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Herbert Moyo
THE confusion in Copac could be a well-calculated ploy to prolong the constitution-making process in order to delay elections until at least 2013, according to Copac co-chairpersons Douglas Mwonzora and Edward Mkhosi.
In an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent, Mkhosi registered his frustration with both Paul Mangwana and Mwonzora whom he castigated for their endless bickering which was detrimental to the work of Copac.
“I am at the crossroads because I have to work with them even though they are always fighting,” said Mkhosi. “At times it looks like they want to prolong the (constitution-making) process so that there won’t be elections soon.”
Mwonzora denied any wrong-doing on the part of his MDC-T party but concurred with Mkhosi that there were indeed attempts by Zanu PF to delay the constitution-making process and, thereafter, general elections.
Following publication of a document in the state-owned Herald newspaper purporting to be a “Copac national report”, Mwonzorra hit out, saying no such document existed.
“No report was ever submitted to the Herald and in fact we challenge both Mangwana and the Herald to produce proof of payment from Copac for the report,” said Mwonzora. “The fact that it was only published in the Herald, a pro-Zanu PF paper, should tell you something.”
Mwonzora also pointed out that a genuine Copac report would be made available to all newspapers rather than one publication and that the so-called report “could be the work of a mischievous faction within Zanu PF that was bent on either advancing Zanu PF views in the constitution-making process or delaying the process altogether by creating more confusion”.
He said although Zanu PF talked of elections so fervently, deep down it was scared as there wasn’t a single Zanu PF MP who wanted elections.
“That is why Mangwana can deny things he himself would have authorised, like when it was agreed that the drafters can look at other constitutions from other countries and also drafts produced by the National Constitutional Assembly, the Kariba Draft and the Constitutional Commission draft of 2000. We have a video recording of these instructions we gave to the drafters,” said Mwonzora.
Mkhosi also dissociated Copac from the report but laid the blame for the chaos squarely on Mwonzora and Mangwana.
“Someone is trying to make a name for himself through this constitutional process. There was no need for Mwonzora to address a solo press conference at his party headquarters. Copac has offices where this issue should have been addressed when all the co-chairpersons were present,” said Mkhosi.
However, Mwonzora defended his decision to call a unilateral press conference on the grounds that even though Mkhosi was in Bulawayo and Mangwana was unreachable on his phone. “I could not wait because the nation had been misled by the Herald.”
Meanwhile, Mangwana maintained that the report was accurate although he conceded that there were several important issues that had been omitted from the document. He likened the national report to a disabled child “who isn’t any less a human being just because he doesn’t have an arm or a leg”.
He also refuted claims that his party was delaying the constitution-making process as a way of delaying elections and stated that “Zanu PF is ready for elections at any time”.
This is the latest instalment in the Copac drama demonstrating the long and arduous road to be trudged before a new constitution is finally completed.
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