No going back on Bennett: MDC

The MDC-T also insists that all issues tabled for discussion in inter-party talks with Mugabes Zanu (PF) and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambaras MDC-M parties should be addressed, apparently turning down calls by South African President Jacob Zuma on the Zimbabwean parties to shelve some of the issues at the centre of their power-sharing dispute.

We have a lot of competent cadres. But once we have chosen a particular cadre no one should invalidate it except our principal, MDC-T spokesman Nelson Chamisa told journalists in Harare last Friday.

Mr Mugabe was given powers to simply swear in, not to go and do some interrogation of each and every one of our candidates. Those powers belong to our principal, President Tsvangirai, not the principal of Zanu (PF),” Chamisa added.

While Mugabe has insisted he will not swear in Bennett until the MDC politician is cleared of treason for which he is currently on trial, the Zanu (PF) leader has also made it clear that he loathes having Bennett in Cabinet because he is white.

Racist tirade

Addressing Zanu (PF)s congress last month, Mugabe launched a racist tirade against Bennett calling him a “settler’s son” and attacking the MDC-T for sticking by its treasurer-general instead of simply naming somebody else to take the deputy agriculture ministers job.

Many analysts see the controversial treason charge against Bennett one of the MDC-Ts most popular leaders as an attempt by Mugabe loyalists in the security forces and at the Attorney General (AG)s office to block him from the government job.

Bennett, who was arrested in February 2008 at the Charles Prince Airport in Harare on the day he was due to be sworn in as deputy minister, is accused of plotting to overthrow Mugabe and that he deposited money into Mutare-based gun dealer Peter Hitschmanns account for use to buy weapons to be used to assassinate the President.

However, the prosecution appears to be struggling with its case against the MDC official and last week turned against Hitschmann its star witness who it now wants impeached after accusing him of becoming hostile to the state and acting in favour of the defence. The matter continues at the High Court tomorrow.

In addition to Bennetts case other outstanding issues that the MDC-T insists must be resolved urgently include Mugabes refusal to rescind his unilateral appointment of two of Gideon Gono as central bank governor and Johannes Tomana as AG.

Both MDC formations are also unhappy that Mugabe has refused to appoint members of the former opposition parties as provincial governors.

On the other hand Zanu (PF) insists that its has done the most to uphold the global political agreement (GPA) and instead accuses the MDC of reneging on promises to campaign for lifting of Western visa and financial sanctions against Mugabe and his top allies.

Zuma interview

But in an interview with South Africa television Zuma, the regions mediator in the Zimbabwe dialogue, called on the Harare parties to shelve some of the issues to allow talks to move forward.

But Chamisa maintained that the MDC-T wants all issues on the table addressed. He said: I am the least qualified to comment on what President Zuma says, but we would want all issues resolved, as they are fundamental in our view. These are tangible issues.

Meanwhile the MDC has angrily dismissed newspaper reports that the party had set up a 14-member committee to probe three MDC ministers for corruption, Elias Mudzuri, Giles Mutsekwa and Murisi Zwizai.

“We would like to state and place it on record that there are reports that are disturbing, reports that are malicious and mendacious that the party is carrying out a probe on certain ministers belonging to the MDC,” Chamisa said.

“What I wish to state as a matter of fact is that there is no such a committee that has been put in place by the party to probe ministers. And there is no such probe that is targeting ministers, and that our ministers do not have any allegations levelled against them.”