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Appeal to SADC leaders & the AU on the Zimbabwean impasse
Zimbabwe Liberation Veterans Forum
October 07, 2008

We the leadership of the Zimbabwe Veterans Liberation Veterans Forum, being senior war veterans, former senior commanders and members of the Zimbabwe People's Army (ZIPA), hereby express our grave concern at the unwarranted delay and failure to implement the political settlement accord of 15 September 2008. In our statement of 14 September 2008, we applauded the agreement of 11 September 2008 by the leaders of ZANU PF and the MDC formations as a welcome relief to the long suffering people of Zimbabwe and called on all the signatories to the agreement and their political formations to abide by the letter and spirit of the settlement accord.

The appeal

As it has turned out, more than three weeks after signing the accord amid great pomp and fanfare in the presence of SADC leaders and the Chairman of the African Union His Excellency President Jakaya Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania and representatives from the African Commission and the United Nations, there is still no government in place to give concrete expression to the agreement, thanks to resistance to the implementation of the terms of the accord by the leader of ZANU PF Robert Mugabe. We therefore, in the circumstances, wish to appeal to both the leaders of SADC and the African Union, as guarantors of the political settlement to intervene forthwith and rescue the accord. Not only in the interest of protecting their honour and reputation that is now clearly at stake, but more importantly, to put an end to the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe and forestall the unavoidable negative fallout that portend severe repercussions for the entire region.

In our considered view, the complexity of the problem engendered by the intransigence and recalcitrance of Robert Mugabe has outgrown the capacity of the facilitator former president Mbeki to resolve the impasse on his own. The situation now calls for the urgent involvement of both SADC and the African Union as the guarantors of the settlement accord. The insistence by Robert Mugabe to retain all the key ministries responsible for state security and the economy not only runs against the spirit of the accord, but is also an affront to the will of the people of Zimbabwe as expressed in the 29 March 2008 Elections and an arrogant slap in the face to the regional leaders who took time to witness the signing of the agreement on 15 September 2008.

Zimbabwe's Current Context The prolonged delay in forming an inclusive government consistent with the provisions of the agreement is clearly undesirable in view of the continued suffering of the people of Zimbabwe. There is urgent need for a government to be in place to address the unremitting crisis that worsens in both scope and intensity by the day:

• Severe and critical shortage of food in the country particularly in the countryside with many people literally starving
• Health and educational institutions have virtually collapsed without staff attending to duty and without water, food and drugs in the case of hospitals
• A complete paralysis of all institutions of government
• A complete breakdown of all services with many urban areas going for weeks or months in the worst cases without even a drop of water from their taps and electricity becoming a luxury to be enjoyed for a few hours a day. Harare's water supply is woefully unfit for human consumption with cases of cholera afflicting the city
• There is a chronic shortage of cash with people failing to access their salaries and demand deposits, a situation worsened by the unrealistic and irresponsible limits placed on withdrawals
• Shortages and costs of virtually everything ranging from basic commodities to public transport are worsening by the day with prices of everything rising beyond the reach of many ? The economy is being dollarised without sparing a thought as to where the majority of the population would acquire the scarce foreign exchange
• Business, commerce and industry have ground to a halt
• Politicians, some who lost their parliamentary seats more than six months ago are still unlawfully serving as ministers of government and illegally drawing benefits from the fiscus and wreaking havoc with the former minister of local government imposing losing ZANU PF candidates as councillors at will
• Partisan propaganda and hate speeches continue to discolour the political landscape

Conclusion

Clearly, there is urgent need for SADC to go back to the drawing board and to censure Robert Mugabe's reprehensible behaviour and arrogant, obdurate and obstinate conduct of holding the country to ransom to his whims. The regional leaders need not be reminded of the unpalatable consequences to the entire region should Zimbabwe's septic wound continue to fester. Zimbabweans are despairing after hopes had been raised through the agreement. They are getting desperate from lack of service and fatigue, a situation that could easily trigger civil unrest the very pretext that Mugabe and his junta are looking for to unleash violent repression.

Appending signatures to an agreement is one thing, and implementing it is a different kettle of fish altogether. The dire situation in Zimbabwe now calls for the SADC leaders and the African Union to rise up to the challenge and ensure the implementation of the accord they guaranteed and stop hiding behind a facilitator whose hands are now clearly tied, especially when it comes to dealing with a tough customer like Robert Mugabe.

Happyson Nenji (Webster Gwauya)
Wilfred Mhanda (Dzinashe Machingura) Dr T A Mudzingwa

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