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Addressing human rights wrongs must top the agenda of talks between MDC and ZANU PF
Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe (CCDZ)
July 14, 2008

We reiterate our previous calls that any political transition must adequately address the gross human rights abuses that the people of Zimbabwe continue to suffer at the hands of the current government. Opposition and other pro-democracy activists continue to be murdered, tortured -only their decomposing bodies to be discovered days later. We mourn Gift Mutsvungunu, a Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) polling agent whose decomposing body was discovered today in Kuwadzana suburb in Harare.

We call upon the parties to the ongoing talks mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki that the human rights wrongs that were instigated by known politicians who continue to enjoy opulent lifestyles cannot go unpunished. All the high ranking officials in the military, police and other State institutions that have instigated human rights abuses must be called to account for their actions before and after the 27 June so-called Presidential election run-off.

The Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe further notes that a pact between the two political parties does not necessarily lead to the resolution of the national crisis, moreso if the people are not part of this process. We advise the MDC to refuse to be cajoled into a meaningless Government of National Unity (GNU) which will see them playing second fiddle in the running of the country.

Any political transition must take into consideration the outcome of the harmonized elections that were held on the 29 March 2008 where the people overwhelmingly voted for change. This outcome needs to be respected in the ongoing talks so that we revive peoples' confidence in national public affairs. We call for the setting up of a Transitional Authority in Zimbabwe as a matter of urgency. The Transitional Authority which must be headed by the two main parties must take charge of the country's affairs for the 18 months. The mandate for the Transitional Authority, include but is not limited to:

• Facilitate a process for the drafting of a new, people-driven constitution under which new elections will be organized.
• Democratize the political environment, De-Zanunize State institutions and spearhead a national process of healing
• Urgently address the humanitarian crisis that is epitomized by critical shortage of food, increase in the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

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