HARARE -- Joseph Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is travelling to Zimbabwe to mediate in the dispute between the parties of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. (Pictured: Evil looks: Joseph Kabila, the President of the DRC under the spotlight of his mentor Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe)Before returning to Kinshasa on his way back from South Africa to continue mediation in his capacity as president of Sadc and he will hold discussions with both parties, the Congolese Minister of Communications, Lambert Mende, said in interview from Kinshasa today.
Sadc is the Southern African Development Community.
Zimbabwes Movement for Democratic Change Wednesday accused Robert Mugabe of trying to tear apart a unity pact by threatening to replace cabinet ministers chosen by the former opposition.
It is tantamount to tearing apart the unity government, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told AFP.
The state-run Herald reported Wednesday that Mugabe was pondering replacing MDC ministers who have not attended cabinet meetings since Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai cut ties with Mugabes ZANU-PF after a deadlock over key issues.
His Excellency may have to consider appointing ministers in an acting capacity to key ministries for the sake of a successful agricultural season and general economic turnaround, Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told the Herald.
Important Cabinet decisions have to be translated into action expeditiously, he said.
Chamisa slammed Mugabe for acting outside the spirit of the global political agreement (GPA), which has been hampered by a deadlock over key appointments on which Mugabe insists and by a crackdown on MDC supporters.
That is a laughable proposition. This is precisely the reason why we are deadlocked. They are in a mode of unilateralism and arrogance which has not helped the spirit of the GPA, Chamisa said.
You cannot appoint an acting minister when there is a substantive minister. It will create a parallel government, he added.
The unity government, created in February a year after disputed polls, is in deep trouble and hopes are pinned on a meeting by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) security organ Thursday to resolve the latest impasse.
This deadlock will have to be broken. SADC and the AU (African Union) as guarantors will have to break this deadlock. It is in the interest of all of us, said Chamisa.
The MDC has accused Mugabes ZANU-PF of spurious arrests, and said Tuesday that the partys transport manager Pascal Gwezere had been abducted and arrested hours after a similar attempt on another party member.
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