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Role of S.Africa in Constitution Revision Divides Zimbabwe Unity Partners


Zimbabwe's coalition government is once again rocked by divisions over outstanding issues blocking the completion of the long-delayed new draft constitution.

The three parties leading the constitution-making process are divided on three key issues of devolution, dual citizenship and the death penalty.

The management committee, comprising chief negotiators from all the parties, has failed to block the logjam. The MDC formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and ZANU-PF want the three principals to takeover in an effort to break the deadlock.

But the president of the smaller formation of the MDC, Welshman Ncube, has declared the meetings of the three principals in the unity government dysfunctional and called on Pretoria to intervene.

This has led the three parties to trade barbs with ZANU-PF and the Tsvangirai MDC insisting Zimbabwe is a sovereign state and should not allow South African President Jacob Zuma to interfere with its constitution-making process.

But Ncube told VOA reporter Blessing Zulu that this is the only logical solution to break the logjam as Pretoria is the main facilitator in Harare.

But Mr. Tsvangirai's spokesman, Luke Tamborinyoka, says principals have already agreed to take charge of the process.

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