Tsvangirai says he'd accept Zimbabwe premiership

International Herald Tribune

The Associated PressPublished: August 16, 2008

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: Zimbabwe's opposition chief would accept the
prime minister's post and concede the presidency - and command of the
military - to Robert Mugabe to settle a political crisis in his country, the
Associated Press learned Saturday.

Morgan Tsvangirai outlined his proposal for resolving the contentious issue
of who would lead any unity government in a speech to regional Cabinet
ministers gathered on the eve of a Southern African Development Community
summit. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the speech on Saturday, the
day the summit opened.

Tsvangirai's proposal, which he said his Movement for Democratic Change has
presented in deadlocked negotiations with Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, would mean
a major curbing of the powers Mugabe has wielded since the country gained
independence in 1980.

But it also would leave Tsvangirai working closely with a leader he has
reviled as a brutal dictator.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been mediating Zimbabwe's
power-sharing talks, spent much of the past week in Zimbabwe trying to push
Mugabe and Tsvangirai to strike a deal. The question of Mugabe's role has
been a major sticking point, with the longtime president reportedly refusing
to yield any power and his administration publicly mocking Tsvangirai's
claim to have the mandate to lead Zimbabwe.

In his speech to southern African leaders Friday, Tsvangirai said the two
sides remained unable to agree on how powers would be divided between him
and Mugabe. A South African Cabinet minister closely involved in the talks,
Sydney Mufamadi, said Saturday that a deal was close but said it was unclear
if a breakthrough would come during the summit.

Tsvangirai had walked out of talks in Harare on Tuesday, but his chief
negotiator said Saturday that the negotiations were back on track.

"We're talking here," Tendai Biti said after attending the opening session
of the SADC summit.

Friday, Tsvangirai said compromise was necessary because Zimbabweans would
reject a deal "if any party is greedy."

"We have agreed that Mr. Mugabe will be president whilst I become prime
minister," he told the SADC ministers. "We envisage that the prime minister
must chair the Cabinet and be responsible for the formulation, execution and
administration of government business including appointing and dismissing
his ministers .... A prime minister cannot be given responsibility without
authority and be expected to deliver."

Tsvangirai, whose party won the most seats in parliament in March elections,
proposes that the president have no power to veto laws. The opposition also
proposes that the president "shall be commander in chief of the defense
forces of Zimbabwe," but exercise that power on the advice of the prime
minister.

Tsvangirai came first in a field of four in the first round of presidential
voting in March, but did not win by the margin necessary to avoid a runoff
against second-place finisher Mugabe. Tsvangirai withdrew from the June 27
runoff because of attacks on his supporters blamed on Mugabe's party
militants and security forces.

Mugabe held the runoff, and was declared the overwhelming winner, though the
exercise was widely denounced.

On Saturday, Tsvangirai sat just behind Cabinet ministers from the region
during the opening session of the summit, while Mugabe sat at the front
table with other heads of state.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement from London
that the summit offers Africans an important opportunity to support the
power-sharing negotiations, adding: "The outside world continues to watch
developments in Zimbabwe closely and with concern, not least given the
deteriorating humanitarian situation."

German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul called on Zimbabwe's
neighbors "finally to make fully clear to Robert Mugabe that a new
government in Zimbabwe that must reflect the will of the Zimbabwean
population is necessary."

The South Africans, appointed mediators by SADC, helped guide Mugabe and
Tsvangirai to sign a memorandum of understanding July 21 establishing a
framework for negotiations. Mbeki praised that agreement Saturday and said
the SADC would continue working "to help put Zimbabwe on the right road to
its recovery."

Mbeki has insisted on quiet diplomacy. Some have portrayed his refusal to
publicly condemn Mugabe as appeasement.

Botswana President Seretse Ian Khama refused to attend the summit to protest
Mugabe's welcome as a head of state.

President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia, another SADC member, also has been
sharply critical of Mugabe. He remained hospitalized in Paris but in speech
read aloud by his foreign minister, called the events in Zimbabwe a "serious
blot on the culture of democracy in our subregion," singling out for
criticism the June presidential runoff.

In the streets of Johannesburg, several hundred protesters marched
peacefully outside the summit, some holding up red soccer penalty cards
reading: "Mugabe must go."

Tensions over Zimbabwe come at a time when southern Africa is struggling to
unify to fight poverty. SADC was to launch a free trade agreement Sunday
scrapping tariffs on 85 percent of goods traded among member nations.

Mbeki said soaring food and fuel prices and global economic decline make
greater regional economic cooperation "more urgent," and expressed concern
about threats to "unity and cohesion."

