Coalition Government Principals Morgan Tsvangirai, Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara set to implement smokescreen GPA agreements to hoodwink SADCand the nation into a false sense that all is well in the tumutus government.Negotiations to form the current coalition government and legitimise Robert Mugabe’s disputed claim to Presidency of Zimbabwe nearly collapsed over allotment of ministries between Zanu PF and MDC-T.
The most contentious ministry was that of Home Affairs which by way of compromise ended up being co-ministered by the two parties in an experimental arrangement that was rammed down the nation by an uncompromising SADC.
There were widespread murmurs of discontent with the arrangement which was clearly in breach of the Cabinet line up agreed and signed for by the parties.
Kembo Mohadi of Zanu PF and Giles Mutseyekwa of MDC-T are the joint ministers assigned to co-manage the ministry.
As feared there has been little if any change in how the ministry has been carrying out its duties in particular those of policing which were at the centre of the two parties demanding sole management of the ministry.
The more experienced former Minister Kembo Mohadi under whose stewardship the police force transformed into a Zanu PF militia as opposed to the national law enforcement agency it was designed to b e has not confirmed any major changes in operational strategies and methods.
Giles Mutseyekwa has however publicly informed the nation that he has experienced no problems in sharing management of the Ministry with his Zanu PF counterpart.
But events show that the only reason why he has not experienced any problems is because he has done absolutely nothing about public concerns with policing practices in the country.
Indeed abductions of political opponents have been halted –for now at least but that has got nothing to do Mutseyekwa’s presence in the ministry but rather the ultimatum by the Premier who had refused to be sworn into office unless the security operatives retribution against his supporters ceased and abductees were brought to court and charged in accordance with the laws.
What is evident is that all the MDC-T supporters and Civic Society activists who had been abducted are still facing the trumped up charges of politically motivated crimes they deny involvement in and that Mutseyekwa knows to be falsified.
The real criminals who plundered and pillaged political opponents property during the mayhem leading up to the sham June 28 Presidential runoff are yet to be brought before the courts even though most are known to the Police and their victims who in some cases have been frustrated enough to attempt personal recovery and ended up being arrested for taking the law into their hands.
Mohadi and Mutseyekwa have not met with the Police Commissioner General and his top officers to agree on changes necessary for fair and equal treatment of crime suspects and formal eticacy that should be accorded Cabinet Ministers and senior government officials by uniformed security personnel of all ranks.
That is why the Military Commanders have refused to salute the Premier and his deputies as well as cabinet Ministers from any other party than Zanu PF but religiously pay such homage to the President, his wife and Vice Presidents including all Zanu PF cabinet Ministers and Provincial Governors.
President Mugabe being Commander in Chief of the defence forces shoulders the bulk of the blame for not disciplining his forces to pay respects to the government but he gets away with it because Mutseyekwa and Mohadi have not made an issue of the indiscipline in Cabinet meetings which they should.
The rowdy people invading farms are getting away with the crimes because Mutseyekwa and Mohadi are not taking the Police Commissioner General to task and whenever they have tried they have been hugely ignored by the command structure now totally taking instructions from the Attorney General.
Mohadi and Mutseyekwa are being paid to do absolutely nothing about policing policies and practices and even in the immigration department they have not said anything about the influx of illegal immigrants most of whom are professional liabilities and criminals from mainly China.
Services from departments of this ministry continue to charge exorbitant and prohibitive fees for essential identity and travel documents that cannot be obtained anywhere else than the Ministry by Zimbabweans.
The compromise to co-minister the Home Affairs Ministry was made provisional and subject to review by SADC on recommendations from the Ministers after six months that are due in August 2009.
The review will be unnecessary where the Ministers have not changed anything for the better and thus have not rocked the boat to see why certain malpractices are perpetuating in the Police force.
Once that review window has been lost and co-ministering is endorsed as the ideal, the likelihood of the police Officers impunity escalating is very real and the moribund JOMIC will be the only recourse for redress which they will not manage.
Because of the August SADC review deadline there will be movement on outstanding GPA issues that have been stalled.
Nominees for Ambassadorial posting from the MDC’s will commence Training on 3 August 2009.
Provincial Governors unilaterally appointed by President Mugabe from among his loyalists will vacate office on 31 July to be replaced by MDC nominees in the six provinces that Zanu PF lost during the March 2008 elections.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Roy Bennett will be sworn into office at the same ceremony where the replacement Provincial Governors will be attested into government service.
The irregular appointment of the Reserve bank Governor and Attorney General will be dealt with by SADC during that review session.
That will be the smokescreen President Mugabe will put up to avoid SADC scrutiny and reprimand for numerous breaches of the GPA agreement.
The Constitution reform agenda will have been moved forward with the staging of the first stakeholders meeting starting on 14 July 2009.
Numerous obstacles will be thrown into the process once the SADC review is concluded as Zanu PF would like to avert the elections that must follow conclusion of the Constitution reform process.
Zanu PF will have a willing partner in Professor Mutambara’s disjointed MDC as both are aware that winning such elections is near impossible.
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