ruling party” of Zimbabwe, which must govern Zimbabwe as this “one” entity.

Contrary to all this, the Hon Tendai Biti asks that we should support the delay in the formation of the Zimbabwe Inclusive Government and help to sustain an untenable situation according to which, despite the agreed and signed Global Political Agreement, the signatories should continue to treat one another as opposed political formations engaged in a deadly fight, one against the other.

Where conflicts and problems continue to persist among the Zimbabwe political parties and the supporters of these, surely the framework has now been established for these to engage one another to address these conflicts and problems!

I am certain that the longer we postpone using this framework, relying on the luxury of a facilitator and other informal advisers, the longer we will perpetuate the terrible misery that afflicts the people of Zimbabwe.

As facilitator, a neighbour and an African, I am immensely proud of the extraordinary work you have done to develop the comprehensive consensus that now exists among yourselves as the leaders of the people of Zimbabwe, which provides the roadmap which defines what must be done to pull Zimbabwe out of the abyss.

What the people of Zimbabwe, our region and Africa now need is the sense of patriotism among yourselves as leaders of the people of Zimbabwe and as African patriots, which will inspire you, despite and beyond personal and partisan interests, to implement the agreements you have concluded.

In this regard, it may be that together, openly, and sooner rather than later, we must give an account to the masses of the people of Zimbabwe of what has been agreed during 18 months of negotiations, and what it is that holds up the united, national advance towards the alleviation of the problems of Zimbabwe, and therefore the speedy improvement of the quality of the lives of the people.

You know this, too, that the rest of Southern Africa, your neighbouring countries, has also had the unavoidable obligation to carry much of the weight of the burden of the Zimbabwe crisis, in many ways.

You know that, among other things, various countries of our region host large numbers of economic migrants from Zimbabwe, who impose particular burdens on our countries.

Loyal to the concept and practice of African solidarity, none of our countries and governments has spoken publicly of this burden, fearful that we might incite the xenophobia to which all of us are opposed.

Nevertheless, the leaders of the people of Zimbabwe, including you, dear brother, need to bear in mind that the pain your country bears is a pain that is transferred to the masses of our people, who face their own challenges of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment.

This particular burden is not carried by the countries of Western Europe and North America, which have benefited especially from the migration of skilled and professional Zimbabweans to the north.

In the end, when all is said and done, Zimbabwe will have to exist in peace and productive collaboration with its neighbours in Southern Africa and the rest of Africa.

Realistically, Zimbabwe will never share the same neighbourhood with the countries of Western Europe and North America, and therefore secure its success on the basis of friendship with these, and contempt for the decisions of its immediate African neighbours.

I say this humbly to advise that it does not help Zimbabwe, nor will it help you as prime minister of Zimbabwe, that the MDC (T) contemptuously repudiates very serious decisions of our region, and therefore our continent, describing them as “a nullity”.

It may be that, for whatever reason, you consider our region and continent as being of little consequence to the future of Zimbabwe, believing that others further away, in Western Europe and North America, are of greater importance.

In this context I have been told that because leaders in our region did not agree with you on some matters that served on the agenda of the SADC Extraordinary Summit Meeting, you have denounced them publicly as “cowards”.

Such manner of proceeding might earn you prominent media headlines. However, I assure you that it will do nothing to solve the problems of Zimbabwe.

As you secure applause because of the insult against us that we are “cowards”, you will have to consider the reality that our peoples have accepted into their countries very large numbers of Zimbabwean brothers and sisters in a spirit of human solidarity, prepared to sustain the resultant obligations. None of our countries displayed characteristics of cowardice when they did this.

All of us will find it strange and insulting that because we do not agree with you on a small matter, you choose to describe us in a manner that is most offensive in terms of African culture, and therefore offend our sense of dignity as Africans, across our borders.

As facilitator I am more than convinced that we should hold the November 25 meeting as proposed by your negotiators, to agree on the text of Constitutional Amendment No 19, and the procedures for its approval.

The facilitation therefore confirms the arrangements that have been made for this critically important meeting.