Zimbabwe rivals may agree deal Saturday - source

Reuters

Sat 16 Aug 2008, 13:47 GMT

By Stella Mapenzauswa

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's political rivals may sign a
power-sharing agreement to end the country's political crisis on Saturday
after regional leaders discussed a draft deal at a South African summit, a
diplomatic source said.

The source said a draft power-sharing agreement to end more than month of
negotiations was being discussed on Saturday afternoon in a closed session
of a summit of the 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC)
in Johannesburg.

"The parties might even sign tonight," said the source, who is close to the
talks.

South African President Thabo Mbeki said earlier that the summit of regional
leaders could help Zimbabwe's rival parties complete the talks.

"This summit affords us the possibility to assist the Zimbabwean parties to
finalise their negotiations so that together they can ... work to achieve
national healing and reconciliation," Mbeki said at the start of a two-day
SADC summit.

Mbeki, mandated by the SADC to mediate an end to post-election turmoil in
Zimbabwe, urged a quick resolution to the country's crisis.

"I'm certain that the millions of Zimbabweans both inside and outside the
country await with great expectations and high hopes a positive outcome from
our deliberations," he said.

Mbeki met participants in the talks on Friday. Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe's ZANU-PF party said discussions would continue at the summit.

The South African leader, criticised for not taking a tough line with
Mugabe, would score a political coup if an agreement were reached during the
meeting.

Mugabe sat on the stage with other Southern African leaders at the summit
opening ceremony while the leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, sat in an observers' gallery.

Mbeki's spokesman said he had separate meetings with Mugabe, Arthur
Mutambara, the leader of a breakaway MDC faction, and Tsvangirai on Friday.

REGIONAL PRESSURE

Asked how optimistic he was that talks would succeed, MDC Secretary-General
Tendai Biti replied: "Fifty-fifty". Both he and Tsvangirai declined to
answer further questions.

The Zimbabwean rivals are under increasing pressure to reach a power-sharing
deal.

Botswana President Seretse Khama Ian Khama's decision to boycott the summit
was a sign of growing pressure from regional leaders on Mugabe and the
opposition.

Botswana has taken the toughest position among Zimbabwe's neighbours, but
all fear the consequences if its political stalemate and economic decline
lead to total meltdown.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, recovering from a stroke in France, said
in a statement read on his behalf that events in Zimbabwe were "a serious
blot on the culture of democracy in our sub-region."

Millions of Zimbabweans have fled across the borders to escape the world's
highest inflation rate of 2.2 million percent, widespread unemployment and
shortages of food and fuel.

Power-sharing negotiations began last month after Mugabe's unopposed
re-election in June, condemned throughout the world and boycotted by
Tsvangirai because of attacks on his supporters.

Tsvangirai has said Zimbabwe's post-election government should be based on
the result of the first-round presidential election on March 29, which he
won but without a clear majority.

Three days of marathon discussions this week between Mugabe, Tsvangirai and
Mutambara ended after the MDC leader refused to agree to a proposed
power-sharing deal.

The South African labour federation COSATU held a protest at the start of
the summit, with demonstrators carrying placards calling for SADC action on
Zimbabwe. "SADC stop Mugabe's madness" and "Zimbabwe bleeds while SADC
sleeps", placards read.

Zimbabwe's neighbors vow to help resolve crisis

http://www.washtimes.com

DONNA BRYSON
Originally published 11:32 a.m., August 16, 2008
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (AP) - Zimbabwe's bitter factions are close to a
power-sharing agreement in talks mediated by South Africa, an aide to South
African President Thabo Mbeki said Saturday.

Mbeki, speaking Saturday at the opening of a regional summit, has spent much
of the past week in Zimbabwe trying to push Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe and his rival Morgan Tsvangirai to strike a deal to resolve the
country's protracted political crisis.

Chances that Mbeki would be able to present an agreement at the summit
appeared slim after Tsvangirai walked out of talks in Harare on Tuesday, but
an opposition official said the negotiations were back on track.

"We're talking, here," Tendai Biti, Tsvangirai's top negotiator, said after
attending the opening session of the summit of the Southern African
Development Community, or SADC.

Biti sat with Tsvangirai just behind Cabinet ministers from the region
during the opening session, while Mugabe sat at the front table with other
heads of state.

Tsvangirai and Mugabe both claim the mandate to lead Zimbabwe, stalling
power-sharing talks over the issue of who should have the main role in any
unity government. But a South African Cabinet minister closely involved in
the talks was optimistic of a deal.

"We're close," Sydney Mufamadi said. "We're now relying on the collective
wisdom of this leadership."

The regional summit was drawing the world's attention. British Foreign
Secretary David Miliband said in a statement from London that the meeting
offers Africans an important opportunity to support the negotiations,
saying: "The outside world continues to watch developments in Zimbabwe
closely and with concern, not least given the deteriorating humanitarian
situation. We will do all we can to help."

