An inside source told The Zimbabwean this week the party was supposed to chair three meetings last month in Chikomba district, but its representatives did not turn up.
“They just gave excuses, saying they had party issues to solve. On one occasion they said they were attending a funeral,” said the source. This newspaper is reliably informed that JOMIC meetings scheduled for Marondera and Mudzi last week were also cancelled.
“Zanu (PF) is double faced. They preach about peace in public but they are the perpetrators of violence. Why are they failing to co-operate in this peace building initiative?” asked the source.
MDC-T JOMIC representative, Elton Mangoma, confirmed Zanu (PF)’s withdrawal, saying it was a move to derail peace-building initiatives in order to escalate violence ahead of the referendum and elections.
But Zanu (PF) spokesperson Rugare Gumbo refuted the allegations saying: “The MDC formations are always spreading lies about Zanu (PF). We are a peace-loving party and we have been co-operating in all the meetings. In fact in terms of peace building we are progressing very well.”
In September Zanu (PF) withdrew from JOMIC activities in Mashonaland West province, alleging the watchdog body was biased towards Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC.
JOMIC was established in 2009 by regional leaders who negotiated the inclusive government. Its mandate includes monitoring political violence and mediating in inter-party conflicts. It is widely viewed as a toothless bulldog and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Post published in: News