Arthur Mutambara, left, and Morgan Tsvangirai in Johannesburg in April 2008 met in Johannesburg to announce that they would work together in parliament to retain a majority over Zanu PF.
PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Barack, NYT
THE leaders of the two formations of the Movement for Democratic Change party, clashed yesterday over the allocation of Cabinet positions as it became clear that the leader of the larger formation was trying to takeover positions reserved for the smaller faction, the Zimbabwe Guardian is reliably informed.
Morgan Tsvangirai met separately with the leader of the smaller formation of the MDC, Arthur Mutambara on Monday to try and adopt a common position on the issue of Cabinet posts.
The meeting, this reporter is reliably informed, would have led to the issuance of a position document blaming President Robert for the delay in formation of Cabinet.
The two parties would then hold a press conference announcing that Zanu PF was to blame for the delay.
The whole arrangement crumbled after it became clear to Mutambara that Tsvangirai was interested in filling the Cabinet positions that had already been allocated to his formation.
Mutambara is said to have walked out of the meeting citing insincerity on the part of the Tsvangirai MDC.
The power-sharing negotiations hit a snag on Tuesday when the MDC formations and Zanu PF failed to agree on the allocation of Cabinet posts. The Justice Minister, Patrick Chinamasa issued a statement saying such delays when not unusual and negotiations were continuing. He blamed the MDC-T party for negotiating through the public and the media.
“The MDC is prejudicing talks by trying to negotiate in public. That will not assist the process,” said Chinamasa adding that such a move was a “sure way of collapsing the negotiations”.
The MDC-T Secretary General, Tendai Biti told Reuters news agency that a deadlock had been reached after the negotiating teams met on Tuesday.
“We met again today but couldn’t move the process forward,” Biti told Reuters refuting a statement from his own party’s information department.
Yesterday’s development is likely to jeopardise further negotiations as Mutambara is reportedly furious at Tsvangirai. A joint statement they had agreed to issue blaming Zanu PF for stalling Cabinet formation will now probably see the light of day.
Insider sources say MPs in the Tsvangirai MDC were unhappy with the inclusion of the Mutambara MDC leadership into the power-sharing arrangement and the allocation of Cabinet posts. An MDC-T party insider told the Zimbabwe Guardian: “Most of our MPs are clearly not happy with this arrangement that rewards people who lost in elections.”
Referring to the Mutambara MDC leadership the insider further stated: “None of the leaders of the Mutambara MDC won in their constituency, why should they get top positions in the power-sharing arrangement?”
The two MDCs have now issued separate statements regarding the supposed press conference. Mutambara’s spokesman Edwin Mushoriwa denied that there was a scheduled press conference, while the MDC-T spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, said they had, “called this Press conference to give our position on the talks” adding that they had “just received information from (their) secretary-general — who is one of our negotiators — that they have been called to continue with consultations.”
Mushoriwa denied that the two parties were meant to address a press conference attacking President Mugabe and the Zanu PF party for delaying Cabinet formation. He dismissed the allegation as "news to me".
In a separate conflicting statement, Chamisa told the Herald that negotiations will now continue with the ruling Zanu PF party without the need for a press conference.
The MDC-T spokesman also told VOA News on Wednesday that the parties to the talks were now “metres apart”.
"If we were centimeters apart, now we are meters apart," Chamisa said, "the gap is increasing by the day, the misunderstanding seems to have grown even sharper. I don't know how we are going to solve this but certainly the situation is that we'll have to refer this to Sadc and the AU to resolve the current impasse because there is nothing other than mediation that is going to help the situation."
On the same day Chamisa also told Reuters news agency that, “There has been a new development. Our negotiating team has just been advised that there is a consultative meeting. Our negotiating team and the Zanu PF negotiating team are meeting.”
The three main parties are now scheduled to meet Thursday to continue with the discussions.
N/A • N/A Subject: Black empowerment Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:30:47 • Why is that all Western reports on Zim are always negative?
How come they never show black people who are living amazing lives right now in Zim. I have recently returned from a visit to Zim and have never seen such ostentatious living by black people anywhere else in the world. Zim blacks who have taken advantage of the amazing business opportunities in Zim are really going places. Zims in the diaspora are missing a lot of opportunities.For the poster who stated that he is now very rich. Good on you but I also hope you are using your new found wealth for philanthropic purposes also. I hope you will support a few schools in your area and augument the teachers salaries. Why don't you start some foundations with other rich Zims and start offering scholarships etc to poor students and make a difference. The solutions to some of Zims problems are in the hands of those Zims who have now accumulated wealth. Zims united we stand, divided we fall.We are our own liberators.
MrK • bannie2020@hotmail.com Subject: Gloating Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:16:13 • Britains strategy on Zimbabwe is indeed very chilling as her BBC gloats over our inflation rate.
I don't think they will have much to gloat about for very long. This financial crisis can get very ugly indeed.
Who knows, perhaps it will be Zimbabweans who will be gloating over Britain's misfortunes, if they were so inclined.
Seriously though, I don't understand what happened to the BBC. Someone decided to throw away it's reputation which was carefully built up over a century, and for what?
Who are these mercenary 'reporters' who are the mouthpiece for the MDC (or is it the British government) and make the BBC look like idiots to the world? And who are the directors who hire them and worse, don't fire them?
Is Michael Grade to blame? What happened to the likes of Charles Wheeler or Robin Denslow?
