http://www.iol.co.za/
June 23 2013 at 03:30pm
By Peta
Thornycroft
Zimbabwe - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has
apparently decided to defy
orders from regional leaders last weekend to
postpone presidential and
parliamentary elections to try to ensure they are
more free, fair and
credible.
President Jacob Zuma and other leaders
of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) told Mugabe at a summit
in Maputo to postpone the elections
beyond July 31.
Without
consulting his partners in the unity government, Mugabe decreed the
poll
would be on that date, after the Constitutional Court had set July 31
as the
deadline. Mugabe also changed the electoral law by decree without
going
through parliament.
The SADC leaders told Mugabe he should go back to the
Constitutional Court
and seek an extension.
But instead of meeting
its Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) partners in
the inclusive
government to submit a joint application to the Constitutional
Court for a
postponement, Zanu-PF submitted its own application, without
telling its
partners.
The application, lodged by Zanu-PF justice minister Patrick
Chinamasa, was
deliberately worded to be rejected by the court, the MDC
protested this
week.
Chinamasa stated in his application that there
was “no valid reason to
change the dates”. He said the reason he was making
the application was
because two individuals, “Morgan Tsvangirai (president
of the larger MDC)
and Welshman Ncube (president of the smaller MDC) had
without just cause
lobbied SADC to ask us to change the date… I therefore
come to you, I am
directed by SADC, but there is no good reason… I attach
the SADC communiqué
which obliges us to come to you,” Chinamasa said,
requesting a delay in
elections from July 31 to August 14.
The MDC
and independent lawyers said Chinamasa had obviously chosen the
words in his
application to ensure the application failed.
When Tsvangirai and Ncube
found out that Chinamasa had gone to court
unilaterally early last week,
while they were making arrangements for their
parties to meet him to chart a
way forward, they immediately set up a
meeting with him at State House on
Friday. But neither Chinamasa nor anyone
else in Zanu-PF turned up for the
meeting.
Douglas Mwonzora, spokesman for Tsvangirai’s MDC, said on
Friday: “It is
very clear that they are not interested in keeping their
word, not
interested in the law at all. It is a dishonest application. What
they are
interested in is simply to go ahead with an unfair election in
unfair
circumstances.
“I hope the court will see through that
application and do what is fair. The
Concourt must simply look at what the
law says.
“Our current law does not allow a presidential decree to change
electoral
law.”
Mwonzora said the principals, Mugabe, Tsvangirai and
Ncube, would meet on
Monday.
“There are legal and political options
at our disposal. We will explore them
and do all in our power to make sure
that Zimbabweans get justice, that
Mugabe doesn’t get away with what he has
done.
“Time is running out for us, sure, but it is running out for Mugabe
too. He
is getting into a very dangerous election.”
Chinamasa said he
might comment later.
Ncube said on Friday that the election laws, which
needed amendment in
parliament as agreed by cabinet, but had instead been
processed via Mugabe’s
illegal decree, had two significant
mistakes.
One was that Chinamasa had removed the prohibition to prevent
voting in more
than one constituency.
The other error has created an
overlap between the voter registration period
and the period set aside for
nomination of candidates, because the date of
July 31 is too soon to allow
the proper period for each.
This means many voters will be prevented from
endorsing nominated candidates
or becoming candidates themselves because
they will not yet have been
registered as voters themselves.
The
voters roll is a shambles, and many farmworkers, for example, whose
parents
were born outside Zimbabwe, were struck off the roll between 2002
and 2008,
but are now entitled to vote under the new constitution adopted
this
year.
But most have not yet registered.
The MDC says Zanu-PF has
also established many more registration centres in
rural areas, Zanu-PF’s
stronghold, than in the urban areas, where the MDC
has massive
popularity.
Zimbabwe’s parliament automatically dissolves on Friday
regardless of when
elections will be held.
The two MDCs say
parliament had little to do in recent weeks and could have
been called at
any time to pass amendments to electoral law.
Sunday Independent
http://www.africareview.com/
By KITSEPILE NYATHI in Harare | Sunday, June
23 2013 at 15:57
Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court will from
Wednesday hear six election
related cases whose outcomes will determine the
date for the country’s long
awaited elections.
The main case will
involve an application by Justice and Legal Affairs
minister Patrick
Chinamasa seeking the extension of the election date from
July 31 to August
14.
Last week, President Robert Mugabe was asked by regional leaders to
delay
the elections by two weeks after his rivals complained that he had set
the
July 31 date unilaterally.
Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku
directed the court set by Zimbabwe’s new
constitution to hear the case this
week alongside five others lodged by
ordinary people challenging the timing
of the polls.
The cases include those of people who argue that President
Mugabe should
have implemented media, security and electoral reforms before
the polls.
Another case was brought by a Zimbabwean who was regarded as
an alien by the
old constitution because of her foreign
parentage.
The so-called aliens can now vote under the new constitution
and they argue
that the ongoing 30 day voter registration exercise is not
enough for them.
A meeting between President Mugabe and Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai to
find a political solution to the legal disputes failed
to take place on
Friday under unclear circumstances.
On Sunday the 89
year-old leader’s spokesperson Mr George Charamba accused
Mr Tsvangirai of
snubbing the meeting at State House and claimed the PM had
realised that a
political solution was no longer possible.
Flawed process
Mr
Tsvangirai told his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters on
Saturday that his party was ready for elections but was against a flawed
process.
He accused President Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party of deliberately
causing
confusion over the election dates in a bid to rig the
polls.
“We are not against the holding of elections on July 31 or any
other date,”
Mr Tsvangirai said.
“What difference does it make? How
can we refuse to go for an election when
we won in 2008?
“What we want
are the reforms that will bring a free, fair and legible
election.
“We do
not want a repeat of the 2008 scenario where Zanu-PF went on to steal
an
election.”
The former trade unionist beat President Mugabe in the first
round of the
2008 elections but was forced to withdraw from the run-off vote
after
suspected state agents unleashed violence against his
supporters.
“The MDC is ready for the elections,” Mr Tsvangirai said.
“Elections should
come now and this time there will not be another unity
government.
“The mood in Zimbabwe is overwhelmingly anti Zanu-PF.
“The
MDC is confident that Zimbabweans will not vote for a dark past but for
a
bright future which lies in the hands of the MDC.”
Zimbabwe’s parliament will
be automatically dissolved on Saturday at
midnight.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
23/06/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has denied snubbing MDC leaders
Morgan Tsvangirai
and Welshman Ncube last Friday as the uneasy relations
between the coalition
partners appeared to fracture even further over the
timing of new elections.
Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba on Sunday
blamed the MDC leaders for the
collapse of a scheduled meeting saying they
were nowhere to be found when
the Zanu PF leader pitched up at State House
Friday afternoon after some
official engagements.
“It is utter
dishonesty on the part of the MDC formations to blame the
President for
their latter day realisation of the realities on the ground.
They are
looking for excuses, but this one is a bad one,” he told the Sunday
Mail.
Charamba said Mugabe had returned from commissioning road
repair equipment
sourced from China for about US$16 million at 2pm only to
be told that the
MDC leaders were not available.
He said only deputy
premier Arthur Mutambara was at State House when Mugabe
arrived.
The
coalition leaders were due to discuss the dispute over the timing of
elections to choose a substantive government but the meeting flopped with
the MDCs claiming Mugabe and his Zanu PF delegation failed to turn
up.
Said Ncube’s MDC party in a statement: “We wish to put it on record
that the
meeting that was scheduled for (Friday) amongst the principals to
the GPA
has not taken place after the Zanu PF entourage failed to turn
up.
“Professor Ncube, Misihairabwi Mushonga, PM Tsvangirai, Biti,
Matinenga and
two other people all presented themselves at State House in
readiness for
the meeting. However, after waiting from 10 am until 13:00 hrs
for the Zanu
PF group, who did not turn up, the MDC and MDC-T teams realised
that their
wait was futile and left to attend to other business.”
The
MDC-T’s Jameson Timba added: “We believe that as leaders we are not
landlords of this country but caretakers for future generation. As
responsible parties we believe that Zimbabwe is bigger than individuals
within a party or a political party and as such it must come
first.
He told The Standard newspaper that he was not sure “whether there
were
genuine reasons arising out of Zanu PF dedicating time to douse flames
in
their backyard, occasioned by failure to meet self-imposed deadline to
have
primary elections on Monday or whether it was a snub”.
Equally
speculating on the absence of the MDC leaders Charamba told the
Sunday Mail:
“Our reading is two-fold. First, slowly, legal sanity is coming
back to the
minds of the MDCs.
“They are realising the futility of tackling legal
issues politically. After
all, it did not make sense for parties to meet in
respect of a matter that
is before the courts.
“The second point is
that it is dawning on them that either way, we are
going for elections soon.
After all, the time between July 31 and August 14
is not a century, but two
weeks.
“This is why the Prime Minister went to Matabeleland to canvass
support Prof
Ncube did not have a choice, but to up activities in the same
area where his
party is threatened.”
The parties are divided over an
appeal against a Constitutional Court ruling
ordering the new elections to
be held by July 31.
The appeal was filed after a meeting of the regional SADC
grouping asked the
government to seek a two-week delay following complains
by the MDC parties
which said Mugabe had not consulted them when he moved to
comply with the
ruling.
The MDCs have accused Justice Minister
Patrick Chinamasa of deliberately
filing a weak case in order for the appeal
to fail so that the elections can
go ahead on July was desired by his Zanu
PF party.
The court is set to hear the case on Wednesday.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Sunday, 23 June 2013 13:02
HARARE -
President Robert Mugabe is going it alone in Constitutional Court
application as Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa yesterday forged ahead
with the appeal despite protests that the request was weak and filed without
due consultations.
His application comes as Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai said Principals
had agreed that Chinamasa’s application was going
to be withdrawn and pave
way for a fresh application agreed to by all the
three ruling parties.
Chinamasa on Tuesday applied for an extension of
election dates from July
31, to August 14, before re-filing it on an urgent
basis on Wednesday.
He filed the application after a directive by
Southern African Development
Community (Sadc) Extraordinary Summit held in
Maputo, Mozambique last
weekend.
The regional bloc’s leaders directed
Mugabe to go back to the Constitutional
Court to seek a variation of the
July 31 poll date after noting that it will
be impossible to have elections
by that date.
However, following the Tuesday application, Tsvangirai said
Chinamasa filed
the application without due consultations and input —
describing it as weak,
null and void.
In the application seeking the
extension of the date for the holding of the
election, Chinamasa cited
Centre for Elections and Democracy in Southern
Africa (CEDSA) director
Jealousy Mawarire, Tsvangirai, Arthur Mutambara,
Welshman Ncube and the
Attorney General Johannes Tomana as respondents.
Despite Chief Justice
Godfrey Chidyausiku ruling that the matter should be
heard on an urgent
basis, Tsvangirai and Ncube’s lawyers said they raised
objections with the
court on Chinamasa’s application.
Chris Mhike, who is representing
Tsvangirai, yesterday told journalists that
Chidyausiku had ruled that all
sticky issues would be dealt with during the
hearing of the
matter.
“We did indicate to the judge that there is an agreement between
the leaders
of the parties for minister Chinamasa’s application to be
withdrawn and for
the fresh application to be filed, which fresh application
includes the
input of the other parties in the GNU (Government of National
Unity),” Mhike
said.
“We did bring this point to the attention of the
Chief Justice and the
lawyer for minister Chinamasa said if that application
is finally agreed on
before the hearing of the main matter, a withdrawal
will be effected and a
new application will be heard.”
Fred Gijima
appeared on behalf of Chinamasa.
“All parties should file their papers by
Monday, so that it can be heard on
the roll,” Gijima said.
Thabani
Mpofu, Ncube’s attorney said all constitutional matters will be
heard next
week, beginning Wednesday, and this case was one of the cases
that was going
to be dealt with during the period.
“The parties discussed the
application which minister Chinamasa had prepared
and they indicated that
there were certain issues they were not happy with
and they then agreed —
the three of them — to the preparation of another
joint application. So we
had taken the position or we believed that minister
Chinamasa was going to
withdraw this application but he has indicated that
he is forging ahead with
it,” said Mpofu. - Tendai Kamhungira
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Sunday, 23 June 2013
15:44
HARARE - The recent court ruling ordering President Robert Mugabe to
hold
elections by July 31 has opened a plethora of constitutional cases as
several other people are making various requests which has forced the
Constitutional Court to sit on a continuous roll.
Over the last years
very few “rights” cases were referred to the Supreme
Court, which would sit
as a Constitutional Court for determination, but
recently the court has been
kept busy.
Brainz.org describes Constitutional rights as privileges and
freedoms that
are basic and intrinsic to individuals.
