Zimbabwe Watershed Elections Looming: Tsvangirai

Tsvangirai told journalists on Monday that three principals (Tsvangirai, Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara) were in agreement that once a constitution report has been done they will announce an election date.

“We have agreed that once a report of the constitution making process has been given we must actually have a date of elections,” Tsvangirai said.
 
The premier also said he alerted Mugabe of the violence that disrupted a rally that he was to address in Chitungwiza at Chibuku stadium resulting in seven of his supporters being hospitalised.

“What we have now agreed is that on Friday we are going to convene a meeting of all executive committees or central committee members of all the three political parties to address the issue of violence. Violence is not being spearheaded from the bottom; it is being spearheaded from the top by senior political practitioners. We want all of us to make a commitment without taking sides with anyone that violence will not be tolerated”, added Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai accused the Indigenisation and Youth Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere for bussing youths to Chitungwiza to beat up his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) supporters and disrupt his rally on Sunday.

“I told the President that Kasukuwere and Chapfika, a special councillor in Chitungwiza were responsible for bringing youths in Chitungwiza a night before the meeting. I clarified the position that the MDC had organised a meeting and notified the police as required by law, he doesn’t dispute that it’s 14 Zanu-PF supporters who disrupted the meeting,”Tsvangirai said.

“However, it has been proven that Zanu-PF was responsible and the President cannot dispute what he has been told but he had been misinformed by the commissioner (Augustine Chihuri), which actually makes it quite disturbing because it is an attempt to try to brush aside and sweep under the carpet the activities of certain political parties.”

Tsvangirai said Vice President John Nkomo will lead the meeting on Friday to draft a code of conduct of how political parties are expected to behave when election dates are announced to avoid violence.