Government has clarified that President Levy Mwanawasa can only take up the mediation role in the Zimbabwean political impasse if the matter is collectively agreed by the Head of State in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region.
Chief Government spokesperson Mike Mulongoti said the decision to appoint South African President Thabo Mbeki to take up his renewed mandate in Zimbabwe’s political impasse was a collective agreement by Heads of Heads during last week’s SADC Extra Ordinary summit.
Mr. Mulongoti said any departure from that agreement has to be arrived in consultation with all Heads of State in region.
He disclosed that President Mwanawasa who has been in contact with President Mbeki has indicated that he can not take up the matter.
He however said President Mwanawasa being the SADC chair has provided adequate leadership and was deeply involved in matters relating to Zimbabwe.
Mr. Mulogoti, who is information and broadcasting services minister, added that president Mwanawasa being the head of state has other responsibilities.
Mr. Mulongoti was speaking to journalists following yesterday’s call by Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Opposition leader Morgan Tshangirai that President Mwanawasa should take up the mediation role in that country.
Mr. Tshangirai is quoted to have called on Mr. Mbeki to step down and allow Mr. President Mwanawasa who is the SADC chair to take up the new role.
Mr. Mbeki was during the SADC extra – ordinary summit given a renewed mandate to mediate in Zimbabwe following his successful role that resulted in that country having electoral reforms leading to holding of the March 29 harmonised elections.
The Minister stated that both parties in Zimbabwe have acknowledged that last month’s elections were free and fair except for the delay in the release of the presidential results which has raised a lot of concern.
Mr. Mulongoti however stated that president Mwanawasa cannot take up the role although the call by the opposition leader is a moral persuasion.
He said Dr. Mwanawasa has kept an open eye on what is happening in Zimbabwe so that if need arises for the region to offer assistance, he can consult with other heads of State.
He stressed any new development in Zimbabwe would be handled in the similar manner they were tackled during the extra ordinary summit held in Zambia and Tanzania.
Renewing Mbekis mediation in zimbabwes political crisis which he said there was no crisis was a deadly mistake coz it seems they have a hidden agenda with mugabe, they shairing one piece of cake. I wander why the outside world can’t see his weak part which was seen by his own party in his country for them to vote for Zuma than him, morgan is right let this responsibility be given to a committed person who can sense a crisis before blood shed. Pipo are dying in zim coz of this delay and they are not reported coz they belong to the opposition. Mbeki how many pipo you want to die before you realise it’s a crisis??
We have for years paid a price for helping liberate all our neighbours.For what gain?These Zimbabweans were busy laughing at our limping economy after they became liberated.
Let them sort themselves out!!
Once beaten….
#2 thanx. I have also said the same thing before. Here in the diaspora. The Zimbos are always laughing at our country. I know you can not ignore when your neighbours house is on fire, but what if the same neighbour you always help to keep the fire off on his house alway laugh at you poor unburnt house. We have help our neighbours too much and none of them appreciates.Please lets solve our own mess. I remember this week we have a meet of all Africans living in our town concerning the Zimbo issue. One guy from Zim told me off saying we Zambians have nothing to offer to Zim, our economy is pathetic, Sh*t i nearly kicked his A**. All i want to say let solve our problem these people will never…
All i want to say let solve our problem these people will never appreciate.
I hope more will come and debate this on this blog to bring awareness. I can help Zimbabwe by making sure those who have been puppets of the west dont be given chance to get into leadership. They have brought mor misery than good to the region or rather the continent as a whole. Mr.Tschargri whatever is called is a disgrace leader and Zimbabweans should not give him a chance to rule the country because he will bring that country into more crisis. Those who are diaspora let wafo about what they dont know Zambia is fine and we shall be the first nation to make poverty history when come into power in 2011. We have all the skills and materials to do it. No more puppets it will be a real….
i have to agree with all of yous i think let the Zimbo’s sort their own stuff out………..they dont seem to appreciate. we never got to as low as what they are currently in….. we never left our home land, our women never took positions in Harere or Vic falls……….we suffred yes but that has made us Zambians proud that we go and give a helping hand to ours. what have they done for Zambia?? Harare was built from Zambian copper what are they laffing at? SADDOS
corrction!! others NOT ours
ctd… economy revolution. Its stupid to think that we can always get help from others we need to stand on our toes and knees to clean up the mess left by this opressors. Just ask yourself why ZED has no such crisis
#6 good point!! Abash Cecil Rhodes and his scotish brothers.
