PM Tsvangirai proves his vulnerability

PRIME Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai  has been exposed as a paper tiger after State security agents ransacked his private offices before arresting four of his staff, including a celebrated human rights lawyer, as harassment of democracy activists escalated this week.

The move courted the ire of international lawyers and human rights watchdogs, and highlighted to regional observers who were in the country to monitor a constitutional referendum held over the weekend that despite being in the four-year-old inclusive government, PM Tsvangirai remained a lame-duck premier.

PM Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) party are in the inclusive government along with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube's breakaway formation of the MDC. Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara had been seconded to the inclusive government by the MDC but ceased to represent the party after he was replaced by Ncube at a party conference. Despite his ouster, Mutambara has remained a Global Political Agreement principal after challenging his rejection in the courts where his case is still pending. Diplomats from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which brokered the inclusive government, this week said the latest onslaught on the office of the PM, coming barely a week after the SADC Troika implored the ZANU-PF leader to stop violence after the MDC formations dispatched a dossier chronicling alleged incidents of political violence, particularly the killing of 12-year-old Christpowers Maisiri, clearly indicated that PM Tsvangirai was powerless and that President Mugabe and his party still controlled the levers of State power.

The tensions triggered by the arrests, which come hard on the heels of raids and arrests of civil and human rights activists, could increase as the country moves closer to general elections likely to be held around June/July this year.

PM Tsvangirai on Monday approached Acting President Joice Mujuru seeking clarification on the raid.

Although Mujuru reportedly promised to deal with the issue, there are doubts she would be able to rein-in Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri and his officers.

PM Tsvangirai has previously been defied by government ministers, highlighting the fact that he is just a ceremonial figure with no clout or power despite his high sounding title.

Notably, Minister of Media, Information and Publicity, Webster Shamu, has disobeyed his instruction to reconstitute the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) as directed by Cabinet. As leader of government business, PM Tsvangirai last year ordered Shamu to reconstitute BAZ but this has not been done.

Shamu's ministry has also been directed to roll-out wide-sweeping media reforms but only cosmetic changes have been implemented. Recently, the premier had to abandon a meeting with commissioners of the Zimbabwe Media Commission after only two turned up.

PM Tsvangirai's allies in civil society have expressed exasperation over what they perceive to be a lackadaisical approach in dealing with the continued harassment of the leadership of non-governmental organisations, particularly the recent raid of the offices of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association, the Zimbabwe Peace Project and Bulawayo Dialogue.

On Tuesday, police arrested the chairperson of the Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe, Ernest Mudzengi, who doubles-up as the director of the Media Centre. Mudzengi was arrested at the Rotten Row Magistrates Court in Harare while attending the court case involving human rights lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa.

Faced with increasing concern over a possible turn to violence, PM Tsvangirai has appealed to SADC to convene a special summit to address what he considers as a political crisis threatening to engulf the country ahead of polls.
Members of the SADC observer mission who spoke to The Financial Gazette this week said they commiserated with the beleaguered MDC-T leader as he appeared to be powerless to protect his officials and supporters in the wake of the latest crackdown.

They supported the call by South African President Jacob Zuma, the mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis, for reforms to the country's security sector ahead of planned elections.

But PM Tsvangirai's critics said they would not shed tears for the premier, pointing out that he had hobnobbed with the wily ZANU-PF leader whom he defended on several occasions claiming he had reformed.

"He never had any power or authority. But chickens are now coming home to roost," said a top civil servant linked to PM Tsvangirai's party who spoke on condition of anonymity.

An insider in the MDC-T said the premier was unhappy that he has failed to exert his influence on the police despite one of his lieutenants, Theresa Makone, being the co-Home Affairs Minister.

ZANU-PF's Kembo Mohadi is the other Minister of Home Affairs.

Said another insider: "Our leader (Tsvangirai) has also been exposed in relation to his lack of political acumen in dealing with his partner in government, ZANU-PF, wherein, even as he was casting his YES vote for the new constitution, they were busy plotting against him."

Efforts to get comment from the PM were unfruitful for the past week. His spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka promised to come back to The Financial Gazette but did not do so.

On Tuesday, Tamborinyoka was not picking calls from this newspaper.

It is believed the MDC-T leader is leaning on Zuma and SADC to address the possible fallout in the coalition government likely to be triggered by the deteriorating political situation.

Addressing journalists on Monday after the raid of his private offices, the premier said these were trying times for him.

He said the targeting of his office was reprehensible and meant to harass and intimidate the nation ahead of the election, "now that we are done with the referendum".

Japhet Moyo, the secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, said the pattern of harassment of human rights groups and persons linked to the human rights campaign as the country moves towards national elections was regrettable.

"We call upon Zimbabweans to stand up against harassment and intimidation by what appears to be an excited and partisan police force," said Moyo.

Ishmael Malale, a SADC observer from South Africa, said monitors for the upcoming elections should be deployed early.

SADC observers were deployed a week before the referendum.

"The referendum was not about affirming a leader, but a document. We can certainly expect a fiercer contest towards the elections . . . and even in the build-up to the elections. So the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission must prepare adequately," said Malale.