Date: 11/02/2009

Source: Southern African Development Community

Title: SADC: Mbeki: Speech by the SADC facilitator of the Zimbabwe dialogue at the swearing in of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers

Your Majesty, King Mswati III,
Your Excellency President R.G. Mugabe and Deputy Presidents of Zimbabwe,
Hon Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe and Deputy Prime Ministers,
Your Excellency Mr Jean Ping, Chairperson of the AU Commission,
Hon Tomas Salomao, Executive Secretary of SADC,
Leaders of the people of Zimbabwe,
Friends, ladies and gentlemen:


On behalf of the SADC Facilitation Team of the Zimbabwe Dialogue, I am very honoured and happy to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Hon Morgan Tsvangirai, the Hon Thokozani Khupe and the Hon Arthur Mutambara on the assumption of their high positions as the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

We feel very privileged indeed that once more we are in Harare, this time to join the millions of our Zimbabwe brothers and sisters to celebrate a red letter day in the history of this country - the beginning of the process which will conclude in two days with the completion of the formation of the Inclusive Government of Zimbabwe.
I would like to take this opportunity once again to congratulate all the distinguished leaders of the people of Zimbabwe for the agreements they negotiated which, among other things, have now led to the appointments we were privileged to witness earlier today.

We are all familiar with the reality that it has taken a considerable period of time to arrive at this point. I am convinced that during this long and challenging period the leaders present here as well as the parties they lead, have developed the very healthy habit of talking to one another, driven by the common understanding that they have a shared responsibility to determine the future of Zimbabwe together.

Through the 2008 March 29 parliamentary elections, the masses of the people of Zimbabwe communicated exactly this message, that they would like to see the various formations represented in Parliament working together, together to confront the challenges this sister country faces.

It would therefore be correct to say that the decisions taken by the political leaders gathered here, together with the parties they lead, to work hand-in-hand in one Government coincide with the wishes of the people of Zimbabwe who would like the nation to act in unity to put the country back on the road towards achieving the goal of a better life for all.

The Inclusive Government will therefore take power in the very fortunate situation that it will enjoy the support of the overwhelming majority of the people of Zimbabwe. This strong mandate should give the new Government the strength it will need to take and implement the many important decisions that will be needed to achieve the objectives contained in the Global Political Agreement.

As all of us know, the Global Political Agreement and Constitutional Amendment 19 spell out a clear programme of work for the Inclusive Government, and define how the Government should work to ensure that it operates as one cohesive unit.

I am certain that all of us are of one mind that one of the most urgent and pressing tasks of the Inclusive Government will be to work with great determination to ensure that Zimbabwe overcomes the socio-economic crisis which continues to afflict the country, which has imposed very heavy burdens on the masses of the people.

We are indeed very pleased that both SADC and the African Union have already called for the lifting of all sanctions against Zimbabwe and for the extension of all necessary support to Zimbabwe and the Inclusive Government to help accelerate progress towards social and economic recovery.

Clearly, with the formation of the Inclusive Government, both our region and our continent as a whole will now have to lead the offensive to encourage the rest of the world to do everything possible to support this recovery process, for which the people of Zimbabwe have waited for a long time.

We for our part will do everything we can to assist in this regard because the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe is a matter of grave concern not only to the Zimbabwe leaders present here, but also to all of us who see the people of Zimbabwe as truly our brothers and sisters.

Once again, I am privileged to convey our warmest congratulations to the members of the Inclusive Government present here - H.E. President R.G. Mugabe and the Deputy Presidents, the Hon Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and the Deputy Prime Ministers.

The Chairperson of SADC and President of South Africa, H.E. President Kgalema Motlanthe, will speak for all of us on Friday when he welcomes the entire Inclusive Government after the Ministers and Deputy Ministers have been sworn in.

To conclude, I would like to assure the leaders and the people of Zimbabwe that, as before, we shall continue to be to you your brothers and sisters as you are to us, ready at all times to march side-by-side with you.

Thank you.