President Thabo Mbeki is okay, he knows that his country will soon impliment land reforms as well under the rule of Jacob Zuma who will get the land that is owned by the white minority and give it to the black majority. so he will need Mugabe’s ideas as well. MDC is a mouth for UK, there is no “crisis” in Zimbabwe, there is just something for us to laugh at as well, baletuseka sana aba ABAKUCHIBABULA! lekeni ba solve iyi puzle abene!
Mugabe has fear for his life following the atrocities he has committed against his opponents. He will do everything to die as president of that country whatever it takes. He does not care how many people he remains with, state of hospitals, schools, general people’s welfare. POWER ELUDES.
Let Mbeki should continue to mediate. These zimbos don’t appreciate what we have done for them.they too needed to go through the poverty they are going through. We went through it and they were laughing at us. Let us help them to some extent, but we should let them sort out their own mess. Tsvangirai is not the right leaders for this beautiful nation.
Mbeki is not serious about Zim to me he is bias towards Robert yet there are millions Zims in his country now if there is no crisis why are they crossing over into SA?
#s 2,3,5 and 12 could n’t have said it any better. What is it that these Gore-Gores across the Zambezi did not do to Zambians when our economy was doing unwell? We were being laughed at, molested at border posts and done everything to under the sun and yet we shade blood and sweat for their freedom! Was that the way to thank us for our assistance? Let them sort out their problems with Thabo who strongly believes that there is no crisis in their country and see how far they will go. Wish you lucky and please don’t come crying to Zambia for mediation. Yes, once bitten/beaten, twice shy.
Easy #5
Hi! Where have you been? You have been missing on LT blog. Anyway back to the topic. LPM has done well not to follow this FTJ of Zim (Tshangirai). This man is a puppet of the west. I wonder if Zimbabwe will be a better place to live under his readership. Zimbabweans right now are in quagmire. They voted for wrong chap. They want to be recolonized.
LPM needs to be careful not to be seen doing some bidding for the West. LPM has no clue what it means to be spend a night in jail cell or a trench because one is fighting for independence.Cde Mugabe spent 11 years in jail and refused to bury his own son. Do you know why Mandela, Mbeki or indeed winnie Mandela can never condemn Mugabe, they fully understand struggle. No wonder Zambia’s major assets are financed and owned by foreigners, I dare say Zambia’s future has been mortgaged by LPM & his cronies.
All you guys going on about recolonisation nyooo, nyooo. Ask those 3+ million zimbos who have had to run to other countries what they think of whites developing their country, ask the 80%unemployed what they think of whites bringing jobs. You are the same idots who blame the british for your misrule after more then 25 yrs of independence.
Those same whites left zambia in droves during KKs time ,look what happend. You still wanted to blame them after 28 yrs of independence. Now they are back, look at Zambia.
Grow up and take resposibility. Supporting mugabe is a set back for democracy in Africa. You all know what happens when africans are allowed to cling to power, KK, FJT, Mobuto, Idi amin
I would rather live in a colonised country than the zimbabwe that #17 has described!
Ba #17 shushushu
Listen to what a reporter says to Mugabe, “Morgan Tsvangarai says he can bring the economy back to success, he has a lot of friends in the west”. Another reporter says, “Morgan Tsvangarai has agreed to me before that he has accepted British Money”. Clearly Morgan is a puppet and you cant deny that. I also dont think Mugabe should still be in power, he has over stayed. Zimbabwe needs someone else, not Morgan and not Mugabe.
In the case of Thabo Mbeki, basically in SA, a lot of white South Africans are leaving the country taking with them there skills and so Mbeki is trying to steal Zimbo’s from Zim so they can build S.A instead. Which is why he is behind Mugabe.
Thirdly, i do think Zimbo’s should solve there own problems. They never appreciate. You could cry if you had to hear the things said to Zambians when they where crossing borders to go buy food. It was just sad. This time we are not going to help. Infact they are even some Zambians who are happy saying “they see now, we are now better than Zimbabwe” and though i dont support that saying or the people, i do however believe “KARMA IS A B!TCH”. Even though the Zimbo’s where bragging, at least we can say everything you see in LSK is our work. UTH, FINDECO HSE, KULIMA TOWER, MANDA HILL. Thats all African and Zambian. No white man built that stuff for us. Its all us and we can proudly say that.
