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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Mugabe's party insists Zuma must quit as mediator ahead of summit |
| 2011-08-12 |
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Zim-bob-wean President Bob MuggsyMugabe's Octogenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case... party has reiterated its calls for South African President Jacob Zuma to be relieved of his duties as the country's mediator. Zanu PF wants the controller's role discussed at the forthcoming Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit. President Zuma will assume the chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Defence, Politics and Secuirty Cooperation at the Heads of State summit set for Luanda, Angola next week. Zanu PF, which formed a unity government with the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations in 2009, says the South African leader cannot be controller and chairman of the organ at the same time. The controller reports to the organ on the Zim-bob-we political talks now aimed at creating an environment for free and fair elections. SADC executive secretary Mr Tomaz Salamao had appeared to be dismissing the Zanu PF argument last week saying President Zuma's role will not be discussed at the summit because he still had the mandate to facilitate the Zim-bob-we talks. But on Thursday, state media, which represents the Zanu PF line of thinking in the unity government, criticised Mr Salamao saying he cannot speak on behalf of SADC because he was just an employee of the regional body. "Mr Salamo is just an executive secretary and he does not make authoritative decisions on behalf of the bloc," the official Herald newspaper said quoting an unnamed government official. "The issue of Zim-bob-we's controller is for Heads of State to decide on and he should stop causing unnecessary confusion. "The whole mediation role in Zim-bob-we has got a historical anomaly that is inconsistent with SADC practices when it comes to facilitation roles. "The SADC norm on facilitation is to rely on a former Head of State and not a sitting president. It is only the Zim-bob-we case that been subjected to a sitting president." President Zuma's successor, Mr Thabo Mbeki ...former president of South Africa, succeeding Nelson Mandela. He now pops up periodically as a mediator when something catches fire in Africa... was the previous controller in the Zim-bob-we talks and brokered the power sharing agreement signed in September 2008, while still South African president. The front man of President Zuma's facilitation team Ms Lindiwe Zulu has said there would be no problem with Mr Zuma doubling as the controller and chairman of the SADC organ. Former Zim-bob-we Information Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo, a close ally of President Mugabe said if SADC insisted that President Zuma takes the two responsibilities "they will be inviting a clear conclusion that there is a sinister agenda." Prof Moyo precipitated a major diplomatic fallout between Zim-bob-we and South Africa in April when he used the state media to attack President Zuma and his facilitation team. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 "'Muggsy' needs to die FTFY, OP. I'd rather have it quicker than soon. And he can take his "family" with him. |
| Posted by: Barbara 2011-08-12 14:43 |
| #2 Zim-bob-wean President Bob Mugabe's party has reiterated its calls for South African President Jacob Zuma to be relieved of his duties as the country's mediator. An "honor among thieves" moment. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2011-08-12 14:42 |
| #1 "Muggsy" needs to die of an incurable and very painful case of AIDS. Soon. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2011-08-12 13:36 |