Disputes undermine govt: Tsvangirai

HARARE — Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Tuesday that disputes with his former rival President Robert Mugabe over the central bank chief and other posts were undermining the unity government.

“The outstanding issue of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor and the attorney general, which ought to have been resolved a long time ago, are impacting negatively on the credibility and legitimacy of the inclusive government,” Tsvangirai told reporters.

The former opposition leader spoke as regional leaders prepare to meet next week in Kinshasa, where the 15-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) is expected to discuss the unity government’s performance.

“The Southern African Development Community accepted that these were genuine issues and that the appointments should not have been,” he said.

Mugabe made both appointments and has refused to backtrack on them, though he bowed to forming the unity government with Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) also says its members are still being harassed by the police, despite guarantees of political freedoms in the unity accord.

“To make matters worse, the selective application of the rule of law, including the persecution and prosecution of MDC members of parliament, continues to inflame political tensions,” Tsvangirai said.

“Equally problematic is the deliberately slow pace of progress on the implementation of key issues connected to human rights and the rule of law.”

The premier also complained that key MDC members have yet to be sworn in as provincial governors and cabinet officials, despite an agreement that they would be installed by the end of August.

Roy Bennett, a former white farmer tapped by MDC to become deputy agriculture minister, was arrested on terror charges before his swearing in.

Tsvangirai also accused Mugabe’s supporters of using state media to advocate only for the interests of their party.

“This distortion of the political reality by the state media presents a real and credible threat to the inclusive government and its ability to impact positively on the lives of all Zimbabweans,” he said.

In the run-up to the summit, rights groups have also denounced Mugabe’s refusal to commit to greater political openess, with Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urging regional leaders to set specific benchmarks for the unity government’s reforms. Source: AFP