And our Economic slump has i guess made us stronger. All we can do now is pray and work hard that’ll end poverty and our economy will be glorious once again.
#16 and 17
Stop this white man dependance syndrome. Learn to appreciate the black skin. No white man will ever come and develop your country without looting. So be colonized and enjoy working for a white man.
#13 didn’t you have crises in Zambia or you weren’t born by that time. Did Zambians cross over into other countries? For those who were born yesterday, Zambia had more serious problems than most southern african countries put together-with exception of SA maybe. By %ntage there is no country in this world which has haboured refugees as zambia. No country has experienced food crises as zambia. No country has been hated by the west (even our own neighbours in most cases) as zambia. We used to have serious shortages of all essential commodities you can think of. Toothpast was for parents or bread earners once smuggle from Tanzania the only friendly country I new by that time. All sorts of…
22. GLUCO, what i am saying is work with the white man, use him.
In the west do you see any mass evictions of blacks like mugabe is doing ? instead they are happily using the black pipo to do work and help develop their economies. Anything goes wrong you want to blame the whites, yes if you are dull they will plunder your resources.But we can use and work with them to develop. We have been independent for more than 26 years with Zim yet you want to blame the whites for your misrule. shame on u. And i would prefer the white mans input to that of indians and chinese.
#24
what are you talking about. Indians have always been in Zambia yet no one has ever complained. Why do you want to complain now?? FACT is they are all equally bad and its just a pity that Zambians cant add value to all the minerals we have. They are all waiting for govt to start those companies for them when we both know that wont happen since we are in capitalism now, so instead rely on the man from the west or east right??? Instead of exporting copper, why not export pipes, wires, etc. Back to the topic, #24, would you want 80% of the land owned by 1% of the pop. That was the situation in Zim. Large sums of land and mines owned by 1% of the pop. think about it.
…monetary embargo was slapped on Zambia by the west. In fact we were simply condemned by all the countries apart from Tanzania. Crossing Zaire on the peddicle road was hell. Travellers used to be penalized for having a boldhead (ulupala), being a crippled person, grey hair, pregnant, blind, and just about anything.
After all these no Zambian ran into another country for food or sell her body. We are such a patient and wise people (except our leaders) we just suffered within while we even greatly helped other nations to gain their indepence. And yet those who gained independence started slapping embargos on the helper. 1 eg is Namibia that introduced entry fees of (correct me) $3000…
. Crazy_Zambian
PLM is loved and supported by the west, he is according to mugabe a british pappet, so what ? does that make him a liability to zambians ? Infact he is doing well. So what if morgan is supported by the west ?. If they promise investment so what ? If PLM had to adopt mugabes deranged tactics and kicks the whites out, instaed of using them and working with them, you will see a different Zambia. The zimbabwen slump would be nothing.
Findico hse ? pipo sleep in stair wells failing to get to the 22 flr. No vkwepe, no water.
#27
I said as long as we rely on the west, we’ll always dance to there tune. Whenever they tell us to jump, we’ll be asking how high and how far. Look at China, the west is so dependent on China that China can do whatever it wants. Zambia cant even produce a razor blade let alone a pencil because the people are either waiting for govt to start the company for them or for someone from the east or west to come start the company for them. We have to at times stand on our own two feet not licking someone else’s feet. I dont think LPM should adopt Mugabe’s tactics, i do however dont think its fair a foreign investor gets 5 yrs tax free while the Zambian company pays 16% tax.
…on zambian nationals only. They knew zambia’s poverty conditions very well and thought there will be an exodus of zambians into that country. I am sure Zambians remember how refugees were well kept on the expense of indigenous. Zimbabwe on the other hand even went to the extent of producing cartoons of Zambians buying so many crates of fanta/cocacola and drinking them profusely while he even sweats-God forbid. So, in a nutshell we were nationa non grata. The west pannel-beat us because we were brothers and sisters keeper whom they considered as terrorists. Despite all these we also had an embargo on Racist SA’s goods in our own seemingly small way. However, most of do not know what that..
