From The Star (SA), 3 October

Mugabe agrees to discuss his political future

Harare - In a sign of growing pressure from his ruling Zanu-PF party, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has conceded to debate on his future as party leader, senior party sources said on Tuesday. But it will only be in December when the party's congress, its most important organ, meets in special session, the sources said. However, it will be the first time in his 20-year rule that he has agreed to discussion on his future. Observers say he has exposed himself to bitter discontent within Zanu-PF's ranks that may be the beginning of his removal from power.

The sources confirmed reports in the independent Daily News on Tuesday that Mugabe had side-stepped an attempt to confront him on the issue at a meeting of the party's powerful central committee here on Friday last week. The meeting was closed and the only information to emerge before now was Mugabe's prepared speech in which he accused the British government of plotting to overthrow him.

However, the sources said that towards the end of the meeting, senior party member Pamela Tungamirai raised the question of presidential elections in 2002. Although Mugabe last year had been elected party president until 2004, she said, "we have to have a new candidate" for the presidential elections, the sources quoted her as saying. But Mugabe quickly short-circuited debate when he said, "the issue is for the congress (in December). And as to who will be the candidate, that is for the people to choose." Didymus Mutasa, a veteran member of the ruling party politburo, its executive committee, confirmed to the Daily News that Mugabe had agreed to discuss the issue in December.

The matter ended there without any further discussion, the sources said. "Mugabe was quite cool about it," said one senior official. "It didn't take long at all." Tungamirai raised the issue following a remark by Mutasa last week in which he said that Mugabe was the party's "automatic choice" for the 2002 elections. The "special congress" was called during the party's five yearly congress last year, when Mugabe was challenged on his right to appoint members of the party politburo. He evaded the issue by agreeing to discuss it at a "special session" a year later.

At previous party congresses, attempts to raise Mugabe's leadership and his succession have been blocked by party officials who refused to put the questions on the agenda. The December congress has now become the biggest challenge to the 76-year-old dictator's power since 1975 when he assumed the leadership of the party. The last year has seen repeated calls by young party moderates for him to resign as the economy plunges into deepening disaster. However, the demands have been resisted ferociously. Two years ago he denounced a party liberal as "a witch" and sacked him from his position for telling parliament, "Mugabe must go".

Opinion is almost unanimous around Zimbabwe that Mugabe is responsible almost single-handedly for the nation's unprecedented political, economic and social crisis. This week even the normally restrained World Bank made comments that backed economists' views that the first step towards salvaging the economy was "political transition". At the weekend, the opposition MDC announced plans for "mass action" that would continue until he resigned. Party leader Morgan Tsvangirai warned that Mugabe's failure to perceive the anger against him among Zimbabweans would lead to an eruption of violence that would force him out of office.

Sources say that the deep concern within the party that the economic collapse, the breakdown of law and order on white-owned farms invaded with impunity by so-called guerilla war veterans and the violence there now and all over the country before parliamentary elections in June has made Mugabe the party's most serious liability. The MDC won 57 out of 120 seats in parliament, and observers say that Zanu-PF now faces an almost impossible task of securing victory in the presidential race in 2002.

From The Star (SA), 3 October

Tsvangirai faces arrest for Mugabe comment

Harare - Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, faced arrest on possible treason charges when he arrived in Harare from a business trip to South Africa on Tuesday. Police officials said on Monday they had been instructed to arrest Tsvangirai in connection with a statement he made at the weekend calling for President Robert Mugabe to resign or face a violent overthrow, but had learnt that he had left for South Africa on a business trip. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, would say only that their superiors had given them the instructions.

Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said police were examining Tsvangirai's speech with a view to prosecuting him. Addressing a rally attended by 20 000 people to mark the MDC's first anniversary on Saturday, Tsvangirai urged Mugabe to resign immediately or face violent protests to oust him. He also said the MDC would discuss possible mass action to force Mugabe out of office. "What we would like to tell Mugabe today is: please go peacefully. If you don't want to go peacefully, we will remove you violently," said Tsvangirai. Ruling Zanu-PF officials immediately branded the MDC a violent party. Mugabe had earlier accused the MDC of conspiring with Britain to assassinate him.

Tsvangirai later played down his statement before he left for South Africa, saying he had merely advised Mugabe to read the mood among Zimbabweans and to quit, before some people decided to use force to oust him, as had happened in other countries around the world. MDC officials said there was no need for Tsvangirai to stay in South Africa to avoid arrest. Their leader had not committed any crime and they would take all the necessary precautions to safeguard his security, they added.

From The Daily News, 3 October

Tsvangirai has no case to answer, says Coltart

THE MDC yesterday dismissed as baseless threats by the police to arrest their leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, for allegedly advocating the violent removal of President Mugabe from power. The police said they were investigating the speech made by Tsvangirai at the party's first anniversary celebrations on Saturday to establish a basis for prosecuting him. Tsvangirai told more than 20 000 supporters who thronged Rufaro Stadium for the anniversary celebrations that the MDC would not wait for the 2002 presidential election to remove Mugabe from power. He said: "Mugabe should go peacefully. If he does not want, we will remove him violently. The country cannot afford Mugabe to rule a day longer than is necessary." Police spokesman, Wayne Bvudzijena said the statement was unlawful.