German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul called on Zimbabwe's
neighbors "finally to make fully clear to Robert Mugabe that a new
government in Zimbabwe that must reflect the will of the Zimbabwean
population is necessary."

The South Africans, appointed mediators by SADC, helped guide Mugabe and
Tsvangirai to sign a memorandum of understanding July 21 establishing a
framework for negotiations. Mbeki praised that agreement Saturday and said
the SADC would continue working "to help put Zimbabwe on the right road to
its recovery.

"We are towards them their brothers' and sisters' keepers," Mbeki said.

Mbeki has insisted on quiet diplomacy, and some have portrayed his refusal
to publicly condemn Mugabe as appeasing a leader seen as increasingly
autocratic.

Botswana's President Seretse Ian Khama refused to attend the summit to
protest Mugabe's welcome as a head of state.

President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia also has been sharply critical of Mugabe
but remained hospitalized in Paris because of a stroke. But in a speech read
aloud by his foreign minister, he called events in Zimbabwe a "serious blot
on the culture of democracy in our subregion," singling out for criticism
Zimbabwe's presidential runoff.

Tsvangirai came first in a field of four in the first round of presidential
voting in March, but did not win by the margin necessary to avoid a runoff
against second-place finisher Mugabe. Tsvangirai withdrew from the June 27
runoff because of attacks on his supporters blamed on Mugabe's party
militants and security forces.

Mugabe held the runoff and was declared the overwhelming winner, though the
exercise was widely denounced.

In the streets of Johannesburg, several hundred protesters marched
peacefully outside the summit to protest Mugabe's presence. Some held up red
soccer penalty cards that read: "Mugabe must go."

Tensions over Zimbabwe come at a time when southern Africa is struggling to
unify to fight poverty. SADC was to launch a free trade agreement Sunday
scrapping tariffs on 85 percent of goods traded among member nations.

Mbeki said soaring food and fuel prices and global economic decline make
greater regional economic cooperation "more urgent," and expressed concern
about threats to "unity and cohesion."

COSATU, ZCTU, march against Mugabe, Mswati

 

  

Tandazo Khumalo/Sapa | published: 16 August, 2008 09:47:00

COSATU and other labour unions march against Mugabe and Mswati presence at the SADC summit

The Congress of South African Trade Unions led a march against the participation of the governments of Robert Mugabe and King Mswati

J'burg -- The Congress of South African Trade Unions led a march against the participation of the governments of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and Swaziland King Mswati to the Southern African Development Community summit held in Sandton, Johannesburg on Saturday.

Spokesperson for the union body, Patrick Craven, said marchers had arrived at the Sandton convention centre where the summit was being held, and were holding a meeting outside.

"It's going very well," he said.

A declaration made by Zimbabwean and Swaziland civil society delegates at a Solidarity Conference organised by Cosatu and held on August 10-11 read: "We hold dear the firm view that Robert Mugabe and Mswati III are not legitimate leaders of their various countries.

"They cannot claim any amount of legitimacy to rule their countries, for they have not been democratically elected by the peoples of their countries.

"Therefore, as representatives of civil society, we condemn the behaviour of these two leaders and take it upon ourselves to expose them and their unacceptable behaviour before the eyes of the world," the declaration read.

Zimbabwean organisations who took part in the march included the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Revolutionary Youth of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum, Zimbabwe Exiles and the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition.

Swaziland organisations who took part in the march were the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, the Swaziland United Democratic Front, the Swaziland Federation of Labour, the Swaziland Youth Congress and the People's United Democratic Movement.

South African organisations who took part in the march included the Treatment Action Campaign and the Anti-Privatisation Forum.

Sandton police spokesperson Constable Neria Malefetse said there had been no reports of incidents during the march.

Officers were monitoring the march to ensure that it was peaceful and that everyone was safe, she said.

Zambia slams Mugabe's re-election as 'blot on democracy'

http://www.khaleejtimes.com

(AFP)

16 August 2008

JOHANNESBURG - Zambia on Saturday slammed Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's
controversial re-election as a 'blot on democracy'.

"In Zimbabwe, the regrettable events leading to and including the holding of
the run-off elections on 27th June 2008 have no doubt left a serious blot on
the culture of democracy in our sub-region,"  Zambian Foreign Minister
Kabinga Pande said at the opening of a regional summit.

He was addressing the 14-nation Southern African Development Community
(SADC) summit on behalf of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, who remains in
hospital after suffering a stroke in June.

"Not only were these events alien to our region, but they also brought into
question in some quarters the integrity of SADC as an institution capable of
promoting the rule of law and democratic governance."

