A senior ZANU PF official has professed ignorance about a ‘ministries allocation’ released to the state media on Friday fuelling speculation that the move could have been a propaganda offensive by Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba before Mbeki arrives for mediation tomorrow(Monday).
A few hours earlier Mugabe had met with Morgan Tsvangirai and the two decided to call in a mediator to break the impasse over allocation of defence, information,home affairs and finance ministries.
“The three leaders agreed to call in the facilitator to assist in resolving the outstanding issues. An appeal will be made to the facilitator for him to travel to Zimbabwe,” said ZANU PF chief negotiator Patrick Chinamasa.
However a senior ZANU PF official who requested that his identity be withheld told Metro that the list was ZANU PF ’s negotiating position and nothing has been agreed on.
“That is our negotiating position,and it was foolish by who ever did it to reveal it,nothing has been concluded yet. ”
It is still not clear why the list was realised but pundits said initial observations indicate whatever the strategy was it backfired.
Newspapers were quick to point out the imbalance and headlines screamed on Saturday;
“Mugabe claims all key ministries”-Mail and Guardian,South Africa
“Power deal crisis as top jobs seized by Mugabe” -Mail and Guardian,UK
“Mugabe hands key ministries to ZANU-PF”-AFP
“Mugabe grabs key ministries, angers opposition”- SABC,South Africa
“Mugabe claims key ministries”-The Sunday Times,South Africa
“Probably ZANU PF wanted to portray the MDC as being unreasonable,but you cannot grab all security ministries and try to portray that as a genuine power-sharing agreement,” noted Asher Tarivona-Mutsengi, a Canada based social commentator who also hastened to point out that the newly created Ministry of Prisons and Correctional Services was missing from the ZANU PF list.
University of Zimbabwe political scientist Eldred Masunungure said Mugabe’s action was designed to pre-empt Mbeki’s mediation effort.“It’s a pre-emptive move to Mbeki to say this is what we want. Mugabe has taken the lion’s share and gave a mouse to MDC,” said Masunungure. “What Mugabe has done breeds ill-wish and it deepens distrust between the parties.”
Last week Mugabe’s spokesman claimed that only the Finance ministry was outstanding but that statement was quickly dismissed by the MDC.
Mbeki, who clinched the Zimbabwe power-sharing deal days before he was forced to give up South Africa’s presidency by his ruling ANC party, has agreed to continue his mediation role and will travel to Harare on Monday.
In August this year a reporter with The Herald revealed that the Mugabe’s spokesman who also controls the state media George Charamba gave the state paper the highly sensitive talks documents to publish before any agreements were signed.
‘We were surprised when Charamba gave us the documents way before the talks were concluded on Tuesday afternoon,and specifically told the headline should read ‘ New dawn:Deal sealed’, we published some of the document contents the following day. At first we thought indeed a deal has been reached,but Charamba called us back with specific instructions on what the story should say’, the source revealed.
There was no deal reached then but the state media went on to publish the story saying MDC faction leader Arthur Mutambara and ZANU PF had signed a deal,the story backfired heavily. In the same story the paper went on to repeat the mantra that Tsvangirai is a western puppet,despite a MOU clause warning against hateful language.
The MDC warned that irresponsible reporting under the direction of Mugabe’s spokesman Charamba on the talks will effectively destroy the talks between it and ZANU PF.
The MDC warned; ‘This report will fundamentally undermine and kill the dialogue. ..these are the actions of a desperate and cornered regime, which we find corrosive. We urge Zanu PF to desist from executing this sly, nicodimus and foolish process but to navigate Zimbabwe out of the current crisis.”
Charamba belongs to the Mnagagwa faction in ZANU PF which has long been accused of trying to sabotage the talks and was key player in the ill-fated Ndiyane plot on December 2004 which was meant to catapult Mnagagwa to the vice presidency, Charamba drafted a speech for Mnangagwa for the event and hired a plane for the meeting. The plot backfired.
Worse than a circus,I knew Joji ‘Aids ‘Charamba was behind this.
I do not know if anyone takes this ‘Joke” Charamba seriously. His teachers should be hanging their heads in shame!
the problem with people like george charamba is they are capable of seeing only their food.anything whose eyes see only food can not think properly.he takes mugabe to be his god a god who provides.he knows if it wasnt for mugabe he would be about a tenth of who he is.his job was handed to him by mugabe.he has never bought a car,all given to him by mugabe.he has a farm given to him by mugabe.he knows he would be just an ordinary journo struggling for editorial jobs with many others if it wasnt for mugabe.saka motii nemunhu akadaro.he wwill do anything for mugabe and mugabe akafa he might even kill himself or volunteer kuvigwa naye.
