Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF has seconded its outspoken politiburo member Jonathan Moyo to the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee set up to track compliance with the 2008 Global Political Agreement for power sharing, replacing Co-Minister of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi, a ZANU-PF official confirmed Monday.
ZANU-PF is also represented on JOMIC by politburo member Oppah Muchinguri, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Transport Minister Nicholas Goche.
ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo told VOA reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that Moyo was unanimously chosen for the post. He said JOMIC has been informed of this.
JOMIC spokesman Joram Nyathi confirmed that the panel has received a communication from ZANU-PF regarding secondment of Moyo to the committee, which has taken on more importance since the Southern African Development Community in recent summits resolved to delegate three of its own officials to JOMIC to bolster the monitoring panel.
Political commentator George Mkhwananzi told Chris Gande that Moyo’s addition to JOMIC would not enhance the panel's effectiveness because he is not a peacemaker.
Moyo, currently ZANU-PF legislator for Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North province, drafted what many observers consider to be Zimbabwe's most repressive pieces of legislation: the Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, both of which have been wielded against Mugabe critics.
Expelled from ZANU-PF in 2005 for challenging Mr. Mugabe's leadership, Moyo has since returned and cultivated a role as strategist for the party's hardline faction.