Mwanawasa has previously said it was "scandalous for SADC to remain silent
on Zimbabwe".

Mugabe was re-elected in the June run-off poll widely condemned as a sham.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai boycotted the run-off despite finishing
ahead of Mugabe in the first round of the election in March, citing rising
violence against his supporters.

Zambia and Botswana have been among Mugabe's harshest critics in the region.

Botswana President Ian Khama stayed away from the summit after his
government said it did not recognise Mugabe's re-election.

Zimbabwe opposition figure says political compromise urgent

africasia

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 16 (AFP)

The Zimbabwe opposition's number two leader said Saturday the nation's
rivals must find a compromise so work can begin on turning around the
country's economic freefall.

"The bottom line is that the two main parties in Zimbabwe have to come to
some compromise for the good and betterment of the people of Zimbabwe,"
Tendai Biti told reporters at a regional summit in South Africa.

He added later: "Our people are suffering ... the situation is a disaster
and an urgent solution is called for."

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition chief Morgan Tsvangirai
attended the summit, where negotiators were aiming for a solution to end a
prolonged political crisis.

Power-sharing talks adjourned earlier this week after three days of
negotiations between Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, the head of a
smaller opposition faction.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has mediated the negotiations.

"I can't go into the merits of what are the sticking issues, but if you are
not going to compromise then there is no point in dialoguing," said Biti,
secretary general and chief negotiatior of the Movement for Democratic
Change.

He said the "people's will" was reflected in Zimbabwe's March 29 first round
presidential election, when Tsvangirai finished ahead of Mugabe.

The opposition leader boycotted the June run-off, citing violence against
his supporters.

"It is the duty of everyone to recognize the people's will as reflected on
the 29th of March 2008," Biti said.

AU chief salutes Mbeki's mediation efforts

IOL

     August 16 2008 at 01:19PM

African Union Commission chief Jean Ping on Saturday saluted South
African President Thabo Mbeki's mediation efforts in Zimbabwe in comments
made at the opening of a regional summit.

"I express my gratitude to President Thabo Mbeki for the tireless
efforts that he has shown in helping our Zimbabwean brothers overcome their
differences and to take on in the interest of Zimbabweans the new challenges
that confront their country," Ping said.

The AU was working closely with the 14-nation Southern African
Development Community and Mbeki on the issue, he said in remarks at SADC's
summit.

On Friday, Ping said the AU was keeping an eye on the negotiations.

"If a sub-region succeeds to solve a problem in a country of the same
region, we will applaud," he said. "But we monitor, we have to watch.
Shouldn't the process be successful, we will intervene."

Zimbabwe's political crisis was high on the agenda of the regional
summit, with President Robert Mugabe and his arch-rival, opposition leader
Morgan Tsvangirai, both in attendance.

SADC 'to endorse Mugabe as legitimate

Pretoria News

'He's come to SA, but Botswana wants no
part of it
August 16, 2008 Edition 1

Hans Pienaar

The SADC will today endorse Robert Mugabe's claim to be the legitimate
president of Zimbabwe by excluding opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and
Arthur Mutambara from its 28th summit.

The endorsement will come despite the boycott by President Ian Khama of
Botswana of the summit because of the invitation to Mugabe, and in the face
of several calls from organisations all across the region for the summit to
declare Mugabe's presidency illegitimate.

Some will be joining a march in Sandton today to protest against Mugabe's
presence at the summit, as well as that of Swaziland's King Mswati III,
mainly because his "feudalist" regime bans political parties. The king will
take over as the chair of the organ on security and politics on Sunday, the
committee of the summit tasked with dealing with crises like that in
Zimbabwe.

The leaders of the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change have
been invited to the summit, SA Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said
at a Press conference last night in Sandton. But they were only scheduled to
address the troika of the organ at the "summit level". The troika consists
of the current chairman, Jose dos Santos of Angola, Mswati and Tanzania's
Jaya Kikwete.

SADC is an inter-governmental organisation, and inter-political,
Dlamini-Zuma said, and the summit would therefore only be joined by Mugabe.

Executive secretary Tomaz Salamao said SADC was a family, and the absence of
one member could not be allowed to undermine the presence of the other 13
heads of state.

Zambia's ailing President Levy Mwanawasa will send a special representative.

Tsvangirai yesterday held discussions with President Thabo Mbeki after being
held briefly at Harare airport on his way to the summit. The delay led to
him missing his flight.

Asked for comment, Dlamini-Zuma said Tsvangirai's "detention", as she called
it, was unacceptable to South Africa, "especially in the context of trying
to resolve the Zimbabwe situation".

It was not clear whether the matter would be raised with Mugabe at the
summit.

