It is time to intensify efforts to address the humanitarian and reconstruction needs of the people of Zimbabwe

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - 22:00

Press Release

17 February 2009

Archbishop Njongo Ndungane, Founder and President of the African Monitor

The swearing in of the Prime Minister and the ministers in a unity government in Zimbabwe should be hailed as a landmark in the political development of the country. We acknowledge the political leaders in Zimbabwe for forging this outcome and the role played by SADC and former President Thabo Mbeki in facilitating the process. Now, everything must be done to sustain the momentum generated and make it irreversible. In particular SADC must closely monitor the arrangement to make sure that there is full implementation and the desired outcomes are realised.

Moving forward, addressing the humanitarian crisis and reconstruction of the country must form top priority, turning immediate attention to attending to the urgent humanitarian needs in terms of food, medical supplies, scholastic materials and other basic necessities to restore the dignity of our sisters and brothers.

Secondly, a mechanism to mobilize African professional expertise such as judges, police, local governments and the like, needs to be instituted so as to rush these experts into Zimbabwe to help restore and de-politicize national and local government institutions and to retool these institutions in the next three – five years.

Thirdly, a round table is needed to hammer out how Zimbabwean professionals - engineers, educationists, doctors, nurses, lawyers, foresters, agriculturalists, veterinarians, and the like, currently dispersed around the globe can contribute to the reconstruction of their country.

We at African Monitor are doing all we can to join forces in mobilizing regionally and internationally for the realization of enduring peace and progress in
Zimbabwe.

African Monitor, First Floor, Tokai-on-Main Office Complex, Main Road, Tokai 7945, Cape Town, South Africa, tel: +27 21 713 2802, fax: +27 21 712 1082, www.africanmonitor.org.