An opposition political party in Zimbabwe has called on Southern African Development Community not to extend its tolerance on Zimbabwe saying the parties in the inclusive government are creating cosmetic disputes within themselves so as to delay the holding of fresh elections.
The political crisis in the host country as well as strife in the Indian ocean island of Madagascar will also come up for discussion at the two-day 29th summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The revived ZAPU says the performance of the President Mugabe’s ZANU PF, Prime Minister’s MDC-M and the smaller Arthur Mutambara faction makes them to be more convinced that the so called outstanding issues are just a way of prolonging their stay without going for elections.
“The performance of the inclusive government since its formation in March has convinced us that they are creating cosmetic disputes within themselves so as to delay the holding of fresh elections”, ZAPU Director Communication and Marketing Methuseli Moyo said.
Moyo said it is of great concern that the inclusive government have failed to implement an agreement they voluntarily entered into to constitute a transitional government and allow the country back to democracy for citizens to enjoy a truly normal and prosperous life.
“We feel time has come for SADC to compel the “feuding” parties to either resolve the so-called outstanding issues in the Global Political Agreement, or admit that the inclusive government is not working and allow SADC Heads of State and government to assist Zimbabweans find another way forward” said Moyo.
At the Summit, SADC will also conduct a six-month review of the performance of the inclusive government with special focus on the controversial distribution of ministerial mandates to political parties forming the unity government.
The MDC is looking forward to seeing a final resolution of outstanding matters to the GPA that continue to prevent the smooth running of the inclusive government. Key among the MDC’s concerns is the unilateral appointment by Mugabe, of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana.
ZAPU says the hopes that Zimbabweans had in the inclusive government continue to “thin by the day as it becomes clear that all the leadership of Zanu-PF and the two MDCs wanted was to share positions of power within themselves, and leave the people of Zimbabwe to endure more years of incomplete lives where access to water, electricity, education, food, shelter, and freedom, among other human rights, continue to be a privilege”
Zimbabweans deserve more than just food and groceries in supermarkets. They need a properly elected government as a matter of urgency to lead them in restoring the nation, which sadly the inclusive government is not prepared to do, Moyo said.
The summit in the DRC comes two weeks after outgoing chairperson South African President Jacob Zuma visited Zimbabwe to discuss the country’s power-sharing deal with Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara.
During the visit Zuma urged Western nations targeted sanctions against Mugabe and top leaders of his ZANU PF party. He also called on Zimbabwe’s political leaders to “to speed up implementation and to find solutions to disagreements” threatening the six-month-old Harare unity Government.
Analysts expect Zuma to take a tougher stance than his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, in seeking an end to the impasse and years of turmoil that have pushed millions of Zimbabweans to seek work in South Africa.
But they say the South African leader may face difficulties rallying the SADC against Mugabe who still commands a certain degree of respect among some regional leaders despite his disastrous policies in Zimbabwe.
