The MDC National Executive met in Harare Tuesday and once again called on the guarantors of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) to expeditiously deal with the deadlocked outstanding issues that continue to choke and impede the work of the inclusive government.
Addressing journalists after the National Executive’s extra-ordinary meeting, deputy secretary-general Hon Tapiwa Mashakada said the executive had expressed shock over the death of the party’s Midlands South Provincial secretary, Senator Patrick Kombayi, who died on Saturday after a long-battle with gun-shot wounds inflicted during the State sponsored violence of 1990.
He said the MDC acknowledged the eminent national role he played in pre and post independent Zimbabwe in fighting for freedom and democracy and pledged to work with the family in giving Senator Kombayi a hero’s send-off at his burial in Gweru on Saturday, 27 June 2009.
During the meeting, the executive resolved that the AU and SADC as guarantors of the GPA should urgently resolve the issue of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, Gideon Gono and the Attorney-General Johannes Tomana.
“The executive urged the inclusive government to urgently deal with other outstanding issues such as the appointment and swearing-in of provincial governors, ambassadors and the deputy Agriculture minister Senator Roy Bennett as agreed by the Principals of the three parties in the Global Political Agreement,” the MDC deputy-secretary-general said.
The continued arrests, detentions and human rights violations should also be referred to the guarantors, the executive resolved.
Debate on the continued bias and selective reporting by the public media also took centre-stage during the meeting, which resolved that the inclusive government urgently deals with public media reform and the facilitation of media freedom in general.
“The MDC rejects any attempts to have the “Kariba draft”, one of many drafts available, adopted as the Alpha and Omega of the Constitution-making process. We believe in a truly people-driven Constitution-making process where the unfettered will of the people must be reflected,” said Hon. Mashakada.