On Khama's non-attendance, Dlamini-Zuma said Botswana was a sovereign state,
and that his decision would not diminish the importance of unity within
SADC. It would actually make it important, she said.

All eyes will be on this morning's opening ceremony. Last year Mugabe was
given a standing ovation when he entered the summit, held in Lusaka.

Meanwhile, Basildon Peta reports that Mbeki appeared to be involved in a
"final push" to encourage an agreement among Zimbabwe's warring parties
ahead of a today's summit.

Late yesterday he was meeting Mugabe who is already in the country.

Mbeki's spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga confirmed his meeting with Mugabe.
He said Mbeki would also meet Arthur Mutambara, leader of a smaller faction
of the MDC, before meeting MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai last night.

Asked why Mbeki was meeting the leaders separately when he had just sat with
them around the same table in Harare, Ratshitanga said: "Anyone familiar
with conflict resolution processes around the world will not attach any
value to that question. At some point you meet them as a group (when
resolving a conflict). At some point you meet them individually. This is not
complicated mathematics."

Ratshitanga dismissed questions about whether Mbeki was involved in a "final
push" as "deeply offensive".

"When we visited Zimbabwe the other time, you people (media) said we were
eager to get a deal to please the G8 as if all our visits to Zimbabwe have
preceded G8 summits.

"We are doing what we are doing because we are committed to helping parties
in Zimbabwe resolve the challenges in our neighbouring country. We are not
doing it to get a deal to parade at summits as if we were beauty queens on
the ramp," he said.

Mbeki's Zimbabwe intervention has stalled over Tsvangirai's demand for
executive powers in line with the March 29 election he won. Tsvangirai has
rejected a power-sharing deal he believes would relegate him to a
"ceremonial prime minister's position" with Mugabe still in charge.

Mbeki Faces Tough Test

OhMyNews

Zimbabwe unity talks still bleak

Nelson G. Katsande

     Published 2008-08-16 14:19 (KST)

South African President Thabo Mbeki carries a heavy load in trying to get
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai
of the Movement for Democratic Change to sign a unity agreement. Mbeki,
still tainted by his perceived softly, softly approach to Mugabe, is
determined to have the two parties work harmoniously together.

Mbeki, who had in the past refused to acknowledge that there was a crisis in
Zimbabwe, suffered a backlash when thousands of his fellow South Africans
set upon immigrants, especially Zimbabweans, burning down their houses and
attacking them with machetes and stones.

The South African president knows that securing the unity accord will give
him acclaimed international recognition.

The political stalemate in Zimbabwe follows Mugabe's defeat to Tsvangirai in
the March 29 presidential poll. Mugabe refused to concede defeat and called
for a rerun election. The militia and war veterans then embarked on a terror
campaign ahead of the rerun election, prompting Tsvangirai to withdraw his
candidature.

Tsvangirai's withdrawal gave Mugabe the opportunity to snatch victory and
extend his presidential term. But it is these unity negotiations that have
taken center stage, with the two parties failing to reach a consensus.
Despite the ongoing talks, a defiant Mugabe still attacks his rival,
accusing him of being used by the British.

In his address to the nation to mark the heroes commemorations this week,
Mugabe said, "Zimbabwe was not for sale." This reminded me of an article I
wrote in 2006, "Zimbabwe for Sale."

For once I thought -- could Mugabe be responding to the article?

With reports of fresh farm invasions and continued brutal attacks on
opposition supporters from Mugabe's supporters and war veterans, the unity
talks are unlikely to be fruitful. The opposition has also failed to
recognize Mugabe as the legitimate Zimbabwe president, insisting that he
stole the vote.

There has also been international condemnation on Mugabe with calls for him
to vacate office. But with Mugabe vowing to stay put, the people of Zimbabwe
will have to endure another five-year term of hardship. The government has
failed to provide solutions to the worsening economic climate, high
unemployment and shortage of basic food necessities.

Government hospitals are ill funded. Most of the equipment is in a state of
disrepair. Ambulances lie idle due to shortage of fuel and spare parts.
Doctors and nurses have fled to neighboring countries in search of greener
pastures.

Tsvangirai is seen by many as the only hope and savior who can help bring
back the much needed funding.

A source within the ruling ZANU-PF told OhmyNews Friday that most senior
ZANU-PF officials are opposed to the ongoing unity talks. ZANU-PF wants
Tsvangirai to have limited powers as prime minister, with Mugabe as
president.

Mrs. Veremu, a ZANU-PF supporter said, "Mugabe should admit that his time is
up. We want a new Zimbabwe with vibrant young leaders."

There is also division among ZANU-PF loyalists, with some suggesting that
Mugabe should retire. Others, however, feel that without Mugabe the party
will be doomed. In the past there have been reports of a power struggle in
the party regarding Mugabe's succession.

