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Mugabe swears in opponent as premier

By editor
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Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe yesterday swore in his main rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, as the country’s prime minister in a unity government that took months of hard negotiations to achieve.

Several regional leaders attended the swearing in, which is expected to end months of wrangling between the government and the opposition over an inconclusive election held early last year.

Tsvangirai, a longtime rival of Mugabe, was sworn in together with two deputies, one drawn from his party and the other from a smaller opposition party.

The government and the opposition agreed, under the mediation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to share power via a coalition government.

Under the agreement, the two sides will share cabinet portfolios and other levers of power, until fresh elections are held.

The agreement followed months of hard negotiations that almost collapsed over the share of cabinet portfolios.

Tsvangirai, taking the oath of office, said he would ‘bear allegiance to Zimbabwe’, contrary to frequent accusations by Mugabe that he was a front for Western powers seeking to oust him from office.

The new government, which is due to be sworn in on Friday, will be immediately confronted by a multitude of crisis, including a raging cholera outbreak, closed educational institutions and severe food shortages.

Over 3,500 people have died of cholera since August last year, and more than 70,000 others infected in an outbreak that has drawn the attention of the world.

Even more worrying is a food crisis affecting over half of the country’s 14 million people.

United Nations agencies said unless international food aid is mobilised soon, millions of Zimbabweans face starvation in coming months.

Poor weather last year and the government’s agricultural policies are widely blamed for the food shortages.

Schools and universities have also been closed because of a long running strike by teachers and lecturers, who are demanding to be paid in foreign currency.

The demand is yet to be met, and the stalemate, which has been running from last year, continues.

Big Western donors, the only hope for the new government to start re-building the country’s shattered economy, have said they will adopt a wait-and-see attitude on the unity government, before unblocking aid and investment.

Earlier this week, South Africa said it would possibly agree to plans by Zimbabwe to use its currency, the Rand, in place of its worthless local dollar.

But large-scale aid from Pretoria, which is also feeling the pinch of the international financial crisis, has been ruled out.

Tsvangirai, whose party controls the key finance ministry, has said his government will target foreign direct investment and aid to revive the economy.
ZANIS/PANA/ENDS

editor
editorhttp://www.lusakatimes.com

108 COMMENTS

  8. This is a good move!! Especially when you know that Mugabe was ready to take Zim to his grave!! Another Chapter .. Lets wait and see!! At least Mr T has been given a platform :)>-

  11. I was really happy when I saw Morgan being sworn in by Mugabe.I only hpoe these two chaps will do something about zim and its pipo.I almost wept in class(economics lectures).All the examples were about ZIM good and bad ones.South african are really taking advantage of the zim pipo.Cilakalipa ine mwandini.Lord Jesus leadership comes from you,please help to Robert and Morgan to redeem their county to its original standards pantu mwe Lesa innocents lives bacula pafula.

    Matworld

    Phd holder in :-j:-j:-j

  15. Just look at the way Mugabe is looking at Morgan.
    in his heart mugabe is saying” you son of a bi….ch, your days are numbered

  17. Jam@co

    Iam not very laka,I hurt someone yesterday.ndetina nokumuposha pantu umwaice alizanda kwati nanwa expired liquor.

  18. Ba Honey

    That is what i wanted also,but do you think this man can deliver ayini?Iam very worried hope westerners wont turn him into a puppet like Matworld.

    Phd holder in :-j:-j:-j

  19. Izi midala zabvutisa bantu. Bambili bali mu Zambia pa intercity bus terminus. Manje bayende kwao kabili Tsvangerai abwera mu power.

  21. Shani Matworld? Jam@co took advantage of my absence to scoop l-)

    Looks like a good start for our Zim neighbours. I hope things work out well for them.

  22. If only Zimbabweans trusted each other, Mugabe would have gone a long long time ago. But greediness among his people, mistrust and love for money has made it possible for him to last while the same poor people hack each other over the money none of the will ever receive from Mugabe. Wake up and unite or TMorgan Tsvangirai may also be sold by some selfish greedy Zimbabwean and he will die.
    That is zimbabwe for you. That is why Marapodi, Mandevu and Chaisa in Zambia were bo go areas because of the thieving Zimbabweans – have you forgotten?

