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Sleeping on duty?.. Retired general Solomon Mujuru who, it is claimed, hopes to succeed Mugabe, follows proceedings at the 9th Zanu (PF) conference… with his eyes closed. The general’s faction has been thwarted by plans to postpone the presidential election timetable.
BY GIFT PHIRI
The plan to stage a ‘civilian coup’ by postponing elections from 2008 to 2010, under the guise of ‘harmonisation’, is widely seen as a ploy to keep Mugabe in power.
A motion accepting this principle was passed at the 9th national people’s conference held in Goromonzi last week. The proposal has been referred to the party’s Central Committee, which holds its next quarterly meeting next February. Eight provinces have so far adopted the motion, and it is considered as good as done. A similar resolution has already been passed by the Youth League and the National Commissariat.
The next step would be to have Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa draft a constitutional amendment that, it is widely thought, will be unveiled during independence celebrations in April.
Observers are convinced that these are the first steps towards imposing constitutional changes to extend Mugabe’s grip on power. If parliamEntary elections, due in 2008, were ‘harmonised’ (merged) with the presidential elections in 2010, that would effectively give Mugabe a further two years in power.
The main wing of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) warned that unless Mugabe abandoned the plan, he could wake up to popular mass protests reminiscent of 2003, which would aim at hastening the downfall of the 82-year-old leader.
The Morgan Tsvangirai-led party fired a warning salvo this week, telling the government that the patience of people was wearing thin.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said this form of dictatorship would be resisted “by any means necessary”.
Describing the move as a ‘civilian coup’, secretary general of the Mutambara-led MDC, Professor Welshman Ncube, said the postponement of the election timetable should be put to a referendum and decided by consensus.
“We are meeting very soon, possibly in the new year, to decide on what course of action to take,” Ncube said.
An official with Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, an umbrella body representing more than 50 civic groups, said they were re-mobilising on the back of rising public discontent.
“Despite the onslaught by the government, these groups are beginning to find their feet again and I have no doubt these plans will be resisted,” the official said.
Dr Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of pro-democracy pressure group National Constitutional Assembly, said his organisation would be unleashing a rolling mass action programme from January.
“Our position is clear, there should be a new constitution before any future elections,” Madhuku said.