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MDC ministers stage second cabinet stayaway

Oct 27, 2009 10:37 PM | By Sapa-AFP

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and ministers from his party yesterday boycotted a cabinet meeting for the second time in as many weeks.


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Zimbabwe Prime Minister and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai
Zimbabwe Prime Minister and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai
Photograph by: PHILIMON BULAWAYO
Credit: REUTERS
quote The two were said to be poles apart quote

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Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the Movement for Democratic Change and minister of information communication technology, said: "We did not attend a cabinet meeting again today because the outstanding issues have not been addressed."

The boycott was called after talks between Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe on Monday failed to break the deadlock over issues such as government appointments and the harassment of MDC politicians.

Tsvangirai's party withdrew from the eight-month unity government two weeks ago.

Following a tour by Tsvangirai last week to appeal for regional intervention, the MDC is pinning its hopes on a Mozambican-chaired Southern African Development Community team heading to Harare tomorrow.

"Hopefully, there will be a breakthrough on this impasse," said Chamisa.

While the MDC ministers snubbed the cabinet yesterday, Mugabe and his ministers met the faction of the MDC led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, government sources said.

Chamisa accused Zanu-PF hardliners of wanting the power-sharing arrangement to unravel.

"There are people in Zanu-PF who are determined to see the collapse of the inclusive government," he said.

SADC confirmed it would send its politics, defence and security body on a fact-finding mission to Harare.

"The troika will be visiting Zimbabwe to review progress on the implementation of the Global Political Agreement," said SADC spokeswoman Leefa Martin.

"This is the agreed review that was set to take place six months after the establishment of the inclusive government."

The two main parties in Zimbabwe were said to be "poles apart" after Monday's talks, the first since Tsvangirai suspended relations.

The MDC leader has said he will resume co-operation only once all outstanding issues are resolved, including wrangles over key posts in the government and a crackdown on his supporters.

Tsvangirai and Mugabe agreed to form a unity government in February after months of deadlock, nearly a year after disputed polls.

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Oct 28 2009 01:13:47 AM
mcritic
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The GNU is dead and buried. The MDC is hopin that the SADC would take action to ensure that Mugabe adhere to the specific conditions outlined in the GPA and the January 2009 decisions of the SADC.

Mugabe's own party informed him that since the GNu commenced - his party support his gone down to less than 10%

Mugabe cannot afford to lose that much support and he must act to stop the decline. He decided that [

* The GNU must be bolished; and
* a new wave of political violence is to instill fear in the population to terrize them in supporting Mugabe.

The Youth League and War Veterans have been deployed and the army is still in command at torture basis. The first target is Mohondoro in Mashonaland West - wher ZANU-PF won both seats in the March 2008 elections with smallish majorities and the loss of support is rally problematic for ZANU-PF.

The MDC hopes that the SADC and AU - as guarntors of teh agreement - would act to ensure implementation of the GPA. They will not do anything of the kind. They will try and force the MDC to surrender and support Mugabe al the way.

Any other action would be ignored by Mugabe in any event - same as what happened thus far.

The further decline and collapse of Zimbabwe will continue and we can expect wide bloodshed and terror to follow. MDC Miniters will be wise to ensure that they could have escqape routes through which they can vanish when the Police come for them. The main tagets will be Tsvangirai, Khupe,Biti and Chamisa. .
Oct 28 2009 02:42:43 AM
airbud
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According to the Zim Herald, ZANU is planning on appointing "Acting ZANU ministers" to take over the MDC ministries if they dont behave.

http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=11835&cat=1

And then the "Unity" Govt would have completely collapsed as the AU and SADC "Gauranteed" a total ballsup and ZUMA couldn't even get the country on the Agenda after the SADC Tribunal asked the SADC Heads for "Enforcement Action".

Because an "African Solution to an African Problem" in Southern Africa is a total ballsup to protect corrupt Black African politicians and violent political thugs, as opposed to West Africa where ECOWAS just suspended Niger.
Oct 28 2009 04:42:27 AM
mcritic
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Atrbud - the Herald story is a sham as per normal. Tsvangirai submitted a list of problem cases to Mugabe and then suddenly relented and asked only for the appointment of Bennett and the Provincial Governors. he would reconnect with Mugabe if these are met.

Thereafter Mugabe said that the GNU was not formed to get a few people into positions. So the Herald made it sound that the MDC is mercenary without principles and the President has to point out real principles to them.

Very, very well written consideri ng that it is a whhole lot of bullshit and is meant to cover the real issues. Hpw does the Herald suddenly knows exactly what happened in the negotiations between the thre principals in the GNU?

THis is propaganda and is intended to cover the deficiencies of ZANU-PF in implementing the GNU. Then come the real beauty. The MDC must ensure that "sanctions" are dropped against Mugabe and his fellow criminals and that pirate radio broadcasts into Zimbabwe stops.