“These rights
cannot be denied and they establish a person’s citizenship
within a nation
or state,” it explains.
Law expert Chris Mhike told the Daily News on
Sunday that a Constitutional
Court in Zimbabwe is a new creature recently
composed under the country’s
new constitution dispensation.
“In the
past, we have seen a great deal of activity in election related
litigation
at the High Court, not at the Supreme Court.
“However, because of the
nature of our new constitution which widens the
scope of fundamental rights,
it appears most litigants, if not all, have
identified Constitutional Court
of Zimbabwe as the most appropriate forum
for the redress of their
misgivings about the forthcoming general
elections,” Mhike said.
Few
cases were dealt with in the Supreme Court sitting as a Constitutional
Court, and most of them were referred from the magistrates’ court. Most of
such applications were by suspects contesting the State’s failure to try
them within a reasonable time.
Since Centre for Elections and
Democracy in Southern Africa (CEDSA)
director, and founding trustee Jealousy
Mawarire won a Supreme Court case
ordering President Robert Mugabe to call
for elections by end-July, election
related constitutional applications have
been filed in numbers.
This case opened a floodgate of other cases,
contesting the holding of
elections on July 31.
Constitutional issues
raised on urgent basis, range from rights to vote in
the forthcoming
elections to the right to funding as political parties.
All these cases
are still pending and Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku has
decided to have
the matters heard on a continuous roll this week, to ensure
that they are
immediately cleared.
Besides this application, a civil activist Nixon
Nyikadzino approached the
Constitutional Court, seeking an extension of the
poll date, in order for
the country’s political parties to implement reforms
that would ensure free
and fair elections.
Soon after the election
date was declared, a Bulawayo woman Maria Phiri
petitioned the
Constitutional Court pushing for “aliens” to vote in the
elections.
In the application, Phiri is also seeking an extension for
the election date
in order for her to be able to vote in the forthcoming
elections, claiming
it is her right to do so.
Phiri — who until the
new Constitution was regarded an alien and unable to
vote — told the court
that former aliens have to acquire identity cards
first and therefore cannot
be able to immediately benefit in the 30-day
voter registration
exercise.
She argues that polls could only be held after August
12.
She argues that proclamation of the nomination date and polling date
must
allow for the 30-day intensive voter registration period, which ends on
July
10.
Another South African-based man Tavengwa Bukaibenyu is
lobbying for several
exiled Zimbabweans to vote in the forthcoming elections
using the postal
ballot system.
“It is undoubtedly within the ability
of the State to organise a postal
ballot for all registered voters who for
one reason or another cannot attend
or do not wish to attend a polling
station on the day set aside for voting,”
reads Bukaibenyu’s court
papers.
The case is still pending.
Zimbabwe Development Party, a
little known political party led by Kisinoti
Mukwazhe has also approached
the Supreme Court demanding funding for
elections.
The party claims
it has a right to be funded by government to ensure
multi-party
democracy.
These cases are part of a whole set of applications including
another
request made by South Africa-based businessman Mutumwa
Mawere.
Mawere took his case to the Constitutional Court claiming
registrar of
voters Tobaiwa Mudede is denying him an opportunity to get a
Zimbabwean
citizenship.
Mudede reportedly ignored Mawere’s request
for a Zimbabwean identification
card, though according to the new
Constitution which came into force on May
22, the self-exiled tycoon is
allowed to enjoy dual citizenship as he was
born in Bindura, Zimbabwe. -
Tendai Kamhungira
http://www.voazimbabwe.com/
Gibbs
Dube
23.06.2013
WASHINGTON DC — Zanu-PF held national election
meetings Sunday to cool down
tempers in its ranks over election candidates
as the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) formation of Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai postponed primary
polls in some
provinces.
According to some Zanu-PF activists, the party provincial
election
directorate meetings were designed to review concerns raised by
candidates
disqualified in the primaries last week. The election
directorates are
expected to come up with better ways of fielding candidates
in its primaries
which were postponed from Monday to Wednesday.
Some
Zanu-PF supporters stormed the party’s headquarters Friday expressing
anger
over the exclusion of some candidates. The disgruntled supporters were
from
Bikita West, Zvimba North, Mhangura, Goromonzi West and Mutoko
South.
Zanu-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said he will provide some details
of the
meetings Monday.
In the MDC-T, the party postponed some
elections once again in some
provinces following complaints by supporters
over the selection process
which they claimed favoured certain
candidates.
The party’s organizing secretary Nelson Chamisa said the
postponement of the
polls was part of the democratic process in the
party.
Housing Minister Giles Mutsekwa is among some ministers who almost
fell by
the wayside Sunday as he was not confirmed by the electorate in
Dangamvura-Chinganga constituency. He is expected to feature in the next
round of primary elections. Some MDC-T ministers have almost been swept out
of power.
In Bulawayo, organizing secretary Albert Mhlanga, said the
MDC-T will hold
postponed primaries Monday in order to ensure that the party
is ready for
the Nomination Court on Friday.
At the same time, Makoni
South lawmaker Pishai Muchauraya, who was recently
detained for allegedly
threatening to kill an election agent of one of the
candidates, was back in
prison Sunday but this time carrying a lot of food
for prisoners.
In
a related development, Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court is this week
expected
to hear at least six cases including an application filed by the
unity
government seeking a variation of the country’s election date.
The
application which was filed last week by Justice Minister Patrick
Chinamasa,
is being disputed by the other parties in the unity government
which are
claiming that they were not consulted before the matter was taken
to
court.
Southern African Development Community leaders meeting in Maputo,
Mozambique, last Saturday urged the parties to seek another date for general
elections after President Robert Mugabe unilaterally proclaimed July 31 as
the date for the polls.
Other matters to be heard in the
Constitutional Court include an application
by a Zimbabwean based in South
Africa seeking an order to compel the unity
government to allow
foreign-based citizens to vote in the next elections.
The same court will
also hear a case in which a Bulawayo woman is seeking an
extension of the
election date from July 31.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Sunday, 23 June 2013 16:03
HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai says deputy PM Arthur Mutambara
can no longer consider himself a
principal in the coalition government, as
the guarantors to the Global
Political Agreement (GPA) Sadc has discarded
him.
Tsvangirai forged a
formidable alliance with Industry minister Welshman
Ncube to floor President
Robert Mugabe over upcoming elections in Maputo,
Mozambique last week during
the extra-ordinary Sadc summit on Zimbabwe.
The development comes days
after Mutambara’s MDC faction, dumped him as
their leader.
