Dumisani Muleya
19 June 2008
Johannesburg — PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki met Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in Bulawayo last night in an attempt to persuade him to cancel next Friday's presidential election runoff and start talks to negotiate a solution to the country's political stalemate.
Pre-election violence has left dozens dead and made conditions "impossible for a free and fair poll," several organisations have warned.
Mbeki earlier met opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai in Harare to secure support for the cancellation of the runoff, which, it is understood, is supported by the Southern African Development Community and other leaders in Africa and abroad.
Sources said Mbeki tried to secure the first-ever meeting between Mugabe and Tsvangirai to resolve the deadlock through talks, but he did not get a clear commitment from Mugabe. Tsvangirai agreed to meet Mugabe to discuss a resolution of the crisis. Mbeki and former Nigerian p resident Olusegun Obasanjo tried but failed five years ago to get the two to meet.
It is understood that Mbeki is encouraging Mugabe and Tsvangirai to form a government of national unity.
Yesterday's meetings marked an escalation in Mbeki's mediation efforts. Negotiations have been gathering momentum over the past few weeks when representatives of Zanu (PF) and the MDC held meetings in Pretoria to find a settlement to the deadlock, which has worsened since the March 29 elections.
Mugabe and his party lost the polls, although Tsvangirai did not get the majority to form a government.
Sources close to yesterday's meetings said Mbeki told Mugabe it would be better for Zimbabwe to abandon the runoff because it would not resolve the country's political and economic crisis.
Tsvangirai's spokesman, George Sibotshiwe, confirmed Mbeki had met Tsvangirai. "I can confirm the meeting, I can't give details," he said.
Sources said that Tsvangirai complained to Mbeki that the runoff would be a farce because he was being prevented from campaigning, and raised concerns about political violence and killings.
At least 66 people, mostly MDC supporters, have been killed since the March polls.
Tsvangirai has blamed the state security forces for the political murders.
"Tsvangirai said the runoff would be a sham because he has not been allowed to campaign, his party officials and supporters are being arrested, harassed and killed, " one source said.
"He also said his party was being treated like a banned organisation, while he himself was treated like a criminal."
Tsvangirai also raised the issue of the arrest and charging with treason of MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti, his party's chief negotiator in talks with Zanu (PF).
Mbeki is understood to have told Mugabe that even if he wins the runoff his victory would be disputed by Tsvangirai and many world leaders, including several African presidents, because of the current wave of political violence. Mbeki apparently urged Mugabe to pursue talks.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced "profound alarm" yesterday , saying violence, intimidation and arrests of opposition leaders could not lead to credible elections.
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The GNU must be announced on the eve of the June 27th run off or any time earlier. Mugabe can not run an isolated economy when the neo-colonial superpowers control the politics of international finance funding. Tsvangirai can not run the country when his party and politics go against the not long won liberation struggle and moral political ideals of citizenry. Tsvangirai’s win will plunder our nation in a mutinous political crisis while Mugabe’s win will exacerbate the already critical economic state of affairs. Mugabe and Tsvangirai must admit that they both lost the trust of the people by underscoring and must therefore form a unity government in order to envelop their humiliation. In a GNU Mugabe must accept to probe and take action on institutional corruption while Tsvangirai must vigorously campaign for the restoration of international funding he encouraged to stop.
Dear friends,
what will Tsvangirai plunder in one of the poorest nations worldwide? For a long period Zimbabwe under Mugabe was the pride of Africa in many western countries even in Britain and United Statets. The pillagers of Africa nowadays have a yellow skin.....!
Is Mbeki suggesting a referendum instead of a run-off? Did the voters suggest a combination of the two evils during first round? Thought Mbeki was coming to find out which foreign power has this habit of abducting women and butchering them, so that he could get his SADC followers to deal with it.
What did the people say on 29 March? And why should they be muzzled on 27th June - those that remain with intact bodies by then? What is Dr Mbeki afraid of - Dr of mediations, I mean? Particularly, why did he (Dr Mbeki) not remind govt and police to stop the terror of daily killing of women - mayor's wife taken kicking screaming and found mutilated within hours, etc, etc? Why does he not simply give up and let someone more able handle this deep crisis? Where are the various other mayors of the world out there? Are they coming to witness these miracles?
