MDC Threatens to call for a SADC Summit Over Devolution

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The Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) has already referred the draft constitution to Global Political Agreement (GPA) principals namely President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and also to smaller MDC leader Ncube for consideration      

However speaking to Radio VOP on Thursday smaller MDC Director for Policy and Research Coordination, Qhubani Moyo said if Mugabe and his party block devolution of power, as they promised before, a SADC Extra Ordinary Summit will be held over the deadlock.

“During the outreach program for a new constitution majority of provinces in Zimbabwe supported “devolution of power”, we know Mugabe and Zanu PF are opposed to this. So if they  remove it from  draft constitution we will make sure  a SADC Extra Ordinary Summit be  held  since there will  be  a deadlock  between us  and  Zanu PF over devolution,” said Moyo. 

Moyo also said Mugabe and Zanu PF should to respect the people’s will. 

Early this year Mugabe rejected “devolution of power” saying Zimbabwe is too small for that and it will also divide Zimbabweans. 

Zanu PF spin doctor and politburo member Jonathan Moyo also castigated devolution of power recently saying the debate on devolution, has been falsely morphed into a constitutional issue carrying all the baggage of federalism which has become a dirty word in the Zimbabwean constitutional debate. The Zanu PF Tsholotsho MP also declared that Zanu PF will not support or be part of any draft constitution that seeks devolution in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Human rights organisations, civic society groups, pressure groups and other opposition political parties have called for the urgent implementation of devolution of power in Zimbabwe to stop the continued marginalisation of some provinces.

They are saying devolution of power is the only way of uplifting some of the country’s provinces that have remained marginalised since Independence in 1980.

Some civic groups accuse the central government of robbing resource rich regions to develop preferred provinces, notably Matabeleland which lags behind in terms of development.