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Zim News Flash 17 March 2010
S. African President Jacob Zuma Launches Latest Mediation Effort in Zimbabwe
South African President Jacob Zuma flew into Harare on Tuesday to launch a mission that some say looks impossible – reconciling the feuding parties in Zimbabwe's inclusive government.
The atmosphere at HarareInternationalAirport was not particularly encouraging when Mr. Zuma arrived - some activists of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s former ruling ZANU-PF party greeted President Zuma with party songs denigrating Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who was also there to welcome him. VOA Studio 7 correspondent Thomas Chiripasi reported from the HarareInternationalAirport that Mr. Zuma waved to the crowd while President Mugabe raised a clenched fist to his supporters.
Zuma has little chance of fixing Zim's issues
President Jacob Zuma's mission to Harare on Monday is inspiring little hope among Zimbabweans that he can fix their broken year-old unity government. Both President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the powerless Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai seem resigned to early elections to end their failed partnership, settle their protracted political dispute and produce a single-party government. The unity government was supposed to make the reforms and change the political environment to enable free and fair elections next year under a new constitution. But that has not happened and seems unlikely to. Just last week Mugabe transferred full control of the election machinery to his party.
THE HERALD: Chinese Delegation Calls On President
President Mugabe yesterday met a high-powered Chinese business delegation that is in Zimbabwe to explore investment opportunities and strengthen bilateral relations. The 15-member delegation arrived in the country on Saturday last week. Head of the delegation Mr Ji Peiding an advisor on Foreign Affairs to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China -- said his team's discussion with President Mugabe centred on bilateral issues. "We discussed bilateral relations between China and Zimbabwe," he said. Mr Ji hailed relations between the two countries. "We have developed our relations the whole way politically, economically and culturally," he added.
Constitutional outreach to begin without repeal of repressive laws
The outreach programme meant to gather people’s views on a new constitution is set to begin in early April, without the repeal of repressive laws that are likely to be used by ZANU PF to frustrate the process. Veritas, an organization that monitors legal and constitutional issues, said it is now expected that both Houses of Parliament will be adjourned until mid-June, after the Select Committee on the constitution requested a lengthy recess for MP’s to allow them to take part in the 65-day outreach programme.
MDC-T Chief Whip in Parliament Innocent Gonese told Newsreel he could not confirm if a formal request had be made for the recess to be granted but said there was a general understanding this could be allowed in situations like this. He said Parliament could still be recalled to sit anytime that urgent business arose during the outreach programme.
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