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Media blackout surrounds COPAC talks in Nyanga
Tichaona Sibanda, SW Radio
June 20, 2012

http://www.swradioafrica.com/2012/06/20/media-black-out-surrounds-copac-talks-in-nyanga/

Negotiators from the three parties in the GPA have been meeting in Nyanga since Sunday to resolve outstanding issues in the drafting of a new constitution, but a 'total media blackout' appears to have been imposed on their negotiations.

The latest round of talks are expected to last until Wednesday and analysts consider them 'pivotal', in that they will determine whether or not the country will go to elections with a new charter.

SW Radio Africa understands that no statements will be given to the media until the talks are finalised. The ban is said to be designed to increase the chances of success of the talks, by 'discouraging' public debate about the options on the table, taking place at the secluded Ruparara lodge.

Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga told SW Radio Africa on Friday last week that they had set aside at least three days to try to reach agreement on all outstanding issues.

The committee members in Nyanga for the indaba are Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma of the MDC-T, ZANU PF's Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche and MDC-N's Moses Mzila-Ndlovu and Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga.

Matinenga is attending as Minister in charge of the drafting process and so are the three COPAC co-chairpersons from ZANU PF and the MDC, namely Paul Mangwana, Douglas Mwonzora and Edward Mkhosi.

As they headed into the talks on Sunday, the three parties were still miles apart on core issues of the negotiations. In the last two months there has been a widening of positions between ZANU PF and the MDC formations on the three core areas of the negotiations; the devolution of power, the structure
of the executive and dual citizenship.

Edwin Mushoriwa, the Deputy President of the MDC led by Welshman Ncube, said they not heard anything from their negotiators since they set off for Nyanga on Sunday.

"It's possible they could have agreed as negotiators not to grant the media any statements regarding what happens behind the closed doors of direct talks until an agreement, if possible, is reached," Mushoriwa said.

Other analysts surmised that the media ban could have been demanded by the South African facilitation team that met the negotiators in Harare last
week.

The three parties in the inclusive government have been deadlocked on the outstanding issues in the constitution-making process, presenting a huge setback in preparations for fresh elections expected next year.

Political commentator Munjonzi Mutandiri cited lack of proper guiding principles as the reason behind the time it has taken to complete the process.

"In South Africa when they came up with their constitution after apartheid they drew up 34 guiding principles that made it impossible for politicians or parties to manipulate the process," Mutandiri said.

He added: "What we have now with COPAC is that it has been turned into a negotiating platform, they have to agree on almost everything, completely subverting what the people said during the outreach. If they had stuck to what people said, I'm sure this process would have been completed two years ago."

SW Radio Africa is Zimbabwe's Independent Voice and broadcasts on Short Wave 4880 KHz in the 60m band.

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