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Last Updated: Oct 10, 2008 - 12:45:59 PM |
Sources said the deal has become a poisoned chalice for Zanu PF and the
two MDC factions led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara. It is
said the three parties are now reeling from internal squabbles fuelled
by the power-sharing agreement.
Zanu PF is understood to be experiencing divisions on at least three
levels. Sources said President Mugabe’s key ally Emmerson Mnangagwa,
who was on the periphery of the negotiations, is not happy with the
agreement because he expected to secure one of the initial three posts
of deputy prime minister. Before the final agreement was signed there
was a proposal to have three deputy prime ministers from each of the
negotiating parties but this was later reduced to two.
Sources said Mnangagwa now wants to take charge of security portfolios
to compensate for his loss. It is said he wants to be in charge of
either the Ministry of Defence or Home Affairs, while overseeing the
department of state security, now under Mugabe’s office.
Mnangagwa’s followers who campaigned for Mugabe, particularly during
the presidential election run-off, are also said to be disgruntled
because they are unlikely to get government posts in view of the
limited positions Mugabe has on offer for them after the agreement with
the MDC.
The Zanu PF faction led by retired army commander General Solomon
Mujuru is also said to be angry that his members were likely to be
purged from government structures for not campaigning and in fact
opposing Mugabe’s continued leadership under the guise of the deal.
Mugabe has already fired warning shots across the bows of the Mujuru
faction by dropping one of its bigwigs, Ray Kaukonde, as Mashonaland
East provincial governor.
Vice-President Joice Mujuru is said to be also unhappy because the
imminent arrival of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister has
overshadowed her and co-vice-president Joseph Msika.
The deal says executive power would now be shared between Mugabe,
Tsvangirai and cabinet, leaving Mujuru and Msika out of the loop.
Sources said Msika and his former PF Zapu colleagues are also restless
over the agreement which they think undermines the 1987 Unity Accord
between Zanu PF and the now defunct opposition that was led by Joshua
Nkomo.
Msika and a number of PF Zapu bigwigs across the nation are said to
have met recently in Bulawayo to review the agreement and resolved that
there was need to petition Mugabe on the issue. If he did not respond
positively, former Zapu cadres would regroup and re-launch the
party.
Veteran nationalist Dumiso Dabengwa, a former Zapu luminary and its
intelligence supremo, quit Zanu in February, saying he could no longer
work with Mugabe and his party. Another senior Zanu PF official linked
to the Mujuru faction, Simba Makoni, resigned from the party in
February and challenged Mugabe in the March presidential poll.
Sources said there was also a group of dissatisfied Zanu PF members
which included ministers, deputy ministers and governors who would lose
their positions to MDC members.
The MDC led by Tsvangirai is also divided over the deal. It is said the
party was fractured since the signing of the deal because the
negotiators were not happy that their leader signed the deal without
their consultation. Tsvangirai signed the deal without going back to
his team to hold consultations on the final agreement. As a result the
party now finds itself having to address issues that should have been
dealt with before the signing. Tsvangirai confirmed this to journalists
yesterday without being asked the question.
“There is still an outstanding issue of omissions made in the signed
agreement at the signing ceremony on the 15th of September that had
been agreed and initialled by all parties when we signed the original
agreement on the 11th of September 2008,” he said.
Sources said the MDC negotiators were unhappy that Tsvangirai rushed to
sign, leading to errors in substantive issues and now the need to
revisit the agreement. Apart from this, sources also said Tsvangirai’s
“kitchen cabinet”, an informal group of loyalists who make backroom
decisions widely blamed for splitting the party in 2005, was now
pushing for the finalisation of the distribution of ministries and
securing their positions so that they could jump onto Mugabe’s gravy
train.A source said the senior MDC officials and “kitchen cabinet”
members were “scrambling with indecent haste” for posts to access the
“S-Class Mercedes Benzes, free fuel and other benefits”.
“As we speak Tsvangirai’s main ‘kitchen cabinet’ officials have been
given keys to the whole west wing of Munhumutapa Building and they have
been there to see the offices.”
“They are shopping around for cars, furniture, curtains, computers and
other office equipment. They are stampeding for their new positions and
benefits. Having seen the Speaker of Parliament in his brand new S350
Mercedes Benz, they can’t wait for their own cars.”
This group is now pushing for a quick resolution of the deadlock and
this has brought them into conflict with the mediators who are
demanding a “fair and honest deal”.
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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