  25. I CAN SEE SOMEONE HERE IS PULLING MY LEG,I REFUSE TO ANSWER U AND AM OUT,I WIL BE A SPECTATOR UNTIL I NOTICE U R NO LONGER HERE,LATER BLOGGERS :-h:-h:-h

  26. 16. Ba Honey

    take the little you get in the direction of peace!! Let us wait!! Its just the beginning and not the end!! :d

  29. Never liked Morgan and what he stoods for, yes Mugabe is bad for Zim but Morgan has no back bone. He’s a boot licker for the bazungu. But thats democracy for you. Lets wait and see, Maybe the poor Zimbabweans will finally have peace and food on their tables. They made the decision, so we have to respect it.

    Peace

  31. Great stuff for now and let us see whether these UNITY governments are good for African Countries.
    However, I am worried on “Under the agreement, the two sides will share cabinet portfolios and other levers of power, until fresh elections are held.” How will election campaigns works with a President doing some for his party and the Prime Minister doing other campaigns for his party and also the Deputy Prime Minister Campaigning for his party all to form a single party democratically elected new goverment of Zimbabwe?
    Also,Livingstone of Zambia has seen our Nation make money from tourists coming to the Victoria Falls,but they might now consider going to Victoria Falls Town in Zimbabwe.

  32. 31 continued.
    South Africa too has been enjoying Zimbabwean cheap human resource labour from the collapse of political well-being in Zimbabwe as Zimbabweans are well educated and have been settling for sometimes substandard work in South Africa which will probably now end.
    In all, it is great that Zimbabwe is back on track, but let us wait and see how this UNITY government will work and also which neighbouring countries to Zimbabwe will suffer out of this progress. I hope former South African President Thabo Mbeki will be proved right in his approach this Zimbabwe calamity if the UNITY government he has scored there will yield positive results for the Zimbabwean Citizens or people.**==

  33. First things first…..MDC guys have to secure their wallets/fridges. Then and only then will they look at the immediate family members’ needs then those who know them and maybe didnt tell the feared shu shu shu of mugabe where they were hiding during and after the infamous elections……pipo by the time the ordinary muntus in masvingo starts seeing or even smelling any change the unity govt will have collapsed…..MARK MY WORDS…But i still wish them all the best and i hope iam wrong.

  34. 17. Matworld_ Nice guy!

    do not worry!!! Aba abantu taufwile ulepapatila iyo [-x[-x[-x

    Some people even go and drink shake shake on you. Then the come back with the intention of ukukalifya.
    Iwe uli muntu wesu. That is enough mudala :-j:-j:-j:-j:-j

  35. Jam@co

    Great! You have put a smile on my face My faithful frind.Not only shake shake na chibuku. :-j:-j:-j:-j.

    Please Robby dont kill me,its just that Jam@co angufwisha bwino.=))=))=))=))=)):-j:-j:-j:-j

  36. I hope things will be better now for this country after a long battle. These are problems with 50+1% of securing presidence.MDC could have formed Govt if it was majority vote win.

  39. 37. Matworld-Nice guy!

    Iwe taufwile ulepapatila abntu iyo !! :o:o:o:o

    Just ask them to drink on someone else next time!! :d

  40. Charming Rit87

    who are you sweetheart? please forgive me if at all I have pissed you off.Nabankana so mumutwe mulifye ulubuli. :)>-:)>-

  42. Viva Patrick Chinamasa, Gideon Gono, George Charamba and the man himself Robert Gabriel Mugabe. Seventeen degrees to his name and indeed tables have turned with ardent enemy and puppet morgan serving under him. viva zanu-pf.

    The banking crisis in Zimbabwe was induced by people who hate the black race, but Gideon Gono (central bank governor) will be remembered as a man who kept Zimbabwe afloat under very difficult circumstances.

  44. We shall continue to fight against whites over our lend, we will give it beck to our lendless bleck brothers and sisters. Tsvangirai is a paid puppet for Ian Smith, George Bush, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown but they wont will. Baba Mugabe is still our cherished leader and hero.

  46. Bloggers dont pretend as if you havent seen my question on #41! please help me understand this! Scratch my back and i will scratch yours …..

  47. I’m thinking aloud……….

    RB president and Sata Prime Minister or
    RB president and HH Prime Minister or
    HH president and Sata Prime Minister

    Like I said, I’m thinking aloud…..One can only imagine

  48. My dear Tsvangirai – just watch your back. No one is safe whilst Rober Mugabe still holds the top job. Just remember, he is not your “workmate”.

  52. Baby C

    Power sharing is not that bad,but pipo make it bad with thier greedy.Yaba kwati cupo mung’ada(matwold kwati mwalyupa).Iam just worried of this deal in Zim coz the westerners will be sidelining Robert,and that will cause Bob to react vigorously like Potassium mumenshi.

