Deal agreed, signing on Monday - Mbeki

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=3900#more-3900

September 11, 2008

By Our Correspondent

HARARE - A power-sharing deal has been reached between Zimbabwe's political
rivals following weeks of intense haggling between the major political
parties.

SADC-appointed broker Thabo Mbeki announced the major breakthrough late
Thursday at a hastily organised press briefing at the Rainbow Towers, venue
of the negotiations.

He told reporters that there had consensus had been achieved over the
formation of an all-inclusive government from the three sides represented at
the talks. President Robert Mugabe, and main MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai
and leader of a breakaway MDC faction Arthur Mutambara are the three
principals at the talks.

Mbeki told reporters that details of the power-sharing deal would be
announced to the public on Monday.

"They have all endorsed the document, signed it," Mbeki said

He said all parties had signed the deal without reservations.

Regional leaders are expected to attend the official signing ceremony
Monday.

Mbeki said he was confident that the international community would respond
to the economic challenges facing Zimbabwe so that the political agreement
could work.

"We will be back in Harare on Monday to participate in the formal ceremony
and the signing," Mbeki said.

The negotiations have been difficult and extended. It has been a challenge,
moderating the latest, the latest round started on Monday - leading to a
deal after four days of intense negotiations.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the parties had agreed on an all-inclusive
government and insisted that details will only be announced Monday.

Tsvangirai has during the duration of the talks demanded full control of
Cabinet. A source said the deal involved a Council of State that will be
chaired by Mugabe in a largely advisory role and the Council of ministers,
that will be chaired by Tsvangirai and would be responsible for the
day-to-day running of government.

Finer details however remained sketchy.

Mbeki said the talks had been absolutely crucial for South Africa, which
currently hosts almost  three million Zimbabwean exiles. Mbeki said he felt
his policy of quiet diplomacy has been vindicated.

"We never paid attention to criticism of quiet diplomacy," Mbeki said.
"Quiet diplomacy is quiet. If it's not quiet, then it's something else."

Mbeki apologised to journalists for the media blackout around the talks and
said he was glad all parties had respected their oath of secrecy and that it
had produced a positive outcome.

"This is not a facilitation outcome," Mbeki said. "It's a decision of the
people of Zimbabwe."

Mbeki was expected to leave for South Africa Friday then for Swaziland to
brief the SADC troika chair, King Mswati III on the deal.

Mugabe has been in power since independence in 1980. He lost the March 29
poll to Tsvangirai, who failed to reach the 50 percent threshold that would
have enabled him to form his own government. He later withdrew from the June
27 presidential run off vote, citing violence and restrictions to his
election campaign.

Zim power-sharing deal highlights

Zimbabwe has a deal: but is the Old Crocodile waiting to bite back?

The Times
September 12, 2008

Jan Raath, Martin Fletcher and Jonathan Clayton
"We've got a deal," Morgan Tsvangirai told journalists waiting in the lobby
of the Rainbow Towers hotel in Harare. It was the first news the world had
that he and President Mugabe had at long last thrashed out a power-sharing
agreement.

If they really have, and if it sticks, it will mean an extraordinary
alliance between Robert Mugabe and those who until yesterday were his
bitterest foes - people who have been spied on, beaten up and arrested and
seen friends and family killed by his thugs.

The on-again, off-again talks between Mr Tsvangirai and the man known to his
people as "the Old Crocodile" began on July 21 and had seemed to be
meandering towards failure. On Monday they were shrouded in gloom and
pessimism. Despite some optimistic noises from both parties on Wednesday,
The Herald - the state-run paper and propaganda organ for the ruling
regime - was repeating accusations that Mr Tsvangirai was taking orders from
the West and seeking to "reduce President Mugabe to a ceremonial leader.
That is obnoxious to the establishment here."

As the weeks passed, the derision of President Mbeki's "quiet diplomacy" and
mediation turned to a weary scorn. Frustrated by the lack of progress, the
EU was preparing to add more names to its list of figures subject to a visa
ban and whose assets had been frozen.

And yet on Wednesday Mr Mugabe was sounding upbeat. In a throwaway remark -
of which, with hindsight, the world should have taken more notice - he told
reporters: "I am optimistic. We are not born to be pessimistic, are we?"
Mr Mbeki, the South African President, certainly sounded positive as he
presented the agreement last night, although he urged the international
community to wait and scrutinise the details - and not rely on what they
thought should be in it. "It's made in Zimbabwe, it's made by Zimbabweans,"
he said. "The rest of the world needs to respect that the people of Zimbabwe
have taken a decision about their own country."

Peter Hain, Britain's Africa Minister, sounded a note of caution describing
President Mugabe as a "slippery customer". Mr Hain recalled how followers of
Joshua Nkomo, a former opposition leader, were killed despite Mr Nkomo
reaching an agreement with Mr Mugabe, his former comrade in the struggle
that ended with Zimbabwean independence in 1980.