Mbeki knows full well that Mugabe and the JOC thugs that are really running the country have over-played their hand. The purpose of his visit to Bulawayo this week was to explain to Mugabe that he is in a lose-lose situation. The blatant disregard for the SADC protocols governing free and fair elections, the systematic violence meted out to the populace and the criminal manipulation of the ZEC following the March 29 ballot means that even the African Heads of State will have difficulty endorsing a Mugabe win next week.
Mbeki knows that in these circumstances the only 'get out of jail free' card that is available to his mate is a GNU. The problem is that his mate is so far removed from reality that he believes the mute acceptance of his criminal activities by the rest of Africa that characterised the political scene before 29 March will remain. He is wrong. The world has changed. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia all condemn him. His dwindling gang of supporters do not extend much beyond Chavez, Castro and Gaddafi.
The problem for Mbeki is that a GNU requires compromise, acceptance of the views of others and trustworthiness. Since when did any of those qualities apply to Mugabe?
Onesoulzim - perhaps you could expand on those MDC policies that you believe run against the wishes of the citizenry. I don't mean the MDC policies that Zanu-pf are attempting to ascribe to MDC, I mean the policies that have been announced by the MDC itself.
I am certain that if a freely elected MDC government comes to power, the citizens of Zimbabwe will be celebrating in the streets. The mutinous elements you refer to will be the zanu-pf chefs, not the citizens who will have had the boot of tyranny removed from their throats.
I wonder if this time round the zanu-pf JOC chiefs will show the same common sense that Peter Walls and the Rhodesian Security Forces displayed when they realised that the RF regime was over and that the will of the people must, and always will, prevail. Sadly, I doubt it.
Katz, true or false, Tsvangirai has not been clear what his policy on land will be. He has not assured major sections of the security people of Zimbabwe. Land issues still matter in Zimbabwe! It is in the believe system that Zimbabwean majority (Rhodesians not counting) should own the land, and not the white minorities. It is not necessary a question of who is going to be succesful on the Land. Most whites make the comment of success on the land as the only issue...It is one of many issues. Belief in local land ownership is very strong in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabweans will celebrate when Tsvangirai comes into power! Ah..yes...saddam falls Americans will be welcome on a carpet and kisses and hugs! We don't know what happens when Tsvangirai gets into power...Is there going to be a coup as a results, insurgets by current security people...We don't know.
Tsvangirai needs to reassure the current Mugabe's regime about what he will do after he gets into power! His communication style, is so aligned with anglo Britons, and that tony is not accepted in Zimbabwe!!!How about land issues! Is Tsvangirai a western puppet...there are fears and concerns....
Land, land land....Yes an issue, but too many of you are using the land issue and the long colonial and neo-colonial history to somehow justify actions on the part of the government. If the people don't want Mugabe, than he should go. If they want him, then he should stay.....The issue in Zimbabwe is that the people are not being allowed to express their will and have the government listen. If the majority was so for Mugabe, why then does he need to make so many intimidating comments and have his people in the countryside beating people up that don't have ZANU-PF cards (and don't deny this isn't happening). Go on and on about historical injustices....it is the people whom must be able to choose....Not you, not Mbeki, not UK or US, not Mugabe or his veterans or his generals. The people dammmit!
See all comments (10).
The GNU must be announced on the eve of the June 27th run off or any time earlier. Mugabe can not run an isolated economy when the neo-colonial superpowers control the politics of international finance funding. Tsvangirai can not run the country when his party and politics go against the not long won liberation struggle and moral political ideals of citizenry. Tsvangirai’s win will plunder our nation in a mutinous political crisis while Mugabe’s win will exacerbate the already critical economic state of affairs. Mugabe and Tsvangirai must admit that they both lost the trust of the people by underscoring and must therefore form a unity government in order to envelop their humiliation. In a GNU Mugabe must accept to probe and take action on institutional corruption while Tsvangirai must vigorously campaign for the restoration of international funding he encouraged to stop.