How is it that the ‘unity government’ can agree to compensation being paid to more Mugabe appointees, when there are many – more deserving – other people that remain without a dime?
To wit (and this listing is by no means complete):
• victims and victim’s families of the Gukurahundi
• Numerous commercial farmers who have had an order of compensation issued by SADC, but the government is broke (and Mugabe is not about to accede to SADC rulings)
• victims of Operation Murambatsvina
• victims of ZANU PF political violence
• victims of ZANU PF abductions and imprisonments
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The three principals to the Global Political Agreement have agreed to compensate ZANU PF governors who will step down to make way for new ones from the MDC formations, Newsreel learnt on Thursday. A highly placed source told us that during their Tuesday meeting, Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara agreed that six out of the ten governors appointed by Mugabe on 24th August last year would have to step down. The sticking point during their previous meetings was what to do with the governors once they step down.
“The thinking between Tsvangirai and Mutambara was that it was not their problem to deal with that issue since they were not involved in their appointments in the first place. They felt Mugabe was best placed to deal with that because he unilaterally appointed the governors without consulting them,” our source told us.”
I agree with the initial thinking of Tsvangirai and Mutambara as any other thinking would suggest that the power-sharing government (now there’s an oxymoron!) will be responsible for paying for Mugabe’s excesses.
“Mugabe reportedly agreed to the sharing of Provincial governor positions under an earlier agreed formula but under one condition, that those jobless governors be paid their full salaries and benefits for up to five years. A governor’s term is usually five years but analysts point out that the inclusive government will probably last 18 months before fresh elections are held.
Economist Luke Zunga said the principals should approach SADC or the AU for the compensation since the inclusive government was broke.”
It beggars belief that Mugabe expects the credit lines that could be offered to the coalition might be used to pay compensation to Mugabe’s people! Should this be allowed to happen? And even if it is to happen, why should the governors be given priority above other people?
“How can Zimbabweans be punished by providing tax money to compensate people who were irregularly appointed by Mugabe. The country is broke and the principals should go to SADC and the AU who are the guarantors of the inclusive government?” Zunga said.”
How about the governors that have NOT been appointed be given some compensation for Mugabe’s “oversight”? Surely their non-appointment has caused a loss of earnings?
I am concerned that compensating the governors to be unseated as Mugabe will take this ethos to a new level, expecting that his other debts – predominantly with other governments that have sadly been gullable enough to assist – and expect that any owings be paid by the power-sharing unity government.
I am doubly concerned that whilst Mugabe will expect his dues to be settled by a new government (which he will destroy once it has fulfilled the function he has in mind for it – and that is to lend some legitimacy to his continued presence), he will ensure that any monies incoming to Zimbabwe will be used to rebuild government and their resources long before any money is spent in the public sector – that is after the obligatory tithe or more that will be ‘lost’ in the ZANU PF gears of ‘bureaucracy’.
Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man