"He [Mr Mugabe] effectively swallowed his party up and killed a lot of his
followers and obviously we don't want to see a repeat of that, but I don't
think Tsvangirai would have agreed to anything that could see an action
replay of what happed to Nkomo.

"I think that because Tsvangirai won the presidential election, and because
all the African leaders, however muted their criticisms may have been of
Mugabe, know that this crisis which Mugabe has created on his own is not
sustainable."

A Brussels-based diplomat who asked not to be named said: "We will see. The
devil is in the details. It is a bit too early to react. We will see at the
Council of EU Foreign Ministers [which meets on Monday]."

If the deal does stick, the new government will face an overflowing in-tray.
Zimbabwe has gone in a few years from the economic pride of Africa to utter
basketcase. One of its leading banks, Kingdom Bank, has said that the
country's inflation rate was more than 20 million per cent. Recently the
Government had to knock 13 zeros off the currency because banks and bank
machines simply could not cope with the mathematics.

In downtown Harare yesterday the banks were jammed with people hoping to
cash cheques or trying to move their money by electronic transfer. Outside
the queues at ATMs stretched for hundreds of people. The resentment of
customers was intensified by the realisation that by the time they got their
money, it would be worth less than when they started to queue.

The economic collapse is evident in frequent power cuts and water shortages,
in the mountains of uncollected rubbish and the broadening rivers of raw
sewage. Crime and corruption have exacerbated a crisis rooted in severe
food, fuel and foreign currency shortages.

The world has marvelled at pictures of Zimbabweans visiting the supermarket
carrying piles and piles of near-worthless notes - images that would be
laughable if they did not point to a human tragedy.

For anyone brave enough to speak out as a supporter of Mr Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change since the elections of March 29, violent
retribution has been a fact of life. Election workers have been beaten until
the flesh has fallen from their bones, made to sing songs in praise of Mr
Mugabe at allnight reeducation sessions, or murdered. Hundreds have gone
into hiding. Like the millions of Zimbabweans who have fled abroad - to
neighbouring countries, to Europe and America - they may start weighing up
plans to return home. Most will take their time to assess the political
settlement before deciding on their future - to see if the new dawn is a
true one.

The new unity government is expected to agree an emergency economic revival
programme, and to dispatch Mr Tsvangirai to mobilise vital financial and
food aid. Fully a third of Zimbabwe's 12 million citizens have fled the
country. Most of those that remain survive on barely a bowl of sadza -
mealie-meal porridge - a day. The most basic services, health, education,
transport, have all but collapsed. Zimbabwe now has the lowest life
expectancy in the world.

If Mr Mugabe is right, and we should be optimistic, then the only way is up.
The long road

1999 Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) forms as economic woes
persist

2000 Zanu (PF) narrowly holds off challenge from MDC, led by Morgan
Tsvangirai, in parliamentary elections

2002 Robert Mugabe is reelected as President

2003 Mr Tsvangirai is arrested twice and charged with treason

2004 Mr Tsvangirai cleared

March 2005 Zanu (PF) wins two thirds of the votes in parliamentary
elections, which the opposition says were rigged

May-July 2005 A "clean-up" programme destroys tens of thousands of homes,
many in areas where MDC has strong support

November 2005 Zanu (PF) wins majority of seats in the new Upper House of
Parliament

March 2007 Mr Tsvangirai in hospital after being arrested at a rally

June 2007 Zanu (PF) and the MDC hold preliminary talks in South Africa

March 2008 First round of parliamentary and deferred presidential elections
April 2008 Results released by Zimbabwe's electoral commission show Mr
Mugabe's party losing its majority in Parliament for first time

May 2008 Mr Tsvangirai declared winner of the presidential election, but
without the outright majority he needs

June 22 Tsvangirai withdraws from run-off to be held on June 27

June 29 Mugabe declared the winner by a landslide and sworn in as President

July 1 African Union leaders call for the formation of a government of
national unity

July 10 Zanu (PF) and the MDC begin preliminary talks in Pretoria

July 21 Deal signed that paves way for detailed talks

August 10-12 Power-sharing talks in Pretoria

August 25 Parliament sworn in

September 9-11 Talks leading to deal

Talks between Tsvangirai and Mugabe may be treacherous ...but better than blood on the streets

The Times
September 12, 2008

Jonathan Clayton: Analysis
Ironically, Morgan Tsvangirai may find the tortuous negotiations with
President Mugabe on a power-sharing deal the easy part.

He will now be sitting down with men who have arrested and beaten him and
his supporters for years and have no interest at all in making a success of
the new government.

Mr Mugabe, 84, who is in denial about the failings of his leadership and
particularly the violence unleashed by his henchmen, will relish a more
grandfatherly type of role, modelling himself on Nelson Mandela - the man he
considers usurped his position as Africa's greatest hero.

Mr Mugabe, who treats opposition figures like recalcitrant children, can be
very benign on a one-to-one basis, in sharp contrast to his henchmen who
control the security services and fear that the new government may try to
pursue them in the courts.

