Achievement of the goals of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in bringing the two opposing parties in the political situation together for the election process in Zimbabwe
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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO: 479 (NW638E)
PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO: 8-2013 OF 15 MARCH 2013
MR LS NGONYAMA (COPE) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION:
(1) Whether, her department’s goals in bringing the two opposing parties in the Zimbabwe political situation together were achieved; if not, why not; if so, what outstanding matters remain unresolved;
(2) Whether the unresolved matters have any impact on the forthcoming (a) referendum and (b) general elections; if not, why not; if so,
(3) Whether she can give the assurance that the nation of Zimbabwe will go ahead with the elections without a repeat of the violence and uncertainty which marred the previous elections; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
REPLY:
(1) The parties to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) agreed on the draft Constitution which was subjected to a referendum on 16 March 2013. The Zimbabwe electorate overwhelmingly voted yes to the new constitution. The holding of the Constitutional Referendum is a major milestone in the implementation of the GPA as it paves the way to the harmonised elections.
(2) We understand that all the matters that needed to be resolved before the Referendum have since been resolved. Following the successful Constitutional Referendum, the constitution will be presented before Parliament and assented to by the President after which an election can be held.
(3) It is the wish of South Africa, the SADC region and the African Union for Zimbabwe to conduct the upcoming harmonised elections in a conducive and peaceful environment. In this regard, the SADC Facilitator and his Facilitation Task Team, in their on-going efforts, are working closely with the parties to the GPA and other relevant stakeholders outside the GPA to create an environment conducive for peaceful and credible elections.
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