Job Sikhala said following their three hour meeting with the South African facilitation team in Harare on Monday, it was agreed other parties outside the GPA had a role to play in the future of Zimbabwe.
‘We met President Zuma’s facilitation team and agreed on a number of subject issues. We all agreed that there mustn’t be any exclusion of any political parties in the development of our country.
‘We also told them that parties outside the GPA should have a role to play in the drawing up of an election roadmap because it’s not only ZANU PF and the MDC’s that will participate in the next poll,’ Sikhala said.
The outspoken and former student leader told SW Radio Africa that they made it clear to the facilitation team that any attempts to railroad elections this year without reforms is a recipe for disaster.
‘In a nutshell, after our presentation, it was also agreed in principle to include us in future SADC summits that discuss Zimbabwe and that we will have an opportunity to present our dossier to President Zuma when he visits Harare at the end of the month,’ he said.
Sikhala continued: ‘I must however emphasize that we are not interested in issues of governance, but interested in issues of transformation and issues to do with the future of our great nation.’
The MDC99, ZAPU, ZANU Ndonga and Democratic Party representatives met with Mac Maharaj and Charles Nqakula from Zuma’s facilitation team, plus the South African Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Vusi Mavimbela, and other embassy officials.
The team flew into the country on Monday and quickly went into meetings with negotiators fom the three parties in the inclusive government.
The meeting was meant to prepare the agenda for Zuma’s visit, when he is expected to meet party principals. The facilitation team is expected back in Harare on June 25th.
Between now and then the negotiators will have a series of meetings to try and resolve remaining issues in the GPA, discuss the constitutional making process as well as work on finalizing the election roadmap.
Anything outstanding will have to be dealt with by the principals, with the help of Zuma. SW Radio Africa
Post published in: Africa News