MDC-N resolves not to boycott COPAC process

By Tichaona Sibanda

The MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube has resolved to participate in the process of finding the best and quickest route to having a referendum, its spokesman Nhlanhla Dube said on Tuesday.

This is contrary to reports in the media that said the party will not be part of the Cabinet Ministerial committee to iron out contested areas in the COPAC report from the second all-stakeholders conference.

Kurauone Chihwayi, an official from the MDC-N, had told the media there was no need to set up another committee when there was COPAC, which is mandated to craft the new constitution.

He said his party had asked Regional Co-operation Minister Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga to communicate the party’s position.

‘We are not part of that committee that was formed by President Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. We have seconded our minister not to go and endorse the formation of that committee, but to communicate our position that we should not renegotiate the draft constitution,’ Chihwayi said.

However, following a meeting of the party’s standing committee on Tuesday Dube told SW Radio Africa that they’ve decided not to boycott the process, on the understanding that a cabinet ministerial committee is not a new body after all.

‘This committee is a continuation of work done by COPAC, a continuation in the sense that you have the same management committee sitting together with the three COPAC co-chairs,’ Dube said.

ZANU PF had seconded Patrick Chinamasa to be part of the committee, while MDC-T nominated its secretary general Tendai Biti. Misihairabwi-Mushonga will represent her party. The COPAC co-chairs will also sit on the committee which will be chaired by Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga. SW Radio Africa