The African Union (AU) has hailed Zimbabwe’s power-sharing deal as a “turning point” for the nation and urged the world to give it full support.
A statement issued late on Friday by AU Commission chairman Jean Ping welcomed this week’s accord between President Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwean opposition.
“The chairperson commends the Zimbabwean parties for arriving at this agreement which marks a turning point in the efforts aimed at promoting reconciliation, stability and fostering conditions conducive for the recovery of their country,” it said.
The AU praised South African President Thabo Mbeki’s “skillful diplomacy and tireless efforts” as a mediator.
“The chairperson urges the international community as a whole to do its utmost to support the implementation of this agreement and provide the requisite assistance to that end,” the statement added.
Giving first details of the deal reached on Thursday, an opposition senator said on Friday that Mugabe would keep his job and head the cabinet. Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the main opposition MDC group, would be prime minister and chair a council of ministers supervising cabinet, the senator said.
Zimbabweans are desperate for an end to a political crisis that has destroyed the economy, hitting the once-prosperous country with the world’s highest rate of hyper-inflation and sending millions of refugees into neighbouring countries.
Reuters
I dont trust Mugabe.
I also dont trust Mugabe and worse still Morgan cant be trusted.He has sold Zimbabwe to the west
Who cares
We do not need Mugabe’s issues again, we are tired of these guys please.Mugabe and his people should sort themselves and should not involve Zed, because our presdo went thru alot and unfortunetly passes away,MHSRIP.Mbeki is also trying to protect his interests in Zim, he owns alot of businesses.
Let us have more news on elections and our next king for mother Zed.Who will continue the legacy LPM left behind? and what is the way forward?
Dont trust SATA.
Too bad for some of us coz the deal has come early. We are enjoying amaule yapa zim nomba yalaya and we are now used to them coz they are very very cheap and nice in bed.
Don’t trust HH. he will sell our beloved zambia like he sold the mines en pocket all the proceeds
#3,i support you.lets first solve Zambia.so what about ka mugabe.
#4 you are missing the point.U sound like that small kid at some primary school who doesnt know what he is talking about.Who tells you that levey died because of mugabe?Who tells you that levey left a legacy what legacy?have you been to any government hospital/clinic its pathetic!!!Zediand we dont need levy’s legacy we need a president to develop Zed not hiding in fighting corruption.
We are Zedians we have a right to talk about zim.
#7 i agree with you.HH must tell us about that money(ZCCM proceds) that made him so rich
Thank God that the prayers of the saints are answered. we hope for the best in this country. peace and political stability. my fellow Zambian, lets realise that if our neighbours are not at peace then we as well cant be, why? how? we are going to be disturbed in terms of refugees, no business with them, route to south may be blocked, our fellow zedians in that country will be affected and in many other ways. we are all people en we shud love each other just as we love ourselves. lets do en wish for others as if its for ourselves. tommorrow we wont know who you will be en where you will be. ASUNGA MUZAKE SIAZIBIKA. one love.
#10, you started well but now you are also acting like the kid you disclosed in # 9.
Grow mwaiche wandi. Keep quiet if you’ve nothing to offer and enjoy other posts.
Goodluck bro.
IT IS GOOD FOR ZIM AND THE REGION FOR THESE PEOPLE TO SETTLE DOWN. FINALLY WE HOPE THE ECONOMY OF ZIM CAN AGAIN BOOM. THE GENERAL POPULACE HAVE SUFFERED FOR TOO LONG, WE HOPE THESE POLITICIANS CAN GIVE THE PEOPLE SOME BREAK.
#9, you do not pass opinions like that way NO.if i start making you feel the other side, you wont like me.Grow and pass your own opinion and bloggers will appreciate it.u nja wena
I think the deal is just a compromise of democracy in Africa and an act of self-interest by the two leaders. I hate such agreements!
Bakamba ba anonymous #12 i apologise for calling him a kid.i didnt intend to bring childish comments.
I agree lets be mature in our comments.Iam a true PATROITIC Zambian.Viva mature comments
# 13’s sentiments are real and humane. Zimbabwe and her people deserve a better life. Zimbabwe has been a great embarrassment for the region and for Africa as a whole. The cries for help have been there for quite a long period; we hope our Zimbabwean brothers and sisters will once again have a peaceful and satisfying existence. Viva alla vita!