Mugabe refuses to discuss succession issues. Zimbabwe is currently
experiencing its worst economic crisis since attaining independence from
Britain in 1980. Mugabe blames Britain and America for his country's
problems.

Analysts, however, say Mugabe's land reform program was the cause of the
problems. In 2000, the government seized farms from white commercial
farmers. More than 3,000 farmers were displaced as war veterans occupied
their land. Most of the land has remained underutilized due to lack of
farming skills and capital.

Talks secrecy a betrayal of Zimbabwean people

  August 16, 2008 at 11:18:55

by Clutton Patsika

www.opednews.com

Elsewhere, I have maintained that the best solution to have come out of the
Zimbabwean crisis would have been to safeguard the electoral process and
allow the people to choose their leaders through the ballot.  This process
would have been easily done by way of calling for observers and monitors
with the correct military muscle should there be trouble.  The winner would
then set up new dispensation while the loser would attend marathon court
cases on human rights, whatever the case might be.  The idea of power
sharing has and will create a bad precedent for Africa and events of the
past weeks bear testimony.

It has been quite sad to note that one of the most important tenets of a
democratic society - access to information - has not been upheld by the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).  The MDC would have shown
the world its commitment to access to information as a ground rule for the
talks.  Sadly, the blanket of secrecy on the talks have left us wondering
whether it is for our own good that such a process we had imagined to be
important secludes us, the concerned.

It does not make sense why a draft would not have been discussed with
representatives from civil society.  It further begs the question why Robert
Mugabe must be lured to cede executive powers on some cushion of amnesty!
Furthermore, nobody knows why the talks must be hidden from us, the
citizens, who pushed the MDC closer to a negotiating table.  We also do not
understand why the MDC would view Mugabe's land-grab as a land revolution,
when it was done in clear circumstances of a man politicking from the need
for land by the Svosve people.

Yet, the MDC has been sold another dummy, probably as it anxiously tries to
ascend to power.  Just as all of Joshua Nkomo's powers were diluted, sharing
power with Mugabe can and will never yield what we desire.  Mugabe is a
veteran negotiator whom the MDC should not have trusted at any one point.
He once made the party sign some Constitutional amendment, never
implemented.  And, now the MDC will go hook, line and sinker to the
detriment of Africa as a whole.

Our desires, as a reminder, are still simplistic, yet we continue to be
taken for a ride.  All Zimbabwe wants is:

*Access to information;

*Right to political satisfaction through the ballot and, above all, our very
right to kick Mugabe out of power.

Clutton Patsika a Zimbabwean journalist with The Southern Cross, a Catholic
weekly has worked in a senior capacity for various newspapers in Zimbabwe
including the Zimbabwe Daily Mirror and Daily News all shut down by the
government. He specialises in development communication and popular culture.
Trained in the UK, Japan and Zimbabwe, Clutton, believes that effective
communication is achieved through simple ordinary day language. He survives
by the grace of God as journalism is banned in Zimbabwe, unless you pander.

Kirsty strikes GOLD for Zimbabwe

Charamba leaked Talks Documents to The Herald

http://www.zimbabwemetro.com

Investigations
August 16, 2008 | By Metro Investigations Unit |
In what could be mounting evidence that key people close to Mugabe could be
scuttling talks with the MDC, a herald staffer has revealed that the
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information George Charamba gave the
state paper the highly sensitive talks documents to publish.

'We were surprised when Charamba gave us the documents way before the talks
were concluded on Tuesday afternoon,and specifically told the headline
should read ' New dawn:Deal sealed', we published some of the document
contents the following day',the source revealed.

'At first we thought indeed a deal has been reached,but Charamba called us
back with specific instructions on what the story should say', added the
source

On Wednesday The Herald published the documents under the
headline:Tsvangirai U-Turn : The facts,in which it claimed that MDC
negotiators Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma were authorised to sign 13
agreements.

The paper went on to list the agreements among them the issue of
sanctions,it said;

'On the 25th of July, Tsvangirai agreed that sanctions were not targeted and
the Western economic embargo was hurting the nation and should be lifted as
a matter of urgency.

"All forms of measures and sanctions against Zimbabwe (must) be lifted in
order to facilitate a sustainable solution to the challenges that are
currently facing Zimbabwe."

The Herald claims however contradict with what MDC National
Chairman,Lovemore Moyo , who was also part of the expanded negotiating team
said, Moyo said the MDC flatly refused at the talks to speak out against a
targeted travel ban on Mugabe and some senior ZANU PF members.

"The document we signed was clear that we refused responsibility for calling
off the sanctions and clearly stated that it was not us who said Zanu PF
supporters should beat up and rape people," Moyo said.