Something is very wrong at the BBC.
n/a • n/a Subject: Negotiations Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:42:04 • One has to feel sorry for Tsvangirai because, it is quite obvious that he is not his own man. That is why he has been playing Golf with McGee (US Ambassador) so that he can be coached on what to say and do.These negotiations are really between Zanu-PF and the West and not between MDC-T and Zanu-PF. Isn't it odd that Tsvangirai now wants the services of Mbeki and yet at one time he wanted him removed from that role?
Tsvangirai is now pontificating about the suffering of Zimbabweans and yet he is allowing the West's quite visible hand to determine the destiny of Zim. His own family are not suffering and judging by his girth, he appears to be very well fed. His children are in Australia etc and can stay in S.A and have more than 4 square meals per day.Tsvangirai does not know what poverty is and what starvation is. Why is he crying more than the bereaved? All he wants is power for himself and to unlock the riches of Zim to his backers. Maybe its now time ordinary Zims make a stand against Tsvangirai and his likes.Zims should ask Tsvangirai to ask his backers to remove their sanctions immediately. Why has he kept his silence about the sanctions? As Zims we now need the answers from Tsvangirai. He called for the sanctons to be imposed in the first place and it is his sole responsibility to ensure that the sanctions are removed immediately. What is he afraid of? We all have been beneficiaries of a first class education (post independence) in Zim which Tsvangirai did not take advantage of even as a mature student.How can he gladstand now and talk of the collapse of the education system in Zim knowing fully well that the sanctions he called for have been the main culprit of the economic woes Zim is under? No leader anywhere in the world has ever called for sanctions against his own country? Yet Tsvangirai has done so.
MDC have failed to run any local government properly in the past let alone the city of Harare.MDC has no experience of running any ministry. Isn't it better to crawl first before one runs? Running a government requires learning from those already doing so. Even Zanu-PF had to learn from the Rhodesian Front.
todd kidd • toddkidd67@yahoo.com Subject: MDC-T vs MDC Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:39:38 • Black America support the land reform program in Zimbabwe. Africa for Africans! Long live black leaders who don't kow tow to the WEST: Africa's natural resources should be for the development of Africans. Black deserve an opportunity to be rich. I love my brothers and sisters of Zimbabwe. I don't understand the MDC because Mugabe is right regarding the land. Thanks. Black American in New Orleans. Be patient the land will bear fruit. Europeans want to dominate the world.
N/A • n/a Subject: MUGABE FOREEVER Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:24:45 • May the President form his government. May he stop all communication with the MDC. Zimbabwe is destined for great things that have never been seen on this earth. Mugabe is right. May he rule for more than 110 years. We will always follow him. What will we be without him? He is Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe is him. He will lead us into eternal prosperity and riches. I am propbably the richest person in Zimbabwe because my President provided the laws that made me rich. I will never live in any other country because business opportunities are great in my country and labour is cheap. Long Live Gushungo!!! I would never been where I am now had it not been for you, a man who understand that blacks have a right to be rich too. MDC people are peasants and let them cry. They prefer wealth to be owned by whites only. I am black and rich and I am proud of it. My president Mugabe has ensured that we will remain rich and I am proud of him. He is the only African Leader who understands the way forward! Africa for Africans and Richies for Black Zimbabweans!!!!!!!!
N/A • n/a Subject: MUGABE FOREEVER Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:23:28 • May the President form his government. May he stop all communication with the MDC. Zimbabwe is destined for great things that have never been seen on this earth. Mugabe is right. May he rule for more than 110 years. We will always follow him. What will we be without him? He is Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe is him. He will lead us into eternal prosperity and riches. I am propbably the richest person in Zimbabwe because my President provided the laws that made me rich. I will never live in any other country because business opportunities are great in my country and labour is cheap. Long Live Gushungo!!! I would never been where I am now had it not been for you, a man who understand that blacks have a right to be rich too. MDC people are peasants and let them cry. They prefer wealth to be owned by whites only. I am black and rich and I am proud of it. My president Mugabe has ensured that we will remain rich and I am proud of him. He is the only African Leader who understands the way forward! Africa for Africans and Richies for Black Zimbabweans!!!!!!!!
Mbang Sitali • m5437@yahoo.com Subject: Deal! Deal! Deal! Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:26:05 • Mutambara is the problem. It was going to be easier for MDC to negate with ZANU PF with the (un)learned professor!
N/A • N/A Subject: Deal or No Deal Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:06:08 • Britain did not spend more than a decade investig in Tsvangirai only to lose out on control of Zimbabwes resources. Britains economy is infreefall and unless she is assured full control of our resources through Tsvangirai our problems will never end. The plunder of Africa will continue forever. It is the only the West can survive. If they have one thing in conmmon Britain and Tsvangirai share a bottomless greed. Britains stratedy on Zimbabwe is indeed very chilling as her BBC gloats over our inflaion rate.
Isaac Bwoni • ibwoni@gmail.com Subject: Too educated Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:53:43 • The good Professor is educated enough not to be fooled into hating himself and all those as black as him.
morris • morrismolaya@yahoo.com Subject: talks Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:49:33 • nothing is happening
morris • morrismolaya@yahoo.com Subject: talks Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:49:27 • nothing is happening
n/a • n/a Subject: MDC-T winner takes all attitude doesnt help Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:14:12 • Tsvangirai led on March 29 and withdrew from the run-off in June. By Zim law he did not win any election. The Zim constitution does not have a PM position either. If he takes a PM position, then we stick with the agreement and have a GNU. Otherwise, Mugabe should be left to run (ruin) the country alone.
Is this the advice from McGee?
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