MDC contradicts SADC Communiqué on talks

Any hope of clarity coming out of the Zimbabwe talks were dashed on Tuesday when conflicting statements were issued by SADC and the MDC-T.

The SADC communiqué claimed that a breakthrough had been reached and an inclusive government was expected to be formed by mid February. SADC chairman and South African President Kgalema Motlanthe told reporters that MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai had agreed to form a unity government with Robert Mugabe and had agreed to the co-sharing of the disputed Home Affairs Ministry.

The communiqué stated that the parties would ‘endeavour to cause parliament to pass Constitutional Amendment 19 by 5th February,’ which would be followed by the swearing-in of the Prime Minister - Morgan Tsvangirai, and the Deputy Prime Ministers - Arthur Mutambara and Thokozani Khupe by 11th February.
Ministers and Deputy Ministers would then be sworn in on the 13th February, which would conclude the process of the formation of the inclusive government. The summit decided that the remaining ‘sticking points’ of the deal would be dealt with after a government had been implemented. These include the equitable allocation of disputed ministries.

On Tuesday ZANU PF leader Robert Mugabe added his support to the communiqué. He told reporters when he arrived back in Harare from the summit: "We hope that this will open up a new chapter in our political relations in the country and in structures of government."

However, the Tsvangirai MDC issued a statement saying the SADC communiqué fell far short of its expectations and its National Council would meet on Friday to define the party position.

The MDC stated: “It was our expectation that the SADC processes would be above board, and be beyond reproach. Regrettably, once again we note that Mr. Mugabe was allowed to sit-in during the closed session of the plenary meetings. Thus, once again Mr. Mugabe has been unfairly allowed to be a judge in his own cause.”

As usual Zimbabweans are left confused, not knowing who or what to believe. It is not clear what went down during the closed door session but judging by the conflicting statements from the MDC and SADC, nothing has changed and nothing has been clarified.

A Zimbabwean commentator Glen Mpani said: “I see no logic in the MDC referring the matter to their National Council, as the Council has already made its position clear on the conditions they would want to join the government, which unfortunately no inch of those demands has been met. The media reports clearly show that someone is being economic with the truth. It’s either SADC is so stubborn, to the extent that it is ignoring the objections from MDC-T in the communiqué. Or we have another moment of weakness in the MDC-T.”

South Africa based Zimbabwean journalist Basildon Peta said this has always been a game of ‘deceit,’ so nobody really knows what the truth is. However, he believes SADC is desperate to push this unity deal through and is pumping pressure on the MDC President.

Peta said: “Given an option, I would rather believe the MDC than SADC leaders who have been dishonest in their dealings with Zimbabwe, and they are pushing hard for the MDC to get into this government via this very flawed so-called political deal.”

A text message from a Zimbabwean listener said on Tuesday: “The tragedy for Zimbabwe is that there is less hope everyday and more and more anger.”

Meanwhile the website NewZimbabwe.com reports sharp differences have emerged within the MDC-T over the issue of joining a unity government. The website said the SADC communiqué was achieved through consensus and that Tsvangirai had agreed to the forming of a unity government. According to NewZimbabwe.com, Tsvangirai is facing stiff resistance from some members of his leadership, led by Secretary General Tendai Biti. It is reported the MDC President and his negotiators were locked in an emergency crisis meeting in South Africa on Tuesday. But we were not able to get a comment at the time of broadcast.

Meanwhile the SADC body has come under severe criticism for failing to issue a statement condemning the many human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Despite ample evidence and appeals from rights groups such as the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) and Human Rights Watch, the regional body failed to say anything about the tortures being perpetrated by the Zimbabwe government.

On Monday the ZLHR wrote a blistering letter to the leaders of SADC for standing by while the Mugabe regime continues to breach all the principles agreed upon by member states. The Rights Lawyers also said that the regime is guilty of committing violent abductions against the opposition and civic society.
They said the victims’ personal testimonies and medical confirmation of their physical and psychological injuries is on record, and has not been denied by agents of the state or their legal representatives. The lawyers also gave SADC a shocking list of human rights abuses that some of the individuals were subjected to, including, ‘a male abductee who was laid on railway tracks while a train was approaching and told to say his last prayers, as he was about to die.’
By Violet Gonda

They also said that all abductees were subjected to near starvation, some for a period of over 50 days, leading to many of them losing one third of their body weight during detention.”

South African newspapers on Tuesday also criticised their leaders, who suffered under apartheid but were now failing the people of Zimbabwe.

Speaking on SW Radio Africa recently, Botswana Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani said SADC had failed the people of Zimbabwe. “We think they’re confusing the part played by Mugabe during the liberation, and the part that he wants to play now when he has subjected himself to the will of the people. That is the reason SADC is divided and is divided because we simply don’t put the people first, but rather an individual and that is unfortunate.”

Source: SW Radio