Only George Charamba knows about that Ministries allocation-ZANU PF
http://www.zimbabwemetro.com
Local News October 12, 2008 | By Gerald Harper
A senior ZANU PF official has professed ignorance about a 'ministries
allocation' released to the state media on Friday fuelling speculation
that the move could have been a propaganda offensive by Mugabe's
spokesman George Charamba before Mbeki arrives for mediation
tomorrow(Monday).
A few hours earlier Mugabe had met with Morgan Tsvangirai and the two
decided to call in a mediator to break the impasse over allocation of
defence, information,home affairs and finance ministries.
"The three leaders agreed to call in the facilitator to assist in
resolving the outstanding issues. An appeal will be made to the
facilitator for him to travel to Zimbabwe," said ZANU PF chief
negotiator Patrick Chinamasa.
However a senior ZANU PF official who requested that his identity be
withheld told Metro that the list was ZANU PF 's negotiating position
and nothing has been agreed on.
"That is our negotiating position,and it was foolish by who ever did it
to reveal it,nothing has been concluded yet. "
It is still not clear why the list was realised but pundits said
initial observations indicate whatever the strategy was it backfired.
Newspapers were quick to point out the imbalance and headlines screamed
on Saturday;
"Mugabe claims all key ministries"-Mail and Guardian,South Africa
"Power deal crisis as top jobs seized by Mugabe" -Mail and Guardian,UK
"Mugabe hands key ministries to ZANU-PF"-AFP "Mugabe grabs key
ministries, angers opposition"- SABC,South Africa "Mugabe claims key
ministries"-The Sunday Times,South Africa
"Probably ZANU PF wanted to ****tray the MDC as being unreasonable,but
you cannot grab all security ministries and try to ****tray that as a
genuine power-sharing agreement," noted Asher Tarivona-Mutsengi, a
Canada based social commentator who also hastened to point out that the
newly created Ministry of Prisons and Correctional Services was missing
from the ZANU PF list.
University of Zimbabwe political scientist Eldred Masunungure said
Mugabe's action was designed to pre-empt Mbeki's mediation effort."It's
a pre-emptive move to Mbeki to say this is what we want. Mugabe has
taken the lion's share and gave a mouse to MDC," said Masunungure.
"What Mugabe has done breeds ill-wish and it deepens distrust between
the parties."
Last week Mugabe's spokesman claimed that only the Finance ministry was
outstanding but that statement was quickly dismissed by the MDC.
Mbeki, who clinched the Zimbabwe power-sharing deal days before he was
forced to give up South Africa's presidency by his ruling ANC party,
has agreed to continue his mediation role and will travel to Harare on
Monday.
In August this year a re****ter with The Herald revealed that the
Mugabe's spokesman who also controls the state media George Charamba
gave the state paper the highly sensitive talks do***ents to publish
before any agreements were signed.
'We were surprised when Charamba gave us the do***ents way before the
talks were concluded on Tuesday afternoon,and specifically told the
headline should read ' New dawn:Deal sealed', we published some of the
do***ent contents the following day. At first we thought indeed a deal
has been reached,but Charamba called us back with specific instructions
on what the story should say', the source revealed.
There was no deal reached then but the state media went on to publish
the story saying MDC faction leader Arthur Mutambara and ZANU PF had
signed a deal,the story backfired heavily. In the same story the paper
went on to repeat the mantra that Tsvangirai is a western
puppet,despite a MOU clause warning against hateful language.
The MDC warned that irresponsible re****ting under the direction of
Mugabe's spokesman Charamba on the talks will effectively destroy the
talks between it and ZANU PF.
The MDC warned; 'This re****t will fundamentally undermine and kill the
dialogue. ..these are the actions of a desperate and cornered regime,
which we find corrosive. We urge Zanu PF to desist from executing this
sly, nicodimus and foolish process but to navigate Zimbabwe out of the
current crisis."
Charamba belongs to the Mnagagwa faction in ZANU PF which has long been
accused of trying to sabotage the talks and was key player in the
ill-fated Ndiyane plot on December 2004 which was meant to catapult
Mnagagwa to the vice presidency, Charamba drafted a speech for
Mnangagwa for the event and hired a plane for the meeting. The plot
backfired.
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