I attended the Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism (CISOMM) meeting commemorating the second anniversary of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) yesterday. The meeting also launched the six month shadow report on the performance of the inclusive government of Zimbabwe – 2010
The event included a panel discussion with Prof Lloyd Sachikonye, Tabita Khumalo, Bulawayo East Member of Parliament and member of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC), and Member of Parliament Paul Madzore.
Prof Sachikonye started off the panel discussion by outlining the state of Zimbabwe two years after the signing of the GPA. He looked at five key performance areas for the GPA. His analysis was more balanced, but I made my own score card for these five areas:
- Economic: 0.5 (half a point for kerbing inflation, zero points for economic growth and job creation)
- Constitutional reform: 0 (How can we have a functionally consultative Constitution making process in an environment where citizens are still harassed and intimidated and public meetings are still cancelled by the police)
- Media reform: 0 (Sure, there’s now a daily version of the Zimbabwe Independent. But what about radio licensing? Independent television? Not to mention renewed jamming of SW Radio Africa)
- Security sector reform: 0 (Minister Makone: What New Leaf)
- Transitional justice and reconciliation: 0 (How can we even talk about justice when there is still violence?)
Total: 0.5/5
Sachikonye said “some things are happening,” as if this gave the GPA a positive score. But to me it felt more indicative of just how much we’ve been through. He spoke of the trauma of political violence in 2000, 2002 and 2008, but I think the trauma Zimbabweans have experienced goes beyond just political violence. It’s about our economy, our governance, and the myriad ways in which people have been disempowered over the past 10 years. We’re so traumatised that we are grateful that “some things are happening,” that there is fuel at the service station and bread in the shops. We view that as progress – rather than viewing that as normal, and demanding more from our government.
About JOMIC, the body specifically created to monitor compliance with the GPA, Khumalo said “we have no power to force signatories to observe or implement the GPA. We write them letters.”
Madzore spoke of the continued harassment by the police at political meetings, and how even MPs have been arrested for holding Constitution outreach meetings. He said “we have no cooperation at all.”
Sachikonye said the picture was mixed. But I’d say it’s downright gloomy. We’re only positive about the GPA because of how bad things were before.