Splended
I am now getting a bit confused. What was the source of this in the first place? Why were we not told by Zim-metro that these were just speculations? Now we have posted comments insulting people for something that has got no value.gents please give us conclusive information.We are now made idiots by commenting on issues that are not true.Metro tell us what is the state of affairs as of now? Are these guys going to meet or Mugabe has allocated Ministers? Or you are not sure of what you are posting in your website. I am beggining to have a problem with this site, if it is going to continue giving us false information without telling us that its not tried and tested.Dont be another Herald
(“This just proves that Mugabe is as stupd as the world has always thought”)…. the point precisely is that Mugabe is NOT stupid. Never has been. Any president who can survive the vagaries of African politics, and outwit & outmanoeuvre any global politician is not stupid. Quite the opposite – it’s Tsvangirai’s own idiocy which has got him into this position by not getting that into his head. He should’ve learned long before now that you don’t do deals with the devil, you ruthlessly eliminate him & all his cronies. Zimbabwe is in for a long period of suffering at this rate.
Your days are numbered Metro-netsite, l remember those days when this site used to release Breaking News headlines every 15minutes about 6 months ago now it takes this sites propably 5-6 days to put anything worth reading let alone news.
Whats happening, are you facing a funding decline now that you purpose was served and not needed anymore?
ln short, l say you are a used condom now. Get in touch, you got my email if you have anything to say.
I am MDC but from today i will read this website only when i am bored.I need current news not speculations or assumptions. I would rather read Soweton or other South African sites.
Thanks
Charamba has never been good in all circles, he is dying of HIV. He tinks he will continue as he is in Zanoids circles. Sooner, Zimbabwe will be free then these yellow dogs MUST BE PROSECUTED BY THE INRENATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE , for crimes against humanity.
Charamba has never been good in all circles, he is dying of HIV. He thinks he will continue as he is in Zanoids circles. Sooner, Zimbabwe will be free then these yellow dogs MUST BE PROSECUTED BY THE INRENATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE , for crimes against humanity.
Only fools are led by headlines of the day-They get up every morning loking for that bad news on zimbabwe. Why dont you have positive thoughts !!! Imbwa -you will all suffer and lead miserable lives by following negative news…
Look at your backers—-first they say zimbabwe should not put 51% of their resources in the hands of locals or indegenous people…Look at them now—-They are nationalising all their finacial institutions because they are struggling–wacha**** chete. Now they are following gono and mugabe’s policies.Our mines 51% to locals please and lets put more money into circulation until sanctions have gone. Its ok for them to take 50% stake in their banks-but when mugabe does it , its pure evil…mapenzi evanhu…just like mdc…two of a kind
zanu pf
bag rematricks richapera chete. muchaona moto. maiti hamugare pasi muchitaura naVaTvsangirai, nhasi muri papi. ministry of finance kana muchida kuti Zimbabwe ifambire mberingaiende kuMDC T.
tell me who in their right senses would want to invest in Zimbabwe if the ministry is still in the hands of zanu pf? Fungai mhani.
Gandanga Guru
I read nathaniel manheru’s pieces every week. He reminds me of goebels during hitler’s era. The problem is that nathaniel manheru is a very angry man, and I sympathize with him.He is a product Mugabe’s entr****d patronage system. He is likey to gather his whole family and force them to drink paraquat before taking rogor himself should president mugabe loses power. What every reader should remember is that ZANU-PF’s idioloogy is premised on one party system of government. All the “elections” they were holding prior to 2000 were just a facade. Violence is their mainstay. They created hunger and all the shortages for the simple reason of making the entire citizenry depend on its patronage system. Maybe PM Tsvangirayi is oblivious to that fact. Holding a free and fair election is the only solution to our political problems. Power sharing will simply not happen. The power sharing document reads like an MoU and nothing more. Do you honestly think they killed more than 200 innocent zimbabweans for nothing. Forget about power sharing and focus on amending repressive laws for the sake of our future generation. Parliament is our only bet if you wish to bring about positive change in Zim.
ndakambonzwa kuti maARV anopengesa.Ndaifunga kunyepa but now im beginning to biliv it.
Well Charamba George travels with Bob to countries were he buys the ARV and other AIDS suppressing suppliments so its pay back for him to the old man.Imagine a guy who infects a wife but latter refuse the wife access to ARV like him.Mukadzi arikufa and he kick boxes the wife .So lets not expect anything from George, its kicks of a dying horse.George has no time for the courts for soon we will bury him as another high profile AIDS victim like his late brother Chengerai Hunzvi.I feel sory for the Herald and ZBC reporters who George has infected with the same HIV.(names withheld for now) Statistics: 3 are at Herald house and 4 at Pockets hills.George is a KILLER!!!!!!
zvichanaka chete, Mwari havazi benzi vangarasa rudzi rwavo.
