ZANU PF delays deployment of SADC team to join JOMIC
By Tichaona Sibanda
28 September 2011
A senior member of the MDC-T on Wednesday blamed ZANU PF for holding up the
deployment of a regional team that will bolster the operations of the Joint
Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC).
The MDC-T deputy spokesperson and MP for Bulawayo East, Tabitha Khumalo,
told SW Radio Africa’s Hidden Story program that the delay to deploy the
team has turned out to be their ‘greatest worry and challenge.’
Speaking in the British capital, London, Khumalo accused ZANU PF of delaying
tactics by refusing to comply with the team’s terms of reference, when no
objections were raised during an extraordinary summit in South Africa. But
she said JOMIC will remain a ‘pipe dream’ if it continues to work with no
legal or statutory powers to implement its resolutions.
Khumalo described the interparty body as a ‘toothless bulldog’ that can only
listen to complaints but can take no action as it has no powers to do
anything.
A regional SADC summit held in Johannesburg in June recommended that a three
member team be urgently deployed in Zimbabwe to help JOMIC effectively
monitor the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The SADC
team will be drawn from Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa.
It followed concerns that JOMIC was failing to deal with violations of the
GPA, mainly by ZANU PF activists who continue to engage in state sponsored
political violence.
South African President Jacob Zuma presented the terms of reference to SADC
leaders and the parties in the GPA, and there were hopes the deployment
would have followed soon after the summit. However ZANU PF has objected,
rather late, that they do not agree with some of the wording contained in
the terms of reference, according to Khumalo.
‘ZANU PF told us they are going over the document again and will need
permission from their politburo to engage the SADC team. So we are still
waiting,’ the MP said.
She emphasized that the ‘sooner the SADC team joined JOMIC, the better
because we are all failing Zimbabweans.’
It is believed their deployment would help to put pressure on Robert Mugabe’s
party to finally comply with the power sharing agreement.
‘Look, we (JOMIC) are all thinking inside the box, this team is made up of
people who are neutral, who have nothing to do with Zimbabwe and who have no
interest in the country. At least they can come in, start thinking outside
the box, which will enable them to see where things are going wrong, so that
when they go back to SADC they’re reporting on an informed position with
facts and figures,’ she said.