Teresa P. Mugadza
Teresa Mugadza is the Deputy Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission. She is writing in her personal capacity and the views expressed in this article are her own.
I want to start with a disclaimer. First, I do not represent anyone but myself and therefore my views are myopic to the extent that I represent my selfish interests. Second, I am a functionary of the inclusive government as a Commissioner, so I am sure there are some that will perceive me to be compromised just by that station. I, however, believe that this does not and should not preclude me from voicing my position as a Zimbabwean woman. Further, I am persuaded that after having read the Draft Constitution I owe it to fellow women, to state why I have chosen to vote “YES”. (Read more…)
Wed, March 6 2013 » Elections, Zimbabwe Review » Leave a comment
Hard Road to Reform
The Solidarity Peace Trust and Weaver Press warmly invite you to join them for the launch of ‘The Hard Road to Reform: The Politics of Zimbabwe’s Global Political Agreement’, edited by Brian Raftopolous.
Date: Thursday 14 March 2013
Venue: The Book Cafe, 139 Samora Machel, cnr 6th Street
Time: 5.30pm to 7.00pm
Guest Speaker: Professor Mandivamba Rukuni
The defeat of ZANU-PF in the 2008 parliamentary election marked the end of one-party rule in Zimbabwe. The Global Political Agreement signed later that year resulted in a Government of National Unity, and the former ruling party was, for the first time, faced with the reality of sharing power.
The Hard Road to Reform presents a penetrating analysis of developments since the GNU was established, reviewing recent political history from a range of perspectives – political, economic, social and historical, and featuring the best work of Zimbabwe’s young scholars.
As Brian Raftopoulos writes in his Introduction: ‘the book is an attempt to analyse and assess both the hopes and frustrations of the last four years and to confront the harsh challenges that lie ahead’.
Contents:
- Brian Raftopoulos –An Overview of the GPA: National Conflict, Regional Agony and International Dilemma;
- James Muzondidya – A Critical Review of the Politics of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Parties;
- Gerald Mazarire – ZANU-PF and the Government of National Unity;
- Bertha Chiroro – Responses of Civil Society to the Inclusive Government;
- Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni – The African Union, SADC and the GPA in Zimbabwe;
- Munyaradzi Nyakudya – Zimbabwe’s Relations with the West in the Framework of the GPA;
- Shari Eppel – Repairing a Fractured Nation: Challenges and Opportunities in Post-GPA Zimbabwe
Tue, March 5 2013 » Press Releases » Leave a comment
Paul Chizuze
This week marks exactly one year since the disappearance , under suspicious circumstances of fellow human rights activist and stalwart campaigner for peace and justice in Zimbabwe, Mr Paul Chizuze.
We remember with gratitude the values you stood for, the decades you committed to the pursuit of democracy, peace and justice in your country.
We are still looking for you, alive or dead. We continue to search for the truth about the events that led to your disappearance.
SOLIDARITY PEACE TRUST
CRISIS COALITION
KWAZULU-NATAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
HABAKUK TRUST
MASAKHANENI TRUST
MATABELELAND CIVIC FORUM
IBHETSHULIKAZULU
PEACE ACTION (South Africa)
People Against Suffering Suppression, Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP)
ZIMBABWE EXILES FORUM
KWAZULU REGIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
THUKELA-AMAJUBA MZINYATHI REGIONAL CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
MIDLANDS COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Key Ministry International
Mon, February 11 2013 » Human rights, Press Releases » Leave a comment
Solidarity Peace Trust joins other civic organizations in Zimbabwe in condemning the continued arrest of Zim Rights Director, Okay Machisa.
This arrest is only the latest in a continuing trend of harassment of civic leaders and activists in the country, and points to the persistent thread of authoritarian practices of the past under the GPA.
In the midst of the uncertainty over the future of the constitutional reform process and the establishment of conditions for a generally acceptable election in 2013, the ongoing harassment of civic representatives bodes ill for the future of the country.
We call on the parties of the GPA and the regional guarantors of the agreement SADC, to bring an end to such repressive practices and to establish the conditions that will allow for a more democratic opening up of the public sphere in Zimbabwe.
Issued by:
Professor Brian Raftopoulos
Director Of Research And Advocacy
Solidarity Peace Trust
Wed, January 16 2013 » Press Releases » Leave a comment
By Brian Raftopoulos
Introduction.
Four years after the signing of the SADC facilitated Global Political Agreement in Zimbabwe, the outcome of the process remains fiercely contested and in the balance. The Agreement, which set out to prepare the political process for a generally acceptable election after the debacle of 2008, has been marked by severe ebbs and flows, all too characteristic of the battle for the state that has constituted the politics of the GPA. At almost every stage of the mediation from 2007 and the implementation of the GPA from February 2009, intense conflicts over the interpretation of the accord have left their debris on the political terrain, at the heart of which has been the struggle over the meaning of ‘sovereignty’. Around this notion Zanu PF in particular has woven dense layers of political discourse combined with the coercive force of the state that it continues to control. The major aim of this strategy has been to manipulate and stall the reform provisions in the GPA, and to regroup and reconfigure its political resources after plunging to the nadir of its legitimacy in the 2008 electoral defeat. (Read more…)
Mon, October 22 2012 » Constitution, Zimbabwe Update » Leave a comment
