Khuphe to deal with humanitarian crisis
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has appointed Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe to be the humanitarian co-ordinator in his Office. 
In his inaugural speech in Parliament yesterday, Tsvangirai said he had appointed Deputy Prime Minister Khupe to deal with the humanitarian crisis the country was facing.
“She (Deputy PM Khupe) will liaise with all stakeholders in order to complement the ongoing efforts and ensure greater efficiency and effectiveness of our humanitarian response,” he said.
Tsvangirai said there was need for Zimbabwe to re-establish relationships with the international donor community based not necessarily on humanitarian assistance but on respect for the country’s sovereignty.
He also has called for an end to international sanctions against Zimbabwe. In his first speech to parliament as prime minister he said the international community should recognise Zimbabwe’s progress in forming a power-sharing government.
“I therefore urge the international community to recognise our efforts and note the progress that we make in this regard and to match our progress by moving towards the removal of restrictive measures,” Tsvangirai said.
The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his supporters and some Zimbabwean companies.
Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe, in the grips of a cholera epidemic which has killed nearly 4,000 people and infected almost 87,000, needed to re-establish relations with international donors.
“What we need is to fully re-establish relations with the international donor community, which will be respectful of our sovereignty, not a relationship essentially based on humanitarian assistance.”
Tsvangirai told Zimbabwe’s Parliament that any future human rights abuses could lead to arrest and prosecution and said the days of police violently breaking up demonstrations and needlessly arresting people had to come to an end.
“In future such activities could bring the threat of prosecution not only on those arresting or interfering with such activities but also on those that ordered such interference and arrests,” Tsvangirai said in his maiden address to Parliament.
Posted by Philip Mangena
on March 4, 2009. Filed under Local News.
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