Power sharing deal my foot! What happened to democracy?
The agreement has been put on paper.
We will now wait for its practical implementation.
I hope that Mugabe will not be changing on daily basis like some of presidential candidates in Zambia, who believe that paper work and written principles/manifesto intereferes with their lifestyle.
So they opt to park their menifesto and remain who they really are; change, change, change. Each time they change they forget that they have changed so they change again, and again, etc.
NO ONE SEEM TO CARE HERE. WE HAVE BEEN QUITE ABOUT UNZA. DR CHONGWE YOU SUPPORT MMD, EN YOU A DEGREE BUT YOUR SONS EN DOUGHTERS ARE DELAYED. CAN YOU COME OUT EN HELP. RB PLIZ WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THE SITUATION? MWANAWASA DID HIS PART BY GIVING OUT K20 BILLION OUT OF 40 WHICH HE PROMISED. SO IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING HIS STEPS WHY ARE YOU SKIPPING OTHERS WHICH INVOLVE PAYING THE REST BUT YOU ARE APROVING SALARY INCREAMENTS FOR YOURSELVES. PROFESSOR LUNGWANGWA, THESE STUDENTS WANT TO BE LIKE YOU BUT YOU ARE CHANGING THEIR COUSE, IF YOU DONT KNOW WHERE THESE STUDENT S COME FROM LET ME TELL YOU I KNOW. IT WERE ONE LIVE TO SURVIVE. I CAN ASSURE YOU THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO WILL RETURN WILL DROP.
# 4, thanks for your comments, but for sure as zedians we don’t need a “king” but a SERVANT of the people. We need someone who will be able to sacrifice his energy for the sake of developing Mother Zambia, and not a king. We have had enough kings!!!
We must try to hold on to the gains, otherwise we will loose out to Zimbabwe. Our econonmy is salaula based. I wonder whether those in government know that we benefited from the troubles in Zim. their economy was a lot stronger and their infrastructure a lot better. Salaula kind of business was not the order of the day when Zim was Zimbabwe unlike us in Zambia.
#16,if sata did why cant i did it!Thanks you are matured, please go ahead and blog.I’m your neighbour by the way.
Big hands to #12 you confuse men and can hit a coin until it bleeds.
#22, walanda mwe.No one knows because there are just increasing salaries for themslves.We are introuble especially in the tourism sector it will be a do or die situation.They nocked out the zerooos from there notes and it is sounding strong currency already.The ba Zungus know there is money in Zim for invetsment.
GRZ should put powerful policies
#22 and #24 you are excellent in your contributions.Zambia should begin to get ready .When Zim becames stable the ba zungus may leave coz they know money is in Zim.New government open your eyes and formulate stable policies that will stand the taste of time.
The Rupia Banda Government has in the last six months failed to give the students allowance, deserting more than 400 students based in Russia leaving them to face the savage winter on their own without financial or material help. In a bid to buy school materials for the new academic year that opened half a month ago, this has led to various types of ativity among students male and female.
Good for the Zimbabians, lets just hope that this time around, Mugabe will be genuine. Otherwise, this looks like a big trap, Mogarn should be very careful or else, he dies as he draws near Mugabe chances of him dying are very high.
Come on wake up Zimbabians
Bad for African democracy! all the losers will use this option as a last result. Defeat will not be an option We need clean and mature politics in Africa otherwise we will continue to look East and West for food and Money!
#26. Permanent Secretary,
They did not ‘fail’ to give students meal allowances.
Instead, I think they ‘refused’.
The opposition need to be very careful with Mugabe and his trix. Lets not forget that his been down this road before with Joshua Nkomo….
#29 Fine! you are right. But this is very embarassing for us here. Russian law makes it impossible for foreign student to work
@ 22 & 24,
So so true, with sound infrastructure and a robust financial sector the Zim crisis is easily reversible,just give them 5 five yrs they will be back on track,
not forgetting that the Brits have promised to pump in atleast £1 billion every yr if they sort out their politics,
Zambia’s holiday is slowly coming to an end,if only we had made the most of it
There will be no overall change in Zim. Bob is too crafty and wiley for Morgan. Bob’s still in charge. Its like putting Morgan in charge of the coat rack in a night club!! Bob’s still counting money and checking who’s coming in.