These men, who have effectively run the country through the shadowy Joint
Operational Command (JOC) since the disputed elections at the end of March,
have said time and again that they will not serve a man such as Mr
Tsvangirai, who did not fight in the guerrilla war of independence.
Whether the deal works or collapses before the ink is dry will depend
largely on the details, particularly the amount of power Mr Mugabe will
still retain and how he uses it.

With inflation at 11 million per cent and the food shelves bare, Mr Mugabe
had no option but to agree this deal. If the economic situation improves, he
and his supporters may well try to wriggle out of some of the concessions
they made. It would not be the first time that Mr Tsvangirai, never the
sharpest of politicians, has been duped. His opponents would be only too
happy for his reputation to be damaged by poor government, and the scale of
the task before him is so enormous that it is hard to see how he can
possibly meet the aspirations of the long-suffering population.

Here, the much maligned President Mbeki of South Africa will be critical. Mr
Mbeki has worked to achieve this accord and with his term of office ending
next year he will be keen to make sure it does not unravel. His role in
ensuring the adoption of a new constitution that severely reduces the power
of the president will be critical.

Mr Mbeki, the official mediator of the Southern Africa regional grouping,
SADC, has said that the new government and the deal that led to it will be
unveiled on Monday at a ceremony attended by regional heads of state.

SADC endorsement will make it hard for Britain and the European Union not to
deliver on a promised multimillion-pound rescue package, even though it will
stick in the throats of many effectively to bail out Mr Mugabe while he is
still in office.

Mr Mugabe's appetite for power has waned in recent months. He may decide to
step down in six months to a year, but has made it clear that he will only
allow real power to be wielded by members of the ruling Zanu (PF) party.

The new government will therefore be dogged by in-fighting and power
struggles. But the world will hope that the violence will no longer be on
the streets.

Press conference with Tsvangirai and Mugabe was nearly pleasant

The Times
September 12, 2008

Jan Raath in Harare
It's been a risky business being the only white face in a crowd of blacks,
most of whom are very unpleasant secret agents or media police, in the lobby
of the hotel where the crisis negotiations have been going on for the last
four days.

The last time the negotiations were under way, last month, a white
journalist was arrested and the other two present slipped out of a side
door. So my presence at the talks has been fleeting - ten minutes a few
times a day to consult with my more safely hued colleagues.

I was at home last night when Colin called to say Mbeki would be holding a
press conference. To announce failure, I was sure. I arrived minutes after
Morgan Tsvangirai had left. "He said it's a deal," said Colin. "He was
beaming. He was so pleased, he didn't know what to do with himself."

I stood in amazement. Everyone in Zimbabwe has been disappointed so often
that we were like a nation of a serially cuckolded husbands. This was a
strange experience. I waited with the crowd on the row of steps for Mr Mbeki
to come out of the lift and into the lobby and address us.

I never thought there were so many journalists left in Zimbabwe after the
regime's vicious predations on the press. "No there are not," said Phillip.
"Look how many there are in suits and not carrying notebook or a camera." A
white man, allegedly a foreigner, was frogmarched away earlier, he said.
There was a handful of Chinese to the side of group. I wondered if I should
join them.
I stayed put, determined to brave it out, to make a loud scene if any spook
tried to "pick" me, as local parlance has it. They won't do it now. I
thought. I am sure that, whatever the agreement, they wouldn't dare now.

Suddenly the mass of journalists turned as one and scurried up the stairs.
We were going to have the luxury of a proper press conference in a
conference room. With chairs. Would they try and stop me going in? Let 'em
try now, I said. Gosh, I'm getting bold all of a sudden.

Whatever the deal contains, it will mean Mr Mugabe will never be the same.
Unless Mr Tsvangirai and his entire cohort of lawyers, advisers and
consultants had been drugged, they would not have accepted a deal that would
give Mr Mugabe anything like the absurd range of powers he was demanding
when this four-day session began. It means he will have the completely
foreign experience of having to share power with someone else, with one he
loathes. He will have to consult, and share meetings where he will not be
treated as a god.

Mr Mugabe must have slipped out of the building when we trooped up to the
conference room. He's not normally one to dodge the cameras.

As I sat in the conference hall waiting for Mr Mbeki, I mused over Mr Mugabe's
constant incantation. "Morgan Tsvangirai will never, never, never rule this
country." Sorry, Bob. You've just opened the door.

Zanu-PF and MDC cannot mix, Mugabe

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=3876

September 11, 2008

By Our Correspondent

BULAWAYO - President Robert Mugabe on Thursday cast doubt over any prospect
of the signing of a power-sharing deal with MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai,
saying the MDC and Zanu-PF "will never mix".

Mugabe told traditional chiefs attending a Chief's Council annual conference
in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city that a unity deal between
Zanu-PF and the MDC was like water and fire.

