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contentious issues and agreed to strengthen the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Commission (JOMIC) and enhance its capacity to deal with and verify all cases of political violence.
Speaking to The Herald from South Africa last night, Zanu-PF representative, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, said the negotiators and the facilitation team agreed that some of the issues would be finalised in Zimbabwe next week.

“One of the areas where we spent a lot of time is on the need to enhance JOMIC’s roles and how it carries out its obligation of verifying the complaints by political parties and to correct them.
“The recommendation was to strengthen JOMIC and that it should have implementation mechanisms on everything we agree on. We agreed that we will be meeting any time next week and we will be clear on all the matters,” he said.

Cde Chinamasa said that some of the issues discussed included the review of the implementation of the status of the GPA provisions and a report on the election roadmap.
“When presenting the reports to the facilitation team, we came up with a number of improvements . . . we are going to meet next week and discuss some of the issues and finalise them,” he said.

In the negotiations, Zanu-PF is represented by Cdes Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche, MDC-T by Mr Tendai Biti and Mr Elton Mangoma, while the MDC is represented Mrs Priscillah Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Mr Moses Mzila-Ndlovu. The roadmap identifies the lifting of sanctions, completion of the constitution-making process and amendments to electoral laws as some of the critical issues that should be addressed before national elections are held.

The elections were set for this year but there are indications that they could be delayed to next year or 2013.
In the roadmap report, the negotiators are also in agreement on the need for media reforms.

Falling under media reforms are issues such as the appointment of new boards for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and trustees for the Mass Media Trust.
The negotiators have also agreed on the establishment of a Media Council of Zimbabwe, licensing of new broadcasters and called on governments hosting and funding pirate radio stations to stop doing so.

They also agreed in principle on voter education, mobilisation of voter registration, preparation of a new voters’ roll and its inspection. However, there are issues in contention that the parties feel should be discussed further. The MDC formations want a fresh recruitment at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission but Zanu-PF is adamant there should be no changes.

The MDC formations further want security forces to issue a public statement upholding the Constitution and respecting the rule of law ahead of any election or referendum.
Zanu-PF contends that this was not an election matter and that parties have no right to direct uniformed forces to issues such a statement as they took an oath of office, loyalty and secrecy to uphold the Constitution.

The MDC formations also allege that serving members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces were actively involved in the affairs of Zanu-PF at the grassroots, a claim the revolutionary party has since dismissed as false.
Zanu-PF argues that some ex-combatants, who retired from the army and are not active members of the ZDF, were active in the party structures.

The MDC formations further claim that their members were under attack from Zanu-PF supporters but the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee says both parties were equally to blame for the violence.
Recent events in the run-up to the MDC-T congress held in Bulawayo have also shown the world how violent Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party is.