Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has endorsed
broad-based dialogue after meeting all key players in Zimbabwe’s negotiations
framework, the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) yesterday.
Mr Mbeki met the members to discuss ways and options that
could help the country move forward from the current economic challenges.
His meeting yesterday dispelled a bilateral arrangement
between Zanu-PF and MDC-Alliance that was being pushed for by MDC-Alliance
leader Mr Nelson Chamisa.
On Monday, Mr Mbeki met President Mnangagwa at State House
after which he held another meeting with Mr Chamisa.
POLAD brings together political parties that had
presidential candidates in the July 30, 2018 harmonised elections and was
initiated by President Mnangagwa at the beginning of the year.
When he met the President, Mr Mbeki said he was ready to
assist Zimbabwe in resolving the prevailing challenges and urged Sadc to assist
the country.
After meeting Mr Mbeki yesterday, POLAD members told The
Herald that the former South African leader sought to know how the initiative
was helping resolve the country’s challenges.
Said MDC-T president Ms Thokozani Khupe: “Our discussions
with former President Thabo Mbeki were around how to move this country forward
and we realise that we can only move the country forward by uniting as
Zimbabweans and speaking with one voice.
“We want everyone to have a better life in this country and
this can only come when people come together and start talking to one another.
These are the issues we discussed with President Mbeki and we agreed that as
political players in this country, let us come together, let us speak with one
voice, let us move our country forward because the people of Zimbabwe matter
than any other person.”
Her deputy, Mr Obert Gutu echoed similar sentiments,
saying:“President Thabo Mbeki wanted us to fill him in on what POLAD is doing
since it was formally launched in May, 2019. He also wanted to hear from us
what our suggestions were in order to move Zimbabwe forward and to help
alleviate the prevailing socio-economic challenges that are ravaging the lives
of the majority of the people of Zimbabwe.
“We articulated our vision as POLAD, emphasising that as
POLAD we are focused on pursuing constructive, but robust and frank discussions
with Government officials, starting from the President himself, His Excellency
Emmerson Mnangagwa. We continue to engage the Government in order to ensure
that the lives of the ordinary people are made more bearable.
“In particular, because of relentless lobbying by POLAD,
the Government agreed to put back subsidies on the prices of basic commodities
such as mealie-meal. As POLAD, we are also very clear and unequivocal on the
urgent need to immediately remove sanctions on Zimbabwe since they have caused
and continue to cause untold suffering to ordinary people rather than the
Zanu-PF ruling elite.”
Mr Gutu said they advised Mr Mbeki that as POLAD, they were
engaging the Government to ensure corruption was decisively dealt with.
Participants in the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD),
background, MDC-T president Thokozani Khupe, her deputy Mr Obert Gutu, People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) leader Lucia Matibenga (extreme left), National
Constitutional Assembly leader Professor Lovemore Madhuku (in red necktie) and
MDC Matabeleland South proportional representation member Mrs Priscillah
Misihairabwi-Mushonga walk out of a local hotel after meeting former South
African President Thabo Mbeki in Harareyesterday. – Picture: Believe Nyakudjara
“We are also strongly advocating the adoption of clear and
well-defined political, electoral and media reforms in order to strengthen and
enhance democracy in Zimbabwe,” he said.
National Constitutional Assembly leader Professor Lovemore
Madhuku said discussions on the country’s future should not be confined to a
few individuals and political parties.
“The main point that is coming out is that the problems of
this country cannot be solved by one party, two parties or three,” he said.
“They can only be solved by all political players, all
political actors, every Zimbabwean who is interested in progress. We deal with
economic challenges, we deal with political and electoral reforms. Those are
the issues that we were discussing.”
People’s Democratic Party president Ms Lucia Matibenga said
the discussion’s focus was on achieving a better life for all Zimbabweans. “A
better life for all Zimbabweans is the ultimate goal, it’s not about positions
in a GNU,” Ms Matibenga said.
MDC-T’s Priscillah Misihairabwi-Mushonga welcomed the
involvement of Mr Mbeki to resolve the country’s challenges.
She said Mr Mbeki had been involved with the issue of
Zimbabwe and knew what the country went through. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment