Chinamasa smiles all the way to London, leaving Mugabe in the cold

The last two weeks have been dominated by discussions over crucial and interesting developments in Zimbabwe's political landscape. The European Union removed 81 members of Mugabe's Zanu-PF party from the sanctions list. This was followed by a three member team of Zimbabwe's ruling coalition visiting London to attend a meeting organised by the Friends of Zimbabwe countries.
For some, including myself, the removal of Mugabe's people from the sanctions list was a major milestone for Zimbabwe not because the violence has stopped or the fact that this removal was motivated by what "Friends of Zimbabwe" termed a largely peaceful referendum but because for so long, Zimbabweans have been held hostage by Zanu-PF who hid behind these sanctions.

For too long now we have witnessed a complete refusal by Zanu-PF to abide to the rule of law because of the economic sanctions that were levelled against them by the European Union and other countries in the West. They have refused to abide by SADC proposals which call for key reforms in the Global Political Agreement. So, for this large number of people to be removed from these sanctions, chances are that we might see some slight progress towards achieving rather peaceful elections.

However, the question of Mugabe's family and the generals remaining in the sanctions list could still pose even a greater danger as we have seen Zanu-PF publicly rejecting the idea of having some members removed while others remaining as a desperate ploy by the EU to divide Zanu-PF. Either way, Zanu-PF seems to be desperate for re-engagement with the EU because the fact that they allowed Patrick Chinamasa to visit the UK means they are keen to be part of EU partnerships, especially funding. Judging from Chinamasa's photos in London, one can see that the man was extremely excited given the big smiles and catty eyes that seemed to be all over the place seeking noticing.

Calm down Madhuku.....
One of the former major political players in Zimbabwe, Professor Lovemore Madhuku has been in the media recently, bitter about the above developments, attacking the West and MDC T, a party he once so loved and committed his undying love for. I have no problem with Madhuku's personal views or the NCA, the organisation he leads but I suspect his bitterness is irrelevant to Zimbabwe's democratic efforts because it is simply based on personalities and the cut off of donor funds to his organisation by the West.

As a professor, it is rather silly for Madhuku to call Morgan Tsvangirai a dictator while he himself carries the same problem of having had the NCA constitution amended to allow him to continue as chairman of the NCA. As a professor, it is worrying to note that he dined with Morgan Tsvangirai when the later went against his party's majority views that voted in favour of the Senate elections leading to the infamous spit of the MDC.

Following this line of thinking, one can clearly see that the Professor is not fighting a national struggle but rather his fallout with Tsvangirai, the man he glorified while others like Welshman Ncube spotted dictatorial tendencies in the man. I may be one of the people who might have voted NO in the recent referendum but my reasons seem to have been not the same as Madhuku. It is not new for clever people to realise today that donor funds are not there to stay. Madhuku's attack of the West is fast becoming a cheap rhetoric similar to that of Mugabe who is always crying betrayal by the West.

I know this may not go well with some of my legitimate comrades in the NCA but we ought to share the truth as we see it happen. My humble submission to them is that as much as we wish change to happen within the MDC's structures, we ought to change ourselves and one of the first steps would be to reconsider Madhuku's position. There are serious people in the like of Blessing Vavas, Madock Chivasas and Clever Beres who can steer the NCA struggle to higher spirits and in turn the whole national leadership.

Ncube is right?
I believe Professor Welshman Ncube has done the right thing of writing to SADC head of states, querying the legitimacy of calls by Mugabe to have elections in June. Zimbabweans recently voted for the endorsement of a new constitution and one would have hoped such a move would inspire respect for Zimbabwe's laws amongst others.

However, it is disheartening to note that Mugabe and to a certain extent, the Prime Minister are busy spreading rumours of a June election after their unlawful analysis of law. A legitimate concern by Ncube in his letter to SADC is the failure by the inclusive government to amend the Electoral Act and align it with the new constitution.

By law, after the new constitution is gazetted, it will have to wait for 30 days before parliament could start debating it and if it was fast-tracked, it would take at least seven days before it is signed into law. From there, the law provides for a 30 day voter registration and inspection outreach programme after the new constitution is gazetted and parts of it come into effect. Then, the parties have to negotiate and agree on necessary amendments to the Electoral Act to bring it into line with the new constitution.

From all this, it is clear that a minimum of at least 70 days is required before an election proclamation can be made. This means that no lawful election proclamation can be made before at least the first week of June and the fact that the law requires a minimum of 58 days from the date of the proclamation to the date of the election. On a best case scenario, no lawful election can be held before the first week of August. We know Mugabe will try to force his way but I think the other parties, especially the MDC-T should fight alongside MDC to make sure that the electoral act is amended and I commend Ncube for raising this important issue. The rest is just details.