In an interview with The Zimbabwean, spokespersons from the two MDCs accused ‘Zanu (PF) of devising ways of derailing collective engagement befitting the urgency in coming up with an election date’.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Finance Minister, Tendai Biti from the MDC-T, MDC party President, Welshman Ncube and Regional Integration Minister, Priscilla Misihairabwi- Mushonga are reportedly said to have ditched the State House meeting last Friday after President Robert Mugabe was delayed for the coalition partners' meeting at State House.
Presidential spokesperson, George Charamba last week said the president was delayed as he was attending other government business and accused the other principals of prematurely abandoning the meeting.
A statement issued out by the Welshman Ncube led MDC alleged that representatives from the two MDC formations left the venue of the meeting after the Zanu (PF) entourage failed to turn up.
“Ncube, Misihairabwi Mushonga, PM Tsvangirai, Biti, Matinenga and two other people all presented themselves at State House in readiness for the meeting.
“However, after waiting from 10 am until 1 pm for the Zanu (PF) group, who did not turn up, the MDC and MDC-T teams realised that their wait was futile and left to attend to other business,” read the statement.
MDC- T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora dismissed claims that his party president had travelled to Matabeleland to garner for support ahead of elections as “utter rubbish” and said the claim was a “futile exercise by Zanu (PF) to defend Mugabe’s actions at the expense of the nation”.
He said: “Zanu (PF) is not ready for elections and testimony to this is the fact that they have postponed their primary elections. Surely they cannot fool anyone that they are ready for elections yet they do not even have candidates to field for the various constituencies”.
He said contrary to claims that the party was ready for elections, shelving the primaries meant that there was chaos in the Zanu (PF) backyard.
Mwonzora said at 89 years old, Mugabe was more likely to forget ‘important meetings such as this one, hence the need for competent advisors’.
MDC spokesperson, Kurauone Chihwayi, lashed out at presidential spokesperson, Charamba, and accused Zanu (PF) of derailing the unity of purpose towards collective engagement in coming up with a solution to the country’s political impasse.
He said: “Charamba is obviously abusing the state media to misinform the nation. This is cheap politics and our party has no time for that. His party obviously lacks commitment to internal engagement and definitely, the party is not committed to finding ways of coming up with an election date.”
He accused Mugabe’s officers of incompetence and said they failed to communicate to the other parties in the government of national unity the whereabouts of Mugabe yet they expected the team to wait for him the whole day.
Chihwayi said: “We cannot be treated like that and we are not desperate for an audience with him because there is life after Mugabe.”
Zimbabwe is set to hold harmonised elections on July 31 following Mugabe’s presidential proclamation made in line with a recent Constitutional Court ruling.
However, a Southern Africa Development Community special summit held in Maputo, Mozambique, last week recommended that Mugabe pushes the elections to around August 14 following submissions from the two MDC formations.
Justice and Legal Affairs minister, Patrick Chinamasa last week approached the Constitutional Court seeking the extension of the poll date, in a matter that will be heard this Wednesday.
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