Links ~ 24 October 2008
Motlanthe urges Zim opposition not to boycott summit ~ Mail and Guardian
South Africa’s new President Kgalema Motlanthe urged Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday not to boycott another summit designed to save a troubled power-sharing accord. Motlanthe, also chairperson of the 15-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC), said it was “imperative for all the stakeholders in Zimbabwe to avail themselves of the opportunity” offered by Monday’s summit in Harare. “When you seek a solution to a problem, you talk to those that you disagree with,” he told South African public radio.
‘Tsvangirai will attend summit’ ~ IOL
Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will attend a summit next week aimed at saving a troubled power-sharing accord, his party’s spokesperson said on Friday. “We are not boycotting Monday’s meeting,” Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said. “It is our hope that this meeting will bring closure and finality to this issue of power sharing and enable Zimbabwe to respond to the dire situation which the people are facing,” he added.
Robert Mugabe may hang on to rule over corpse of his country ~ The Telegraph
[...] But the diplomat judged that Mr Mugabe had enough resources to keep his regime afloat. “There’s still enough in the country in terms of minerals, remittances and printing money to keep this regime in office, in power, for the foreseeable future,” he said. “There’s still enough meat on the carcass of Zimbabwe for this regime to survive and not to be threatened. He doesn’t need as many people as you think.” In order to stay in power, Mr Mugabe must maintain the levers of repression, notably the army. On paper, Zimbabwe has 40,000 troops, but some 25,000 are engaged in nothing more than growing food for themselves. The diplomat, speaking anonymously, assessed that two brigades deployed in urban areas, supported by a few other military units and some sections of the police, would be enough to deal with any unrest and keep Mr Mugabe in office. “Most of the police already don’t get paid. He needs 15,000 to 20,0000 to keep him in power and there’s enough meat on the carcass to do that.”
Zimbabwe parties unite to pass Bill ~ Daily Nation
Zimbabwe’s warring parties temporarily put their differences aside to support a parliamentary motion to declare the critical food shortages in the country a national disaster. This comes amid increasing concern that the delayed implementation of a power sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF and two opposition groups has worsened the gripping food shortages in the country.
Military seed merchants ~ IRIN
The distribution of agricultural inputs such as maize seed and fertiliser for the 2008/09 season has become the domain of Zimbabwe’s military and President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party. As the first rains fell in October, farmers flocked to traditional input retailers, only to be told that the government, through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, had bought all the seed from producers and had centralised the distribution of agricultural inputs. “We received an instruction that the government had purchased all the seed and would be responsible for distribution to the farmers,” an official who declined to be identified told IRIN.
UN sends envoy to SADC over Zimbabwe ~ The Zimbabwe Times
Top UN envoy Haile Menkerios was set on Thursday to discuss the political crisis in Zimbabwe with Swaziland’s king, who currently heads an African security body, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Zimbabwe’s opposition wants regional blocks to prevail on Mugabe ~ Afrique en ligne
The Zimbabwean opposition is seeking the three regional economic blocs, East African Community (EAC), Southern Africa Development Cooperation (SADC), Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), to trim the powers of President Robert Mugabe. Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is using the fringes of a tripartite summit which opened here Wednesday, to agitate for this. [...] Two MDC officials, including Vice-President Thokozani Khupe (MDC), are using local FM radio stations in Kampala to lobby African leaders at the tripartite summit to prevail on Mugabe. In talk show on Vision Voice FM, part of the state-owned New Vision media group, MDC said it wanted the African countries, especially SADC members, to increase pressure on Mugabe to save the power-sharing agreement. “This is where African leaders are gathering for the COMESA, SADC and EAC summit and we know that Mugabe will be here. We don’t want only his side of the story to be heard,” Elton Mangoma, MDC’s deputy treasurer, said on a talk show dubbed ‘ News Makers’.
Zimbabwe continues to slip in press freedom rankings ~ APA
Zimbabwe has slipped in press freedom rankings for the third successive year, according to a report by France-based Reporters without Borders (Reporters sans Frontières) released on Thursday, which also showed Namibia as the country with the best conditions for journalists in Africa. Zimbabwe has been ranked 151st out of 167 countries surveyed by the Paris-based media rights body. The southern African country was ranked 149th in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index published by body in 2007.
