This was not the first time that ZANU PF sponsored violence coincided with a visit by Zuma’s team, who continue to maintain a neutral position on the issue, saying elements from all political parties are perpetrators.
In addition, riot police besieged the headquarters of the MDC-T at Harvest House on Tuesday, claiming they were looking for vendors who had caused chaos earlier and were hiding inside. Teargas was used on innocent staff members and passersby on the streets around Harare. Again, there was silence from team members Lindiwe Zulu and Charles Nqakula.
There is growing concern that the facilitation team and SADC leaders lack the political will to deal with resistance from ZANU PF. There is also a growing realization that SADC has no punitive powers and ZANU PF is taking advantage of that fact, particularly when it comes to violence.
Piers Pigou, Project Director for the International Crisis Group Southern Africa region, explained that the ZANU PF attacks send very clear messages of what the party and their supporters can do. “And to some extent they are also testing the waters,” Pigou added.
Pigou told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that the attacks may also be part of ZANU PF’s efforts “to claw back” some of the progress that the MDC made at the Livingstone summit back in March, when SADC took a tougher stance on the violence issue and ordered the parties to respect the spirit of the GPA.
“There are efforts within ZANU PF to neutralize the effectiveness of the facilitation team, which is now viewed by some in the party as an agent of the regime agenda,” Pigou said.
It has been seven months since the Livingstone summit, where regional leaders resolved that the parties must respect the spirit of the GPA, but not much has been accomplished.
Pigou explained this by saying SADC makes decisions through consensus and progress is very slow.
At the Livingstone summit back in March, regional leaders resolved to send a SADC team to help the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) to speed up progress on the remaining, contentious issues in the GPA. That team has now finally been promised in two weeks time, raising hopes once again.
But as always, time will tell whether it actually happens.
Post published in: Politics
This is utter nonsense. There is overwhelming evidence that MDC supporters are perpetuators of some gross and horrific violent activities just like ZANU- PF, This so called GPA has outlived its purpose much to the benefit of MDC members who have chosen to enrich themselves at the expense of the nation. The basic arrangement was to create a situation for free and democratic elections, but it is becoming clear that this a strategy to indoctrinate Zimbabweans that MDC is the only party with clean hands and therefore the right party to lead the country. This is Preposterous. The reality is that the creation of a violent free and democratic process will allow other political parties to enter the stage and the Zimbabwean people to make their own choices. MDC has exposed it self to some serious weaknesses and it does not have credible credentials to win an election hence it is playing for time by creating bureaucratic excuses. Lest we forget when Mugabe was brought to power(Lord Soames) the same international backers told Zimbabweans that choosing Mugabe was the best Choice, Britain even Rolled out the red carpet and honored Mugabe with an honoree degree, which they have since chosen to withdraw on factious claims which lack credible evidence. It must be considered that 1980 elections was the first black election in Zimbabwe and Britain chose to be the monitor of the transition to human rights and a democratic process, which they have been part of throughout Mugabe’s time in power. Just like they did with apartheid after generations of horrific apartheid and human rights abuses to black and colored people by white people who flew the British flag in Zimbabwe, they chose to denounce Ian Douglas Smith without sending him to the international courts of human rights. Renowned theorists say that there is nothing wrong with failure .failure is a benchmark for future success; however when the teacher declares that his best student was a failure then I think the student needs a new tutor.