Consistent with the principle agreed from the very beginning of the SADC-mandated negotiations, that no party to the negotiations has veto powers, the facilitation will engage any party that arrives to attend the November 25 meeting which your negotiators proposed, and which we convinced the other parties to accept.

As a matter of courtesy, as well as for their information and action, I would like to inform you that I will make available the November 19 letter of the Hon Tendai Biti to me, and this response to you, to:

·  the other Zimbabwe negotiating parties;

·  the chairperson and acting chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics etc;

·  the chairperson of SADC;

·  the chairperson of the AU;

·  the chairperson of the AU Commission;

·  the secretary general of the United Nations; and,

·  the executive secretary of SADC.

Yours sincerely,

Thabo Mbeki

(Source)

Zimbabwe’s political rivals will meet in South Africa today for talks to end a political deadlock, amid mounting pressure from regional leaders for a deal to prevent the humanitarian crisis becoming still worse. Negotiators from President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU PF party, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and a breakaway MDC faction will meet former South African President Thabo Mbeki to discuss a draft constitutional amendment paving the way for a new government. Mbeki has been reviewing the draft law, which many in the southern African country hope will usher in a new government to end a crippling economic crisis that has seen inflation soar to more than 230 million percent. The MDC has refused to enter government, accusing ZANU PF of trying to take the most powerful ministries and freeze it out, violating a Sept. 15 power-sharing deal.

Talks on forming a cabinet have been deadlocked for two months. The power-sharing agreement may unravel if Mugabe names a cabinet without MDC agreement, jeopardising what is seen as the best chance of reversing a decade of gradual economic collapse. The MDC had threatened to boycott Tuesday’s meeting, but said on Monday it would attend the talks and aim to address all the issues stalling an agreement. “Our team, consistent with the duty and obligation to represent the people, will attend tomorrow’s meeting in South Africa,” spokesman Nelson Chamisa told Reuters. “We will not accept any parochial and reductionist approach that seeks to impose only one item, the constitutional amendment on us. We all know there is a basket of issues that have to be tackled collectively.”

(Source)

The MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai will not join a ZANU PF government unless “all the unresolved issues” have been settled.

These issues include equal control of powerful ministries such as defence and home affairs, equal sharing of governorships and other top civil service posts, including ambassadorial positions, and the fraudulent doctoring of the document outlining the terms of the power sharing agreement.

The party also demanded that the constitutional amendment giving effect to the power-sharing deal be passed by Parliament before any new government can be appointed.

The Zimbabwe government has embarked on a campaign of disinformation with its mouthpiece The Herald claiming that a meeting of the MDC top leadership last Friday had decided to join the new government on ZANU PF’s terms.

“Neither Robert Mugabe nor ZANU PF has the legitimacy to form a government.

The SADC resolution does not bestow Mugabe with the right to form a government,” said Thokozani Khupe, the party’s vice-president, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Tsvangirai who was at an EU meeting in France.

The party leadership promised to wage a campaign of peaceful resistance against any new administration set up by the Mugabe.

“In the event that any illegitimate government is formed, the MDC will not be party to it. We will peacefully, constitutionally and democratically mobilise and campaign against the illegitimate government,” said Khupe.

She also revealed that the party had uncovered a plot to murder its leaders. Without pointing a finger at anyone, Khupe simply said the national council “notes with concern… the crafting of an assassination plot intended to eliminate the leadership of the MDC.”

State-sponsored violence against MDC supporters has been on the increase again since the beginning of November. The party continues to receive reports from the around the country of harassment, beatings, arrests and abduction of its members. The leadership again expressed serious concern for the lives of 12 activists who have been missing for more than two weeks.

They were arrested during early morning raids at their homes in Banket more than two weeks ago and have not been heard from since, despite an urgent High Court order filed last week demanding they be brought to court. The police are increasingly defying court orders, secure in the knowledge that the judges will do nothing to enforce their own rulings. Despite hundreds of instances of defiance of court orders, no policeman or government official has ever been convicted of contempt of court.