"Thabo Mbeki is much more patient than us because it is not easy to put
together a positive and a negative. Putting Zanu-PF and the MDC together to
work together is like mixing water and fire.

"It is quite difficult for these parties to be friends especially if one
party is being supported and sponsored by the outside countries that are
pushing for a regime change agenda. They want Mugabe to go. Ahambe ngaphi
(To go where)," asked Mugabe in the Ndebele language of the western
Matabeleland region of Zimbabwe of which Bulawayo is the capital.

Talks between the MDC and Zanu-PF resumed this week after they deadlocked
over two weeks ago on the splitting of executive powers between Mugabe and
Tsvangirai.  The talks reportedly deadlocked after Tsvangirai refused to
sign a power sharing deal that would have relegated him to a junior role to
Mugabe.

However, reports say South African President Thabo Mbeki has come up with a
new proposal amid indications and optimism that Mugabe and Tsvangirai were
in principle agreeable to the current proposal.

"So far so good," Mugabe was quoted as saying when he emerged from the
closed-door meeting at the Rainbow Towers Hotel on Wednesday night.

Tsvangirai, emerging from the talks said: "I must say that very little is
left (to discuss)."

However, Mugabe on Thursday, while addressing traditional from all over
Zimbabwe in territory that is traditionally hostile to his Zanu-PF party,
said there was no progress on the sticking point relating to the splitting
of power between him and Tsvangirai. Earlier on, the government mouthpiece,
The Herald, reported that prospects for a power sharing deal were bleak.

"We are still stuck at the same point where those from the Movement for
Democratic Change still want to govern. They want Mugabe to go," the
president told the chiefs.

A SADC security summit due to kick off on Wednesday had been deferred amid
speculation that Mugabe and Tsvangirai could append their signatures to
Mbeki's latest power-sharing proposal either on Thursday or on Friday.

INSTANT VIEW - Reaction to Zimbabwe power-sharing deal

Yahoo News

Reuters - 42 minutes ago
"I think this (power-sharing deal) - (Reuters) - Below is reaction to
Zimbabwe's power-sharing agreement reached between President Robert Mugabe
and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday.

LOVEMORE MADHUKU, HEAD OF NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY

PRESSURE GROUP

"The deal is more of a capitulation by the MDC than by ZANU-PF because I
believe Mugabe gets to keep most of his powers while Tsvangirai will have
some cosmetic executive authority".

"The fact that Mugabe remains in power as head of state and head of
government means the MDC is the one coming into this deal as a junior
partner.

"I believe that under this arrangement the MDC will now be neutralised as a
political force. But we will have to wait to see how the union will work but
generally the people of Zimbabwe were also looking for some kind of
settlement.

"I think this (power-sharing deal) is something all the parties will be able
to explain to their local constituencies as necessary".

JOHN MAKUMBE, POLITICAL ANALYST AND MUGABE CRITIC.

"It (the agreement) was overdue for the sake of the nation. We don't know
the details yet but this is a move in the right direction. There is only one
person who can bring something to the table, that is Morgan Tsvangirai and
the MDC, but it is crucial to see what powers will be invested in the prime
minister.

"The prime minister must have powers which facilitates the implementation of
change so that we democratise Zimbabwe's political system and revamping the
national economy. Tsvangirai needs meaningful executive powers and to have
his hands on the critical state machinery such as the security structures in
the country.

"The deal will hold depending on who will have control of the cohesive
machinery of the state. If these are still in Mugabe's hands the deal will
unravel and we will soon be back to the negotiating table".

ALVISE MARINO, EMERGING MARKETS ECONOMIST, IDEAGLOBAL

"First of all it's great news, or at least I hope so. In terms of
investment, the very short term will not have much of an impact on Zimbabwe
right now. In terms of immediate market reaction we'll see it ... in South
Africa on the rand most probably.

"In terms of the medium and long-term outlook, the main problem I think will
be liquidity, the complete unreliability of the currency and the problem of
inflation there. Assuming that the opening on the political front will bring
also an opening through the economic front, I would assume that over the
next year or two we will see a strong influx of foreign currency.

"It's really hard to tell at the moment, it's really an open canvas at this
point. In terms of natural resources, Zimbabwe is an extremely rich country
and I think it will attract a lot in terms of mining, especially with the
industry declining in other parts.

"In South Africa right now, the mining industry is not exactly doing very
well, so I think that will open a lot of opportunities especially for South
African firms which are probably going to have a somewhat easier time
entering the market compared to say American or in general, Western firms."

EUROPEAN UNION DIPLOMAT

"We will see, the devil is in the details, it is a bit too early to react.
We will see at the Council (of EU foreign ministers who will meet on Monday
in Brussels).

The Brussels-based diplomat, who asked not to be named, pointed out that
ministers had planned to discuss Zimbabwe anyhow.

"We will see on Monday how the power is shared and if the opposition has
more than a symbolic role."

