ZIMBABWE is not on the agenda of the Sadc summit to be held
next Monday, neither is it up for discussion before the African Union (AU)
since there is no crisis to warrant its placement, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister
Monica Mutsvangwa said the coming of three envoys from South Africa was a peer
to peer engagement between President Mnangagwa and his counterpart Cyril
Ramaphosa.
Briefing journalists yesterday, Minister Mutsvangwa said
there has been false claims from several quarters that there was a crisis in
Zimbabwe when that is all bottled smoke.
“All said there is no crisis in Zimbabwe which needs
external intervention under established international treaties and conventions.
It is important that we refute Press claims of a crisis in Zimbabwe. Crisis in
diplomacy has specific and defined circumstances if that go beyond day to day
banter,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
“It is common knowledge that there is no Zimbabwean issue
before the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security. Neither is there one
such issue before the Sadc Summit. Definitely there is no such issue before the
continental body, the African Union.”
On Monday, President Mnangagwa held a meeting with three
envoys from President Ramaphosa who included former South African Minister of
Safety and Security Dr Sydney Mufamadi, who was leading the team, the former
Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete and former Minister of Public Service and
Administration Advocate Ngoako Ramatlhodi.
“This was at the peer to peer level of brotherly Heads of
State of two sister nations that enjoy excellent diplomatic bilateral
relations. The envoys brought in their message which was duly delivered to the
host President. In return they received a briefing from President ED Mnangagwa.
The reciprocal messages are the property of the respective leaders and it is
their prerogative as to how they can be handled or disseminated,” said Minister
Mutsvangwa.
She said comments from some figures in the South African
ruling party and irate remarks from its opposition ranks, should not be taken
as the basis of creating perceptions or attributions of crisis in other
nations.
The minister added that the country’s opposition us behind
latest attempts to create a crisis when there is none.
She said an opposition which lost elections in 2018 after
it had threatened not to accept elections results that did not declare them as
winners is now on the prowl.
“The subjective opinions, be they from third part political
entities, diplomatic circles are not the proper guide in the conduct of
diplomacy among sovereignty and friendly nations,” she said.
Turning to compensation of former white farmers, Minister
Mutsvangwa said the decision was not only a fulfilment of aspirations of
Zimbabweans as expressed in the 2013 Constitutional referendum but was a basis
of a Zanu-PF election manifesto which it campaigned and won in 2018 harmonised
elections.
“Zanu-PF was elected inclusively on the basis of that
political undertaking. Let it be also noted that the signing of the Global
Compensation Agreement on the 27th of July 2020, was a fulfilment of the
aspirations of the Zimbabwean people as expressed in the referendum of 16 March
2013. In that instance nearly 95 percent of the population endorsed the new
Constitution with the quoted provisions therein,” she said.
The minister said compensating former white farmers did not
in any way mean that Government was reversing the land reform programme.
“This mischief is purveyor by the loony and extreme right
wing circles. Just that they camouflage with the mantle of left wing populism
and infantile pan African radicalism,” she said.
She said Zanu-PF was a revolutionary party that fought a
non-racial and just struggle for majority rule.
Turning on treatment of prisoners on remand, Minister
Mutsvangwa said the country’s justice system was blind to political persuasion,
rank, creed, race, social and political networks.
She said prisoners had a constitutional right to be
protected from public health risks such as the coronavirus and that might
include bringing in measures such as stopping or limiting the number of
visitors and external items prisoners could have access to.
On the economic situation, Minister Mutsvangwa said the
Second Republic has introduced a raft of measures to stabilize prices that
include foreign exchange auction system which has brought relief to
Zimbabweans.
“The opposition and their foreign handlers with their
varying ignorance and mischief have been trying to create a psychosis of
crisis. On the other side President Mnangagwa has been busy on a positive and
rewarding trajectory much to the relief of the people of Zimbabwe. He has
signed a raft of astute Statutory Instruments that have since tamed a Wild West
jungle that was hitherto the monetary and foreign exchange markets,” she said.
The Sadc summit of heads of States and Governments is being
held virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Herald
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