Tsvangirai accuses Mugabe of violating unity deal
ZIMBABWE'S Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has accused President Robert Mugabe of violating a fledgling power-sharing deal.
Tsvangirai, at a rally marking his party's 10th anniversary, according to Agence France Presse (AFP) yesterday, said Mugabe's Zimbabwe's African National Union- Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party continues to persecute supporters of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), despite guarantees of political freedoms in the unity accord.
"I am not going to stand by while ZANU-PF continues to violate the law, persecutes our members of parliament, spreads the language of hate, invades our productive farms (and) ignores our international treaties. I am not going to stand by and let this happen.
"I have done my part to promote reconciliation in this country. Even after winning the election, I have compromised for the sake of Zimbabwe," he said. "But please, don't misjudge me... You misjudge me at your own peril.
"We want partners that are sincere... We want partners who are going to commit themselves to good governance principles," he said. "We cannot have partners of looters," he added.
Tsvangirai joined Mugabe in a unity government in February in a bid to end political unrest that erupted after last year's failed elections. But the two remain deadlocked over key appointments, and the MDC says its supporters still suffer political attacks.
Tsvangirai said the MDC would launch a national campaign to consult the public on the future of the unity government over the next month.
"We are coming to you. Is this government sustainable? It is you the people who shall give us direction," he said.
A European Union official over the weekend said the bloc would not remove sanctions targetted at Mugabe and his loyalists.
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Karel de Gucht, also said yesterday that the EU would not resume development aid until more was done to implement the nation's power-sharing agreement and to restore human rights.
Winding up the first visit by a high-level EU delegation since 2002, de Gucht said that sharp differences remain between Mugabe and Tsvangirai over their coalition agreement.
De Gucht said Mugabe and Tsvangirai "do not have the same reading of the same document."
But for most Zimbabweans, life has improved this year after the government abandoned the local currency, worthless after years of hyperinflation, and eased price controls that have allowed shops to restock food and businesses to slowly resume operations.
"We are now free. We can work; we can eat. Now we can eat bread," said Gladys Sengwayo, a 44-year-old who brought her infant granddaughter and three other family members to the rally.
"Last year, we were suffering. Some people died at home. We had nothing to eat," she said.
Shops across the country closed their doors last year, unable to replenish stocks, while crops failed across the country, leaving nearly seven million people in need of food aid - more than half the country.
This year, the UN estimates less than three million people will need food aid, while businesses are slowly resuming operations, though most of the population remains deeply impoverished.
The MDC was formed on September 11, 1999 after a coalition of rights groups, churches and civic society agreed to launch an opposition party to challenge Mugabe's rule.
The party made rapid electoral gains in its first year, finally seizing a parliamentary majority in last year's elections, when Tsvangirai also defeated Mugabe in a first-round presidential vote.
Tsvangirai pulled out of the runoff, citing a wave of deadly attacks on his supporters that MDC says left more than 200 dead. Former South African president Thabo Mbeki mediated a unity accord one year ago that eventually led to the power-sharing government.
The unity government is meant as a transitional authority to oversee the writing of a new constitution that will guide the nation to fresh elections.
The EU delegation said after its talks with the nation's leaders that the process needed to include human rights protections, media freedom and other political reforms.
Tsvangirai has launched a major effort at normalising ties with western nations, who have imposed sanctions on Mugabe and his inner circle following 2002 elections that western observers and local poll monitors said were flawed.
Mugabe regularly lashes out over the sanctions, which include a travel ban and asset freeze on his family and top aides.
The EU team on Sunday planned to visit clean water projects aimed at preventing a new outbreak of cholera, which has killed more than 4,200 people since August 2008. They were set to leave Zimbabwe later in the day.
