Policy differences widen fissures in Inclusive Government

and ultra vires the Act”.
The document attacks Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere of inconsistently applying the law as envisaged or agreed by Cabinet and Parliament.
According to the document, the PM’s office believes Minister Kasukuwere has arrogated himself power to make detailed and extensive regulations of an extremely wide ambit not envisioned by the Act.

It says the regulations are badly drafted while querying the quotas foreign companies are expected to cede for local ownership.
The PM’s office also queries regulations where foreign investors propose to invest in Zimbabwe.
“In this situation, Section 9 (2) now provides that no investment licence shall be issued unless primary documents have been submitted as required and an indigenisation plan approved.”

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It also queries Minister Kasukuwere’s powers over the programme.
The PM’s office questioned Government’s obligations to pay for a share for local resources.
“This in fact gives rise to the reasonable assumption that the ministry will be implementing a policy of expropriation similar to that applied with the land as

Government will probably not have the money to pay,” the document says.
It also questioned the validity of the law saying President Mugabe assented to it “well outside the 21-day period” within which it is validated.
The PM’s office accused Minister Kasukuwere of not consulting his Cabinet colleagues while implementing the law.

PM Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Mr Luke Tamborinyoka yesterday acknowledged the serious differences in Government over empowerment laws and regulations.
He, however, dismissed the document titled “A Summary of the Law on Indigenisation” saying he could only acknowledge it after seeing it.
Government sources said the serious differences give credence to calls within political circles for the disbanding of the inclusive Government and holding of elections.

They also question PM Tsvangirai’s motive in trying to give “free” legal advice to foreigners holding on to Zimbabwean resources.
“Prime Minister Tsvangirai was involved in the enactment of the Bill in Parliament through his party in 2007.
“He has seen the laws and regulations being discussed in Cabinet where he sits but he has realised that the law has gathered pace beyond his expectations hence his flip-flopping on the law.”

A Government official said Cabinet once rejected the regulations and Minister Kasukuwere had to consult further before they were passed.
“There is the Cabinet Committee on legislation that has dealt with such issues but suddenly the Prime Minister has had a belated vision leading to his current attacks on the laws.”

Observers queried how PM Tsvangirai had suddenly come up with so many questions against the laws shortly after his trip to Britain.
“Is it really the law, the policies and regulations or pressure coming from his investor constituency, which is really a foreign constituency that funds his party that has inspired his reservations?”

They said PM Tsvangirai was being used by his Western handlers.
“What is treasonable is that the Prime Minister, who was sworn to serve the Government and participates in the running of the said Government provides free legal advice against the same Government.

“He is playing the same game like the one he took a minister to court over issues of reforms.”
An observor queried the ill-fated Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday.
“Besides playing the usual game of faulting procedures, the meeting was expected to discuss laws by falsely highlighting the President’s perceived flaws.

“Government is not guilty of any crime but the people that are holding to our assets.
“The Prime Minister is abusing his status and is guilty of the processes and in future people will stop attending his meetings.”
The observer questioned why PM Tsvangirai was trying to defend mining companies that were already in compliance with indigenisation laws.
“The miners are complying but a person who is part of Government is complaining on their behalf.”

Mr Tamborinyoka acknowledged that the PM had a different view on the Act.
“His position has always been clear and his party recently published resolutions on indigenisation.
“There have always been issues on this law and it betrays serious ideological differences in its implementation,” he said.

The PM’s spokesperson said the law does not create jobs or promote investment.
“There are differences on the way the regulations were crafted and their implementation.”
He, however, said Zimbabwe could only go for elections after all reforms called for in the GPA were implemented.
“The Prime Minister is not afraid of elections and if these reforms are implemented, we can go for elections even if they are called for within 10 hours of their full implementation.”

 

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