….whilst being in government we shall forthwith disengage from Zanu PF and in particular from Cabinet and the Council of Ministers until such time as confidence and respect is restored amongst us. This will include the resolution of all outstanding issues and the substantial implementation of the GPA.13 For much of 2009 the civil society groups also protested the slow progress of the GPA and in particular the halting of the constitutional reform process and the continued human rights abuses, of civic groups, human rights defenders and political activists.14 In November 2009 a summit of the SADC Troika was called in Maputo to discuss Madacascar, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. On Zimbabwe the summit recommended that the parties should fully comply with the ‘letter and spirit’ of the GPA and the SADC Summit decisions of 27 January 2009, and engage in a dialogue to find a lasting solution to the full implementation of the GPA. The summit also called once again on the international community to lift all forms of sanctions on Zimbabwe,15 a position that was reiterated by the African Union. Following the summit the MDC(T) re-entered the Inclusive Government and the Zuma Presidency appointed a new facilitation team to take over from former President Mbeki’s mediators. Of all the outstanding issues of the GPA the sanctions debate came to dominate the discussion from mid 2009. This was due to a combination of Zanu PF’s intransigence, its continued deployment of the anti-colonial discourse and SADC solidarity around this, the ambiguous messaging of the MDC (T), and clumsy positioning of the West. Zanu PF continuously blamed the MDC for not keeping its part of the GPA and calling for sanctions to be removed by the West. In September 2009 Mugabe once again attacked the West over this issue at the UN emphasising his Pan Africanist position: Regrettably, while countries in the SADC region have made huge sacrifices and given Zimbabwe financial and other support at a time when they are are reeling from the effects of the global economic crisis, the western countries, the United States and the European Union, who imposed illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe have, to our surprise and that of SADC and the rest of Africa, refused to move them. What are their motives? Indeed some of them are working strenuously to divide the parties in the Inclusive Government. If they will not assist the Inclusive Government in rehabilitating our economy, could they please stop their filthy clandestine divisive antics? Where are their humanitarian principles when their illegal sanctions are ruining the lives of our children?16                                                              13  Full Statement by MDC leaders Morgan Tsvangirai. www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=23825 Accessed  28/10/09.  14  Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism (CISOMM), Annual Review 2002/10, Harare.  15  SADC: Communique Summit of the Troika of the Organ of Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, 5th  November 2009, Maputo.  16  Mugabe’s Address to the UN, 26TH September 2009. www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=23152 Accessed  28/09/09.  8