Speaking
to the Daily News this week Tsvangirai said: “It is clear from the
Sadc
meeting that Mutambara is no longer considered a principal and the
legitimate one is Ncube,” he said.
“From now on, it is important for
everyone to appreciate that whenever we
discuss matters of the GPA,
President Mugabe, Ncube and I, are in charge,”
the Zimbabwean PM said,
adding he does not recognise Mutambara as a
principal.
As efforts to
secure comment from the robotics professor —through calls and
text messages
to his mobile drew blanks — the rare act of cooperation
between Ncube and
Tsvangirai has also brightened prospects of a strong
coalition against the
embattled 89-year-old leader.
Tsvangirai’s position further piles up the
misery on the embattled deputy
premier — who was recently booted out from
his MDC faction in a palace coup
which accused him of neglecting party
business — as he had become a
“president” without a political
party.
Despite the fact that, in 2011, the High Court ruled Ncube to be
the
official president of the breakaway MDC formation, Mutambara took the
matter
to the Supreme Court — which is yet to make a determination, giving
him a
lifeline to continue as a principal.
With Tsvangirai ganging up
with Ncube, Mutambara has been left clinging, not
only to the pending court
ruling, but also Mugabe’s mercy.
Ncube said the position of MDC still
stands that Mutambara ceased to be a
principal when his congress decided so
— two years ago.
“We have not changed and we do not know why he still
represents us. It is
the leadership of MDC that determines who is supposed
to represent them not
a court of law. If another congress was to be convened
now, the same
position would come out because there is a unilateral
agreement on the
issue,” Ncube told the Daily News yesterday.
George
Charamba, the presidential spokesperson, was unreachable for comment
yesterday.
In Maputo on Saturday during the explosive regional
meeting, the two MDC
leaders put up a spirited fight to thwart Mugabe’s
efforts to hold election
by July 31 before the agreed media, security and
electoral reforms
stipulated in the GPA.
The 15-member regional body
agreed that more time was needed and recommended
that Justice and Legal
Affairs minister Patrick Chinamasa applies to the
Constitutional Court for a
two-week extension to pave way for the key
reforms.
Together with
Zanu PF — the ambivalent Mutambara has been singing from the
same hymn on
the court ruling saying it was binding and final — diverging
from the
position of the party he represents in the GPA.
Mugabe made the
proclamation last Thursday, a week after the Constitutional
Court ruled that
elections be held by July 31.
However, with the recent summit resolution,
Zanu PF is likely to concoct a
veiled climb-down through conceding to Nixon
Nyikadzino, who has approached
the same court protesting a ruling in favour
of directing that elections be
held by July 31.
Tsvangirai argues
that there is certainly a risk that could paralyse efforts
for a better
Zimbabwe and deeper integration if elections are held on Mugabe’s
proclaimed
date.
Following a Cabinet decision last Tuesday, fresh voter registration
commenced on June 10 and is expected to be completed on July 10,
2013.
Hence the July 31 deadline, Tsvangirai argued, would infringe on
the
Constitutional provisions obliging the 30-day intense voter registration
exercise and automatically deny Zimbabweans two weeks of entering the
voters’
roll.
Tsvangirai told regional leaders that elections in
Zimbabwe have never been
about the date but the process and conditions under
which it is held hence
the need to ensure that they are legitimate, credible
and sustainable.
Mugabe’s Zanu PF accused MDC leaders of seeking to
extend their
four-and-a-half year stay in government by delaying the
game-changing
election.
Some political commentators are on record
saying the two-week extension, if
granted, is still too short for any
meaningful legislative, media and
security sector reforms ahead of watershed
polls.
The new Constitution requires that the new provisions for the
Electoral Law
be passed by Parliament and not made by regulation in terms of
another Act
such as the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) Act, which
unilaterally
Mugabe used. - Wendy Muperi and Fungi Kwaramba
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Chengetayi Zvauya, Parliamentary
Editor
Sunday, 23 June 2013 16:03
President Robert Mugabe
HARARE -
President Robert Mugabe has promised to increase civil servants’
salaries in
the event that they vote for him and Zanu PF in the forthcoming
harmonised
elections.
Speaking at the launch of 21st Junior Parliamentary session
yesterday in
Harare at the Rainbow Towers, Mugabe pleaded with the civil
servants to
rally behind his party and promised to reward them
duly.
“I know that we have not paid the teachers well because we did not
have the
budget.
“We also had problems with the two-headed creature
of the inclusive
government with some of the ministers who did not believe
in rewarding the
teachers.
“I want to assure you that if you vote for
us and we win the elections
things are going to be better for you as we
shall improve your salaries.
“I have a background in teaching and I know
your problems, not some of the
Cabinet ministers in the inclusive
government,” said Mugabe.
He also promised to improve the educational
infrastructure in schools for
their benefit.
“Schoolchildren, we have
not forgotten you, once we win the elections, we
are going to improve your
learning facilities too,” said Mugabe.
Child president Ntandoyenkosi
Moyo from Milton High School in Bulawayo
told Mugabe children wanted
protection from the social norms and cultural
laws that harm them and
violate their rights.
The Junior Parliament Session also marked belated
celebrations of the Day of
the African Child which was commemorated last
week around the continent.
The Parliament comprises of two chambers; the
Upper House and Lower House
and operates in the same way as the senior
Parliament.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/
22/06/2013 00:00:00
by Staff
Reporter
THE MDC-T was struggling to find a candidate in Insiza
South in Matabeleland
South on Saturday after a primary election was
disrupted by supporters of a
disqualified hopeful.
The party, led by
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, was forced to hold a
second internal party
ballot in the constituency after Jabulani Mahewu Dube
died on May 29, just
two days following his victory.
The MDC-T had designated three polling
stations in Avoca, Silalatshani and
Sidzibe - but chaos engulfed the process
after Dumezweni Dube, elder brother
to the late, was disqualified after his
record in the party was questioned.
Two other parliamentary hopefuls
Danisa Mlilo and Ntando Ndlela - who met a
requirement to demonstrate
activism in the party over the last five years -
were set to battle it out
for the ticket ahead of general elections
provisionally slated for July
31.
Rowdy supporters of Dube - who is based in South Africa - rose in
protest at
the first vote in Avoca, threatening physical violence on
presiding officer
Mpumelelo Ndlovu, who tried for an hour to restore
calm.
"Those who have no wish to participate in this election can leave,"
Ndlovu
said at one point, a statement met with boos and heckling from Dube's
camp.
