Opposition slams Mugabe govt
2008-08-27 14:26
Special Report
Zimbabwe’s PM Morgan Tsvangirai has called for openness in the country’s nascent diamond trade, getting underway after the lifting of a global ban over rights abuses.
A dusty road leads to the village of Wedza, where veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation war eke out a meagre living on their farm cooperative, which after a promising start now brings only despair.
Johannesburg - Zimbabwe's two opposition factions said on Wednesday they will not take part in a government formed by President Robert Mugabe before power-sharing talks have been concluded.
The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change described Mugabe's intention to form a government regardless of the opposition as "a declaration of war against the people".
"It's very clear that if he announces the new cabinet it's a declaration of war against the people. You can't just have a cabinet without a mandate," MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa told AFP.
Mugabe told government mouthpiece The Herald on Wednesday that he would form a new government "soon" even without a resolution to currently stalled power-sharing talks with the MDC.
The spokesperson for the smaller MDC faction, Edwin Mushoriwa said: "We are not going to be part of Mugabe's government. We are actually looking forward to the conclusion of the dialogue when Mugabe and (MDC leader Morgan) Tsvangirai form a transitional government"
The parties were responding to Mugabe's announcement that a new government would shortly be set up, reported in state media on Wednesday.
- AFP