Zimbabwe News Update: Kabila Expected Next Week

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Herald Reporter

The Democratic Republic of the Congo President and Sadc chairman Joseph
Kabila is expected in the country early next week on a state visit.

In an interview with The Herald on Thursday, DRC ambassador to Zimbabwe
Mr Mawampanga Mwana Nanga confirmed the visit.

Ambassador Mwana Nanga said President Kabila’s visit had nothing to do
with MDC-T’s disengagement from the inclusive Government.

"He told President Mugabe at the Sadc summit held in Kinshasa that it
had been long since he last came to Zimbabwe and said he was coming," he
said.

Ambassador Mwana Nanga said President Kabila reiterated the pledge when
Prime Minister Tsvangirai visited DRC to garner support for his partial
disengagement from the inclusive Government.

"Then when Prime Minister Tsvangirai visited DRC, President Kabila told
him that what he was going through was 10 times less than what he had
gone through."

President Kabila and his late father Laurent Desire Kabila fought a
protracted battle against rebels that wanted to topple the Government.

He said President Kabila also told PM Tsvangirai that he was coming to
Zimbabwe.

"He said he would be coming to Zimbabwe to share his experiences with
our brothers on running an inclusive Government," Ambassador Mawapanga
said.

Asked when exactly President Kabila was coming to Zimbabwe, he said
early next week.

Ambassador Mwana Nanga was among Sadc ambassadors who met the
representatives of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security on
Thursday in Harare.

The Troika is in Harare assessing the implementation of the GPA.

Ambassador Mwana Nanga equated the current misunderstanding between
Zanu-PF and the MDC-T to "marital squabbles" bound to be solved through
dialogue.

Zimbabwe and the DRC enjoy good relations dating back to the days when
the late President Laurent Kabila was in power.


Sadc Troika to meet on Zimbabwe

By Takunda Maodza

THE Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security will soon convene an
ordinary summit of the Troika where a report of its ministerial
delegation to Zimbabwe and Lesotho will be presented.

Addressing the Press in Harare yesterday after a two-day visit to
Zimbabwe to review the Global Political Agreement, head of delegation
and Mozambique Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Oldemiro Baloi said the
parties in the inclusive Government expressed their commitment to
continue working together.

He, however, could not give a date and venue for the summit that will
bring together Mozambique’s President Armando Guebuza, Zambia’s
President Rupiah Banda and Swaziland’s King Mswati III.

Earlier in the day, MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai claimed the
delegation had promised to convene a Sadc extraordinary summit on
Zimbabwe.

However, this was dispelled as it later emerged that the summit was an
ordinary meeting where President Guebuza — as Organ chair — would
receive a report on the delegation’s visits to Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

President Guebuza retains the discretion to invite all regional leaders
to the summit.

Head of delegation Dr Baloi said: "We are supposed to prepare a report
and send it to chairman of the Organ and to do our best to convene a
summit of the Troika as soon as possible." Asked for a date and venue,
he said: "We are still consulting. Heads of state have heavy schedules
and I cannot tell you where it will take place but trust me, it will be
soon, very soon."

Speaking to journalists after the delegation paid him a courtesy call at
Zanu-PF Headquarters in the capital, President Mugabe dismissed
perceptions that the Troika summit was an MDC-T victory.

President Mugabe said the perception was "MDC-T propaganda and cheap
politicking", adding, "Zanu-PF is a serious party".

He said the summit had nothing to do with MDC-T’s tour of the region or
calls for such a meeting, pointing out it was an ordinary and procedural
summit that naturally followed the ministerial delegation’s visits to
Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Dr Baloi was heading a delegation comprising Zambian Deputy Foreign
Affairs Minister Professor Fashion Phiri, Swazi Foreign Affairs Minister
Mr Lutho Dhlamini and Sadc executive secretary Dr Tomaz Salamao.

Dr Baloi urged dialogue among parties to the GPA saying Sadc was only
there to "help Zimbabweans help themselves".

"In our interaction with stakeholders we made it clear that problems
have to be solved first and foremost by Zimba-bweans themselves. All of
us are there to help them help themselves."

The delegation appealed to Zanu-PF and the MDC formations "to be
consistent by reserving inclusiveness of Government in all instances".

Dr Baloi said the three parties should intensify dialogue and speed up
the implementation of the GPA.

He said parties to the GPA agreed that the current situation was
undesirable.

The delegation said the inclusive Government had changed the face of the
country within a short period of time despite the challenges it was
facing.

Dr Baloi described President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s
working relationship as "good and cordial".

He said President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai met on Monday and would meet
again next week.

"Three things remained clear to us: that the inclusive Government has
significantly changed the face of Zimbabwe, there are unequivocal
successes, there are still problems to be solved and all stakeholders
are fully committed to the inclusive Government.

