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efforts to mobilise resources to finance harmonised elections as the Seventh Parliament hurtles towards its inevitable demise,President Mugabe has said.
The summit proposal, which has nothing to do with MDC-T’s campaign for poll deferment, was pitched by the bloc’s facilitator to the Global Political Agreement, South African president Jacob Zuma and endorsed by full summit which met on the sidelines of the 21st Ordinary Session of the African Union General Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday.
Addressing Zanu-PF supporters, among them the Mbare Chimurenga Choir, who gathered to welcome him with song and dance at the Harare International Airport on his return from Addis Ababa yesterday, the President said Sadc was seized with efforts to co-ordinate the mobilisation of resources to finance the harmonised elections.
“Asi takazoitawo kamusangano kedu norutivi veSadc chete tikava nekuongorora dambudziko ririko kunana Madagascar, dambudziko ririko kuCongo tikati tinosungirwa kuramba tichibatsira kuti matambudziko ari ikoko, kusiyana kuri kuita vanhu ikoko nekurwisana kuri kuitwa kupedzwe.
“Tikazovapirawo patasvika isu nenyaya yedu yekuumba imwe Constitution. Tikati takapedza nyaya idzodzo tavakuzoenda kumaelection, tinoda rubatsiro zvino vakati tichaitawo musangano wekuti tiongorore kuti tingakubatsirai sei pakuita maelection. Ndokamwe kamusango kevanhu veSadc chete katakaitawo parutivi nezuro saka ndopatiri ipapo.’’
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The dates and venue of the special summit are yet to be announced though it is expected to be soon given that the life of the Seventh Parliament is due to expire at midnight on June 29 by which time elections should have been held since at law, the life of the legislature cannot be extended except in situations of war or where a state of emergency has been declared.
The President urged people to desist from politics of the stomach, saying there was need to separate fundamental issues from transient interests in the ballot box.
“Toramba takasimba, takasimbaradza. Tinoziva kuti muno muHarare ka, muHarare muno umu. Zuro ndizuro, nhasi ndinhasi. Ngative nekusafunga zvechingwa nesugar netea tifunge zvakadzama ivhu iri. Tifungewo zvakare nekuti musangano urikuda kuramba wakasimbaradza hunhu hwenyu ndeupi?
“Ndokusaka tichiti Zanu-PF ndeyenyu, Zanu-PF ndeyevanhu, Zanu-PF inoda kuumba vana vedu kuti mangwana vave ndivowo vachazonge vakabata matomu, vave nesimba. Tinoda kupa simba kuvanhu, simba kuvanhu, simba reyi kana kuti simba reyi. Hupfumi kuvanhu,’’ he said.
The President took a swipe at MDC-T-led local authorities where corruption has been the order of the day saying people should be wary of repeating the mistakes of Election 2008 that brought in such rot.
“Kwete zvekuti kana wasarudzwa wototi wasarudzirwei. Mari inobhadharwa nevanhu magetsi muhomwe, ndazviwanirapo!
“Yemvura muhomwe, ndazviwanirapo hanzi nokuti mangwana handizivi kuti ndirikudzoka. Ndozvimwe zvimusanganoka, ndopfungwa, vamwe vanhu vamakasarudza mumakanzura. Tinoda kuona kuti tirikudzokera kutsvina idzodzo here?
“Makore mashanu aya tanga tichingoramba isu tichipfekenyedza nekuti mavhoterwo akanga aitwa muna2008 takanga taruza mese mu Harare muno umu mavotes. Kuti tisvike pazuva ranhasi ratava neConstitution, ratava kuzoenda kumaelections tigoona kuti vanhu kana vainge vanemaziso, vaine nzeve, vakavhura nzeve, aah tingada isusu kuzvifadza kuti aah vava neruzivo, vakazvionera, vakazvinzwira, kana musina kuzvionera, musina kuzvinzwira hapana achakuonerai, hapana achakunzwirai. VaMugabe havasi ivo vanokuonerai, vanokutungamirirai chete,’’ he said.
A full summit of Sadc leaders, on Sunday, acknowledged Zimbabwe’s readiness to hold elections saying evidence on the ground showed that nothing precluded the holding of elections in light of progress made to that end.
Sadc executive secretary, Dr Tomaz Salamao, said the bloc would stand guided by due process and was waiting for the ruling of the Supreme Court in a case in which Mr Jealousy Mawarire of Harare is seeking to compel President Mugabe to announce the date of the harmonised elections.
The Supreme Court last week reserved judgment in the case in which it was expected to rule on the appropriate date for the holding of harmonised elections.
Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku and eight other judges are supposed to give a correct interpretation on what the law says in relation to the holding of elections in line with the looming dissolution of Parliament on June 29. The judgment is set to clear the air on the prevailing varied interpretation of the Constitution regarding the timeline for the holding of the polls.
The Summit, which was the first time Sadc leaders met since the referendum on the new Constitution held mid-March, took note of the outcome and commended Zimbabwe for the manner in which the referendum was conducted.
Summit also took note of the fact that the constitution had been concluded and adopted.
The Summit had three items on the agenda which was to review the peace and security situation in the region with specific reference to Madagascar, the DRC and Zimbabwe in that order.
On Madagascar Summit endorsed the position taken by the Troika, saying the AU Peace and Security Council had also endorsed the position and declared that they would not recognize any authorities elected in violation of the Sadc position.
On the DRC, Summit endorsed UN Resolution 2098 which paved way for the deployment of an intervention force into the eastern DRC, a process that is already underway.
Online Reporter