Ndlovu was then forced to call off the election, leaving the MDC-T
without a
candidate in the constituency ahead of the nomination court
sitting on June
28 when all parties will register their candidates with the
Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission.
MDC-T sources said the party's
national council could consider imposing
candidates in problem
constituencies like Insiza South owing to time
constraints.
Nelson
Chamisa, the party's organising secretary, last night said he was
awaiting a
report from Insiza South before he could comment.
Ndlela, one of the
candidates, said: "I'm utterly disappointed with the
cancellation of the
vote. I stand guided by the party going forward."
Insiza South is
currently held by Siyabonga Malandu Ncube of the MDC led by
Welshman
Ncube.
The MDC holds its primary elections on Tuesday, with Zanu PF
holding its own
internal vote on Wednesday.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Sunday, 23 June 2013 15:55
KEZI - Privilledge
Moyo’s future looks bleak as she and her toddler are not
documented as
Zimbabwean citizens.
Like most of the young women in Kezi who got married
at a tender age, the
18-year-old mother of one has to carry the burden of
processing her son,
Future’s birth certificate and at the same time
acquiring a national
identity card for herself, so as to register as a vote
this year.
One wonders the kind of future ahead of such a mother and
child without
necessary documents to certify their Zimbabwean
citizenship.
Both Moyo’s parents died, and she does not have any relative
to vouch that
the deceased were her biological parents.
On June 13,
Moyo visited the Registrar General’s office in Kezi with her
baby strapped
on her back, bidding to acquire a birth certificate but, she
was told to go
to the provincial offices in Gwanda.
For an unemployed mother of one, she
could not raise the fare to travel to
the provincial town, therefore, giving
up on trying.
“I don’t have a birth certificate and a national identity
card so I cannot
register to vote. They said I should go to Gwanda, but I
don’t have the
money to go there,” Moyo said.
She was clueless about
the fact that the village headman was vested with
powers to write a letter
to the RG’s office to facilitate the processing of
birth certificates and
national IDs.
“We are writing letters for villagers who do not have IDs
so that they can
acquire relevant documents in Kezi,” Fuyana Village’s
headman Shadreck
Ncube, told the Daily News on Sunday.
In its voter
registration requirements, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(Zec)
authorised headmen to write confirmation letters to allow their
subjects
procure documents required to register to vote or acquire other
official
document.
Headman of Mabonyane, Lucas Moyo said headmen were writing
letters vouching
that the villagers were their subjects; but many are still
being turned back
empty-handed.
“Even when we write letters, they
return with nothing. It is problematic for
many to get IDs because they do
not have immediate relatives to vouch for
them,” Moyo said.
The
headman said fresh voter registration would start on June 28 to 29 at
Marinoka Primary School and on June 30, until July 1 at Chedondo Primary
School.
But villagers who spoke to this paper showed ignorance about
this crucial
programme. And for some, it was sheer indecision.
“I
don’t know who to vote for. What will it help me? But I will go and
register
all the same,” Fortunate Ncube a 22-year-old mother of one said.
For
those with the required documents, voter registration has been running
smooth, although there is need for more awareness. - Nyasha Chingono
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
By Fungai Kwaramba, Staff Writer
Sunday, 23 June
2013 16:02
HARARE - Zanu PF officials are living in fear with some reportedly
beefing
up their security as warnings by a mysterious and influential
Facebook
character, Baba Jukwa seem to be coming true.
As in-fighting
in the ex-majority party intensifies ahead of elections, Baba
Jukwa, a
faceless character who has taken the nation by storm through his
leaks about
top government secrets, has further weakened Zanu PF.
The death in a car
crash, of Guruve South legislator Edward
Chindori-Chininga, has shaken the
party to the core as Baba Jukwa warned
repeatedly in the last couple of
weeks that the no-nonsense Member of
Parliament would be
murdered.
Police have however, dismissed foul play saying the accident
that claimed
Chindori-Chininga’s life was genuine. Whatever the case, Baba
Jukwa was
spot-on that Chindori-Chininga was going to meet his
death.
With almost 170 000 followers, Baba Jukwa is dominating
discussions, not
only among affected Zanu PF officials but also among many
ordinary folks who
cannot go a day without clicking his page for the
“latest” inside detail.
In a daily blizzard of posts, Baba Jukwa has
waged an infuriated information
war against Zanu PF, a party of which he
claims to be a member.
As a result, his seemingly accurate predictions
have rattled the rank and
file in the former ruling party, insiders told the
Daily News on Sunday.
Baba Jukwa’s warning on the demise of
Chindori-Chininga, has made him even
more popular among Zimbabweans, who are
desperate for change come the next
elections.
Chindori-Chininga was a
moderate in a party where hawks are embroiled in a
bitter battle to succeed
President Robert Mugabe, who is fast approaching 90
and could be contesting
his last election.
Said Baba Jukwa on the day Chindori-Chininga died:
“The Mashonaland Central
mafia has done it as I warned a few weeks ago.
Chindori-Chininga openly told
them that he will join the Vapanduki crew if
they continued with their
attempt to nail him down and I wonder why he
didn’t listen when I was all
along warning him of the impending
danger.”
Vapanduki is a group of people, whom Baba Jukwa claims are his
followers,
with access to government’s secret troves.
Perhaps
disturbing is the sequence of events prior to the death of
Chindori-Chininga.
A week before the fatal accident, Mashonaland
Central governor, Martin Dinha
escaped death by a whisker after submitting
his name to stand as a candidate
for Bindura South on June 15.
Dinha,
a fierce loyalist and praise singer of Mugabe, is also regarded as a
moderate and linked to a certain camp in the fractious Zanu PF
structure.
On the fateful Wednesday night, Chindori-Chininga was also
returning from an
almost similar event, having had his papers accepted to
represent the party
along with two other persons in Guruve
South.
There is renewed fright that Baba Jukwa’s accurate prediction of
Chindori-Chininga’s death is a harbinger of sinister things to
come.
Riding on the crest of popularity, Baba Jukwa says he is going to
reveal
more dirty secrets to add to the list of top officials who he says
are in
line for assassination from a camp that is up against
reformists.
In May, Baba Jukwa claimed to have foretold the sudden death
of a top
intelligence commander who was declared a national hero.
He
further claims to have foretold a road accident that involved Zanu PF
politburo member, Dzikamai Mavhaire.
But Zanu PF says it is not
concerned about Baba Jukwa.
