SADC backs deal to keep Mugabe as head of state and government

By Alex Bell
25 August 2008

A leaked, confidential document, has exposed the Southern African Development Community’s support for Robert Mugabe as Zimbabwe’s leader, after it revealed that SADC leaders sanctioned an agreement that would see Mugabe remain as head of State and of the government.

Zimbabwe’s political rivals left the SADC summit in South Africa a week ago with the regional leaders, led by South African President Thabo Mbeki, calling for all “outstanding agreements” to be signed to pave the way for a new government in Zimbabwe.

With MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai refusing to sign the deal, SADC’s call has sparked widespread speculation that it was backing a deal that supported Mugabe. The regional body’s failure to pressure a signature out of Tsvangirai reportedly led to Mugabe being given the green light to convene parliament. SADC’s blessing, which allows Mugabe to preside over the opening of parliament on Tuesday, ran contrary to the spirit and letter of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the negotiating parties. The speculation surrounding SADC’s preferred leader has since been justified with the leaked document exposing that a deal would be fully in Mugabe’s favour.

According to The Zimbabwe Standard, who reported on “leaked documents” and “information gathered from various sources”, the unsuccessful deal would have entrenched Mugabe’s grip on power. The documents reportedly show that Mugabe would remain as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and head of government, as well as head of state.

The Standard reported that top among Tsvangirai’s worries was paragraph 2 of the document titled Role of the Prime Minister. While the paragraph stipulated that the prime minister would carry the responsibility to oversee the formulation of policies by the Cabinet, it also spelt out that Tsvangirai would not be the man in charge — he would only be “a Member of the Cabinet and its Deputy Chairperson”. This arrangement left Mugabe, in accordance with the Zimbabwe constitution, as the head of Cabinet. To make matters worse for Tsvangirai, who had insisted that he heads the cabinet, according to paragraph 11 he would “report regularly to the president”.

Tsvangirai is said to have strongly disagreed with this provision that would have left him “without adequate authority to engineer economic recovery and overcome repression”. The Standard said Tsvangirai would find himself undermined if his authority is not spelt out, because if things go wrong he would be blamed.

Meanwhile, the president, according to sources quoted by The Standard, would retain broad powers to declare a state of emergency, declare war or make peace and to grant amnesty. Mugabe would also retain control of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) which would remain in place, save for a change in name.

Human rights activist Elinor Sisulu told Newsreel on Monday that such a deal is “scandalous and cynical” and SADC’s support of it is “a serious threat to the region”. She said it is obvious that SADC is putting pressure on Tsvangirai because he will be a “conduit” for foreign investment. She added SADC is again setting the wrong precedent and that regional security now hangs in the balance, because of SADC’s support of Mugabe.