  53. Power-sharing is a new African phenomenom where a Govt ‘accepts’ that it cooked up the ballots. Its ok for peace but not for democracy.
    Meanwhile sort out issue ya shiki !

  55. I am not such a big fan of Mugabe but i have to disagree with this deal which he will eventually regret. Morgan is a big sellout and i don’t see much leadership/personality in him. while Mugabe’s dribbling of the elections was wrong, accepting the power sharing is simply not right.Morgan will have a chance to prove his leadership when Mugabe dies, soon hopefully, but for now he is gonna be in the shadow of Mugabe. very soon squabbling will start between the two and they will be back to where they started.

  58. The European Union and the American government have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe? What is the main aim of these sanctions? They are meant to weaken and remove the regime of president Robert Mugabe. Like other actions taken by institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, they seek to pressure and impose a government on the people of Zimbabwe in the name of ‘democratic elections.
    In 2002, the fifteen member states of the European Union decided to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe. Sanctions are war without guns and bloodshed, and have limited, if any, effectiveness for changing behavior or governments of target countries. [TBC

  61. cont #58]
    U.S. sanctions will remain in place against the Zimbabwean “government” until the U.S. president certifies that the “rule of law has been restored in Zimbabwe, including respect for ownership and title to property and an end to lawlessness.

  62. Well its about time….if you can beat ’em, join ’em.I think its good that MDC is controlling the finance ministry, may be they will introduce some measures which will be of help to the multitudes in zimbabwe.
    Just a word of caution to Tsvangirai should just be carefull and stick to the ground we saw what happened to Sudanese rebel leader John Garang when he was appointed as V. P……..

  65. A History of the Plunder of Zimbabwe

    In 1891, the British government recognized the South African Company’s “investment” in Zimbabwe, and brokered that company’s expropriation of fertile farmland from the Shona population. Supported by the military might of the British crown, the White settlers who followed Cecil Rhodes to Zimbabwe were given 3,000 acres of choice farmland, plus 15 gold-mining claims by those who had no right to give what was not theirs.[TBC

  66. CONT]
    The White settlers discovered that no significant wealth would be discovered in the gold mines in Zimbabwe and, thus, were granted 6,000 acres of choice farmland by the South African Company. White settlers continued unabated in their invasion of Zimbabwe. Cattle was seized from the native population, native lands were taken, and the indigenous people were often forcibly prevented from plowing and sewing the meager plots of soil that were left them because of tax collection and coerced labor in White-owned farms. By March 1899, the White settlers had seized 15,762,364 acres of choice farmland.

  67. CONT #65]
    he White settlers discovered that no significant wealth would be discovered in the gold mines in Zimbabwe and, thus, were granted 6,000 acres of choice farmland by the South African Company. White settlers continued unabated in their invasion of Zimbabwe. Cattle was seized from the native population, native lands were taken, and the indigenous people were often forcibly prevented from plowing and sewing the meager plots of soil that were left them because of tax collection and coerced labor in White-owned farms. By March 1899, the White settlers had seized 15,762,364 acres of choice farmland.

  69. CONT#67]
    The Zimbabwean workers and peasants rebelled on several occasions. The “Chi Murenga” rebellion of 1896 was one rebellion that was brutally crushed by the British. The brutal treatment of Zimbabwean mine workers culminated in the enactment of the Master and Servants Law, which made it a criminal offense to break a labor contract.

  71. BY THE WAY BA RED ARROWS BALIMU ZANZIBAR,THEY WENT BY AIR (WASTE OF TAX PAYERS MONEY) & EACH PLAYER WAS GIVEN $1000,JUS FOR 3DAYS,2DAY,2MORO & SATURDAY.NINSHI BAMBI IYI NI LOAN =))=))=))=))=))<:-p<:-p<:-p<:-pHALF TIME, LET ME CHEK MY MAIL BOX MWEE

  72. Plunder of Zimbabwe(IMF & World bank)
    One hundred years after the South African Company comes the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to Zimbabwe. As the economy in Zimbabwe stagnated in 1990, the government turned to the IMF and the World Bank and adopted structural adjustment plans. This has put Zimbabwe on a chaotic road downwards. During the first year of implementation of the structural adjustment plan(s), gross domestic product, which had been growing at over 4 percent a year, increased by only 1 percent in 1991. Industrial production, which had been rising nearly 6 percent per year, fell back to 2 percent[tbc

