PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has denied reports he addressed senior MDC-T leaders at the weekend where he indicated an intention to backtrack on the constitution-making process.
Report by Everson Mushava
State media yesterday claimed Tsvangirai met the MDC-T national executive in Bindura where he asserted that inclusive government principals had a right to interfere in the Parliament-led exercise.
But both MDC-T and the PM’s Office described the reports as fiction as Tsvangirai was in Kenya at the time the meeting was supposed to have been held.
“The PM returned from Kenya on Sunday midday and went straight to attend the funeral of (Home Affairs co-minister) Theresa Makone’s daughter where most of the executive members were gathered,” William Bango, the PM’s acting spokesperson, told NewsDay yesterday.
“The executive members were all at the funeral and I wonder how he could take them off Makone’s home to address them in Bindura. Remember the PM is a family friend to the Makone family.”
Tsvangirai attended Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement convention on Friday.
He had to cut his trip short to attend the funeral of Nyarai Makone, who committed suicide on Saturday. The minister’s husband Ian Makone is in charge of the Government Work Programme in Tsvangirai’s office.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“He was never in Bindura at the weekend,” Bango said.
Meanwhile, a meeting of Global Political Agreement (GPA) principals to discuss the constitution-making process failed to take place yesterday as a committee selected to finalise the process was still locked in a meeting to deal with submissions made during the Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference.
“The committee is in a meeting right now,” Bango said.
“The PM’s understanding is that the committee is looking at submissions made at the second stakeholders’ conference to decide on how the conference’s input can be handled in light of the draft constitution.
“The committee will also look at ways of taking the process forward.” The cross-party committee is made up of Tendai Biti (MDC-T), Patrick Chinamasa (Zanu PF) and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (MDC).
Copac co-chairpersons Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T), Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana (Zanu PF) and Edward Mkhosi (MDC) are also in the committee supervised by Constitutional Affairs minister Eric Matinenga.
The committee was set up by President Robert Mugabe and Tsvangirai, following a stalemate on how to solve outstanding issues in the constitution-making exercise.
