Zimbabwe: Mmusi Maimane letter to President E.D. Mnangagwa – Request for a Formal Meeting in Harare Next Week (31.01.2019)

Opinion: ED clearly needs a brigade to give him some advice!

President Emmerson Mnangagwa in midst of a burning republic. Where the soldiers and the police officers on the ground are violating peoples rights, where the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) is using all tools at their disposal to silence critics, union leaders and arch opposition leaders in the Movement for Democratic Change – Alliance (MDC-A).

Clearly, he needs help and guidance, because the strikes, the rising inflation, the lack of currency and off fuel is persisting. While the systemic defects are not fixed, while the ordinary citizen is suffering in poverty and in fear. Because, the Police have arrested people for alleged looting for just being sweaty in the streets. Therefore, the state is already overboard, as the rapes, the mischief of arbitrary arrests and putting opposition leaders and MPs behind bars.

As this follows, there is now a leak of 24-member Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) with all sort of elite and cronies. Former MPs and Former Ministers of the ZANU-PF put there to shine a light on the President and give him advice in the hour of need.

With the Cabinet that the President already has, which Ministers and Deputy Ministers, also regional ministers and the ones in the Office of Vice-President. By my count of the official amount of Minister to give the President advice and well-known information on a sector in government, with the appointed people in September 2018 it was by my estimate about 46 people there. Which are ministers and public officials, who could help a brother in need. This are people who the President already trust and acknowledge to give them a portfolio in government. Therefore, the manpower and finesse, he should already have.

So, today’s leak of Council of 24 more surplus heads to gather intelligence and wisdom for the President. Seems more like luxurious expense and securing people tenure, another fixed income and base for livelihood, than initial need by the President. He already has a full cabinet of about 20 Ministers, than a bunch of Deputy Ministers and also two in the Office of VP. Therefore, he has no direct need for this.

The names and people on the list isn’t important now, they are cronies and pro-ED as is. They are being paid-off and secured by the state. Because, they wouldn’t get this appointed position without perks, benefits and state salary. It would be foolish to think these people would do this on Charity and actually show-up to guide the President without getting something out of it.

We know also, the document is marked confidential, except for the list of people, this sentence alone is striking: “They should be non-partisan and will serve at the pleasure of the President”. I see that as an impossible feat. I don’t know how they will possible be non-partisan and also serve the man. That is like: “We will be independent, but we cannot bite the hand that feed us”. It is sort of the same arrangement. That is configured idea, that is not working. Not here or anywhere on this planet of ours.

This is the double cabinet, the special hand-picked advisers of the President and his cronies. There is nothing else to it.

Just another bill, another pay-off and securing more YES-MEN for the President. Peace.

Zimbabwe: First Meeting Decisions Matrix, 4th – 29nd January, 2019 (30.01.2019)

Zimbabwe: CODE, MDTC and PDP Joint Press Statement – Laying the foundation for a Broad based National Dialogue (30.01.2019)

ZRP: Arrest of a Member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police for Misconduct as Shown in the Video by Sky News (29.01.2019)

Zimbabwe: Zim Gov. Press Statement on the Utterances by South Africa’s Democratic Alliance Leader, Mmusi Maimane (29.01.2019)

Zimbabwe: Citizens’ Cabinet – Statement on the Situation in the Country and Calls for Inclusive National Dialogue (following consultation meeting held on Friday 25 January 2019) – (29.01.2019)

shutdown protest. And for as long as people’s survival problems are not addressed the false “return to normalcy” and “calm”, will not last. Indeed, what we have seen so far may turn out to only be the lightning announcing the thunder that will come.

It is with this background that we reiterate our calls for a broad-based, inclusive national dialogue as a matter of urgency and pronounce ourselves on the following:

Conditions for dialogue

We welcome the emerging resonance around the need for national dialogue and particularly note calls that have come from the churches, business, the NPRC, the Movement for Democratic Change-Alliance, and most recently, President Mnangagwa. We also note that The Elders in their most recent statement made a call for inclusive national dialogue.

We believe that dialogue will only be meaningful under the right conditions which include:

●  the immediate cessation of the clampdown against civil society and activists;

●  the return of the military to barracks;

●  freedom for all innocent political, civic and ordinary citizens who were arrested

without cause;

●  due process for all those accused of crimes;  accountability for the security forces who commitment crimes;

●  and security and safety guarantees to all those driven into hiding.

Composition of the dialogue

An inclusive national dialogue is imperative given the diversity and magnitude of the problems facing our country. The repository for solutions goes beyond political parties requiring the participation of all relevant constituencies, including business, churches, women, youth, civil society and indeed political parties to enable co-creation of solutions that work for all.

Facilitation

Given the reality of extreme political polarization in our country, we believe that the political facilitation of the dialogue must be led by a capable, high level, respected African statesman/ stateswoman acceptable to all, with SADC and the AU as guarantors.

Furthermore, we believe that the dialogue must be technically supported by a competent civic institution with proven capacity to steward such a complex national process towards agreeable outcomes.

Purpose of the dialogue

The inclusive national dialogue that we are calling for, should be about dealing with substantive issues that are central to resetting our country onto a viable path to reconstruction and development. From our perspective, the priority should be on repairing the economy and securing decent livelihoods for the generality of Zimbabweans; guaranteeing justice for victims of political violence; creating conditions to restore social

2

cohesion and national healing and rebuilding the institutions necessary to underpin a prosperous democratic country founded on social and economic justice.

