Row brews over EU, SA posts

MDC

A fresh dispute has emerged in the inclusive Government over the appointment of new ambassadors to South Africa and Brussels, Belgium,

 MDC-T is eyeing both diplomatic postings for its own members.

The Brussels post — which covers the European Union, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg — fell vacant when Ambassador Hurudza Punungwe died in October this year.

The diplomatic posting in Pretoria is likely to fall vacant in January 2010 when the incumbent, Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo, is expected to return home to take over Zanu-PF’s national chairmanship, which is a full-time job.

Cde Khaya Moyo is set to leave South Africa once his nomination is endorsed by congress this month.

MDC-T has targeted these posts and is understood to be facing stiff resistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which says these are senior missions and should not be apportioned on political lines.

Foreign Affairs Ministry officials have said it would not be proper to appoint ambassadors to these countries on a partisan basis and these should instead go to career diplomats.

Yesterday MDC-T spokesperson Mr Nelson Chamisa confirmed to The Herald that his party was eyeing Brussels and Pretoria.

"Ours is an inclusive arrangement premised on the principle of sharing of authority and responsibilities.

"As such, the matter you are referring to is part of the ongoing (inter-party) discussions with view to locating common understanding of sharing and inclusivity," he said.

Asked to if was true that MDC-T wanted both Pretoria and Brussels, Mr Chamisa said: "Yes, sharing has to be total. But these are matters under discussion and I cannot divulge details."

Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi yesterday said he was not aware of any lobbying on MDC-T’s part for these diplomatic postings.

However, a Foreign Affairs official yesterday said: "They (MDC-T) wrote to Government representatives of the countries concerned and told them not to accept an ambassador who they as a party did not approve of.

"Initially, they were doing this secretly but the nature of diplomacy entails that such communications come back to us.

"Brussels informed us of the communication they received and asked us if this was the official Government position."

The official said their rules and procedures required that the heads of mission to such countries, especially the EU, be experienced foreign service officers with the "relevant experience".

"It is dangerous to give such postings to inexperienced personnel.

"Next we will be asked to send political commissars to represent the country at the United Nations and that cannot do," said the official.

He said apart from Pretoria and Brussels, other senior diplomatic postings were New York, Washington, London and Geneva (UN).

In August this year five MDC-T and MDC members were nominated for ambassadorships to various countries in line with the GPA. MDC-T nominated Hebson Makuvise (Germany), Hilda Suka-Mafukidze (Sudan), Jacqueline Nomhla Zwambila (Australia) and Mabed Khumbulani (Nigeria), with MDC settling for Trudy Stevenson (Senegal).

These will be posted to their respective bases this month after completing their diplomatic training in October.

However, the ambassadors-designate are already embroiled in controversy after they flew out to the Czech Republic on a trip that was not sanctioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.