Tsvangirai in panic mode

implemented, a move analysts said pointed to panic as the life of the Seventh Parliament is in its twilight.

In terms of the Constitution, elections should be held on or before June 29 this year which is the day the life of Parliament ends and as such the poll timeline cannot be subject to the whims of contestants.

Mr Tsvangirai, the sources said, was panicking after his Western allies expressed doubt on his ability to unseat President Mugabe and Zanu-PF as seen in their moves to normalise ties with President Mugabe.

Last month, Britain and its allies meeting under the banner of Friends of Zimbabwe invited the Zimbabwe re-engagement team to London for talks to normalise relations.
And a few days back, the US State Department weighed in by sending its former ambassador to the United Nations Mr Andrew Young to President Mugabe to deliver a message of conciliation.

Several recent surveys, commissioned by groups sympathetic to MDC-T, pointed to a Zanu-PF victory in the harmonised elections along with traditional MDC-T allies like the NCA, PTUZ, Zimbabwe Virgil and Zvakwana/Sokwanele.

Western media, among them CNN, the New York Times and The Guardian have also been laying into Mr Tsvangirai, questioning his personal life and handling of public finances.

Analysts say the clouds gathering in the West have prompted Mr Tsvangirai, who all along shunned African leaders for refusing to demonise President Mugabe and Zanu-PF, to court Sadc and the AU.

Mr Tsvangirai, who is Prime Minister in the inclusive Government, told a Press conference in Harare yesterday that he would be lobbying for the postponement of elections.
“In a short while, I will be visiting players within Sadc and the AU to ensure that the people of Zimbabwe are guaranteed of a free and fair election that will usher in a new dispensation,” he said.

“The visit is scheduled for this coming week and I will be visiting a number of political heads of State and Government and update them on the situation and preparedness for elections, especially the problems we are facing because they are stakeholders . . . there will be no elections.”

He, however, could not divulge the countries he will be visiting while his spokesperson Mr Luke Tamborinyoka, said the destinations would be disclosed during the weekend.
Mr Tsvangirai accused Zanu-PF of impeding the implementation of reforms in the security sector and media.

Observers yesterday said Mr Tsvangirai was clearly scared of the people’s verdict in the wake of his sex scandals, and his party’s woeful conduct in Government.
Zanu PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo dismissed the Mr Tsvangirai’s allegations.

“It is clear that the MDC-T is afraid of losing the elections. He should be going to his masters to call for the removal of sanctions that have caused so much suffering for our people.

“The only outstanding issue that has remained to us is that of sanctions and the pirate radio stations that continue to beam hate messages into the country.
“The MDC – T has no clear policies to sell to the electorate and are now clutching on straws…a drowning man can even cling to a serpent,” Cde Gumbo said.

Political analyst Mr Goodson Nguni, said the MDC-T simply wanted to delay the elections.
“The MDC-T is scared of elections so they want to use our brothers in Sadc and Africa to negotiate a GNU number two. But as Zimbabweans we say no to that, we want the elections now so that we have a proper government that has the aspirations of people at heart.

“This talk of security sector reforms should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. We held the elections in 1980 without those so-called reforms, the same happened in South Africa and ANC won, the same happened in Namibia and Swapo won. The issue is that the MDC-T has no agenda to sell to the people that is why they keep raising those issues,” Mr Nguni said.

Among some of the so-called outstanding issues he mentioned include that of the ZEC secretariat, security sector and media reforms, restructuring of ZEC’s accreditation committee among others.

However, ZEC chairperson Justice Rita Makarau, this week said no one had brought any evidence to the commission pointing out bias within the organisation’s secretariat.
She said ZEC would not fear to fire anyone convicted of bias irrespective of their background.
Zanu PF has also dismissed security sector reforms saying it was a ploy by MDC-T to weaken the nation.

An MDC-T policy document crafted with the assistance of the CIA leaked to the Herald recently showed that the party wanted to outsource the country’s security to Western powers and retire officers with a liberation war background.
The MDC support from its traditional allies in the west has of late been waning with various opinion polls and western media outlets predicting a Zanu PF victory.