The power struggle among the leaders of the "unity" government have caused widespread confusion among cabinet ministers, government departments, the public, the local business sector and the international community. Tsvangirai and Mutambara, the leaders of different factions of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), plan to join forces in today’s meeting to try to rein in Mugabe.
Mugabe’s announcements over the past week have flouted the unity agreement, claim the other leaders. A coterie of senior hardline civil servants are accused of manipulating the 84-year-old leader to try to derail the three-week-old unity government between the MDC and Zanu PF.
Mugabe spokesman George Charamba and Tsvangirai’s spokesman, James Maridadi, both confirmed at the weekend that their respective bosses would meet today to try to iron out problems in implementing the unity government.
A top Tsvangirai aide said yesterday that his boss and Mutambara were angry with Mugabe for continually making unilateral decisions and "inflammatory public statements", which threatened the unity government. "The prime minister and his deputy are going to tell Mugabe that if he is genuinely interested in an inclusive government, he has to either transfer the civil servants to less influential jobs or fire them.
Last week, the prime minister spoke about the need for the country to stop land invasions, only for Mugabe to come out in public and say land invasions would continue," said the top Tsvangirai aide. "As long as Mugabe listens to these civil servants, who happen to be his advisers, then we are going nowhere with the unity government. "Mugabe’s language at his birthday bash is clear testimony that he is being used by some unscrupulous people who are against change in government," the aide said.
Trouble started last week when Mugabe unilaterally announced the appointment of permanent secretaries (the equivalent of South African directors-general) without consulting the other principals. Tsvangirai and Mutambara held a press conference where Tsvangirai described Mugabe’s appointments as illegal and reversed them. Tsvangirai then ordered a stop to all farm invasions. In a television interview, Mugabe later appeared to hit back at Tsvangirai by saying some of the appointments he had made, such as that of the attorney general and the governor of the Zimbabwe Reserve Bank, would not be reversed after all.
The three co-leaders are also expected to discuss the issue of provincial governors; the appointment of diplomats; the continued harassment of Roy Bennett, the MDC treasurer and deputy minister of agriculture designate; and the incarceration of other political prisoners who were arrested last year. Mugabe and Mutambara have also clashed in public over government policies.
ZWNews/The Star(SA)
Post published in: News