Nyathi: 'MDC won't cooperate with SA observers'

Nyathi: 'MDC won't cooperate with SA observers'

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By Paul Themba Nyathi
MDC Spokesman

COMMENTS by Minister Membathisi Mdladlana, the head of the South African observer mission, pre-judging the elections as free and fair, has compromised its impartiality. The MDC has therefore resolved not to engage the SAG mission until someone else leads it.

The people of Zimbabwe desire a new beginning. They have a basic democratic right to elect leaders they think are best equipped to lead them in this direction and address their basic concerns around food and jobs.

Minister Mdladlana’s attempt to deny Zimbabwe’s this basic right, by adopting a partisan stance, is an affront to the ideals that guided liberation struggles across Africa. He appears to have forgotten that the principle of one person, one vote is sacrosanct. It cannot be sacrificed on the alter of political expediency.

The MDC is anxious to engage the South African Government to seek clarification on the issue of the Minister’s conduct and behaviour.

The MDC has reversed its decision not to engage with the ANC observers. The change of heart by the MDC follows a conversation earlier this morning between MDC Secretary General Professor Welshman Ncube and his ANC counterpart, Kgalema Motlanthe.

The ANC Secretary General personally assured Professor Ncube that the ANC observer mission would be independent and would have nothing whatsoever to do with the SAG observer mission. He further promised that the ANC observers were under strict instructions to behave impartially, to objectively assess the conditions on the ground and to help Zimbabweans to freely participate in the democratic process.

On the basis of the assurances that have been given the MDC has undertaken to instruct all its party structures to fully co-operate with the ANC observers.
Paul Themba Nyathi is the MDC's Secretary for Information and Publicity
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