Other opposition activists have said ZANU PF was returning to its ‘default language of violence,’ saying they were now being attacked randomly. MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said earlier this week the party was concerned that “ZANU PF is trying to implicate us in some kind of larger strategic game plan.”

The government has accused Botswana of training MDC activists for war, but Botswana has denied this. The Mugabe regime has, in the past, alleged that MDC militias were being trained on farms in South Africa. Several MDC members were arrested and put on a show trial, which eventually fizzled out for lack of evidence. The judge condemned the police for attempting to “cook up” evidence.

(Source)

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki, the mediator in the Zimbabwean crisis, had no option yesterday, but to cancel a meeting of ZANU PF and MDC negotiators he had called to discuss Draft Amendment Bill Number 19, amid indications that the MDC resolved to snub the SADC-appointed trouble-shooter.

Draft Amendment Number 19, which formalises the posts of prime minister and two deputies was completed at the behest of SADC to facilitate the establishment of a unity government in Zimbabwe.

The Financial Gazette can exclusively reveal that on Tuesday Mbeki asked the negotiators to converge in Johannesburg for a meeting that was scheduled to be held yesterday to deliberate on the Draft Amendment Bill made available to him by the authorities in Harare, but the MDC resolved to boycott any further SADC initiatives until the regional body addresses what the party regards as critical outstanding issues.

Sources in Pretoria said Mbeki, who was eager to have a new government in Zimbabwe as early as possible, reluctantly postponed the meeting to next Monday after being informed that the MDC’S chief negotiator, Tendai Biti had prior engagements in the United States.

“The facilitator had invited the ZANU PF and MDC negotiators to Johannesburg for a meeting, which was supposed to take place today (Wednesday), but he has deferred it to Monday after MDC-T said its chief negotiator will not be available,” said the sources.

The same sources said Biti had indicated he would only be available either on Monday or Tuesday next week.

Biti, however, told The Financial Gazette that MDC negotiators would not attend the Monday or any further meetings involving the power-sharing agreement until SADC rescinds its resolution and shows “seriousness” about resolving the Zimbabwean crisis.

“Our national executive council rejected the SADC resolution that the three political parties should form a government. So we are not meeting anyone as we have a problem with the SADC resolution,” said Biti.

“We cannot legitimise an illegal and ill-conceived SADC resolution by meeting anyone in South Africa. As MDC negotiators, we have no mandate to meet anyone in South Africa on any SADC business as the SADC resolution was rejected by the party’s national executive council. I repeat we are not meeting anyone,” he said.

Biti denied asking for the postponement of yesterday’s meeting until Monday on the pretext that he was travelling to the USA. “It’s just a blue lie. I am not going anywhere. I am in Harare and will be in Dotito while they meet in South Africa. The truth of the matter is that we are not going to that meeting. We have stated our position and we are not going anywhere and are not meeting anyone,” said Biti.

The Financial Gazette is reliably informed that both ZANU PF and MDC-M strongly believe the Tsvangirai camp and particularly Biti, is deliberately sabotaging the talks.

“SADC leaders know our position and that we are committed to the power-sharing arrangement, but pretend not to know,” said Biti, denying any intention to sabotage the negotiations.

After its national executive council meeting last Friday the MDC-T said it would only enter into a coalition government only after the Constitutional Amendment Number 19 has been passed into law and other six allegedly outstanding issues have been ironed out, including the issue of the appointment of the 10 provincial governors and other senior government officials such as permanent secretaries and ambassadors.

The MDC-T has also raised an issue over the alleged alterations to the power-sharing agreement signed by the three parties on September 15.

Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga, the deputy secretary general of the MDC-M, confirmed they were due to meet yesterday, but the meeting had been moved to next week. “Yes, we were supposed to meet sometime this week in South Africa, but the meeting has been postponed to next week,” said Misihairambwi-Mushonga.

“The purpose was to look at draft Amendment Number 19,” she said.

Patrick Chinamasa, the ZANU PF chief negotiator, was not immediately available for comment. But it is understood ZANU PF wants the draft passed with speed in parliament to facilitate the formation of a new government.