The MDC secretary-general, Welshman Ncube, yesterday dismissed the police threats as baseless and said the MDC had no intention of using violence to overthrow the government. In a statement last night Ncube said: "Tsvangirai was simply warning Mugabe that unless he steps down from power voluntarily, the people may be forced as they did in Indonesia, that is to use violence to achieve the desired political change. The MDC will not and does not want to remove the ruling party by violence but sees that unless Mugabe steps down by choice, there will come a time when people will spontaneously say "enough is enough."

Bvudzijena said yesterday the police were still studying Tsvangirai's statement. David Coltart, the MDC secretary for legal affairs, said Tsvangirai had no legal case to answer. "The MDC's position is that Morgan Tsvangirai was giving a warning to President Mugabe to consider history. There is a long line of dictators who have refused to go peacefully and the people have removed them violently," Coltart said. "In that context, I do not believe that Mr Tsvangirai has committed any crime. It would be extremely ill-advised for this government to proceed against him," Coltart said.

From IRIN (UN), 3 October

Pessimistic Outlook By ICG

Johannesburg - Three months after Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections in June, the prevailing atmosphere in the country has been described by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) as one of uncertainty, frustration and anger. "There is no positive leadership," the ICG said in its latest report On Zimbabwe. "No-one had a sense of where the country is headed except down."

"While the new cabinet includes several new, competent ministers in the economic area, there has been no discernible return to the rule of law and good governance. The economy continues to spiral downwards. The Government has announced its intention to compulsorily acquire over 3,000 commercial farms, has publicly identified over 2,000 of them, and has begun a 'fast track' resettlement programme that would move settlers on to many hundreds of them before the rainy season begins in November. This is not land reform; it is a politically driven land grab which will devastate Zimbabwe's agriculturally based economy without immediately benefiting those being resettled," said the report which was published last week.

"The culprit for Zimbabwe's continuing slide towards the abyss is President Robert Mugabe. He learned nothing positive from the June elections. If anything he has become more autocratic, determined to maintain personal control regardless of the costs to the nation. He ignores constructive advice from within Zimbabwe and from the international community. In these grim circumstances, it is imperative that the international community and regional neighbours continue to provide wise counsel and bring whatever pressure they can to bear on President Mugabe and his regime," the report said.

The ICG said the rule of law had to be restored, that government should work co-operatively with the opposition MDC instead of victimising it. It also urged the government to end the farm occupations, address the budget deficit, and "re-engage immediately" with the World Bank, the IMF, and other potential sources of outside assistance. It also recommended that Zimbabwe withdraw its armed forces from the DRC. The international community, it said, should promote democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe, and maintain "a carefully calibrated" approach, responding to performance, not promises.

If the government continued along previous lines, it recommended that diplomatic relations be downgraded, that the Commonwealth move to suspend Zimbabwe's membership, and that the European Union consider suspension of its privileged trade access. The ICG is a private, multinational organisation which seeks to help the international community anticipate, understand, prevent and contain conflict. IRIN has been unable, after several attempts in the past week, to reach government officials for comment on the report. [For the full ICG assessment entitled, 'Zimbabwe: Three Months after the Elections', see: http://www.crisisweb.org/]

From The Daily News, 3 October

MDC says political violence up in Gutu

Masvingo - Political violence has resurfaced in Gutu with MDC supporters being allegedly beaten up by Zanu PF supporters for wearing party T-shirts. "There are sporadic acts of violence here in Gutu and our supporters are coming to us with reports of assaults," said Crispa Musoni, the MDC candidate for Gutu North in the last election. He lost to Vice President Simon Muzenda of Zanu PF. Musoni claimed Zanu PF supporters were spearheading fresh acts of violence to scare people ahead of the presidential election in 2002. "They want to ensure that everyone is scared to the bone until the 2002 presidential election," he said.

Last week a couple from Mukarati village were assaulted for allegedly wearing MDC T-shirts in "Zanu PF territory". Mary Mukarati sustained a broken jaw and lost three front teeth after she was attacked for wearing an MDC T-shirt, by Claudius Mapfumo Zvibodo, a Zanu PF supporter. Zvibodo was fined $400 by Enias Magate, the Gutu resident magistrate. The sentence attracted widespread criticism from MDC supporters. "That was very unfair, considering the injuries she sustained," said Musoni. "We are going to appeal against the sentence because it is too lenient for such a crime." Another MDC supporter, Juliet Dandadza, 59, sustained a deep cut on the arm after she was reportedly stabbed for her political affiliation. She was treated at Gutu Mission Hospital.

Musoni accused the police of taking sides when handling cases involving MDC supporters, a charge police have dismissed. Asked to comment on the issue, Shuvai Mahofa, the MP for Gutu South, said: "Those are just minor cases of violence. Do you want to know about everything that is happening to all the 47 000 people in my constituency?"