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News | Africa | Southern Africa

Tsvangirai attends Cabinet after ending boycott

HARARE, ZIMBABWE Nov 11 2009 10:31
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Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and ministers from his party attended a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday after recently ending a three-week boycott of the country's fragile unity government.

"The prime minister and all the ministers from his party attended Cabinet," James Maridadi, a spokesperson for Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, said.

Tsvangirai, a long-time opposition leader, joined his rival President Robert Mugabe in a unity government deal in February this year.

Tsvangirai's attendance at the Cabinet meeting follows a deadline set by the Southern African Development Community regional bloc last week for the three parties in the government to meet within 30 days to resolve all conflicts.

Since the setting up of the inclusive government, Mugabe and Tsvangirai have disagreed on key appointments of senior government officials such as the central bank governor and attorney general.

Tsvangirai announced his boycott after the arrest last month of one of his top aides, Roy Bennett, on terrorism charges.

Bennett went on trial Monday and the case was adjourned until Wednesday. -- Sapa-AFP

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I have respect for Morgan, especially as he is alone (in Africa) for his fight against madness in Zim. But I increasingly feel that he is just becoming Bob´s bltch.
Khalsa Singh on November 11, 2009, 1:38 pm
The continuity to the Zimbabwean political uncertainty is fueled merely because Zimbabweans afflictions are being felt intensely by none Zimbabweans as opposed to Zimbabweans themselves. even after along period of their tribulations they still support the perpetrator himself, I personally think that if Zimbabweans can now start to define and describe their situation they can uproot the empediment that is delaying their total liberty. Brothers and sisters of Zimbabwe please recognise that fregmented as you are right now you will not surmount the political empasse that invariably recurred itself in your country. The best thing you can do is to stand in unisan, shout in unisan and by so doing you will defeat the misuderstanding currently troublimg your leaders. The strong democratic Zimbabwe is pending your full participation as Zimbabweans. As you have seen international interventions did not work despite sanction your country once subjected to, Southern African Developmenet community bloc have attempted many interventions to help halt your country's political empasse, but the outcome even to date is unsatisfactory. Let everyone believe that the role to liberate the Zimbabweans is upon his hands. May God bless Zimbabwe.
GODRICK ROROTI on November 11, 2009, 4:28 pm
MT is doing the best he can with the limited opportunities open to him.

Remember Mugabe has made it clear that he will never be voted out of office. In the absence of any real alternative MT is trying to negotiate Bob out of power and never forget that MT's career as a trade unionist was built on negotiating with more powerful men than him and winning.

He has been through great tribulations and still continues to try and improve this country for the benefit of all while avoiding a descent into civil war. That makes him the bitch of millions of us Zimbabweans.
thethinkingman .. on November 11, 2009, 4:32 pm
to call Morgan Tsvangirai Prime Minister of Zimbabwe is a misnomer because he is only the leading or head of MDC ministers of his party: the Zanupf ministers don't report to Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai is Prime Minister on paper only. Zanupf ministers were appointed by Robert Mugabe and the remainder were appointed by Arthur Mutambara and Tsvangirai has no control over these ministers at all so why call him prime minister. I suppose Tsvangirai himself feels big when he is referred to as Prime Minister. Zanupf ministers do their own thing and there is nothing Tsvangirai can do about that. It's one hell of a cride set up we got there. I don't know why they try and keep up the pretence of national unity when it's anything but.
Tennyson Ndemera on November 11, 2009, 5:05 pm
TTM... You cant negotiate an African Leader (pronounced DICTSTOR) out of power. 10 years of opposing Mugabe and Morgan must know he has failed. Zimbabweans have lost faith in the leadership of Morgan, proof is in the number of people who have fled the country to stay in foreign countries.
John Kachere on November 11, 2009, 5:08 pm
DICTATOR was what I wanted to write...

Watch Morgan endorsing decisions made by Mugabe and his croonies during Morgan's boycott. Pathetic leader Morgan is!
John Kachere on November 11, 2009, 5:18 pm
The "North" would like to help but SA keeps blocking them at the UN, and secretly funding ZANU's politcal thugs with taxpaer's money (remember the 300 Million rand and the two milion rounds of ammunition and the general's report?).

They also objectr to being expected to agree to some sort of "Acceptable level of embezzlement" by ZANU with their aid money as SADC, SA and the AU tell them to pay for an "African" ballsup, after ten years of race hate and being told not to interfere. (And then being told to pay for it.)

Any time you'd like to notice ECOWAS syuspending Niger, and then go ask a Latin American what SA, SADC and Zim look like to the world, let alone your fellow Africans in ECOWAS.
Alisdair Budd on November 11, 2009, 5:56 pm
Khalsa Singh- I will go with you on this one. His intentions are good but I don't think he's leadership material and demented Bob knows this. How can you just stand there when one of your cabinet members is on a farcical terrorism trial, your people keep on being beaten up, your offices raided, etc. That's not a Prime Minister's ass, he's just a powerless lackey. I agree with 'thethinkingman' that he's between the sword and the wall but I am not so sure about his power of negotiation. Let's not forget that looney Bob wants to outdo all previous african despots and has the guns to back him up. No one will negotiate him out of office and whatsmore, being so good at the blame game, will probably blame Morgan for anything he wishes to. As long as Bob is alive, there will never be a solution in Zimbabwe.
fred sevillano on November 11, 2009, 5:58 pm
ECOWAS manned by governments the majority of who came into being via military coupes. What exactly can they teach SADC? The UN, US and EU just recently endorsed a fraudulant election result in Afghanistan, what can they teach SADC?

Which world are you exactly talking about Alisdair Budd? British soldiers are dying daily to prop up a fraud and you want to teach SADC how to deal with local issues? You have more British issues to deal with than spent time on those anti Zimbabwe websites you spent your time on. Your taxpayer's money is being wasted on proping up a fraud in Afghanistan and you are bothered about SA helping out Zimbabwe?
Fungayi Dzvinyangoma on November 11, 2009, 6:05 pm
Dear CIO Internet operative using the cover name Fungayi Dzvinyangoma.

In the UK I can call my leader an idiot without being jailed for it. And SA keep giving ammunition to Zim and money to ZANU, not help to the millions of black African Peasants.

Go ask a Latin American what you look like if you're too wrapped up in race hate against the Whites to realise how stupid you look.

And for your info:

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86989

Famine approaching due to ZANU's "land resettlement",

Watch for several million starving peasants as Black African Politicians drive around in Toyota 4wds drinking johnnie Walker Whiskey and begging the west to feed the peasants to stop them revolting.

After ten years of race hate. And as they also claim that the NGOs are "political" and try to ban them in the crime against humanity of denying food to the starving, for pointing out the problem is entirely caused by the incompetent Black African Politicians driving around in their stolen and embezzled cars, as the peeasants starve due to their mismanagement and their leaders beg the "North" to feed the poor. as they play "Boss man on the Farm" and drive around in open top Rolls Royce's pretending to be a British Governor General, whilst stealing the aid money as well.

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=23503
Alisdair Budd on November 11, 2009, 6:55 pm
Ps Dear Fungayi Dzvinyangoma,

The mounted policemen in pith helmets escorting Mugabe in his Rolls Royce, in the above link to the Zim times, are wearing dress uniforms left over from Rhodesia that is based on the original uniform of the Southern African Colonial Police Force circa 1909.

Ironic dont you think that your "liberation Hero" is dressing his police up as British Empire colonial oppressors from South Africa before Apartheid, as he slags off the British and then uses their fancy dress.
Alisdair Budd on November 11, 2009, 7:00 pm
Alisdair Budd you were always going to come out as to where your loyalties really lie. You are married to a token black woman for show while your real interests lie with the your kinsfolk. T otry and put colour to leadership is why we fought against colonialism and apartheid. These two systems that said blacks are not good as anything other than subject peoples. We do not need some British guy to point out the failures of our leaders we quite capable of that ourselves. We do not need some British closet racist hiding behind being married to a black woman to cover for his obvious prejudices telling us what we can tell for ourselves.

You obviously miss the point that we are now able to choose which of the legacies of colonialism we would like to keep and which ones we want to get rid of. Land we will take back and mounted policemen we will display. I think you are picking on petty issues which do not affect the people's day to day lives.

We are not begging the west to feed us, we are saying the west should remove sanctions period. We are very capable of feeding ourselves. See the scramble now China has signalled its intent. The west can go hang together with their puppets. How can Mugabe steal aid money which he does not have access to?
Fungayi Dzvinyangoma on November 11, 2009, 7:28 pm
Dzvinyangoma: Hopefully the west will NEVER remove sanctions against Mugabe. And hopefully someday you will return to Zim from that place you call home in the UK, only to find that theres no food, no freedom and a president who is senile.
Sinudeity @gmail.com on November 11, 2009, 7:37 pm
PS Alisdair, it is good when MI5 and CIO exchange views on these forums isn't it? You defend your country's colonial apartheid slavery legacy with vigour.
Fungayi Dzvinyangoma on November 11, 2009, 7:52 pm
Sinudeity, you wish that there was no food or freedom in Zim for which there is plenty depending with your definition of freedom. It's better to have a senile president than a puppet.
Fungayi Dzvinyangoma on November 11, 2009, 7:56 pm
Shut up you CIO operative Fungayi!. We are tired of Zanu PF oppression which you survive on. Your father Mugabe is a real Ian Smith in a black skin. My nephew was murdered by the thugs you sent. Stupid.
AMOS MAKOBA on November 11, 2009, 8:32 pm
Dear Fungayi Dzvinyangoma,

I am a member of ACTSA, the re-named Anti-Aparthied movement:

http://www.actsa.org/

Or did you forget how many British campaigned for the end of Aparthied?

Or that the head of the CIA is now a mixed race American by the name of President Obama?

Why not stop ranting and go and ask Latin America, SE Asia and the Pacific Nations what you look like, considering what they did with their ex-coonies compared to what Africa did with hers.
Alisdair Budd on November 11, 2009, 8:43 pm
khalsa i agree wit u , dnt think MT thought this one out, wht hw think was gonna happen, bob wud ask him back, nw he has gone back WITHOUT bob asking hin to, u tell me who has the power.
say wat on November 11, 2009, 10:09 pm
Bravo to the British for their campaign against apartheid, that washes their government's responsibility for aiding and abating it. I remember one Maggie Thatcher called our dearly beloved Mandela a terrorist on your behalf. I am not sure you called for her resignation then. Zimbabweans sacrificed for SA during apartheid but you do not hear us tooting our own horns. Our country was bombed by apartheid agents some of whom were caught and imprisoned only to be released at Mandela's request after 1994. Do you know how many Zimbabweans paid the ultimate price for SA's freedom? Hell, we are still paying the price today. We had to delay land reform to accomodate the negotiations that brought freedom to SA. You guys were busy feeling good for yourselves by identifying with a cause while we were living for the cause.

What does Obama's being head of CIA have to do with your MI5 links? Isn't that how you James Bond agents work, by infiltrating well meaning organisations to cover your tracks? Your racist attitude of looking down on black people and thinking only you white people can champion their cause better than they can is coming out slowly. Why would I need to ask Latin Americans who are voting socialist governments whose idiology is in line with Mugabe's what they think of Africans?

I hope you made a spelling mistake or it's just your racism and derogatory speech coming out where you said ex-coonies. I will leave you to correct or confirm your speech.
Fungayi Dzvinyangoma on November 11, 2009, 10:47 pm
Fungayi,
You are a disgrace to your country and may I add humanity ... why do you just sit there and just watch as you own blood and brothers die in beautiful Zimbabwe … I travel there often and try and do as much as I can for the locals .. shame you don’t care … cowards always blame others for there troubles !!
Don Mason on November 12, 2009, 8:39 am
I wonder if the re-introduction of the Zim dollar was discussed? A little birdie tells me Boss Robert has said IT will be back by year end and that Gono is talking to Fidelity Printers....

Sadly Fungayi doesn't bother to comment on the articles any more...
Marius de Kock on November 12, 2009, 9:18 am
Fungayi: the only one who is racist in these conversations is you!! As far as I am aware Mandela has talked forgiveness and reconciliation and there is not a gram of that in you heart!!!
Mugabe is not a millionth of the man Mandela is!!!!
I actually feel sorry for you, being so bitter especially since you never personally experienced the bad old days of "Rhodesia" and Ian Smith. And if you really believe Zimbabwe is so wonderful and England so awful; you know what you can do.....
Megan Holden on November 12, 2009, 11:48 am
@ Alisdair Budd, you write 'Or did you forget how many British campaigned for the end of Aparthied?' This is a good joke - the West is famous for creating monsters and when the monster no longer serves their interests it is marked 'liability for urgent disposal'., what an about turn. It is the famous 'our man' strategy of the WEST. Mugabe ceased to be 'our man' when he embarked on the land reform project.

The selfish plans of the WEST execute well behind a human face, no wonder the strong support for NGO and humanitarian assistance, and the arguments in terms of food shortage for the masses and so and so forth!

hic, hic, hic,....


@ Don Mason, treating symptoms is never a good strategy. What exactly do you do when you travel to Zim? I guess you hand out fish instead of fishing gear to your able-bodied recipients, neighbours to a river! Next time identify newly resettled farmers, then on your next visit 'donate' farm implements and inputs. Visit them every year to see how they are doing!! But be careful, you might end up an outcast!
dread dread6 on November 12, 2009, 4:04 pm
@Megan Holden..Calling Fungayi a racists because he disagrees with most people on this blog is probably pushing it too far. It is like me saying thousands of white South Africans who worked for the aparthied regime are racists..and it may well be true that some were and continue to be!! But who is to say and how would one know!!! White journalists also contributed to the survival of the racist, savage and undemocratic South Africa and are also guilty of the savage and barbaric torture of black people, including the famous Nelson Mandela!!!
zodwa sibanda on November 14, 2009, 4:44 am
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