Zimbabwe Principals Hold Crucial Meeting After Ncube Lockout
Jonga Kandemiiri
President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Arthur Mutambara met in Harare on Monday to discuss the parliamentary constitution committee’s Second All Stakeholders’ Conference report amid allegations that Industry Minister, Welshman Ncube, waited outside the venue while the meeting was in progress.
Secretary general Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga of Ncube’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formation said the minister sat in the waiting room at Munhumutapa Building, which houses the president and premier’s offices, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Eric Matinenga, who was invited to the meeting earlier than Ncube.
Ncube, according to Misihairambwi-Mushonga, was only invited to join Mr. Mugabe, Mutambara, Tsvangirai and Matinenga about 45 minutes after the meeting started.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga said the matter will be reported to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which recognizes Ncube as a principal of the unity government and not Mutambara.
The principals discussed the Second All Stakeholders’ Conference constitution report which was handed over to them last week.
Early this month, the constitution-making process hit a brick wall after the management committee - comprising representatives of the three parties in the unity government - failed to agree on what to do with the draft constitution and the conference report.
Zanu PF was demanding that the draft and the report be presented to the principals while the two MDC formations wanted parliament to take care of the documents.
Mr. Tsvangirai’s acting spokesman William Bango said the principals hope to finalize the issue next week after requesting for more time to look at the two documents.
