Mugabe, Tsvangirai irk Welshman Ncube

PRIME MINISTER Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe have rewritten the Global Political Agreement (GPA) while excluding the MDC party, which is recognised by Sadc, from key consultative meetings, MDC leader Welshman Ncube claimed yesterday.

However, Luke Tamborinyoka, the PM's spokesperson, said Tsvangirai had wanted Ncube to attend the principals' meeting, but the other principals had resisted the move.

Ncube said Tsvangirai had joined forces with Mugabe in keeping him out of the government of national unity thereby ignoring Sadc resolutions to recognise him as one of the principals.

Addressing journalists after meeting with the Sadc-appointed facilitators yesterday, Ncube said there was a deliberate effort by both Mugabe and Tsvangirai to rewrite the GPA which recognises three political parties.

"What has been happening in the last two or three months is that there has been an insidious effort by Mugabe and Tsvangirai to rewrite the GPA. It is now an agreement between Zanu PF, MDC-T and one person called (Arthur) Mutambara. It has rendered the foundations of the GPA dysfunctional," Ncube said.

The MDC leader said his party had taken its grievances to South African President Jacob Zuma, who is the mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis, who then sent in his facilitation team which was in the country yesterday.

Ncube said the party had also written a letter to Sadc complaining about Mugabe and Tsvangirai's apparent disregard of the GPA.

"Clearly we are being excluded quite deliberately and indeed Sadc is being excluded. The two gentlemen (Mugabe and Tsvangirai) have now decided that Sadc no longer has a mandate on the election roadmap, meaning they are now sidelining Sadc," Ncube said.

Ncube said the facilitators were equally baffled that Mugabe and Tsvangirai had agreed on an election roadmap without consulting him or Sadc.

He also narrated how he had been left out of the Monday meeting where the President and the Prime Minister consulted each other over the issue of elections in his absence.

Ncube said he had received invitations from Minister of State in the PM's Office Jameson Timba and Finance minister Tendai Biti to attend the meeting but the door to the meeting was shut in his face after Tsvangirai denied sending the two.

However, Tamborinyoka denied this, saying: "Professor Ncube was supposed to attend yesterday's (Monday) meeting. The Prime Minister actually wanted him to attend, but other principals had a different position. In any case, it was agreed in the discussions that Chinamasa and Matinenga should consult all the political parties and report back to the principals, then the election date will be discussed and we expect Professor Ncube to be there."

In the principals' meeting on Monday, Mugabe and Tsvangirai agreed on an election roadmap that is set to be crafted by Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa and Constitutional Affairs minister Eric Matinenga.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai have made key appointments like that of Justice Rita Makarau as the new Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson without consulting Ncube.