There is mounting evidence that George Charamba could be scuttling talks,on
the same day Charamba ordered the arrest of MDC media support staffer Andrew
Chadwick at the Rainbow towers.
Last week in his weekly column "Nathaniel Manheru",Charamba accused him of
leaking a document to The Star last week which outlined the talks proposal
and he called him a 'rapist of truth'.

The MDC has since accused Charamba of violating the MOU agreement several
times by using hate language.

In his infamous column in the state newspaper The Herald Charamba implied
that MDC leader,Morgan Tsvangirai was half human.

".the current talks involve a political Minotaur (a part human and part bull
creature) shaped and disfigured..', wrote Charamba
The vilification prompted an MDC official who requested anonymity to lash
out,'These are the same people we are talking to so as to find a common
solution to our nation 's problems,yet Charamba continues to use this kind
of language. How do they expect to work with us if they don't respect our
leader?',he asked.

"There are some in our (MDC) party who are treating these talks with utmost
scepticism knowing ZANU PF's solid history of insincerity,the ongoing
violence,intimidation,NGO ban and Charamba's language, these things just
serve to harden their positions.", the official a newly elected Member of
Parliament said.

"When the talks broke off on Tuesday, it became clear that not everyone in
Zanu-PF wants the deal," another well-placed source said yesterday.

"The leak of negotiating documents to the state press . . . is another
indication. The documents were leaked by a member of the cabinet. We also
expect violence."

Charamba belongs to the Mnagagwa faction and was major player in the
ill-fated Ndiyane plot in December 2004 which was meant to catapult Mnagagwa
to the vice presidency, Charamba drafted a speech for Mnangagwa for the
event and hired a plane for the meeting.

The Mnagagwa faction is reportedly strongly opposed to any meaningful power
sharing deal and is in favour of a cosmetic deal through accommodating a
willing partner, the Mutambara faction. Already almost all 10 Mutambara
faction MPs have been approached by the faction,some using close friends.

About twenty MDC-Tsvangirai MPs have already been approached by the
faction,including a a female MP from Bulawayo and was offered a bribe. The
legislator told SW Radio Africa she was offered government tenders for her
business and a car, if she voted for a speaker of parliament from the
Mnangagwa faction of ZANU PF.

Axe Looms on ZBH Workers

http://www.radiovop.com/

HARARE, August 16 2008 - Several senior Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings
workers who were suspended have been recalled by the struggling parastatal
but fear that they could be retrenched, Radio VOP can reveal.

In an exclusive interview on Friday, former news editor Patrice
Makova, said while they had been asked to come back there was a likelihood
that they could be retrenched as the ZBC reluctantly re-engaged them.

"We are back but they are talking about retrenching us," he said.

He said most senior line editors were back on their desks but they
could also face the dreaded chop.

The workers were fired after being accused of siding with the MDC
during the pre and post election period.

The suspended workers, who included various line editors, said the
move was a clear case of political victimisation by Information and
Publicity Secretary, George Charamba.

Charamba doubles as President Robert Mugabe's spokesperson.

Charamba this year fired the organisation's Chief Executive, Henry
Muradzikwa and replaced him with Happison Muchechetere, a former freedom
fighter in President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF army.

Muchechetere toes the party line and is already unpopular at the
organisation.

Closure of South African camps on hold pending court ruling, says UN agency

United Nations News Service

Date: 15 Aug 2008

South Africa's Constitutional Court has instructed officials in Gauteng
province not to dismantle six temporary shelters housing foreigners forced
to flee their homes by xenophobic violence, pending a ruling on the issue,
the United Nations said today.

Today was the deadline announced by the provincial government for the
closure of the camps, whose residents are mostly Zimbabweans, as well as
people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Mozambique,
Burundi and Rwanda.

"Most of the sites are still intact and although some of the people have
left in anticipation of the closure, there remains a substantial number of
people in those camps," Yusuf Hassan, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) in South Africa, told UN Radio today.

A spate of xenophobic attacks in May on foreigners and ethnic minorities in
South Africa claimed the lives of 56 people. UNHCR says that while most of
the 40,000 people displaced by the violence have returned to their home
within the country, some 8,000 people remain at camps in Johannesburg and
Cape Town.

Mr. Hassan said that at the moment there are about 3,500 people in six sites
in Gauteng and another 4,500 in the Western Cape.

The agency has completed an assessment of those remaining in the camps and,
along with its partners, is assisting them with cash donations.

The Constitutional Court is expected to resume its consideration of the case
on Monday.

S.Africa police fire rubber bullets after Zimbabwean shacks burnt

AFP

3 hours ago

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Police fired rubber bullets to disperse around 50
people after two shacks belonging to Zimbabwean immigrants were burnt in the
north of South Africa, authorities said Saturday.