MARTIN RUPIYAH, DIRECTOR OF AFRICA RESEARCH, CRANFIELD

UNIVERSITY

"There appears now to be a reluctance to come out from ZANU-PF, which means
there have been major concessions from the government side in my view -- not
only agreeing an executive prime minister's role for Morgan Tsvangirai but
maybe a sharing of security posts.

"I don't think we are out of the woods yet in terms of the Zimbabwe crisis.
There are a number of pieces that still have to fall into place. One is the
role of the military. That still has to be addressed directly. Also in the
recent weeks or days there has been an upsurge in violence. The
infrastructure for state-sponsored violence is still in place. I still have
my doubts as to how this deal will impact the structures on the ground."

(Reporting by Matthew Tostevin in London; Ingrid Melander in Brussels;
Stella Mapenzauswa in Johannesburg; MacDonald Dzirutwe and Cris Chinaka in
Harare)

ANALYSIS: Sliver of light in Zimbabwe's long night: unity deal agreed

http://www.monstersandcritics.com

Africa News
By Clare Byrne Sep 11, 2008, 21:12 GMT

Johannesburg/Harare - After a decade-long political and economic crisis in
Zimbabwe, Africa's 'sinking Titanic' - as Zambia's deceased president Levy
Mwanawasa once called his neighbouring country - was headed for shore
Thursday as the 28-year stranglehold on power of President Robert Mugabe was
finally prised loose.

In an historic development, South African President Thabo Mbeki announced
that the authoritarian octogenarian had agreed to a deal to share control of
Zimbabwe with his arch-rival, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader
Morgan Tsvangirai, whom Mugabe has long disparaged as a puppet of the West.

Although details of the agreement have yet to be released, negotiations had
centred on a French-style cohabitation agreement, where Mugabe would remain
president and Tsvangirai would occupy the resurrected post of prime
minister. Mbeki said the deal would be formally announced Monday in the
presence of regional heads of state.

The African Union had proposed a unity government, modelled on the
arrangement that ended weeks of bloodshed in Kenya, as a solution to
Zimbabwe's protracted political and economic crisis.

The deal came at the end of four days of talks in Harare that followed on
several previous aborted attempts by Mbeki to bridge the differences between
Mugabe and Tsvangirai on how to divvy up power.

Tsvangirai had been demanding full control of government, while Mugabe had
been insisting he retain significant powers on the basis of his
controversial victory in one-man presidential run-off elections in June.

Tsvangirai won the first round of voting for president, but garnered too few
votes for an outright victory. He boycotted the run- off over a spate of
state-sponsored killings of his supporters.

Mbeki reportedly brought new proposals to the table on Monday, including a
proposal that the two men share control of cabinet. The duration of the
unity government had been another major sticking point. The MDC had been
called for a transitional authority leading to new elections, while Mugabe
was insisting on a full-term government.

Tsvangirai had been under pressure from his supporters and from Western
powers that back the MDC not to cave in to pressure within southern Africa
to accept a junior partnership under Mugabe.

It remained to be seen whether the deal agreed upon would strip Mugabe of
enough powers to please Britain, the United States and other countries that
have pledged to plough money into Zimbabwe's reconstruction, but only if
Tsvangirai and the MDC wield real power.

Whatever the deal, it will give the MDC its first real taste of power since
it was founded nine years ago in response to Mugabe's growing
authoritarianism.

But observers have predicted a bumpy road for any government comprising the
longtime foes.

Many MDC members are still nursing injuries, both physical and
psychological, after being repeatedly harassed, detained and even beaten by
state forces over the past eight years.

Since March, scores of party supporters have been killed by Mugabe
supporters and thousands forced from their homes.

Mugabe got a taste of the MDC's anger first-hand when he opened parliament
last month to deafening jeers.

Thursday's agreement is above all a triumph for Mbeki on the eve of his exit
from power at the end of two terms next year.

Mbeki's nine years of 'quiet diplomacy' in Zimbabwe had often been pilloried
as biased towards Mugabe and ineffective.

In the end, it was the rock-bottom state of Zimbabwe's economy that drove a
reluctant Mugabe to the negotiating table. With inflation running at 11.2
million per cent and food in critically short supply, Mugabe is counting on
the Western-backed MDC to act as a magnet for much-needed foreign aid and
investment.

In an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in February, Tsvangirai
estimated 'at least 5 to 10 billion dollars' would be needed to turn around
the world's fastest shrinking economy.

The Zimbabwean government will also be looking to woo back some of the
between 2 and 3 million Zimbabweans who have fled the country over the past
decade, taking with them precious skills.

Zim deal should reflect March vote result: Brown

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

     

            by Own Correspondent Friday 12 September 2008

JOHANNESBURG - Britain wants power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's
political rivals to yield a deal that reflects the outcome of the March 29
elections in which the opposition beat President Robert Mugabe and his
ruling ZANU PF party.

"We want an outcome that reflects the democratic will of the Zimbabwean
people," Brown told the media in London on Thursday.