  74. cont #72]
    Zimbabwe had always been a surplus maize producer with stockpiles of more than 1 million tons to tide the country over drought years. After implementing the structural adjustment plan(s) of the World Bank — which forced the government of Zimbabwe to sell its stockpiles of maize to make a profit so as to pay IMF and World Bank debt — Zimbabwe now has to import maize to feed its destitute population

  76. The IMF and World Bank structural adjustment plan(s) have precipitated food shortages in Zimbabwe, for which the ZANU-PF government is being blamed. These food shortages are part of the excuses used by the U.S. and EU to sanction Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the IMF and World Bank structural adjustment plan(s) devastated the economy of the South African country of Zimbabwe.
    The Western world has plundered Africa, killed and enslaved its population, and have created the basis for the food crisis existing in Zimbabwe today. But the Western donors -including the World Bank and the IMF – have cut aid to the Zimbabwean government until that government puts a halt to land seizures.

  78. Western governments and media pundits blame Zimbabwe’s economic devastation on the president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe. According to them, Zimbabwe’s economic crisis is the result of havoc rendered on the economy by Mugabe’s misrule of the country and his mismanagement of its economy. But, more specifically, these critics of the Zimbabwean government indicate that the immediate cause of the economic crisis is land seizure by the Zimbabwean peasants.[TBC

  79. CONT #78]
    In reality, the damages to the Zimbabwean economy are due to the structural adjustment plan(s) of the IMF and World Bank, are due to tobacco planters protesting land seizures by withholding tobacco crops at a time when the Zimbabwean economy was being crushed under the structural adjustment plan(s), and are due to the White settler farmers destroying prize farmland with the chemical atrozin(sp?), which kills crops for two to three seasons!

  80. 79. 1984

    Can you stop all this copy and paste business, we all know how problems in Zim started. What we need to talk about is how to solve them.

  82. #25(Zoe)

    Walashupa!There is no baby-sitting on the blog and i feel for the brotha man(your boyfriend if any).Takuli nokuseka ati mwalafulwa!

    Coming to the topic,it seems to be a shacky good deal for zimbos.

  83. #57 Jam@co Hi. You forgot to put ‘African’ before politicians. African politicans are fat and ugly. Male and female alike. No time for the gym. Scared they might find someone else has taken over. Thats why they cant think properly. Their brains are full of fat. The only things they think about is money, food and sex

  86. Everybody please look at the shadow cast by Morgan Tsvangirai on the wall and tell me if that’s him. To me it looks like somebody else, with European features.
    Am I going blind? Or I need these :-b

  93. Good Evening Everybody,

    Mugabe shpuld not kill Tsvingirai just like he did to late PM joshua Nkomo.This devil has a penchant for killing his political foes.

  98. 97. 1984

    Yes you are right, but we dont need to dwell on the past.
    Lets talk about ways to improve things in Zim and Zed.

  99. Bye mwelupwa blog with you when I get home.Thanks for your company.Isukulu ili kwabula imwe bantu nganalimpenya.

  104. 14. baby c greetings, on “is this sharing deal good or bad for Zimbambwe ??? any one out there to explain in simple terms please” the simplest I can write is that let us wait and see whether this is good or bad.
    Time will tell. My only worry is how will the campaigns for elections be conducted? How will the players (President Mugabe, Prime Minister Tsvangirai, Deputy PM something) convince the electorate that their individual political party each will offer something better than what the UNITY government is going to do before the new elections?
    Simple analysis is that Mugabe will claim Tsvangirai and the rocket scientists have failed also and have nothing better to offer the Zimbabweans.

  105. 41. baby c greetings, on “is this sharing deal good or bad for Zimbambwe ??? any one out there to explain in simple terms please” the simplest I can write is that let us wait and see whether this is good or bad.
    Time will tell. My only worry is how will the campaigns for elections be conducted? How will the players (President Mugabe, Prime Minister Tsvangirai, Deputy PM something) convince the electorate that their individual political party each will offer something better than what the UNITY government is going to do before the new elections?
    Simple analysis is that Mugabe will claim Tsvangirai and the rocket scientists have failed also and have nothing better to offer the Zimbabweans.

  107. Good for Africa. Enough of bloodshed. Let us set an example as well to the whole world that we can solve our own problems without any influence from the west.

    Africa Unite! l-)

  108. Ba moderator, there has been a lot of pressure from the west. sanctions are killing pipo. Zimbabwe today has no currency and is using the US$ and Rand when other African leaders could not utter a word against RM, no economic pressure etc. Remeber RM was the only foreign leader at the inaugration of our own RB!! %-(%-(:-ss

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