It is particularly important the place the following issues on the agenda of the envisaged national dialogue:

  1. Dealing with corruption – Corruption, especially by political elites and their corporate allies, has become a malignant cancer requiring drastic treatment if the country is to survive. The envisaged national dialogue must deal decisively with the issue. Efforts to turn around the economy will remain a pipe dream until and unless the tentacles of corruption that are now spread across the country are cut.
  2. Accountability and Rule of Law – The envisaged national dialogue must restore constitutionalism in this country. Our whole governance mechanism – across both political and economic spheres – must be underpinned by Accountability and the Rule of Law.
  3. Land Re -Redistribution – It is time that as a nation we face up to the gross injustice of the current land ownership in this country, particularly the fact that highly connected elites got huge farms of the most prime land absolutely free of charge. Most of these farms have been degraded and are going underutilized with negative consequences to the whole economy. We believe that as a matter of justice, this undue benefit must be addressed through an arrangement by which the state sells farm land to those who are willing to go into farming as a business. We are even willing to concede the right of first refusal to those currently in possession of the farms, however, the principle of paying for the land must be upheld. There can be no other scientific basis of allocating this scarce resource without unduly favoring one Zimbabwean over another when all have equal rights, entitlements and obligations under the constitution.
  4. Environmental protection – We urgently need a national conversation on saving and protecting our environment. The current rate of environmental degradation, including deforestation is alarming and a great injustice to current and future generations.
  5. Public sector reform – The envisaged national dialogue must attend to public sector reform, particularly to ensure total independence of public institutions from partisan political interests; strengthening of public institutions, administrative and civil service reform, as well as revenue administration and public financial management.

Outcomes

We believe that the dialogue must produce a framework that allows for collective and competent attention to the most pressing challenges affecting people and reset the country onto a viable reconstruction and development path. The form and content of such a framework cannot be prescribed in advance, rather it has to be a product of dialogue.

Our call for civil society consultations

As the chorus for national dialogue grows, we make a call and equally make ourselves available for collective civil society consultations and consensus building on the conditions, vision, principles, composition, facilitation, agenda and possible outcomes of the envisioned national dialogue. We believe these wider consultations must commence in earnest and reflect truly broad-based and inclusive participation.

3

//END

Zimbabwe: ZRP Press Statement – Public Appeal for Information (29.01.2019)

Zimbabwe: What is your game-plan now, Mr. President?

I got to ask, even if I don’t have any answers. As the depressing news and verified information is leaking from Zimbabwe. The days of the Shutdown, the dire straits. Some say it is propaganda and others trying to deflect it. Others saying the authorities are not at fault and others blame the MDC Alliance.

Whatever it is, it has been ordered from the “Above High”, the ones ushering in the violence, the killings, the arrests, abductions and the destruction of society. Comes from somewhere. The acts of aggression against civilians, the acts of arresting and detaining the fellow civil society leaders, either activists or union leaders. They have all been taken into custody and put on trial. They have all been silenced, like the Social Media, the Internet Blockade and other acts to stifle the voices of dissidents. So, that the President, the ZANU-PF and the Authorities could control the information flow.

However, that has not worked. Therefore, the acts against MDC is shown to the world, the way the authorities have picked up Union Leaders of late. Also, detaining other Civil Society Organizations leaders and activists, who have been targeted by the government.

Also, the other realities is the leaked footage of rape and the beatings of civilians. This has been shown to the world. The atrocities have been told now, the world has seen the sinister acts of the government against its own.

While, that is happening, the road-blocks, the destruction of markers within Harare and so on. There are so many bad things happening. It is hard to follow. Worse to verify, while the leaked footage are showing what sort of tools the government are using.

As President Emmerson Mnangagwa can stop this, as Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga can order this to stop. That is if they want this circle of destruction and sinister acts to stop. However, after two weeks of evil and of murky acts, which no government should do towards their own or anyone else for that matter. They are using rape, violence and fear against the civilians. As they we’re starting to demonstrate against skyrocketing prices on fuel overnight.

What is your game-plan now? Are you planning together with the PFee to destroy more people lives and show more sinister violence against them? Are this the legacy, the proud moment of your rule to deplete society? Is that why you wanted to takeover for Mugabe so you could repeat Gukurahundi of the 1980s. Then was to assault the ones who was behind Joshua Nkomo, now the same leadership are attacking the ones who are in and around Nelson Chamisa. Only him whose out of the spotlight for now.

What the world has seen is that the Crocodile and his henchmen bites. They bite so hard and muffle with the public. Mnangagwa and Chiwenga could have handled these demonstrations differently. However, you decided to do this.

As President and Vice-President, you could have handled this differently. Instead you used the soldiers, police and people are hiding from the law in fear of being haunted down like fellow comrades. That is the society the shutdown and PFee wants to have. They are using force and usign all means to stop them. This is not reforming, but an armed military dictatorship with no mercy.

Mr. President, what is your game-plan now?

Will you play PR Games? Or will you act sensible?

Because, right now, as the beginning of the Shutdown, the Republic is burning, people are getting hurt. People are getting touched by association or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The authorities instead of guarding the public, they are punishing them. For voicing the frustration at the economic and financial mismanagement done by the PFee for years. Instead of finding solutions to it. The government sent weapons and assaulted the population.

Is that all your made of Mr. President, is that all you are? You are such a weak man, that cannot build anything, but only destroy? Is that who you are?

Because it looks like it and your game plan, suuuuuucks! Peace.

Zimbabwe: Press Statement by the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage (25.01.2019)