Right Again! - Our Media Commission Scoop Confirmed

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Morgan Tsvangirai embraces another "dishonest partner": The Prime Minister was congratulating newly sworn-in Vice President John Nkomo at State House last week. Today, he had reason to smile as Mugabe finally announced the names I leaked on this blog on October 5 this year.




Harare, Zimbabwe, 22 October 2009

On October 5 this year (2009), I published here the list of Zimbabwe Media Commission appointees as agreed that day between Mugabe and Tsvangirai during their Monday meeting of that week in an article entitled: Scoop! - Zimbabwe Media Commission Names Released - Massive Victory For Tsvangirai.

The list that I published on October 5 2009 was:

  • Godfrey Majonga (former ZBC newsreader)
  • Matthew Takaona, former President of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists and an ardent supporter of Morgan Tsvangirai
  • Henry Muradzikwa, who is also in the Tsvangirai camp
  • Chris Mutsvangwa of ZANU PF, a former ambassador to China
  • Chris Mhike
  • Hussain Sibanda
  • A Mrs Nyati, whose first name I could not immediately establish and
  • Millicent Mombeshora, a senior official at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Today, our scoop was confirmed when Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara announced, through the Secretary to The President and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, the new Commissioners to sit on the ZMC. They are:

  • Godfrey Majonga (former ZBC Newsreader, as Chairman of the Commission)
  • Matthew Takaona (former Zimbabwe Union of Journalists President)
  • Henry Muradzikwa
  • Ambassador Chris Mutsvangwa
  • Chris Mhike
  • Ms Nqobile Nyathi (Deputy Chair)
  • Millicent Mombeshora (Deputy to Gideon Gono at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe)
  • Lawton Hikwa
  • Ms Miriam Madziwa

The Commissioners were agreed to by the so-called Principals at the beginning of October, as I told you here on October 5.

The announcement today was an effort to give the impression that something has come out of the talks precipitated by Tsvangirai's partial "disengagement" at the end of October. In actual fact, the only issue was that Mugabe was taking his time to announce the names (Tsvangiai is not allowed to announce them because he is not "Head of State and Government, Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces and......")

As you can see from a comparison of my October 5 list and the list released today, this blog was right on the money. The only name to be dropped in the final list is that of Hussain Sibanda. Lawton Hikwa and Miriam Madziwa are the two new names introduced here.

So, we are proved right yet again!!

Apart from the Zimbabwe Media Commission, there was an announcement today on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC).

The Electoral Commission that will run Zimbabwe's elections in future is fairly important and Mugabe and Tsvangirai could not agree on a Chairman, with Mugabe rejecting all recommendations as not having enough experience and "character".

For the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Mugabe returned two Commissioners who were with the old ZEC that sat on election results for two months in 2008 as Mugabe cooked the books and stole votes from Simba Makoni in order to force a run-off. The two to be returned from that old Commission are Mrs Joyce Kazembe, who was Deputy Chair of that old Commission and Theophileus Gambe.

The rest of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission comprises:

  • Dr Petty Makoni
  • Sibongile Ndlovu
  • Bessie F. Nhandara
  • Daniel Chigaru
  • Geoff Feltoe
  • Mukhuli Nyathi
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission:

  • Dr Ellen Sithole
  • Dr Kwanele Jirira
  • Mrs Neseni Nomathemba
  • Mr Elasto Mugwadi
  • Dr Joseph Kurebwa
  • Mr Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube
  • Mr Jacob Mudenda
  • Professor Carol Khombe
It is my fear that, especially for the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, the current environment may not allow them to be as thorough and relentless as they should be in terms of enforcing respect for human rights. They need to be able to prosecute all offenders on the basis of complaints from those who feel aggrieved.

But do they have the teeth? And will they be allowed to use them.

If not, then a very bad precedent would have been set and it would take another struggle to put together a Commission at the very least as effective and powerful as the South African and European Union ones.

Anyway, there you have confirmation of the reliability of our sources. You can expect this to continue and we will always be the first to bring you the news that politicians and our so-called leaders wish to put under a bushel.


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