Mugabe, opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai
and Arthur Mutambara, who heads a faction of the opposition, on Thursday
concluded power-sharing talks under the mediation of South African President
Thabo Mbeki, reaching an agreement that will see them form a government of
national unity.

"We want an outcome particularly that reflects the election that was the
first election when obviously the MDC party showed that it had popular
support," he said, adding that Britain hoped for "a transition so that it is
possible for the MDC and those people who have been legitimately elected to
be able to have their legitimate place in the government of Zimbabwe".

Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in the first round presidential voting on March
29 although he failed to secure the margin required to takeover the
presidency.

The March vote is widely regarded as more credible than a second round
run-off poll on June 27 won by Mugabe who was the only candidate after
Tsvangirai pulled out because of state-sponsored violence against his
supporters. Western nations and several African countries have refused to
recognise the June poll.

"We will judge our response by the extent to which that has happened," Brown
said.

Analysts say only a government of national unity could be able to tackle
Zimbabwe's long-running crisis marked by political violence and a bitter
recession seen in the world's highest inflation of more than 11 million
percent, 80 percent unemployment, shortages of food and basic commodities.

Britain, the southern African country's former colonial power, and other
Western donor nations whose financial support is vital to any effort to
revive Zimbabwe's crumbled economy insist that they would back a unity
government only if its executive head is Tsvangirai. - ZimOnline

Agreement 'a good deal' for Zimbabwe: opposition

africasia

 HARARE , Sept 11 (AFP)

A power-sharing deal clinched by Zimbabwe's political rivals should help the
country move forward, a spokesman for the Movement for Democratic Change
opposition said Thursday.

"This a good deal for Zimbabwe. It is not about ZANU-PF (Mugabe's party) or
MDC, people should now move forward for the national good," Nelson Chamisa,
spokesman for the MDC headed by Morgan Tsvagirai, told AFP after the
agreement was announced.

He did not give any details of the deal. South African President Thabo
Mbeki, the mediator in the talks, said that the details of the agreement
will be made public after a formal signing ceremony next Monday.

The MDC spokesman said his party was satisfied with the outcome.

"When we entered these negotiations our objective was to have a new
constitutional, national healing, improved welfare of the people, recovery
of the economy, that there is food for the people," Chamisa told AFP.

"Our objective has been met," he added.

Zimbabwe's crisis intensified after President Robert Mugabe's widely
condemned re-election in a June run-off. Tsvangirai boycotted the run-off
despite finishing ahead of Mugabe in the March first round, citing violence
against his supporters.

Zimbabweans, World, react to GNU deal

http://www.hararetribune.com

Thursday, 11 September 2008 21:03 Trymore Magomana

There was instant reaction to the news that Robert Mugabe and Morgan
Tsvangirai had agreed on a power sharing deal. Views ranged from  the
positive to the pessimistic.

++Taurai Gumbo, Epworth, Harare: "The news that a GNU deal had been reached
came to me as a shock. At first I thought somebody was playing a prank on
me. This is the best news that i have received since Mugabe was defeated on
March 29."

++Samson Ndlovu, Luton, UK: "This is great news. Although i'm happy, i would
like to warn my fellow Zimbabweans that don't pop open the champagne
bottles, yet. Wait until Monday to see what was agreed on"

++ Christine Harrison, New York City, US: "I'm celebrating right now. I know
for sure that the deal agreed on is the best deal ever. Didn't our leader
Morgan Tsvangirai tell us MDC supporters that he will not sign a deal that
will not bring change to Zimbabwe? Didn't he say that? So, if he agreed to
this deal, it means change is coming to Zimbabwe. This is a new begining for
Zimbabwe."

++MARTIN RUPIYAH, DIRECTOR OF AFRICA RESEARCH, CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY: "There
appears now to be a reluctance to come out from ZANU-PF, which means there
have been major concessions from the government side in my view -- not only
agreeing an executive prime minister's role for Morgan Tsvangirai but maybe
a sharing of security posts."

"I don't think we are out of the woods yet in terms of the Zimbabwe crisis.
There are a number of pieces that still have to fall into place. One is the
role of the military. That still has to be addressed directly. Also in the
recent weeks or days there has been an upsurge in violence. The
infrastructure for state-sponsored violence is still in place. I still have
my doubts as to how this deal will impact the structures on the ground."

++African National Congress (ANC), Pretoria, South Africa: " This is an
important agreement for South Africa," ANC party spokeswoman Jessie Duarte
said. "The outcome of a peaceful settlement for Zimbabwe will bring a great
deal of prosperity and peace to the SADC region and we congratulate
President [Thabo] Mbeki for this remarkable achievement."

++South Africa Govt., Pretoria, South Africa: "The agreement has once more
underlined our often-stated view that only the people of Zimbabwe, acting
with the support of the international community, can author their own
destiny out of the current political and economic challenges facing their
country," read a statement by SA foreign affairs department spokesman Ronnie
Mamoepa.