(Source)

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai warned yesterday that negotiations on a power-sharing government with President Robert Mugabe must not be allowed to run on indefinitely.

“It can’t be forever,” Tsvangirai said in Strasbourg, northern France, during a rare visit to Europe. Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction said on Friday it would join the government only once a constitutional amendment was passed to comply with all the terms of the power-sharing deal signed two months ago.

“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,” MDC deputy leader Thokozani Khupe said after a party meeting.

Citing an alleged assassination plot against the MDC leadership and renewed violence, the party accused the ruling party of an “obstructionist approach, lack of paradigm shift and (an) entrenched power retention agenda”.

Mugabe has vowed to form a new government soon, after regional leaders proposed last weekend that the political rivals share the contentious home affairs portfolio. The proposal was rejected by the opposition.

Under the deal signed on September 15, Mugabe would remain president while Tsvangirai would be prime minister. But parliament must approve an amendment to establish the office of the prime minister and define its powers. Khupe said the MDC would not join the government until the amendment was in place.

Former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan and former US president Jimmy Carter are to visit Zimbabwe. They would travel with rights activist Graça Machel on November 22-23 , Annan said.

(Source)

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)

Zimbabwe‘s Robert Mugabe secretly pleaded with his arch-rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, to join him in a unity Zimbabwean government after regional leaders instructed the leaders this week to form one immediately.

But Tsvangirai again declined and refused to name members of his Movement for Democratic Change to be appointed to a new unity cabinet. Tsvangirai earlier rejected a Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders’ resolution to “co-manage” the crucial ministry of home affairs with Mugabe’s ZANU PF.

Upon arrival back in Zimbabwe on Monday after the SADC summit in Johannesburg, Mugabe vowed to appoint a cabinet unilaterally this week or next, but has since been holding back.

Sources said Mugabe had sent a senior emissary, Simon Khaya Moyo, a former cabinet minister and Zimbabwe‘s ambassador to South Africa, to try to persuade Tsvangirai to come home immediately to co-operate in the forming of a new government in line with the SADC’s recommendation.

But Tsvangirai, who has remained in South Africa since the summit, turned down Mugabe’s plea.

Sources said Tsvangirai’s stance meant that Mugabe could now proceed to name a cabinet immediately.

Some observers believe he might wait for the MDC’s national council meeting on Friday, hoping that Tsvangirai will be overruled by a majority within his party and forced to join the unity government. A cabinet would then be named next week.

“Arrogance is Mugabe’s hallmark and he could have proceeded to appoint the cabinet without Tsvangirai soon after his hand was strengthened by SADC’s decision. But he also realises the futility of proceeding without Tsvangirai and hence his uncharacteristic effort of reaching out to him on Monday,” said a Zimbabwean government source.

A cabinet without Tsvangirai would probably guarantee Zimbabwe‘s collapse as donors and investors are unlikely to deal with Mugabe alone. Even South Africa‘s R300-million pledge to help resuscitate Zimbabwe‘s mainstay agricultural sector was offered on conditional that a unity government was formed first.

Neither Tsvangirai nor Moyo could be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Observers believe it is unlikely that the MDC’s national council will overrule Tsvangirai and ask him to join the unity government

Eddie Cross, who is in charge of the MDC-T faction’s policy formulation department, warned this week that the MDC would have to make a tough decision.

In a circular entitled “What Next?” he said the decision on whether to proceed with the unity deal would “be the most difficult decision for the MDC since we were formed in 1999″.

“This time the consequences of rejection of a flawed deal for our people will be immediate and terrible,” said Cross, warning that up to a million Zimbabweans could perish of hunger.

Zimbabwe’s currency is worthless, with inflation officially at 231-million percent but calculated by the private sector at eight billion percent.

The World Food Programme said this week it had fed two million Zimbabweans in October, and expected to feed four million this month. It warned that it would not be able to continue the feeding programme because of a lack of donations.

Tsvangirai berated the SADC leaders over their “lack of courage to look Mugabe in the face and tell him that he is wrong”. He has called for the establishment of an “eminent persons group” to salvage the unity deal signed on September 15.

(Source)