“We are not worried at all about Baba Jukwa
because he wants to cause
confusion and conflict within the party, but he
won’t get it,” Zanu PF
spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said recently.
But
despite feigning composure, sources in Zanu PF say the party has
deployed
well-oiled machinery that is working round-the-clock to sniff out
Baba
Jukwa, fearing his destabilising effect could haunt the party ahead of
elections that Mugabe wants held on July 31.
Baba Jukwa has also been
campaigning to push people to register as voters.
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/
Sunday, 23 June 2013 13:00
HARARE - As
Zimbabwe hurtles towards watershed elections whose date
continues to be
contested despite a court ruling and a Sadc summit which
gave
recommendations for an extension on the date, the Daily News Senior
Assistant Editor Guthrie Munyuki, sought the views of Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition regional coordinator, Joy Mabenge, on their advocacy and lobbying
in southern Africa as well as the reading of the Sadc summit
outcome.
Below are excerpts of the interview conducted in
Johannesburg.
Q: How significant is the outcome of the Sadc summit held
in Maputo to your
calls for the holding of free and fair
elections?
A: The outcome of the Maputo summit was very clear, with the
writing bold on
the wall for President Mugabe: No elections without the
necessary reforms!
One would be tempted to think that the resolution was
crafted from the civil
society’s well-documented position calling for
crucial reforms before the
harmonised election to ensure the elections are
credible, free and fair.
We took this position to all corners where we
thought recipients would
influence our GPA guarantors ahead of the
extra-ordinary summit and finally
we were in Maputo with the same
message.
No amount of spinning from anywhere in this world will change
the meaning of
the resolutions of the Maputo Summit and the significance is
that Sadc as
guarantors of the GPA are still lively engaged on the
Zimbabwean question
and will not allow gains of the past five years towards
democratic reforms
to be reversed at the last minute through unilateralism
on the part of
President Mugabe and his party.
Q: What other options
are there for both the civil society and the three
political parties in the
inclusive government other than an extension of
poll dates as recommended by
Sadc?
A: Reading of the Sadc resolutions 8.4, 8.5 and 8.6, read together
with the
facilitator’s report, particularly the recommendations, lays out
what is
expected of the government of Zimbabwe on three things:
implementation of a
raft of imperative reforms, creating conditions for the
conduct of free,
fair and credible elections as well as negotiating the
counterbalance
between a purely political process represented by the letter
and spirit of
the GPA as it still subsists and legal process represented by
rulings of the
courts, the Con-Court ruling in question in
particular.
We are not looking for partial satisfaction of any of these
but a holistic
approach as these imperatives are mutually reinforcing and
don’t act and
impact independent of one another.
As civil society,
our role is to monitor implementation and apply the
necessary pressure to
ensure compliance with the above at home.
We will not tire to knock on
the doors of the GPA guarantors: Sadc and AU,
the facilitation team and any
other relevant stakeholders.
We have made friends with a lot of powerful
like-minded solidarity groups in
Sadc and beyond, and these have always
stood ready to push our cause through
exerting pressure to their authorities
to stand by the people of Zimbabwe in
our times of need.
Q: What are
your views on the immediate deployment of Sadc observers and
what role is
the civic society playing in making sure that this is done?
A: The Sadc
observers are in fact late. If you follow through earlier
positions by a
good number of civil society organisations on joint
platforms, we have often
requested that the Sadc adopts and implements a
Long Term Observer strategy
with their team of observers or monitors being
deployed into the country at
least six months before the holding of our
watershed election.
Of
course funding may be a challenge on the part of Sadc, but in hot spots
such
as ours, this is necessary so that Sadc does not use a layman’s
observation
to validate or invalidate the election in Zimbabwe.
I understand the AU
has issued a statement that their Long Term Observer
Mission to the Zimbabwe
election is now in the country for a period of 2
months from 15 June until
14 August 2013.
That is a fair compromise, if they were working on the
earlier announcement
of 31 July as the election date.
If Sadc could
work with at least three months observation to cover the
critical moments:
before, during and after voting, they may have a fair
judgment as a lot
happens in between these electoral processes.
They must have a deliberate
bias towards remote and rural areas and must be
able to observe not only
voting but voter registration, inspection of the
voters roll, nomination
court processes, electioneering or campaigns, among
others. Election rigging
can happen at any of these intervals.
Q: As Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
regional coordinator, how do you describe
your interface and interactions
with the South African government on the
political and rights situation in
Zimbabwe?
A: Since the time of other regional coordinators who have come
before me,
the SA government has seemingly often been a good friend,
especially in
executing their role as facilitators to the Zimbabwean
political dialogue.
However, on a number of occasions on this journey,
they have also shown
signs of tiredness as they have often been faced with
their own domestic
challenges as a fairly young democracy.
We as the
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition regional office have a cordial
working
relationship with the different arms of the SA government which is
why we
can at any point interact with their National parliament, the
executive and
the judiciary occasionally.
Q: How do you describe your advocacy work in
southern Africa in terms of
success?
A: Since March 11 2007, after
the assault of the then opposition leaders
together with civil society and
church leaders, Zimbabwe got on the radar of
regional and international
politics.
Our work as the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition has been to keep
on knocking on
the doors of the centres and levers of power in the region
and beyond in
trying to ensure that the Zimbabwean issue is not overshadowed
by other
emerging crisis points, at least until the Zimbabwean question is
finally
resolved.
Success can only be measured through the various
interventions we have had
on the journey towards a democratic and free
Zimbabwe.
Ours has been to make sure Sadc and the AU at least remain
interested in the
Zimbabwean issue and continue to be on the side of
ordinary Zimbabweans in
our quest for a better Zimbabwe.
We wait with
eagerness and great hope for the day Zimbabwe will be off the
agenda of the
numerous Sadc summits and on that day I am sure many will
pronounce success
on our behalf.
After a brief ray of
hope from the SADC Summit in Maputo, the week since then has seen prospects of
free and fair elections again dimming as Zanu PF refuses to implement agreed
reforms.
The Vigil would have
hoped that Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube, left kicking their heels at
State House for three hours on Friday, would have at least ‘chatted the way
forward’ (a useful neologism introduced some time back in a Zimbabwean
newspaper). But it would appear that their mutual antipathy is greater even than
their desire to get rid of Mugabe and we doubt that they had much to say to each
other while waiting vainly for Mugabe to pitch up for a crucial meeting.