How can they stop "sanctions" when the measures adopted by EU and other countries were introduced to stop travelling of individuals to countries concerned ad freeze their overses bank accounts. The Mugabe idiot does not realize tha t democratic governments do notact after being told by the MDC to introduce measures - they do so based on their own intelligence services and these have indicated that Mugabe and his co-criminals have been instrumental in major human rights abuses and cimes and they consequently decide on measures to try and get them to change their aatitude. The MDC had nothing to do with it at all. The sme applies to radio broadcasts.

Mugabe can end sanctiosn himself by implementing in full the GPA - but he won't. He has been told that since the GNU was introduced his support base was eroded badly and he now has support of less than 10% of the population.

His only way to stay in poer was murder, tporture and rape of people to terrorize them into submission and that is happening on an ncreasing scale.

The threat of appointment of acting ministers is as empty as any other issued by Mugabe and his agents. He has no power to really govern and the barrell of the gun is not a secure means to do so.

Oct 28 2009 07:13:05 AM
mcritic
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Abductions started again. Seven abdductees from last year still missing despite court orders - assumed dead.

Yesterday CIO operatives abducted MDC employee Pascal Gwezere. They also tried to abduct the MDC Security Co-ordinator Edith Mashayire on her way to her office.

However, in the latter case the adbuctors made a serious mistake - they tried it in broad daylight in a crowded street. When they started to beat her with an AK47 to force her into a truck used by them - she screamed that she was MDC and they were trying to abduct her - a menacing crowd gathered and the abductors fled.

Attacks are happening all over the rural areas of Zimbabwe. The army provides the leadershipp and the attacks are carried out by Youth League members and War Vterans.

Teachers are often the target and hundreds have fled. The situation is particularly bad in areas where the MDC made major inroads into ZANU-PF in Mashonaland and Masvingo Provinces.

By the end of next week the attackes would be continuous and unrelenting so as to cow the population into submission.
Oct 28 2009 07:46:36 AM
Africa_need_No_link_to_europe
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The MDC and Tsangirai are the puppets of pink "white" racists, supremacists, and terrorists’ countries of this planet and they are being promoted among the people of Africa as the salvation of Zimbabwe by the enemy news agency.

AFP is a Europeans news agency with evil credential against the African people spanning years. SAPA is mostly constituted and dominated by former apartheid supporters, and other pink "white" supremacists, so news by those cannot be seen as information by the newly freed people of this country, it is seen as propaganda to make Africans hate their own salvation, a man dedicated to stop the current unjust order prevailing in Africa and Zimbabwe.

the forces of injustice which are pink "white" supremacists refuses to see the African people become masters of their own destiny and masters of their own land and want to remain supreme and have introduced neo-colonialism in Africa in order to keep being supreme and the MDC and Tsangirai are the new neo-colonialist puppet in Zimbabwe.

It is imperative that all of us united oppose neo-colonialism in Africa as a whole.

Any pink "white" country meddling is always and only for neo-colonialism.

Viva Africa and Viva justice against the traditional oppressor of our people.
Oct 28 2009 08:07:11 AM
molobedu
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Africa_need_No_link_to_europe


you have a point there my brother but as you saying "it is imperative that all of us united oppose neo-colonialism in Africa as a whole", we must also come up withy better ways(rather i say conter-act) for the betterment of ourselves, whats the use of zimbabweans to have their land whereas they are suffering and poor? we as Africans must use Zim as an example , but not withstanding the point u made above
Oct 28 2009 08:41:27 AM
TheWisdom
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Morgan, stayaway is not the correct approach brother. This will then lead to exclusion and prevent our poor brothers and sisters from this tyrant!
Oct 28 2009 09:39:26 AM
bruinou
user name
Oh yes.The uselss SADC again.All they will do is tell MDC their break is over.They must now bend down again for the usual doggy style from ZANU.Long overdue for MDC to walk away and let Mugarbage and company stew in their own juices,
Oct 28 2009 09:39:49 AM
SUPPORT
user name
I'am so damn pissed off with Morgan Tsvangirai's behaviour. He is running around Africa for interventions, for what? for his greediness to become President of Zimbwabwe. Morgan that is not the way to become. He is becoming unloyal and untrustworth to the whole SADC region and to the peolpe of Zimbwabwe. It is the same Morgan who was smiling towards Unity Govt, yet it still the same Morgan who resign from the Unity Govt, because he is never satisfied. AU, SADC, EU, UN, Mbeki and Zuma intervened yet he is still crying. He must go to HELL. Zimbwabwe is under Sir Rebort Gabriel Mugabe's regime so He must dance to his tune or else ship out of Zimbwabwe. He is not welcomed in South Africa anymore, Spoiled Brat.
Oct 28 2009 10:49:58 AM
mbongwam
user name
Morgan behaver display how stupid is this puppet, going around seeking for help for nothing. he should face Mugabe and solve the zim problem in zim not out side.when is this puppet gonna learn.

god bless Mugabe.


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