The Pittburgh Post-Gazette suggests that we hold our applause because a group of corrupt incompetents are still firmly in control of Zimbabwe.

I couldn’t agree more.

They suggest that The Deal is costly and creative political theatre . . .

Mr. Mugabe as president, with his 31-member Cabinet in place, and makes opposition leader Morgan Tsvangerai prime minister, with his own Council of Ministers. One aspect of the new accord is that Zimbabwe now has two sets of ministers, each with his own entourage, luxury car and comfortable office. Then the Zimbabweans said, “Oh my goodness, we have fixed everything. Now’s it up to the international community to give us lots of aid.” (The resemblance to the current behavior of certain American financial institutions is purely coincidental.) The appropriate response to this appeal is a flat negative. Zimbabwe will be nowhere near being fixed until Mr. Mugabe is gone — thrown out of office or dead of natural or other causes. The situation of the Zimbabwean people is certainly pathetic, but there is no point in pouring money or other aid into this bottomless pit, particularly in response to creative political theater.

And creative political theatre it certainly is.

Tsvangirai’s immediate call for aid on Monday (Thursday saw the political parties deadlocked – again – over the allocation of ministries) really makes you wonder whether he’s got his head screwed on straight. Countries waiting in the wings with their bail out packages would do best to wait a while longer.

I’ve been reminded of a song from Evita called Rolling on in, Rolling on out. With just a few little adjustments it would seem to fit our situation quite well. Donors might like to bear the lyrics in mind before they reach for their cheque books.

And the money kept rolling in from every side
Bob’s and Morgan’s hands reached out and they reached wide
Now you may feel it should have been a voluntary cause
But that’s not the point my friends
When the money keeps rolling in, you don’t ask how
Think of all the people guaranteed a good time now
They’re using the hungry to open up the doors
Never been a fund like the inclusive government

Chorus:
Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’, rollin’ rollin’ rollin’
Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’, rollin’ rollin’ rollin’

Rollin’ on in, rollin’ on in
Rollin’ on in, rollin’ on in

Would you like to try a college education?
Own your landlord’s house, take the family on vacation?
The inclusive government and their blessed fund can make your dreams come true
Here’s all you have to do my friends
Write your name and your dream on a card or a pad or a ticket
Throw it high in the air and should our big boys pick it
They will change your way of life for a week or even two
Name me anyone who cares as much as the inclusive government

(chorus)
Rollin’ on out, rollin’ on out
Rollin’ on out, rollin’ on out

And the money will keep rolling out in all directions
To the poor, to the weak, to the destitute of all complexions (well maybe not)
Now cynics claim a little of the cash will go astray
But that’s not the point my friends
When the money keeps rolling out you don’t keep books
You can tell you’ve done well by the happy grateful looks
Accountants only slow things down, figures get in the way
Never been anything loved as much as the all inclusive government

(chorus)
Rollin’ on out, rollin’ on out
Rollin’ on out, rollin’ on out

On out

From the border town of Beit Bridge, Kubatana subscribers tell us that they want the new all inclusive government to

form a truth and reconciliation committee especially to investigate the terror campaigns before run off election
lift the cash withdrawal limit

Erasmus from Harare has some other demands

provision of food
kick start industry for production
restore rule of law
provision of health care
revamp our education system
improve the workers conditions
a new constitution within 18 months

Meanwhile Munyaradzi emailed us with this opinion

The fact that MDC and ZANU (PF) are failing to come up with a cabinet spells doom to this deal. Those who have everything to lose, that is ZANU( PF), are the ones who are probably throwing in the spanners. People are fed up with politicians who still think things are normal when ordinary people are starving. It is a shame that in this day and age someone in his right mind would continue to drive around in a 10 car or more motorcade. Teachers are being awarded only $10,000 per month. The way forward for this country is for the leaders to listen to what the people are saying. A deal without the ordinary person in mind is a dud. No matter how they are going share power (whose power?) they will not succeed to bring sanity to the political landscape. For one Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings has to be reorientated because they continue to paint the MDC in bad light. Why do they continue to refer to Mugabe as “comrade” while Tsvangirai is called “Mr”? What are they trying to show? ZIMPAPERS is equally to blame. In general the majority of our leaders should mind their language if they want to promote national healing. They owe the whole nation an apology for failed policies and for polarising the country. They could have stopped this rot long back.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has issued a statement on the recent agreement between Zanu PF and the MDC and they make clear several important points. Below is what COSATU has to say:

The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted the agreement signed by the leaders of the political parties in Zimbabwe on 15 September 2008.

We stand by our view that it is only the people of Zimbabwe who must judge whether or not this deal is in their interests. We are therefore awaiting the comments of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and will be guided by them.

Meanwhile, while awaiting the ZCTU’s response, only insofar as the people accept it, we give the agreement our cautious support, but note that many of the demands raised by civil society and supported by COSATU have not been met, including:

- Civil society has been shut out of the negotiations and it has thus been an agreement between the political leaders;

- The agreement does not recognise the result of the 29 March elections. As a result the loser has become the winner and the winner the loser;

- MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai is effectively in charge of a  cluster of ministries, while President Mugabe still has  extensive powers;

- The agreement is not for an interim government until new elections have been held but for a normal full-term government;

- All Mugabe’s draconian laws remain in place, which give him, for example, the power to arrest political opponents.

The agreement marks a dangerous spread of the Kenyan virus that sends a signal to dictators that they can defy the will of the people by force and then retain power through negotiations, brokered by other African leaders.