++ Thomas Shumba, Harare Tribune staff: "Instead of celebrating, i will wait
until i know what is on the document. What did Tsvangirai and Mugabe agree
on? Will the GNU last for 5 years as ZANU-PF demanded? When will Zimbabwe
get a new constitution? What role was Mutambara given? What of the people,
the ZANU-PF militia who killed people? Have they been given amnesty? What
about people like Gen. Chiwenga, ZRP Commissioner Chihuri who said they will
not salute Morgan Tsvangirai? What will become of them? I will only
celebrate once these and other questions that i have have been answered."

(reporting by Tandazo Khumalo in Harare, Pedzisai Ncube in UK, Trymore
Magomana in US and Reuters) Send your reaction to the GNU deal to
NEWS@HARARETRIBUNE.COM

Zimbabwe after the deal

 

Thursday, 11 September 2008 20:59 UK

By Martin Plaut BBC News, Africa analyst Zimbabwe's government has been struggling to contain hyperinflation The deal that has now been reached between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai opens the way for international donors to help to revive Zimbabwe's economy. Since the Mugabe government began seizing white-owned farms eight years ago, the country has gone into rapid decline. It is now the fastest shrinking economy in the world. This marks the moment that the international community gets behind Zimbabwe's attempts to revive its collapsing economy. But the deal alone is not enough. Fishmongers Group Donors have been meeting for the past 18 months to discuss how to react. What is clear is that not all whites are likely to get back their land The meetings of what is known as the Fishmongers Group - after the restaurant in Harare where the discussions first took place - established criteria for their participation. They are looking for two key decisions: for the new government to lift the restrictions on the distribution of aid across Zimbabwe and for the authorities to approach the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help to stabilise the economy. Once this is done the donors plan to come in with a package of aid worth $1-1.5bn (£568-852m) a year. This will represent a three- or four-fold increase in the aid that Zimbabwe currently receives. Britain - the former colonial power - plans to immediately double its aid from the current level of $90m (£51m) a year. Breadbasket again? Donors are optimistic that Zimbabwe could rebound rapidly. The country's infrastructure - its roads, dams and airports - are largely sound. The world can now try to help Zimbabwe revive its fortunes It also has a large pool of well educated people, many of whom are expected to flood home from neighbouring South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. In five to 10 years the country would be expected to be back on its feet. But there will still be difficult questions to resolve. In particular, what to do about the land seized from the white farmers. That, say the donors, will have to be resolved by Zimbabweans themselves, although foreign finances could ease the process. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change plans to establish a land claims commission. What is clear is that not all whites are likely to get back their land. At the same time the ruling party's elite - who were given a number of choice farms - will not be allowed to keep all the farms they took. Donors believe that the key is that there is security of tenure, for only then will anyone be prepared to put money into agriculture - a sector of the economy that once made the country the breadbasket of southern Africa.

Zim gold producers appeal to Mugabe for payment

http://www.zimonline.co.za/

     

            by Cuthbert Nzou Friday 12 September 2008

HARARE - Zimbabwe's Chamber of Mines has appealed to President Robert Mugabe
to intervene on miners' behalf and order the country's central bank to pay
US$25 million for gold bullion delivered to the bank since March this year.

In a letter to Misheck Sibanda, the chief secretary to Mugabe and the
Cabinet, the Chamber said a Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe gold buying firm was
refusing to pay what it owed the gold producers, adding that this could
affect production this year.

The gold buyer, Fidelity Printers and Refiners, is the only one permitted by
law to buy the precious metal from the country's 354 registered gold
producers, that include 21 primary, 252 small-scale miners and 81 custom
millers under a government support price facility, which however is below
world market prices.

Under this facility, producers are paid 55 percent of the deliveries in
foreign currency with the remaining 45 percent being paid in local currency.

The Chamber's letter dated August 28 read in part: "We respectfully write
this letter to humbly seek your intervention on behalf of the gold producers
in Zimbabwe as we have exhausted all other avenues, in an attempt to receive
payment due to them for gold bullion delivered to Fidelity Printers and
Refiners from as far back as March of this year."

The chamber said numerous efforts to engage the central bank and the
ministries of finance and mining were in vain, forcing them to seek Mugabe's
intervention.

The gold producers also blamed delays in payment for "reversing the trend"
of gold production, which at peak surged to 27 metric tonnes in 1999.

"In recent months gold producers have experienced delays in the payment of
the Zimbabwe dollar component of revenue from gold delivered to Fidelity
Printers and Refiners. This situation has the potential to cause severe
labour relations problems as gold producers face challenges in paying
salaries and wages," the letter read

Efforts to get comment from Sibanda and the Reserve Bank governor Gideon
Gono were in vain. - ZimOnline

Chiefs attack Mugabe's govt for failing to deliver

http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com

11th Sep 2008 20:45 GMT

By a Correspondent

BULAWAYO - Chiefs, who are attending their annual conference here, blamed
the government on Wednesday for failing to provide food to the people,
especially in rural areas.

