Zimbabwe - Exclusive interview

SADC has key role in survival of unity government, says Mtetwa

by Laura Angela Bagnetto

Article published on the 2009-10-29 Latest update 2009-10-29 18:20 TU

Beatrice Mtetwa, Zimbabwe human rights lawyer and recipient of the Ludovic-Trarieux Prize 2009
(Photo: Ludovic-Trarieux Prize)

The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) needs to play its role in order for the unity government to survive, and until now the regional group has not played the role of an "honest broker", Zimbabwe human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa told RFI in an exclusive interview in Paris on Thursday.

"It is incredible that a person who lost an election ends up being the leader of the government," says Mtetwa, referring to Zimbabwe's President and Zanu-PF party leader Robert Mugabe.

Mtetwa is in Paris this week to accept the 2009 Ludovic-Trarieux prize awarded to lawyers for outstanding work in human rights. She has defended a number of journalists and politicians, especially those in the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party who have been continually harassed by the Mugabe government.

The unity government, formed in February and brokered by Sadc with Zanu-PF and the MDC party, has "regressed considerably" in the past few weeks, says Mtetwa.

"As the power-sharing government started to deteriorate, things started going back to exactly where they were a year ago," she adds.

"Sadc has not seriously dealt with the problems in Zimbabwe. They have been very, very soft on Zanu-PF and until they see that the problem is Zanu-PF itself, Zimbabwe is going to continue being a problem."

Although she is in Paris, she says that she is still working on a number of MDC cases, including that of deputy Agriculture Minister-elect Roy Bennett.

Bennett is also the MDC treasurer, and was accused of possessing arms for purposes of terrorism, banditry, and to incite acts of insurgency. He had been free on bail since March. 

She says that in his case, the state witness went to court, testified and was acquitted of the charges, while Bennett is being prosecuted.

"They say the person who will give evidence is the person who went to court and said the exact opposite," she says.

There are a lot of cases in the courts against MDC members, especially after politically-motivated violence broke out in the aftermath of the 29 March 2008 elections.

"We know who tortured who, but none of them have been arrested. But do you know the number of  MPs in the MDC who have been arrested? All of them have been taken to court with absolute speed," she says.

"There can be no question that this has been pure harassment of members of MDC," she adds.

Mtetwa says that she has forgotten how dangerous her job is. She has been detained, harassed, was the victim of a car-jacking and has been assaulted on numerous occasions since becoming a human rights lawyer. But defending people is what she does and what she will continue to do, she says.

"If you arrest somebody and they need a lawyer, it is my job to be there, so I forget about the danger until something happens. If I started looking over my shoulder, I wouldn't be able to do their job," she says.

"Yes, there are dangers, but there is a job to be done out there."