GPA Was Never About Writing A New Constitution: – Mugabe

This comes few days after the South African Foreign Affairs minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane insisted that Zimbabwe could only hold elections after the completion of the constitution- making process.

“The GPA was never meant to be more than two years. The GPA was about ending violence and holding fresh elections without violence and not holding new elections with a new constitution.

“It was never about a new constitution. The main issue was about violence and fresh elections without that violence,” Mugabe said during his address while officially opening an annual chief’s conference held in Bulawayo at the Large City Hall.

The Chiefs Annual Conference is held under the theme: ’Traditional Leaders:-Realigning Culture and Traditions towards Dynamic Community Development and Empowerment.’

Mugabe said his party is ready to pull out of the inclusive government and hold fresh elections using an old government charter.

According to the power sharing agreement, the country will only go for polls after the conclusion of the constitution making process which is however behind schedule.

The process has been bogged down varying delays that Mugabe attacked as deliberate.

Mugabe also attacked Europeans for trying to wipe out humankind and reverse nature through homosexuality.

“I want to see the man who is able to make men present here to be pregnant for nine months. The devil cannot do it. The Europeans want to destroy nature and destroy humankind. Let us never, never ever accept homosexuality,” Mugabe said.

He also took swipe at South Africa for failing to empower the black nationals there through the land reform and indigenization, saying poverty is rampant among the black population yet that country is reported to be rich.

“People of Soweto are still poor. We do not know when their lives will improve. Poverty in Soweto will never be alleviated through getting jobs. It will only be alleviated through land and empowerment.

“They (blacks) do not have land because their country’s constitution did not give them the right to land like our constitution. We included the issue of land in our constitution in 1980.”

Meanwhile the demand for weapons by the traditional leaders has been described by Zimbabwe People’s revolutionary Army (ZPRA) as a clear sign that there is no security in Zimbabwe as we are heading towards constitutional referendum and elections.

ZPRA Veterans Trust, chairperson, Besta Magwizi, told Radio VOP that the traditional leaders were insecure because Zanu (PF) and MDC-T were violent parties.

“When the traditional leaders begin to demand weapons, it is a sign that they are insecure. They feel threatened by violent individuals more so when we are focusing on development of constitution making process, the referendum, possible the elections that need to be run in this country,” said Magwizi.

“We therefore suggest that before these weapons are issued to the chiefs, peace building and conflict transformation endeavours have to be instituted expediently and be co-ordinated by the Ministry of Organ of National  Healing, Reconciliation and Integration through the various institutions including ZPRA Veterans Trust,” added Magwizi.

“The other challenge is that the traditional leaders in Zimbabwe are now showing their political alignment hence they know that there are few people who will take the law into their hands and prove to them that they are moving away from their cultural role in society,” said Magwizi.

It is also feared that the chiefs may not have enough knowledge on how to use the weapons they are demanding.