The President, the Vice-Presidents, the Prime Minister and the two Deputy Prime Ministers met on Friday and confirmed Judge Simpson Mtambanengwe as chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and Law Professor Reg Austin as chairperson of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC).

Members of those commissions and the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), will be sworn this week, even though Commission members-designate have not received any official notifications of their appointments.

The circular from the President’s office on Vice-Presidential responsibilities issued to Ministers on 25th January directing them to report to the Vice-Presidents, who would assist the President in their "supervision and management”, was also discussed.

MDC has said the directive undermines the Prime Minister’s authority, as under Article 20 of the GPA as enshrined in Constitution Amendment No. 19, the Prime Minister “shall oversee the formulation of government policies by the Cabinet” and “shall ensure that the policies so formulated are implemented by the entirety of government”.

The MDC secretary general and Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti, rejected the circular as “unconstitutional, null and void”.

The National Security Council (NSC) also met on Friday for the second time since its establishment nearly a year ago, though it was supposed to have been meeting monthly for the last year.

The Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee, JOMIC’s first annual review of progress on GPA implementation and achievements is due soon under GPA Article 23, 13th February being the anniversary of the formation of the Inclusive Government.

A report is being prepared and will be made public.

Civil servants are on strike and the government insists there is insufficient revenue to satisfy their genuine demands, and the Famine Early Warning Network estimates that over a million Zimbabweans will need food aid over the next two months.

Negotiators from the three parties are due to meet again today, (Monday 8th February), with the South African facilitation team also expected in Harare to assess the position and report back to President Zuma ahead of his visit to Harare scheduled for 13th February.

Prime Minister Tsvangirai has said: “I have said to our party representatives let's finalize this, let's not procrastinate ….let's see what we have agreed and what we have not agreed….Therefore we are able to say to President Zuma and SADC that ZANU-PF is refusing to implement and therefore as far as we are concerned the only solution is that let's agree on a road map to an election."

A proposed amendment to the Public Order and Security Bill (a Private Member's Bill by Hon Gonese) has been referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee he House’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs.

At the committee’s first meeting on the Bill, the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Melusi Matshiya, said that the proposed amendments would “weaken the police force and make their operations ineffective” and Police Commissioner Mubatapasango claimed they would “put State security at risk”.

The committee has invited Hon Gonese to their next meeting at 10 am today (Monday) to defend his Bill. The meeting is be open to the public.

On Wednesday Hon Bhasikiti (ZANU-PF) tried to introduce a motion calling on Prime Minister Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to engage the European Union, the United Nations, the British and the American governments to urgently and unconditionally remove the illegal sanctions imposed “at their instigation”.

MDC members objected and ZANU-PF members responded noisily, leading to such pandemonium that Deputy Speaker Hon. Khumalo, presiding in the Speaker’s absence, adjourned the sitting. Afterwards MDC-T Chief Whip Hon Gonese said the motion was “against the letter and spirit of the global political agreement.”

Hon Bhasikiti’s motion and another new motion on disbursements of inputs to farmers and the establishment of irrigation schemes, and continuation of debate on motions already introduced are now on the Oder Paper. In Association with Veritas