'No legitimacy issues surrounding Mnangagwa'

Below is the full communiqué issued following a ZANU-PF-ANC bilateral meeting "Briefing on the Socio-Political and Economic Developments in Zimbabwe" held at the Zanu-PF Headquarters, Harare, Zimbabwe, on 29 January 2019,

1. On this important day of the 29th of January 2019, our two sister organisations of the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the National African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa gathered at the ZANU-PF Headquarters in the City of Harare, Zimbabwe, and duly led by ZANU-PF Secretary of Administration, Dr O. M. Mpofu and ANC secretary-general Elias Magashule. The entourage of the two delegations was largely comprised of high-ranking members of the ANC National Executive Committee and ZANU-PF Politburo.

2. The objective of the meeting was to strengthen the already existing historical relations and to share their common experiences and lessons with the view to improving the socio-economic conditions of their peoples.

3. The parties therefore resolved;

a. That the parties acknowledge the peaceful and credible manner in which the July 30, 2018 harmonized elections were conducted and the subsequent deserving endorsement of the election results by the regional and international observer groups including the landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe, hence there is no legitimacy issue surrounding the Presidency.

b. That the parties continue working in common purpose towards strengthening their existing excellent relations. c. That the parties work closely together and come up with practical solutions to address the socio-economic and political challenges currently facing Zimbabwe.

d. That the parties acknowledge that the major challenges confronting Zimbabwe are a result of the illegal sanctions imposed by Britain and her Western allies over the bilateral dispute between Zimbabwe and the former over the land reform programme. The parties further call upon SADC and the African Union to advocate for the removal of the sanctions.

e. The parties acknowledge the great efforts by the ANC and the South African government towards addressing the existing historical imbalance over the land ownership in South Africa through deliberate enactment of laws to ensure equitable land redistribution for the benefit of the previously disadvantaged majority.

f. That the challenges facing Zimbabwe have a direct, inextricable effect on regional sister countries and therefore all sister former liberation movements must work as a collective in support of the Zimbabwean cause.

g. That the parties are concerned with the proliferation of opposition political parties and civil society organisations which is aimed at destabilising and subsequently dislodge all former liberation movements from governing power.

h. That the parties underscore the significance of social media in advancing their shared revolutionary objectives, principles, values, ideals, customs and practices hence the need for coming up with strategic tools for coordinated deployment on this very lethal warfront.

i. That ZANU-PF extends profound gratitude and uttermost humility to the ANC president and President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, for his bold standing in calling for unconditional removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe.