[4] Jonathan Moyo, “A bad week for troubled Zuma,” Sunday Mail (Harare), August 19, 2012, also on www.newzimbabwe.com/news/news.aspx?newsID=8812, accessed August 24, 2012. To learn more about Professor Moyo in the context of Zimbabwe`s intelligence, see David Moore “Intellectuals` Interpreting Zimbabwe`s Primitive Accumulation: Progress to Market Civilisation? Safundi, 8, 2 (April 2007), 199-222. . the terms of the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA), which aimed to end a political crisis in Zimbabwe. The structure of the executive has been changed so that one post of Prime Minister and the creation of two posts of Deputy Prime Minister can be created. The Committee held a dialogue with representatives of zimbabwe`s main political parties, with the exception of ZANU-PF, a representative of the European Union and representatives of civil society organizations, on progress and obstacles to the implementation of the global political agreement in Zimbabwe. The Committee was informed that the European Union (EU) is systematically lifting sanctions on Zimbabwe in order to facilitate development assistance. There were concerns that some of the aid in the area of food aid would be used as a political tool, but this should be confirmed. A conference of all stakeholders had agreed on a draft constitution to be submitted to the Zimbabwean Parliament for consideration in a referendum. After the conference, ZANU-PF turned around and made new demands regarding the draft constitution, which created a problem. ZANU-PF wanted to wrest the constitutional process from the Zimbabwean parliament, in violation of Article 6 of the Global Political Agreement and the principle of separation of powers, by advocating the negotiation of the draft constitution between the three parties. Challenges such as restrictions on media pluralism, statements by security forces, lack of trust in the judiciary sector, lack of independence of the Secretariat of the Electoral Commission and human rights violations remained a challenge.
He called for the completion of the constitutional process, the holding of a referendum, compliance with the road map set out in the Global Political Agreement, the lifting of sanctions and the participation of other international actors in the process. A plan member asked the committee to discuss with SADC representatives and ZANU-PF`s views would also be taken into account. ANC members asked whether there were “sunset clauses” to facilitate the process and what would allow for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. One member of COPE expressed concern about the proposal addressed to court holders; this would lead to tensions; the AU would play a crucial role in the process once it was involved. The Chairman said that South Africa supported the people of Zimbabwe and that its role was to ensure that the situation was resolved. The People of Zimbabwe have been suffering for so long and there can be no postponement of what rightfully belongs to them. The people of Zimbabwe needed a long-term solution. The minimum was to create an environment conducive to free and fair elections, and the conditions should be agreed.
A credible Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has played a crucial role in this process. . Power-sharing agreement – known as the Global Political Agreement – on September 15, 2008. Under the deal, Mugabe would remain president, but would cede some power to Tsvangirai, who would serve as prime minister; Mutambara would be deputy prime minister. Zimbabwe: June-July 2012, August 18, 2012, www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/Change%20and%20New%20Politics%20in%20Zimbabwe.pdf, accessed August 27, 2012. Gilbert Nyambabvu, “MDC-T fury over support collapse report,” New Zimbabwe.com, August 22, 2012 www.newzimbabwe.com/news/news.aspx?newsID=8844. About three percent went to other parties (including the MDC Ncube/Mutambara), but more than forty percent were undecided or chose not to give up their preference. Nearly two weeks later, an Afrobarometer report appeared in which the two parties were neck and neck with just over thirty percent each: Michael Bratton and Eldred Masunungure, Voting Intentions in Zimbabwe: a Margin of Terror? Afrobarometer Briefing Paper No. 103, David Moore, a political scientist by training, is Professor of Development Studies and Head of the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies at the University of Johannesburg. He and Norma Kriger, Brian Raftopoulos co-edited a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary African Studies entitled “Progress” in Zimbabwe, which was published earlier this year. .