Zuma mediation team thrown out of a Zim Jomic meeting

South African President Jacob Zuma's backroom facilitation team members were on Wednesday thrown out of a full Jomic meeting in Harare after they gatecrashed the gathering.

Although the two MDC formations wanted the facilitation team led by Mr Charles Nqakula, to attend the meeting, Zanu-PF rejected the proposal arguing the team had no mandate to attend full Jomic meetings.

Sources say it was later resolved that the team be kicked out of the meeting and should get updates from the parties after the proceedings.

Jomic wanted to hold a routine meeting following the successful holding of the constitutional referendum.

Sources who attended the meeting yesterday said the the facilitation team, that had been in Zimbabwe since last week for the referendum,gatecrashed into the meeting on the pretext the members wanted to introduce three officials seconded to work with Jomic by the Sadc Troika.

"As you know the full Jomic meets once in a long time and such a meeting had been slated for Wednesday," said the source.

"The facilitation team came to the meeting along with three new members seconded to the facilitation team by Sadc. Their impression was that they wanted to formally introduce the three members from Zambia, Tanzania and Namibia yet in reality they wanted to attend and participate in the meeting."

The source said the facilitation team told them that they wanted to reactivate Jomic before the general elections arguing the Sadc Troika meeting held in South Africa last week had received a report from President Zuma that the monitoring committee was inactive.

Sources say the dossier submitted to President Zuma was prepared by the MDC - T.

"The team said the Troika had received a report from the facilitator which claimed that Jomic was inactive and had last met in November last year," the source said.

"This caused some disagreements within Jomic and the idea that they participate in the meeting was rejected because it was inconsistent with their facilitation role.

"We argued that their participation would make them part of the problem rather than the solution," said a source.

Another source said Jomic co-chairpersons long back agreed that the facilitation team could not be participants in their meetings.

"The MDC formations were now reneging and saying they were happy to have them and this caused a stalemate and there was no option except for Jomic to ask the facilitation team to leave," the source said.

"This was done to enable Jomic to discuss the issue alone. Although they left, it did not go down well with them."

The source said the full Jomic meeting on Wednesday resolved that the co-chairpersons meet yesterday morning to come up with terms of reference describing how Jomic would interact with the facilitation team.

The co-chairperson would then meet the facilitation team to update them on the progress.

"Only reports from Jomic teams on the referendum were presented in the presence of the facilitation team.

"It was also resolved that internal issues should be solved by Zimbabweans alone and after that we could call the facilitation team and give them updates.

"At today's (yesterday) meeting of co-chairpersons, Mrs Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (MDC) was not there but she was represented by Mr Qhubani Moyo, Nicholas Goche (Zanu-PF) was represented by Professor Jonathan Moyo while Mr Elton Mangoma represented the MDC-T."

There were, however, some disagreements again and the local team failed to come up with the terms of reference.

"The MDC formations maintained their stance and Zanu-PF was unmoved on its position barring the facilitation team. It was agreed that the matter be referred to the principals for resolution," the source said.

Prof Moyo yesterday confirmed the stalemate adding the MDC formations also wanted to expand the role of Jomic.

"They wanted Jomic's role to include monitoring and observing the general elections but we refused arguing that Jomic's duty is to monitor the implementation of the Global Political Agreement in the inclusive Government," he said.

"The last important implementation was the referendum in terms of the GPA and it has ended and that also means the end of Jomic.

"Jomic does not have a mandate to monitor the elections because this is not a GPA issue because polls also involve other political parties and independent candidates."

Prof Moyo said the parties had resolved to refer the matter to the principals.

"We need to work independently and we should also monitor the operations of the facilitation team and how would that be possible if they become part of us?"

Mr Elton Mangoma yesterday declined to comment.

"Handisi kutaura neHerald mazuva ano (I am not talking to the people from The Herald these days)," he said before hanging up the phone.

Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga said they had met the facilitation team and presented them with their challenges.

"All I can say is we met the facilitation team and the major issue we talked about was the political violence that is happening in different parts of the country.

"We updated them on the referendum as well as other challenges we are facing with our counterparts," she said.

She could not be drawn into revealing the "challenges" her party was facing.

Prof Moyo, however, said no issue of the alleged escalating violence was discussed in the meeting.

"In fact they were told by a member of the Jomic operational committee Oppa Muchinguri that cases of violence had dramatically decreased because of Jomic," he said.