Mugabe snubs Welshman Ncube

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party leader Welshman Ncube did not attend the Monday principals meeting as was largely expected after his political nemesis Arthur Mutambara was snubbed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the just ended Maputo summit.

Ncube was not invited to attend the meeting and in an interview with Radio VOP on Monday he said he would not force himself into the meetings.

"I am not Arthur Mutambara who budges into meetings that he is not invited," said Ncube adding that he does not expect an invitation either from Mugabe who holds the responsibility of convening the meetings through the cabinet secretary Misheck Sibanda.

Mutambara has all along been attending the Monday principals meetings and those that were convened by the SADC appointed facilitator and South African president Jacob Zuma.

But tables were turned against him last week when Zuma jetted into the country and held meetings with mainstream MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Zanu PF leader Robert Mugabe and Ncube.

Mutambara, who was invited back to Zimbabwe to lead the smaller MDC party in 2005 after the split of the united MDC party, was left to do rounds at the Rainbow Towers in a frantic bid to attend the facilitator's meeting.

Ncube told Radio VOP on Monday that he would not be reduced into an errant boy by Mugabe as is being done to Mutambara.

Ncube said the country's courts had settled the matter through three High Court decisions, all of which had been ignored by Mugabe.

"Mugabe knows that the congress which we held is valid as determined by High Court Judge Justice Kamocha but he is seeking to play politics."

SADC leaders said during a heated discussion on the Zimbabwean political crisis that the smaller MDC party had a right to recall its leadership in the GPA because they signed the agreement on behalf of their party not as individuals.

Mugabe had tried to argue that Mutambara cannot be done away with since he is a signatory of the GPA.

"This is a political struggle so SADC's decision does not matter to Mugabe because he has a score to settle with us and has his errant boy who would go and puddleon his behalf," said Ncube.

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