News / National
AU snubs Tsvangirai
25 May 2013 at 13:33hrs | Views
The State aligned media houses are awash with news that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's plans to attend the African Union golden jubilee celebrations set for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this Saturday hit a snag after his advance team comprising six NGOs was snubbed by the continental bloc.
Zimbabwe's ambassador to Ethiopia Andrew Mtetwa is said to have confirmed that Tsvangirai had advised the Zimbabwean embassy in Addis Ababa about his plans to join African heads of state and government in Ethiopia.
Mtetwa, however, said Tsvangirai appears to have cancelled his plan to travel to Ethiopia as he is no longer communicating with the embassy about his intention to attend the celebrations.
Information gathered so far shows that Tsvangirai's mission to join African leaders in Ethiopia was not sanctioned as he was not even invited by the AU.
Sources close to the development said as a result, Tsvangirai had to abort his plans upon realisation that the AU did not even entertain his advance team.
The advance team, which comprises NGOs linked to Tsvangirai's office, has been barred from attending the celebrations after their mission to lobby for the implementation of the so-called GPA reforms in Zimbabwe were dismissed by the AU.
The sources said the NGOs which include Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights convened a meeting at Radson hotel in Addis Ababa in their failed attempt to force SADC and the AU to push for the implementation of 'reforms' in Zimbabwe before the elections.
The meeting which was targeting the AU members, diplomats and the media flopped as it was attended by only two interested individuals.
The group of NGOs led by Thabani Nyoni, Blessing Gorejena, Rose Hazi, Nickson Dewa, Ellen Dingane, and Harrison Nkomo were left with an egg on their faces after their masters, the European Union, snubbed them and distanced itself from the MDC-T sponsored agenda.
After their failed attempts to smuggle their agenda of the so-called reforms, the NGOs are reported to be heading home empty handed after they were told by the AU that the golden jubilee celebrations are meant for the heads of state and government and invited guests, not political sympathisers.
Observers in Addis Ababa described the move by the NGOs and the MDC-T to dramatise the peaceful environment prevailing in Zimbabwe ahead of the harmonised elections as ill-advised and a desperate attempt by the MDC-T leadership to extend their stay in the inclusive government.
Meanwhile, preparations for the golden jubilee celebrations are going well.
Zimbabwe's ambassador to Ethiopia Andrew Mtetwa is said to have confirmed that Tsvangirai had advised the Zimbabwean embassy in Addis Ababa about his plans to join African heads of state and government in Ethiopia.
Mtetwa, however, said Tsvangirai appears to have cancelled his plan to travel to Ethiopia as he is no longer communicating with the embassy about his intention to attend the celebrations.
Information gathered so far shows that Tsvangirai's mission to join African leaders in Ethiopia was not sanctioned as he was not even invited by the AU.
Sources close to the development said as a result, Tsvangirai had to abort his plans upon realisation that the AU did not even entertain his advance team.
The advance team, which comprises NGOs linked to Tsvangirai's office, has been barred from attending the celebrations after their mission to lobby for the implementation of the so-called GPA reforms in Zimbabwe were dismissed by the AU.
The meeting which was targeting the AU members, diplomats and the media flopped as it was attended by only two interested individuals.
The group of NGOs led by Thabani Nyoni, Blessing Gorejena, Rose Hazi, Nickson Dewa, Ellen Dingane, and Harrison Nkomo were left with an egg on their faces after their masters, the European Union, snubbed them and distanced itself from the MDC-T sponsored agenda.
After their failed attempts to smuggle their agenda of the so-called reforms, the NGOs are reported to be heading home empty handed after they were told by the AU that the golden jubilee celebrations are meant for the heads of state and government and invited guests, not political sympathisers.
Observers in Addis Ababa described the move by the NGOs and the MDC-T to dramatise the peaceful environment prevailing in Zimbabwe ahead of the harmonised elections as ill-advised and a desperate attempt by the MDC-T leadership to extend their stay in the inclusive government.
Meanwhile, preparations for the golden jubilee celebrations are going well.
Source - zbc