Marufu,please tell us more! You seem to know this guy George Charamba. It amy help silence him a bit and give GNU a chance..
Some of us did MBA same time with George’s wife so we are in talking terms.Remember 2006/7 she came out open after George beat her to pierces.All she wanted from him was the ARVs.I interviewed her on a death bed after the beating.Lucky the Doctors worked wonders and she survived.I hate George with a passion.Not for Zanu but the way he treats my classmate ,his wife.Now that they are both HIV positive he should share the medicines he gets from China and Malasia.Recently i meet George in a pharmacy in South Africa and he was buying Cal-C-Vita mineral suppliments which he will not share with his wife and or series of girls he messed.For they say ARVs make one mentally ill a bit, so George is now mentally ill 90% disability!!
I am convinced,mate. It makes sense now. George Charamba’s days are clearly numbered and he knows it but does not care at all. He is angry,very angry. Not sure though if is dangerous.
morgan tsvangirai did not sign an agreement he signed a disagreement…hahahahahahahahaha!!!!
Scarface,you are right but chokwadi chinorwadza guys.He signed a blank cheque and now he cries foul when Mugabe just fills out beneficiary of of his choice. Chaipa chii. What did MDC expect really,knowing how clever ZANU-PF is? Motoita “stop payment” chop-chop kuna bank manager Mbeki,depending of course on his mood. The cheque will go through and no one will believe it was presigned.Ha..ha..ha… If the MDC is that gullible,I fear what will happen if they get into power,SCARY hey! Some Ben Menashe will come and simply perform another 419 on them. MDC,you better run around fast to stop this and promise you will never do such a thing again!!
where have all the mdc fools gone? They no longer have the enegy to comment on morgan. He has destroyed their souls slowly. Now they are beginning to understand what i have been telling them all this time-this guy will lead you mudondo-period. No education and no hope.He will serve tea until the end of time.He carries Mcgees golf bag too-what a fool.Whether he gets the ministries he wants or not is another matter-the fact is Zanu pf has outplayed him.He has been exposed as a brainless fool.Benzi.
Maneta nekutevera bemzi renyu muma stadium -all the while richingo kupromisai magaka.He knows jack ****-that man is as dull as a donkey.He has no vision for zimbabwe , the only vision he has is him as president. Then he will sell our country properly to his masters.I must remind Zanu pf that no matter what happens, they must remain in charge of the security in the country. If morgan is given resposibility to oversee the army then i am moving to congo or even sudan. Under morgan there will be more violence in zimbabwe than in those sudan or congo.It is a fact that the mdc have no known individuals in their ranks to run our security services or vital ministries. The end result is they will be recruiting former Rhodesians and others of that nature to try and plug the gaps that they have in their party.That could spell trouble for zimbabwe as we know it. The police will have their work cut out by civil disobedience and rejection of such moves by the oposition.
On the other hand i hope Zanu pf give morgan the Finance they are crying for-even the home affairs as long as mugabe makes the appointments of the heads of those ministries which i believe is the case.We can not trust morgan to run our police —as for the army never never never ever.Then Zanu pf can take a back seat and let Morgan play the hero by unlocking the sanctions -a situation prefered by his masters because they want him be the hero.At the same time they want to give him rediculous demands in return for dropping the sanctions.He will sell our country for a dime-He cant negotiate as we have all seen already. Imagine morgan trying to negotiate with those white people he feels inferior to? He will give away our country.But the povo who follow politicians blindly will lose out as always.
Destruction before construction.
First Mbeki was a Zanoid supporter-Mugabe’s relative somehow but now he is the MDC messiah -At the first sign of trouble you are on the phone to him. Please big daddy help us-Mugabe is bullying us again. Oh dear!!! Aya matakanyanya . Mdc is a lost case. I do not in a million years see mdc reviving our economy even with the billions in aid and sanctions removed.They just dont have a record of success at all. All we get from MDC is political in party fights and break ups.Now we have mdc-M and MDC-T. We will end up with Zimbabwe Rhodesia again.The only way forward is to let Zanu pf take the leading role. Zanu pf has some very intelligent individuals as well as some corrupt few. Normal in Africa.But the economy was wonderful up until the sanctions came into force and the war in congo. So thats a track record not to forget unless you have no o levels.