Zim Eye
By Zim Eye Reporter
15 June 2013
A report published by the state media and recycled on social forum websites claiming that MDC Legal Secretary has reportedly broken ranks with his boss, Welshman Ncube by blasting the SADC appeal move for which a special summit is being held today Saturday in Maputo, is unverified.
A recording of the alleged speech by Coltart who is also the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, was still not available at the time of writing after it emerged the state media have in the past 3 years been launching personality attacks on key MDC leaders.
The state media on Friday night reported claiming that Coltart the day before criticised his boss Welshman Ncube and MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai due to their mission to Maputo where they are taking their pre-election concerns amid revelations that ZANU PF is ignoring crucial reforms such as media and security sector transformation.
A comment from Coltart was expected this weekend after the news articles were published on Friday night. An MDC member who declined being named, told ZimEye that David Coltart was the last person who could have made such utterances.
“I have serious concerns on that article. Do they have a recording of it? I know of a certainty that David has been victim of the state media machinery in recent years.
According to the Herald, Coltart said the habit of taking domestic disputes to SADC, which the MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai is fond of, was embarrassing.
“We are a sovereign country and I am a proud Zimbabwean. I do not believe that as a nation we should be guided by any outside country in solving our problems,†Coltart is recorded as having stated.
“It is not worthwhile to be running to Sadc all the time. The irony of it is that when we take our problems to them, we attract criticism and embarrass ourselves.â€
The Herald article continued to claim (though without lifting a single quotation of the exact words) Coltart allegedly said that although SADC was the facilitator to the Global Political Agreement, the onus was on Zimbabweans to determine their destiny, also acknowledging that Robert Mugabe acted according to law, according o the Herald.
Mr Coltart, however, noted that there was room for parties to go back to the Constitutional Court, not Sadc, to argue their case citing reasons why they feel July 31 was not feasible, it is claimed.
“I am not one of those who say we should ignore the Constitutional Court ruling because it is binding. I also do not criticise the content of the ruling.
“The correct procedure in my view would be to go back to the Constitutional Court and say it would be difficult to comply with the ruling,†further read the Herald article ascribing words to Coltart.
It was last night speculated that Coltart’s words are a deviation from the official party line and a breaking away from his own boss Welshman Ncube who together with Tsvangirai reacted in anger at the Contitutional Court ruling development which has seen Robert Mugabe rush to prepare the nation for looming elections.
More to follow…