Easy
Welcome back…I missed you my brother.Kuku is also back.
cont…
I dont think its fair a foreign company is top priority over a Zambian company. I dont think its fair that its so easy for a foreign company to get registered and so difficult for a Zambian company to get registered. Judging from your comments, its clear that the problem is not with govt but rather the people. If i had to say today, “one day Zambia will make a car” i’ll be laughed at simply because Zambians have been so brainwashed that they think Africans are below the white man. They think the white man is GOD. Im not denying the west to invest, i do however think we should not be dependent on them.
…(correction: most of you), embargo meant to the west. By that time Zambia was one of economic giants of that region or Africa with large scale mining activities, (plus other parastatals) with an immense prowess buying power. Most western country had (and still have) huge investments in these countrie: SA and Zimbabwe. Stopping Zambia and Zambians from buying goods from apartheid SA meant a big loss to the western countries. There4 they really hated us. Southern Rhodesia and Zimbabwe was a darling to the west despite Mugabe’s early genocide on all the Ndebeles. Maybe up to 500, 000 (correct me) Ndebeles were slaughtered by Mugabe, but ignored by the west who still continued loving him-…
…smells fish. I remember PM Thatcher would hardly sit on the same table with Kenneth Kaunda, but lovingly preffered to sit by Mugabe’s side (because Kaunda talked like a woman, she might have been saying). All these were despite Mugabe having slaughtered his own people.
Because of the support for liberation struggles in the region by Zambia, Zambia was obliterated by the west. This fact is even evidenced by Zambians who have the opportunity to visit the west. There is little or nothing that westerners know about Zambia. More often than not, most people they would ask you if its in South Africa (or worse still Zimbabwe which was greatly financed by Zambia-twasebana). You are at pains/…
…/struggle to explain that Zambia is a soverein country with its own systems. Most Zambians will support me that in the eyes of westerners Victoria Falls is entirely in Zimbabwe.
Don’t get me wrong-like any other Zambian I am not bitter about the treatment we get even from our brothers-neighbors. But, the point is, while we render any form of help to other troubled nations, lets not this time around 4get our own country to be carried away by our humane feelings for others. The problems in Africa are unemployment, poverty, corrupt and undemocratic leadership, HIV/aids, malaria, cholera, and simply refusal to embrace science and technology thruough poor, unpractical and archaic economic..
#5 Easy
I quote “Mr.Tschargri whatever is called is a disgrace leader and Zimbabweans should not give him a chance to rule the country because he will bring that country into more crisis”
FYI the people of Zimbabwe have already decided but Mugabe doesn`t want the results known.
I understand your concern about Tsvangarai and how the west has so much influence on him.Some people aren`t so sure whether he`s even ready for the challenge of governing Zimbabwe or not.
The point of contention though is about who won the elections.If the Zimbabweans decided to get rid of Mugabe,then he must go because that`s what the tenets of democracy command.
#31. Crazy_Zambian
“Zambians have been so brainwashed that they think Africans are below the white man. They think the white man is GOD. Im not denying the west to invest, i do however think we should not be dependent on them.”
We don’t think the white man is god, but instead of harassing him and adopting genocidal tendancies, agaist him just because he is more advanced economically (the west), lets use him, learn from him and work with him. The chinses have been reverse engineering the muzungus tech for a long time, learning quietly instead of developing a “lets garb and kick him out, its the white mans fault we are not developing” compelx.
…policies. All these problems are internal to Africa in general and Southern Africa (more than anything else, I am more interested in the prosperity of the entire Southern Africa) in particular. Of course one cannot 4get that Southern Africa is part and parcel of the global village. There4 decisions made by super powers affect us-such as withdrwal of monetary assistance, (or is it help at all). Zambia must spend more resources (in all forms) on solving problems internal to Zambia. In a way I would understand Mbeki-that there is no chaos in Zim. The whole thing is stage managed and exacerbated by the west with the help of Mugabe himself and Tsvangirai used as a mouth-piece on behalf of…
…the west. To be honest he is simply not fit to be a leader of that beautiful country, Zimbabwe. Let Southern Africa not depend too much on the west. As I have cited the problems that we are facing now are man-made by our own leaders. Eg, visit Soweto market and a similar market in Gaborone. Do we really need whites to come and cleanup the filthy at soweto market when you are saying zambia US$1billion in reserve. Having that much in reserve when your people are eating roots is no prestige, at all. It is just sheer foolishness. Driving expensive American cars when there are no drugs in hospitals is sheer stupidity and arrogance. Grz not taking initiative to create jobs for the citizens…
…while they dish out minerals free of charge is being dull. Having abundant natural resources in the country and not bothering to create industries that produce finished goods and just export raw material to other countries is another myopia and stupidity on the part of grz.
