'Look beyond Robert Mugabe'

2012-08-02 11:41

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. (AP)

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Cape Town - Zimbabwean constitutional expert Professor Lovemore Madhuku says it is wrong for Zimbabwe’s reform agenda to be set around getting President Robert Mugabe out of power, a report said on Wednesday.

According to The Zimbabwe Mail, Madhuku told representatives of selected influential Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC) media groups in Harare that Mugabe was aware that "the West, some media organisations and the opposition wanted him out of power as their reform agenda".

"Everything is about Mugabe getting out. And he does not want to get out. He knows people want him out. That has been the difficult part. Everything is about Mugabe getting out. It's not what society ultimately wants. And that is the biggest mistake," Madhuku said.

He said there was need to look beyond Mugabe and address issues that would ultimately put in place a leadership that people desired.

Madhuku said he got irritated with the agenda of embassies such as the US where every discourse was about getting Mugabe out of power.

"I get irritated. I don't think we can get anywhere with such kind of reform," he said.

He said the US wanted free and fair elections in Zimbabwe without looking at the contents of the constitution which to him was a dishonest approach.

A new constitution, which is to be put to a public referendum, is one of Zimbabwe's main reforms ahead of elections to replace an uneasy coalition formed by Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai three years ago.

The coalition was designed to prevent the country from tipping into wider conflict in the aftermath of a bloody presidential election.

- News24

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