Gweru-Zimbabwe-It is a hot mid-morning Sunday in Zimbabwe’s third largest city, Gweru. Hordes of people fill the narrow tarred road leading to Mkoba stadium. One would mistakenly think that people are attending a big church service. But a further probe in the sports arena will find a birthday bash for a nine-year-old baby. That “little one” is the Movement for Democratic Change party celebrating nine years of existence today, in a bid to dislodge a revolutionary party, Zanu PF, led by 84-year-old Robert Mugabe.
MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai said to the gathering at the rally that the delay in the signing of the talks between his party and Zanu PF is because Mugabe does not want to cede “sufficient” powers to him.
‘We would rather have no deal than a bad deal. It’s simple. They should do what people want. Mugabe should be head of state and I head of government. If he does not accept that, let it be. We have time and people on our side.”
Tsvangirai said that on March 29 the people of Zimbabwe voted for change and that change can’t be “betrayed” by a signature.
“Tsvangirai signature is not his. It is for the people of Zimbabwe. On March 29 you spoke that you want change and not cosmetic change.”
After the March 29 harmonised elections, there are now 210 seats in the legislative assembly with MDC holding 100 seats against Zanu PF's 99. The breakaway faction of the MDC led by Professor Authur Mutambara have 10 seats, while independent legislator and former Information minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo has the other seat.
The inter-party negotiations between Zanu PF and MDC, being brokered by South African President, Thabo Mbeki, reached a stalemate in mid-August when the two principals failed to agree on how to share executive powers.
Mbeki is expected in Zimbabwe this week to revitalize the talks that face looming collapse if no agreement is accomplished.
The MDC leader however said the coming of Mbeki would not change anything if there is “no paradigm shift in the thinking of Zanu PF.”
“When we talk of a transitional arrangement we are talking of co-leadership…we are talking of partnership…. If you don’t co-exist you undermine the agreement you sign.
‘Mbeki is coming next week but I want to assure you that he is not the one who signs the agreement…. We will never betray you because where we have come from for the past nine years is a tough journey,” said Tsvangirai.
Speaking at the same rally, MDC Secretary General, Tendai Biti reiterated that the party will “never negotiate against what the people of Zimbabwe spoke on March 29.” He also took a swipe at the current constitution that gives the president too much power.
“It is fundamental that we do not negotiate principal. The principal that the people of Zimbabwe spoke on March 29.”
Zanu PF ‘cannot give us responsibility without giving us authority…the president created in this constitution is a monarch, an imperial president. The powers of the imperial president as enshrined in the constitution are making these talks not move forward.”
Diplomats from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, Canada and representatives from Confederation of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and European Union (EU) attended the celebration rally and sent solidarity messages.