The traditional leaders appeared uncharacteristically frank in their remarks
at the four-day conference, which started on Tuesday.

Mugabe officially opened the conference earlier today.

They complained of rampant corruption, involving senior politicians, the
army, police and civil servants in the distribution of maize and farm
implements.

One chief even jolted the Deputy Minister of Agriculture David Chapfika,
telling him that the rosy report on food imports and distribution that the
minister had made to the gathering was not reflective of the dire hunger
stalking the rural folk.

"You are not going to the ground to see the situation there," Chief
Chiweshe, from Mashonaland East told the visibly shaken deputy minister.

"You are not going to the Grain Marketing Board depots to see what is
happening there. If you were, you would not be reading that speech which was
written for you, because it's very different from what is happening on the
ground."

Chiefs are generally seen as pro-government, but this time around, they
apparently chose to be honest about the hunger that is most visible in the
countryside.

Reports of near starvation have been told over the past few months after the
government banned food relief agencies from operating.

Although the ban was rescinded last week, millions of people, who depended
on food handouts from non-governmental organisations, are living on the
brink of starvation as the NGOs' work is still limited.

"There is hunger in the countryside," Chief Chiweshe continued.

"The tonnes of maize that you are talking about are not reaching the people.
Perhaps there is no hunger at your home. Grain is being moved, but we don't
know where to."

The traditional leader said this after Chapfika had presented a report,
giving details of the food imports.

Chapfika acknowledged that the country was failing to import enough maize.
He said the country is receiving between 10 000 and 25 000 metric tonnes of
maize weekly far less than 35 000 tonnes needed for weekly consumption.

The government has imported some 221 000 metric tonnes of the staple from
October last year.  Some 880 000 tonnes are still to be moved in out of the
1,1 million metric tonnes that have been ordered.

Another traditional leader, Chief Makore from Gutu lambasted politicians for
selling maize on the thriving black market in foreign currency.  This makes
it impossible for the ordinary villager to buy the maize, said the chief.

"This country is being destroyed by chefs. Those who are called honourable.
After voting for them, they forget about us and treat us like fools,' he
said.

Chief Fortune Charumbira, a senator and president of the Zimbabwe Council of
Chiefs, said the provincial food taskforces, that draw officials from the
army, CIO and other civil servants were leading in corrupt deals, especially
in Masvingo.

"In my area," said Chief Charumbira, "even members of the district taskforce
are complaining, because members of the provincial taskforce are not doing
their job properly. They are enriching themselves because of side-marketing
of maize and we know some members of the taskforce who are building
mansions."

He added:

"Elections are gone and we have to be frank because during elections, we
tend to hide some things.  We need to say the truth otherwise we will sink
together."

JAG open letter forum - No. 562 - Dated 10 September 2008

Email: jag@mango.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw

Please send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to
jag@mango.zw with "For Open Letter Forum" in the subject line.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
POEMS FOR THE DAY

1. "Headquarters - it's time to move"
Fambai Zvakanaka

There is a Pub
In Rotten Road
It's called the "concrete skud"
But to those who are really in the know
It's called the "bloody rooster"
It's the favourite place of comrades-in-arms
As they plot their fellow's downfall
And as we cogitate our future
There are those who would negotiate
With those said comrades
And yes, relief we want but at what price
Will it e 'shake shake' all round?
Will those who cling - let go and let the tide of change so long denied now
start to flow?
Will there come a day when Bob and his 'wailers' don't rule the road?
Will there come a day when people freely wave at passers-by and traffic on
the road?
We yet yearn a break from this endemic culture of iniquity that for too long
has shrouded itself in the guise of liberator
Let us seek first the Kingdom of God and these things;
Justice, freedom, peace and love will be added unto us
Dear Lord, hear the prayer of your people Zimbabwe

By: The Jacaranda

2. "Heading South"

The Shattered Skeletons of motorcars
And ... the stripped soles of rolling donkeys
Litter the verges of this black artery through Africa
Every now and again Baobabs punctuate the veldt
Young ones and old witness to this timeless land.
Donkeys, cattle, goats, people live in the surrounds
And in the distance grey hills rise like pyramids
The colours that we see;
Orange, sunburnt green, brown and 'has-been-white'.
A dead donkey, victim of a hit and run,
Lies rotting, more desiccated by the sun
Whilst others graze the tramlines seeking sustenance in this parched land
A vacant bus-stop waves its fading sigh
Testimony to this land's sad decline
Crows upon the road, Fast food consuming:
Dissipating quickly, Last night's road-kill:
Perhaps a goat.
A woman carries water on her head
How far, who knows?
Life comes, Life goes
More donkeys, in herds
30 maybe more
And now trucks inward laden, bearing grain for a starving nation
The kilometers pass by
A group of people on the right
Forlorn, dejected, disgorged by their crashed bus
When will this journey end, O God, when?

By: The Jacaranda