Welshman Ncube to defy Mugabe, Tsvangirai resolutions

Movement for Democratic Change president Professor Welshman Ncube says his party will defy all decisions made by principals in the inclusive Government at their Monday meetings because his party is not represented at the forum.

He accused Zanu-PF and President Mugabe of facilitating Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara's stay in Government despite losing the mandate at the party's congress last year.

Prof Ncube said DPM Mutambara had no mandate to represent MDC at the meetings.

"We will not be bound by decisions of that forum where we are not represented," said Prof Ncube, who is also Minister of Industry and Commerce.

"If that forum makes decisions that are to come to Cabinet, myself, Minister David Coltart (Education, Sport, Arts and Culture) and Minister Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (Regional Integration and International Co-operation) will not co-operate with that."

Minister Ncube said DPM Mutambara attended the meetings pretending to represent the MDC.

DPM Mutambara could not hide behind the appeal against the High Court interdict in purporting to represent the MDC, Prof Ncube said.

"It's very clear that principals are the leaders of their parties and no party can be represented in the principals' forum by someone who has been imposed by another party.

"We have an anomaly where Zanu-PF picks who is to be principal of another party. It is just insane. We have not accepted that, we don't accept it and will never accept it," he said.

Prof Ncube said the appeal by Prof Mutambara against a Bulawayo High Court ruling that barred him from "purporting" to be president of the party did not confer him rights to continue exercising the mandate bestowed on MDC leader. He said Prof Mutambara was in contempt of the ruling by continuing to attend principals' meeting purporting to represent MDC interests.

"What is important for people to know is that (Prof) Mutambara's appeal against the interdict doesn't mean that the ruling is suspended.

"Basic law says if there is a ruling and one appeals, the previous ruling stands until the appeal is heard. In this case he should have stopped purporting to be representing the MDC," Prof Ncube said.

He said the High Court also approved that the congress that ousted DPM Mutambara was valid and he had had not challenged the congress.

This, he said, meant that DPM Mutambara recognised his ouster.

However, Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said the President was only exercising his role as Head of State.

"The fact that he recognises that the President has power to swear and un-swear people shows that he is addressing him as Head of State and not Zanu-PF President.

"That shows that party politics has nothing to do with this. After all, Welshman was in the Sadc Summit where a distinction between principals and political party heads was clearly spelt out. So there shouldn't be confusion. Besides, the mere fact that he has already reacted to the Zanu-PF proposed amendments means that he is already part in the process of principals."

On Tuesday, Mr Charamba told The Herald that Prof Mutambara remained a principal and DPM in the inclusive Government despite the decision taken by Sadc at its recent summit in Maputo, Mozambique, to recognise Prof Ncube as the leader of the MDC. He said Prof Ncube's recognition by Sadc as leader of the MDC would not upgrade him to the status of principal when it comes to Zimbabwe's Government matters.  

Mr Charamba added that Sadc stressed that for the purposes of its mediation assignments in Zimbabwe, it would now be dealing with leaders of political parties. In this regard, Mr Charamba said there was a distinction between structures that mattered to Sadc for the purposes of its mediation and legally constituted structures and designations that mattered to the Government of Zimbabwe for the purposes of operationalisation of the Global Political Agreement.

"This is to say that whereas Sadc concerns itself with political parties, the Government of Zimbabwe concerns itself with principals."