"For Sadc, this was once again something we were pleased to hear," Dr
Baloi said.

He said the agreement signed by the parties was "highly demanding" in
terms of time and effort and this had contributed to some of the
difficulties.

The ministerial delegation did not, however, get a commitment from MDC-T
that ministers from that party would attend to Government business.

"We did not get any commitment from him (Mr Tsvangirai)," Dr Baloi said.

During deliberations, MDC-T raised concerns over the appointments of the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, the Attorney-General and provincial
governors among others.

Pullout won’t affect State operations: President

By Sydney Kawadza

President Mugabe has assured the nation that he will not allow MDC-T’s
"disengagement" from the inclusive Government to affect State
operations.

Opening the 78th Ordinary Session of Zanu-PF’s Central Committee at the
party’s headquarters yesterday, President Mugabe said MDC-T had proved
that it was not a "true and genuine partner".

"We must no longer trust those who pretend to be in the inclusive
Government and have jumped in and out of it.

"They can never be true and genuine partners and have proved to be
dishonest.

"We, however, want to assure that we will not allow the situation to
continue like that."

He said MDC-T had "disengaged" from Zanu-PF when the party was not
Government but only a part of it.

"Zanu-PF is not Government, but in Government. It is part of Government
like the other two parties.

"Cabinet is not a party affair. That kind of hypocrisy should be seen as
it is.

"What kind of sincerity is that? We go into Government, form policies,
hold investment conferences, (but) we have a part of the Government
striking against themselves. Zvinorevei?

"Ko Zanu-PF zvairiko kuParliament, we have a majority with the two
Houses combined.

"What we know is that they are driven by Rhodesians who want to come
back and take back the land.

"They are also driven by their European sponsors. They are agents of
Europe, they want regime change here."

He said Government would move on regardless of this action.

Zanu-PF’s First Secretary said the inclusive Government was formed to
achieve set objectives.

"We are meeting in the ninth month after the formation of the inclusive
Government, and we being the important party in the Government which has
yielded the President, it is our duty to examine it, how it has affected
the Government and the party.

"There are two sides — the debit side and the credit side.

"What good things have emerged from our being in the inclusive
Government?

"Yes, we have peace, there is an appreciation of objectives of unity and
national healing.

"We understand that the nation should be able to benefit from activities
in the country.

"What are the benefits that we think have come to our nation, to our
people in agriculture, commerce, the manufacturing sector, the economy
and the interaction of people?"

The President said Government aimed for economic turnaround but the pace
had been slow, mainly due to the illegal sanctions.

"In Europe, although they have not pronounced it, sanctions (which are)
like Zidera are in practice.

"The Americans are open about it, but Europe is sly and clandestine.

"Our companies can no longer do business there, the markets no longer
exist.

"Raw materials and spare parts from Europe are no longer coming.

"Masanctions, handi masanctions anorambidza vanhu vakasarudzwa kufamba
asi mabusiness edu haakwanisi kutengeserana.

"Zvinorwadza nekuti nyika yedu yanga ine economy yangayakatarisa kunyika
idzodzo.

"Ndokwaitengeswa fodya, nyama nezvimwe. Kuti ndoita shanduko,
transformation.

"If a company is built on the strength of equipment from Germany and
Germany refuses with its parts, that will be the end of it.

"This is how sanctions have wreaked havoc on our economy."

President Mugabe said the formation of the inclusive Government had
brought hope that sanctions would be removed.

He, however, said there was evidence that MDC-T leaders had asked for
the embargo to subsist.

"In the Global Political Agreement that we signed as Zanu-PF, MDC-T and
MDC-M, it is stated that parties should work in getting Europe and
America to lift the sanctions.

"They are our partners in Government, but they are refusing. The words
from (Finance Minister) Biti are political and nonsensical."

He said MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai asked European Union officials
who visited Zimbabwe to maintain sanctions.

"The three representatives of the EU who came to Zimbabwe were told not
to lift the sanctions now.

"It is not possible to achieve the objectives set out in the Short-Term
Emergency Recovery Programme, it is not possible in the absence of a
free environment for business.

"With sanctions, industry cannot get the spare parts it wants," he said.

President Mugabe said expectations were that the three parties would be
honest with each other.

"The party led by (Professor) Mutambara has tried to be with us during
the day, but are with the other side during the night.

"They have one leg in and another leg out.

"We thought we are together in the inclusive Government, but they run to
their European friends and run a parallel government and this is
objectionable," he said.

He, however, said there were many enquiries by people interested in
investing in mining, manufacturing, construction and communications.

"The situation is ripe and we need to make sure that the people are
employed, agriculture is producing and the country is back on its feet,"
he said.

President Mugabe said efforts to develop through synergies with the East
would continue.