What the Vigil would
have liked to see from Tsvangirai and Ncube is a decision to present an
ultimatum to Zanu PF and SADC: no reforms, no elections. This was the theme of
the latest round of monthly diaspora protests at which the Vigil was joined
outside the Embassy by MDC members, as well as ROHR and Zimbabwe We Can
supporters. Their signatures quickly filled pages of our newly-launched
petition: ‘Zimbabweans in the
diaspora and supporters call on political parties at home not to take part in
the forthcoming elections unless Zanu PF implements the reforms demanded by the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) at its summit in Maputo on
15th June 2013. We believe that, unless these reforms are made, the
results of the elections will not be credible’.
Job
Sikhala, leader of MDC-99, has already announced his party will boycott the
elections, which he described as ‘a charade’. Indeed, all signs are that there
will be no reforms to level the playing field. Justice Minister Chinamasa said
‘as Zanu PF we are contesting the idea that there is any need for reforms’. He
insisted he would only implement what the parties had agreed on, adding ‘if we
do not agree then there nothing to implement; until we agree on a particular
reform then there is nothing to reform’ (see: http://allafrica.com/stories/201306190274.html
– Zimbabwe: Why the Opposition Shouldn't be Distracted by the Election Date).
Given
this logic, the Vigil believes that, unless SADC puts some muscle behind its
Maputo recommendations, the MDC should not lend the elections any credibility by
taking part.
Other
points
·
After
the Vigil about 40 supporters went on to a meeting of the bi-monthly Zimbabwe
Action Forum. Ephraim Tapa head of ROHR and Zimbabwe We Can said free and fair
elections were very unlikely because of intimidation and vote rigging. He said
the results would be cooked but at the finishing line a Zanu PF government would
be recognised. The meeting was addressed by Marga Knorr of a new charity Beyond
Violence, which is planning a campaign ‘aiming to reduce the number of
people participating in and standing by political violence in the run-up to and
during the elections in Zimbabwe’. It
was agreed that we would help publicise their work and they could video Vigil
people about the situation in Zimbabwe (see events and notices for more details
of the organisation). Another guest at the meeting was a solicitor George
Tizirai-Chapwanya of GTC Legal Consultancy Services, who kindly came down from
Birmingham to give us an update on asylum and immigration issues. His talk was
much appreciated.
·
During
the week about 20 Vigil supporters attended a meeting in London at which a new
film was shown ‘Beatrice Mtetwa and the rule of law’. We were happy to be
introduced to Beatrice, who said the new constitution would not of itself
restore the rule of law. This would require full commitment by all parties. At
present the voters’ roll was in a shambles and perpetrators of political
violence were still at large. Even if changes were made now there was not enough
time left to affect people on the ground. Our supporters ended the evening
singing and dancing in the foyer.
·
The
Vigil is to take part in a demonstration outside the Zimbabwe Embassy on
Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the infamous presidential run-off by means of
which Mugabe smuggled himself back into State House. Joining us under the banner
of ‘Never Again’ are Action for Southern Africa (formerly the Anti-Apartheid
Movement) and the Trades Union Congress (see Events and Notices for full
details).
·
The
publishers Chatto & Windus have kindly given the Vigil several copies of a
new book by NoViolet Bulawayo, titled ‘We Need New Names’. It has been highly
praised and we are lending the books out to supporters so everyone can read it
and we will let the publishers know what supporters think of
it.
For latest Vigil
pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/.
Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they
cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil
website.
FOR THE RECORD: 71
signed the register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
• Culture without
Borders. Tuesday
25th June onwards. For more information contact Wiz Bishop at the
Zimbabwe Association 020 7739 8226, wiz@zimbabweassociation.org.uk, www.zimbabweassociation.org.uk:
-
Storytelling with
Chenjerai Hove. Tuesday
25th June from 11 am – 2 pm. Venue: Spitalfields City Farm Yurt,
Buxton St, London E1 5AR
-
Solidarity with
Zimbabwean victims of torture. Wednesday
26th June from 11.30 am – 2.30 pm. Venue: Oxford House Theatre,
Derbyshire St, Bethnal Green, London E2 6HG.
-
Chenjerai Hove in
Birmingham. Thursday 27th June from 6 – 9.30 pm. Hosted by the ZA
regional Drop-in Centre at Carrs Lane Church, Birmingham B4
7SX.
-
Arts and Culture
Consultation with the Zimbabwean diaspora. Friday
28th June from 10.30 am – 5 pm. Venue: Oxford House Theatre,
Derbyshire St, Bethnal Green, London E2 6HG. ZA is collaborating with the
Culture Cluster of the Commonwealth Organisations Committee on Zimbabwe (COCZ)
on this event.
-
The Britain Zimbabwe
Society Research Day on Culture without Borders. Saturday 29 June
from 9 am – 5.15 pm. Venue: St Anthony’s College, 62 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2
6JF. It is followed by a BZS party with Linos Magaya and Zimbaremabwe. Venue:
The Buttery, St Anthony’s College. £10 entrance on the door, cash bar, free
nibbles. Contact margaret.ling@geo2.poptel.org.uk,
http://britainzimbabwesociety.wordpress.com/.
·
‘Zimbabwe: Never
Again’ protest. Thursday
27th June from 1 – 2 pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London. It is
a joint protest with ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa) the successor to the
Anti-Apartheid Movement, and the TUC. This protest marks the fifth anniversary
of the presidential run-off in 2008 marred by a brutal
campaign of violence, including murder, disappearances and mass rape. Zimbabwe
will hold elections again very soon. Join us to say never again to a repeat of
the terrible violence of 2008 and support the call for free and fair elections
that comply with the Southern African Development Community standards for
democratic elections. Contact ACTSA on: 02032632001, campaigns@actsa.org
www.actsa.org
· ROHR Slough branch
meeting. Saturday 13th July
from 1 – 5 pm. Venue: Upton Lea Community Hall, Wexham Road SL1 5JW. Contact:
Grace Nyaumwe 07850 284 506, Patricia Masamba 07708 116
625.
·
Zimbabwe Action Forum
(ZAF). Saturday
20th July from 6.30 – 9.30 pm. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel (first
floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA. The Strand is the same road as the
Vigil. From the Vigil it’s about a 10 minute walk, in the direction away from
Trafalgar Square. The Strand Continental is situated on the south side of the
Strand between Somerset House and the turn off onto Waterloo Bridge. The
entrance is marked by a big sign high above and a sign for its famous Indian
restaurant at street level. It's next to a newsagent. Nearest underground:
Temple (District and Circle lines) and Holborn.