It marks a retreat from the principles that the African Union and SADC are supposed to uphold and a return to the bad traditions of the Organisation of African Unity that sacrificed the interests of the people to protect dictators.

Meanwhile COSATU waits to hear from the ZCTU, after which it will consider their advice as to whether to continue with the proposed programme of boycotts. If they ask us to proceed we shall do so.

In response to one of our Kubatana electronic newsletters where we asked our subscribers for their opinions on the deal between Zanu PF and the MDC, here is what Reuben writing from Harare shares with us:

The step taken is the right step. However implementation will be very crucial to judge its effectiveness. I foresee a possible grey area in the operation of the Council of Ministers and Cabinet. It is not clear which institution will have decisions executed. To me Cabinet headed by the President will be the supreme organ, and may decide to delay implementation of certain policies from the Council. I need to be corrected.

I think that the priorities of this new, inclusive government should include:
1. Affordable food on the table for everyone. Allow any donor to provide healthy and unexpired food to the people.
2. Availability of affordable seed and fertiliser for the new planting season.
3. Procurement of reasonably cheap fuel for industry and homes.
4. Rehabilitation of Kariba and Hwange to have enough electricity for industry and homes. No more load shedding.
5. Availability and Provision of clean and healthy water. Import/produce the chemicals to treat water.
6. Eliminate sewage overflows in all towns. No more bad smells and spilling.
7. Provide affordable communication systems and rehabilitate our road and rail networks.

What I want to see this new government do:
1. Weed out corruption systematically.
2. Resuscitate viable agricultural production.
3. Arrest those who killed people between 29 March and 31 August 2008, including notorious Comrade Chinotimba.
4. Assure the nation that money supply will be revisited as a matter of urgency.
5. Force the RBZ Governor to resign before end of November 2008.
6. Support sport from grassroots to senior levels.
7. Account for all our minerals being mined and exported.
8. Revamp the Education and Health Care systems.

The list is massive. However I should end here.
Reuben

Newlands Shopping centre in Harare, where we have our office, is unusually quiet today.

The bank queues are shorter, the vendors are fewer and the streets emptier. From various shops I can hear the drone of Mugabe’s voice. People are huddled around radios listening to the signing ceremony speeches. Out in the car park I’ve just walked past a couple of guys mimicking Mugabe . . . “We will not have regime change”.

Last night a group of us gathered to talk over a couple of beers. Most of us have been in the pro-democracy struggle for many years but none of us were feeling optimistic about today. We shook our heads saying that we never thought it would end like this, in a bloated government of unity. Or an arrangement that simply accommodates two political parties. Sure, like many people say, this is at least a shift. And if the MDC have their wits about them they’ll use this opportunity to take full control rather than continue to be maneuvered and choreographed by Zanu PF.

Most likely this small struggling nation of ours now has the largest government in Africa. This certainly isn’t anything to boast about. Are we looking down the barrel of two of everything: two motorcades, two portraits, two macho men commandeering our national airline? How much money will get gobbled up by this power sharing arrangement while politicians like Morgan crow for aid to come in and resuscitate our economy?

The average person on the street in Zimbabwe only welcomes this expedient political arrangement because they want their life to improve. But will it? Just recently we read about the new swathe of MPs getting brand spanking new cars to the tune of US$9 million whilst the majority of their constituents do not have access to a regular clean supply of water. Of immediate importance is the need to hold these politicians accountable. To make sure that they deliver on improving the abyssal conditions that Zimbabweans are surviving under. As many ordinary Zimbabweans have pointed out, whilst it is important that we work on issues such as a new constitution, we can’t eat a constitution.

And, by the way, people are dying of hunger.

Is Morgan more than the power and the glory? Before he jumps on a jet plane and tours the world let’s see him, with his supposed new powers, focus on improving the everyday lives of Zimbabweans.

Zimbabwe’s national association of NGOs (NANGO) recently published a statement calling for transitional justice in Zimbabwe “as a critical remedy to the massive human rights violations, ingraining fear, insecurity and mistrust in Zimbabwean society today.”

IRIN has also just published an article entitled Reconciling the past for a stable future in which they cite a research paper by the South African think tank, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). The research paper, Justice and Peace in a new Zimbabwe: Transitional Justice Options is authored by Max du Plessis, an associate law professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and Jolyon Ford, of the Centre for International Governance and Justice at the Australian National University. According to the authors, “the formation of a truth commission should be at the forefront of Zimbabwe’s negotiations, considering the levels of alleged state brutality, the politicisation of the judiciary.”

Today the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) also issued a statement asking us to remember the brutal attacks on trade unionists on 13th September 2006. The ZCTU statement lists the injuries that activists sustained during their peaceful protest in Harare. These injuries include lacerations, bruises and fractures. The ZCTU reminds us that Robert Mugabe approved of the excessive force by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, saying

“If you want an excuse for being killed, be my guest go into the streets and demonstrate. The police were right in dealing sternly with Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions leaders during their demonstration . . . because the trade unionists want to become a law unto themselves. We cannot have a situation where people decide to sit in places not allowed and when the police remove them, they say no. We can’t have that, that is a revolt to the system. Vamwe vaakuchema kuti tarohwa, ehe unodashurwa. When the police say move, move. If you don’t move, you invite the police to use force.”

The politicians negotiating the future of Zimbabwe must not place the issue of transitional justice on the back burner if Zimbabwe is to find any kind of peace at all.