GRZ jump around and do something tangible and put bread on peoples’ tables. We can’t be suffering pepertually. 40 years of independence does not mean 40 years for leaders to continiuosly sleep. WAKE UP create capital industries to trigger supply chain-SME.
#36, Its not the Zambians who have been brainwashed. Its the Zambian politicians. They white and asian people think better than them. By and large, its true that whites, asians, etc have better head (brains) than our african/zambian leaders. Zambians at home and abroad want to do something about our beloved country, but leader are going round inacting policies to suppress them. Zambians, who are in actual fact suffering must be given 5years tax holiday and support through other commerce and industry measures. Why do you have to tax machinery and material imported by a Zambian to set up business and not foreign investors? I don’t call that brainwash of zambians.
That is some positive contribution Peter.
#41, thanx, brother/sister.
Our lack of foresight is here to stay and poverty will never be eradicated,neither will Jobs be created,as long as zambia is ruled by politicians,and rulers who can sacrifice the nation at the expense of their relatives,they rather see there families get green,while the majority of us zambians suffer.The wise and the educated are totally sidelined from politics cause people are used to hear nonsense,the same people eating roots are the ones that vote for this politicians,so let them hung,they suck, may be they will come to their senses when all the roots are finished and start conteplating on eating trees.
peter talks of processing our minerals and finished goods,that is a pretty good idea,but what level of advance in technology does poor zambia have?.This can only be possible if we start thinking like Americans who have seen technological progress as the surest basis for progress in general,and have tended to believe that technological solutions to problems are less painful than solutions that require political or social changes.
I wonder if zambia has anything to do with technology in its policies,any research in engineering fields etc,unless that is done I can assure you we are going no where and we need to depend on the muzungu,ba yes bwana.
The issue here guys, is zimbos want change, they do not care who succeeds bob.Remember, FTJ, he was promised all the investment, who remembers any .. no one coz there was none.Let zimbos’ voice be heard period.SADC should pressure bob to give up power for Morgan.So that zimbos will come to their senses after that, I guess its a cycle we africans go thro.We have to suffer then start re-building.I think zimbos just want that old man gone at all costs, coz ZANU-PF has failed to challenge him within the party.But we have put our game to another level, lets market our country guys, Zambian pride is needed more than before.
How can Mkeki continue being a mediator when its clear that he is siding with Old Rob.Mediate what when he said there was no crisis in Zim.
The pipo of Zim have spoken.Give Morgan a chance than start accussing him of all sots of rubbish.Which African leader has no backing of the West?
even if levy mediates for them, he’s not going to solve anything. he’s not jesus. and he hasn’t even sorted out a third of the problems in his own country. its just protocol thats all. he has to be seen to be doing ‘something’ no matter how useless.
It is hard to ignore the Zimbo issues and of-course our Zed issues. I suppose the Zimbo problem is an African problem and one would expect an African Solution. But No! AU, SADC, COMESA, ECOWAS are all gentle-men club where they all agree or disagree collectively. How mang times have we seen in EU, Britain and France leaders taking a different position on tax, environment etc.. countless time. We need African Leaders with backbone that will desicions in interest of africans and not to protect ‘their’ own be it a disctator or not. We can not have America, Europe or UN pressurisering African leaders to make wise choices and desicion. We need to demontrate that we can manage our own affairs.
in interacting with Zimbos, it is interesting that they claim to be most educated in the region. what is education if they cannot use it for a better Zim.
All of you people make me laugh, even if you are given the opportunity to help Zimbabwe what will you do? Other than do the so called meditation and just fart. The statistics speak for themselves. Irregardless of the suffering we are currently going through you cannot deny the fact that we are the most educated people in the region and only 2nd best in Africa. What have you guys achieved or developed with your abundant copper? Nothing! it will only take us 6months to surpass your sorry economy. Have you ever been to Harare? Compare your infrastructure with ours, but hey we have been in a recession for the past 10 yrs. so my message to you guys is to quit laughing at our suffering!