·
ROHR
North East Region Zimbabwe Day Fundraising
Event. Saturday 27th July from 1 – 8 pm. Venue: Benton Community
Centre, 17 Edenbridge Crescent, Benton, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne NE12 8EP. Food,
drink & entertainment. Contact Givemore Chitengu 07912747744, Kennedy
Makonese 07979914429, Tapiwa Semwayo 07412236229, Collet Dube 07951516566.
• Zimbabwe Vigil
Highlights 2012 can be viewed on
this link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/the-vigil-diary/467-vigil-highlights-2012.
Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2012 Highlights
page.
• The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s
mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through
membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in
Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is
http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official
website of ROHR in no way represents the views and opinions of
ROHR.
• Facebook
pages:
-
Vigil: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts
-
ZAF: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zimbabwe-Action-Forum-ZAF/490257051027515
-
ROHR: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ROHR-Zimbabwe-Restoration-of-Human-Rights/301811392835
• Vigil Myspace
page:
http://www.myspace.com/zimbabwevigil.
• Useful
websites: www.zanupfcrime.com
which reports on Zanu PF abuses and www.ipaidabribe.org.zw where people can
report corruption in Zimbabwe
• Beyond Violence
contact details. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondviolenceorg,
Website: www.beyondviolence.org,
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Beyond_Violence.
Vigil
co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside
the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00
to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The
Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until
internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk
Following SADC Summit held on 12 June 2011 in Sandton, it became evident
that it was no longer business as usual at the regional grouping. Elections
in 2011 as agitated for by ZANU PF’s shameless but energetic spin-doctors
became elusive. Nevertheless, Jonathan Moyo and other zealots kept on
misleading the nation that elections would go ahead in 2011 without fail. It
is now winter 2013!
The historic Livingstone Troika Summit in March
2011, precursor to the
explosive Sandton meeting, marked a significant
turning point in the region’s
seemingly softly-softly approach to the
Zimbabwean crisis. It was at these
summits that gloves were taken off, so to
speak. Fuming, with rotten egg all
over the face, ZANU PF took the fight to
Sandton in June of the same year.
But SADC did not blink with regards to
free, fair and non-violent elections
in conformity with the GPA into which
MDC was literally dragged. We aren’t
forgetful.
Having lost the
battle south of the Limpopo, Jonathan Moyo, George Charamba
and other
pundits, returned home to deliver a free semantic lesson of
kindergarten
nature around the words “endorsed” and “noted”. At the
instigation of
Jonathan Moyo, Jameson Timba was arrested and persecuted for
telling the
SADC story as it was. Unfortunately for the bigots, Zuma and
Sadc developed
thick skin with each summit. ZANU PF has got nobody but
itself to
blame.
On 15 June 2013 in Maputo, a day that some would rather forget
quickly,
President Mugabe must have wondered if the world was crumbling
around him.
When he expected SADC to unconditionally unzip its purse, he was
bombarded
with embarrassing questions related to GPA implementation. As has
been noted
by many other commentators, I do not blame him totally for what
he went
through in Maputo. Rather, I also blame his advisors, most notably
the
seemingly regrouping Dinyane architects who are determined to expose and
disgrace the ageing president at the slightest opportunity. Late 2009,
Jonathan Moyo in one of his articles said “Mugabe is too tired to pull the
nation out of the woods”. Given this bold statement, I will leave the rest
to your imagination.
An insidious mission to deliver a devastating
ending to Gushungo’s
presidency by those closest to him is fast unfolding.
I’ve heard people
argue that there are times when one can redeem their
profession by the way
they end it. Sadly, for President Mugabe, this might
not be true. He may not
leave behind any semblance of reverential legacy
unless he does the right
thing and step down now. While this doesn’t worry
some of us who ceased to
subscribe to ZANU PF ideology many years ago, it is
certainly a concern for
ordinary Zimbabweans to see their national leader
(no matter how unpopular)
humiliated in front of the world by less than a
dozen bigots with dangerous
ambitions.
When Secretaries-General of
both MDCs suggest that the president should fire
his advisors, they say so
as genuinely concerned Zimbabweans with a clear
conscience who feel that
what transpired in Maputo could have been easily
avoided. Inadvertently,
SADC summits have become easy platforms for dressing
down the
emperor!
Ian Khama, as usual, did not mince his words when he asked
President Mugabe
why he continued to be preoccupied with the “bush war” that
ended 33 years
ago rather than economic development, education for kids,
disease and
poverty eradication, employment creation, free and fair
elections. This,
directed at an elder of a much senior generation, must be
cause for concern.
It appears what has now become known as the “chaos
faction” has finally
succeeded in reducing the president to a captive leader
or mere spectator.
For a founding father of his standing, this is both
gloomy and unfortunate.
In 2003, President Mugabe unilaterally withdrew
Zimbabwe from Commonwealth
after the grouping had been unwavering in calling
for observance of
democratic norms as well as demanding an end to the
culture of
state-sponsored political violence. It was then that the mantra
“African
solution for African problems” became louder and frequent. On a
number of
occasions especially during the protracted GPA negotiations,
several
“analysts” writing from Harare, Tsholotsho, Sydney and other parts
of the
planet, denigrated MDC for not having respect for African
institutions.
Paradoxically, Arthur Mutambara’s piercing voice remains
discernible in that
hymn.
Therefore, the natural question to ask is
“Is SADC still an African
institution? If yes, does it deserve respect?” As
we search for the answer,
one thing remains certain (some would say as clear
as mud); SADC will not
fund nor endorse a sham election in Zimbabwe. It’s
either reforms or diamond
money. In the past, out of respect for elders in
keeping with our African
culture of “Ubuntu”, diplomatic parlance was often
deployed with the hope
that common sense would prevail. Today, the language
and diction have become
more direct. Thanks to frustrating intransigence. In
the foreseeable future,
words are likely to be followed by or replaced with
appropriate action.
In order to identify his worst enemies, Gushungo
shouldn’t look beyond
Tsholotsho. But, for dismal failure at succession
planning, the master takes
most of the blame. A few years ago, asked for a
comment on the Zimbabwean
crisis, Madiba couldn’t have put it better “tragic
failure of leadership”.
As for the Constitutional Court, it is now time to
deal with the mounting
workload it has created for itself. Aita chake
ndihombarume!
Moses Chamboko writes in his personal capacity. He can be
contacted at
chambokom@gmail.com.