The incident erupted after a Lesotho man stabbed a Zimbabwean in a tavern on
Friday night, causing a fight to break out, said police captain Adele
Myburgh.

Two shacks in the Bokfontein area were then set alight, she said. Police
responded and found a "chaotic" scene involving some 50 people, said
Myburgh, then fired rubber bullets to disperse them.

Police had earlier said the incident appeared to be a "xenophobic" attack,
SAPA news agency reported.

But authorities were no longer considering it an anti-immigrant attack since
they had determined it started from the incident between the Lesotho man and
the Zimbabwean, Myburgh said.

A wave of violence that broke out in May saw South Africans drive foreigners
out of townships, mainly in the economic capital Johannesburg, where
residents accuse immigrants of taking jobs and blame them for high crime
rates.

More than 60 people were killed in those attacks.

The world's worst inflation

http://money.cnn.com

How Zimbabwe's ruler ruined an entire economy - and why it will finally
bring him down.
By Elizabeth Spiers, contributor
Last Updated: August 16, 2008: 12:33 PM EDT

(Fortune Magazine) -- If purchased on the newsstand in Zimbabwe, the issue
of Fortune you're holding would have cost you 270,543,825,555 Zimbabwean
dollars. But don't worry about pulling your Weimar-era wheelbarrows out of
storage. As of July you could pay for your magazine with three newly issued
$100 billion bills.

This is what Robert Mugabe's government considers a reasonable strategy for
coping with an inflation rate of more than 2,000,000%. Faced with the
prospect of issuing ever more cash, Zimbabwe has opted for simply issuing
bigger cash. And perhaps anticipating unwieldy arithmetic problems at the
cash register, the government has also announced a longer-term plan to
dispense with the zeroes entirely, turning $10 billion into $1.

The essential clumsiness of these responses betrays the government's lack of
experience in remedying any policy problem with actual policy. Historically
Mugabe's favorite, if only, policy tool is small and steely and comes in a
variety of calibers. But at whom to point the gun? Market forces fail to
manifest themselves in the form of persons who can be threatened with death
and dismemberment.

Sticking a fork in dissidents
If anyone is to blame for the economic crisis, it's Mugabe himself. In 28
years he has managed to take one of the wealthiest countries in sub-Saharan
Africa and ruin it in a stupefying variety of ways. He annihilated the
agricultural sector (once a leading exporter of corn and tobacco) by seizing
commercial farms and giving them to cronies who failed to use the land. In
1998 he prosecuted a kleptomaniacal war in the Congo, spending $1 million
(U.S.) a day in hopes of stealing enough land and resources from the
Congolese to make a profit. When Zimbabweans have tried to vote him out of
office, he has punished them with violence and economic repression. A
passage from "The State of Africa," by Martin Meredith, recalls the
explanation offered to citizens for cutting off their food supplies: "First
you will eat your chickens, then your goats, then your donkeys. Then you
will eat your children, and finally you will eat the dissidents."

But most of the dissidents left the country before anyone could stick a fork
in them. The exodus of skilled workers crippled the economy further.
Businesses lost management and assets, while unskilled workers became
refugees in neighboring countries that didn't have the money to support
them- the latter transforming Zimbabwe's economic crisis into a regional
one.

That Mugabe has any resources left to plunder is a function of what is
increasingly a remittance economy. Zimbabwean memoirist Peter Godwin points
out that members of the diaspora are keeping Mugabe in power when the money
they send back to friends and relatives gets confiscated. "Often that money
doesn't even physically get home," says Godwin. Zimbabwe's schools and
health-care system have collapsed, but there's enough money left to pay for
Mugabe's personal priorities: his mansions, wife Grace's shopping sprees,
and loyalty-buying salary hikes for his security forces.

While Zimbabwe's self-destruction is extreme, other countries have managed
to whip hyperinflation. Dollarization - a switch to a foreign currency - is
one preferred remedy. Another remedy involves restraining government
spending, a practice known as "shock therapy."

The first option is politically embarrassing for Mugabe (one can't very well
issue daily polemics against the West and then adopt its dominant currency),
and Mugabe is constitutionally incapable of the second. His only quick fix,
then, as international pressure mounts and he is forced into talks with the
opposition party, is to start from scratch - to move the decimal point a few
spaces. But as long as he stays in power, there's nothing to stop the
currency denominations from spiraling upward again as assets leave the
country on the backs of the people. When will the moment of reckoning
finally be at hand? When the bribery money runs out, as it surely will, his
control of the military will erode, and Mugabe may find himself in a
position familiar to the people he has oppressed- looking down the barrel of
a gun.