Well lets wait and see… …
# 31. Permanent Secretary,
I agree with you. There are less priority areas where money was spent which should have, instead, been on educational issues for our children at UNZA, Russia, wherever.
But looking at the great leadership qualities of RB, I believe, with him at the top, things will definitely be resolved.
But as for Mugabe, let the international community not go to sleep or set up a party.
It is time for them to closely monitor events in Zim to see to it that for each party, they must conform to what they have agreed to.
I also hope that both understand what each other means before they sign so that they dont come say, “this is not what we agreed to”.
I feel let down by the AU. The whole of Africa is a disgrace and a shame to say the least. How can a man like Mugabe full of innocent blood in his hands be allowed to rule under a ridiculous arrangement called “government of national unity”. What the crap is that? There is now a growing trend in Africa that when dictators get voted out of power they turn onto the state machinery and unleash untold terror on the voters who rejected them so that they can go and negotiate a deal to stay in power regardless under the “government of national unity bull crap” . Let’s not encourage this ugly trend. At the moment lets think about the number of Zimbabwean civilians who paid with their own lives
….Cont” for Mugabe to stay in power. Africans lets embrace democratic principles and the rule of law and most importantly let us respect the voice of voter. What is the point of going for polls or holding elections if our leaders are not willing to yield power irrespective of the outcome of the elections. May the soul of all the zimbabweans who were tortured and killed rest in peace. One day justice will prevail and God is going to fight for you.
@ Maestro,
You seem to have put the blame squarely on Mugabe/Zanu’s feet,which i think is a bit unfair,
you seem to ignore the all the hidden dark forces at play in Zim,
pls don’t just base your conclusions on the western media,
i think after an honest and sober assessment of the Zim situation is history will indeed absorb Bob despite all his many flaws
As long as old Mugabe is still there problrems will resurface in Zim.Its so far good that there is an agreee ment but watch the future
MUGABE FOREVER.. AFRICA IS FOR AFRICAN..ALL OF YOU OUTSIDE AFRICA BUT HAVE BLACK SKIN..DONT UNDERSTAND WHY MUGABE IS A TRUE PAN-AFRICANIST..Viva MUGABE.. Abash the WEST
Thanx Bob for reaching an agreement. At least the so called Worst have learnt that they can never win thru economic sanctions just because they were denied land. Viva Mugabe thou….
The words “Zimbabwe” means “ruins/shambles of stone” and that’s exactly what has become of this country today. I hope they pick themselves up quickly, pantu ifwe pa Zed na tuya kale.
#42 Chale, you can say that if you had no friends or family in Zimbabwe. And people who never sympathize with people others are worth to be declared Nazis, and many live in German like you.
The African Union is irrelevant to today’s world. Only in Africa can you find a loser dictating the terms of a “power-sharing arrangement” with the winner! Why should a loser share anything with the winners? And yet, this is the trend that is becoming increasingly popular in Africa; with the backing of the African Union! And you get so-called elder statesmen at the center of “Mediating” such meaningless arrangements. Shame on you Mbeki and the AU!! Why should the Kenya model be embraced as if it represents true democracy when it doesn’t?
Interesting guys, if you observe in the pix, Morgan T has a shadow of a white man that is potraying him that he will sell Zim to the Ba Zungu’s once he has full control of Zim.Ka Robert M is so clever that he will not give Morgan T certain ministries they will be very strict maybe tourism,finance,local governace then the rest will be ka Robert M in control.
Otherwise that shadow i see of a Muzungu behind Morgan T has alot to say.A shadow of a conial master king again
#42 Please don’t get me wrong, my statement was purely ironic if you understand what that means. I feel for the Zim people too, believe me, but to call me Nazi just because I reside in Germany is just as shallow-minded as calling you Ku Klax Klan because you’re in the US (going by your flag).
#45 Racist.
#45 good observation. Guys did all see Morgan Tsvangarai’s shadow in the Pic above? Look closely