Bertha Shoko, Vusumuzi Sifile and Davison Maruziva
5 July 2008
Harare — THE proposed new full-time mediator in the Zimbabwean crisis, AU Commission chair Jean Ping, and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa are expected in the country this week amid speculation they will be seeking to bring MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe together.
African diplomats told The Standard last week that the two would be expected to arrive from the G-8 Summit in Japan and that they will be in Zimbabwe as part of efforts to get the MDC and Zanu PF to begin talks on a transitional arrangement.
Mbeki flew into Harare yesterday on his way to the G8 nations' summit, which runs in Japan from tomorrow until Wednesday, when he and Ping are expected to travel to Zimbabwe.
During his two-hour stop over, Mbeki met Mugabe and representatives of Arthur Mutambara's MDC formation, which was represented by Mutambara, Professor Welshman Ncube and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga at State House.
Ncube told The Standard that there had been no discussions and that the meeting had been for the leaders to mandate their negotiators to seek a settlement to the impasse.
Tsvangirai and his negotiators did not attend the meeting. They have said they will meet Mugabe in the presence of Ping.
Last week, the AU's 11th Summit in Egypt passed a resolution enjoining the two Zimbabwean political parties to begin talks as a first step towards efforts to resolve the country's eight-year-old crisis. The resolution also supported the proposal for a government of national unity.
Hopes of an accord between the two main political gladiators came in a week which saw prices spinning out of control, demonstrating for the first time the colossal nature of the problem facing the government and the urgency required to resolve it.
Prices of goods soared last week and for the first time since the political crisis, basic commodities were being quoted in the US dollar or the rand in what analysts said was an emphatic loss of confidence in both the government and the local currency.
Diplomats who spoke to The Standard saw this turn for the worse as one factor that could force the two parties to sit down and hammer out an acceptable means of running the country during the transitional period.
"One of the conditions is that Mugabe and Tsvangirai meet face to face," said one of the African diplomats. "Unlike Mbeki's mediation, there will be a memorandum of understanding and a framework within which the talks will take place. The government is looking for a way out (of the crisis)."
Attempts to deal with the crisis came as more than 200 internally displaced Zimbabweans sought refuge at the US embassy in Harare, with the US ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee stressing that his country was and would continue to be "a friend of the suffering people of Zimbabwe. . ."
McGee was speaking in Harare on Friday during celebrations to mark the 232nd anniversary of the Independence of the United States. He said Zimbabweans deserved better.
Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai have expressed their willingness to open dialogue, but have each set conditions for participation in the talks. Tsvangirai says Mugabe should stop the violence against MDC supporters and "deZanuise" state institutions.
Tsvangirai last Wednesday said "the MDC remains committed to negotiations" based on results of the March 29 elections, not the run-off. He set conditions for dialogue.
"Our commitment to a negotiated settlement is not about power-sharing or power deals but about democracy, freedom and justice," said Tsvangirai.
"Significantly, the conditions prevailing in Zimbabwe today are not conducive to negotiations. If dialogue is to be initiated, it is essential that Zanu PF stops the violence, halts the persecution of MDC leaders and supporters, releases all political prisoners, disbands the militia bases and torture camps and that the security services halt their partisan operations."
He said he "will never compromise to betray these ideals".
"We cannot just go into those discussions or negotiations for the sake of it ... The principle is a transition," Tsvangirai said. "But it must be a transition that is going to soft-land this crisis leading to elections ... it should provide for a period in which a new constitution is hammered out, the deZanuisation of all these (state) institutions has to take place.
"For us it's very simple, either they engage in negotiations or there is no engagement. They have elected themselves, they have inaugurated themselves, they can as well run the country. But we are saying we wish them good luck if they have to pursue that kind of self -destructive delusion."
In a measure indicative of the treacherous terrain the talks will need to negotiate Mugabe told a rally in Chitungwiza 12 days ago before the 27 June poll: "A Zanu PF victory does not mean we would push opposition parties into oblivion. The MDC won a considerable number of seats in Parliament, there is a role they would play in Parliament... Victory for us does not mean the death of MDC or any other party that wants to participate in our electoral process... We want our brothers in the MDC to come to us to discuss our problems..."
But speaking on his arrival from Egypt on Friday, Mugabe appeared to set conditions for talks saying the MDC should accept him as Head of State and that they should get the West to remove targeted sanctions.
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The African Union members have shown the world that its has no power or political will to help the disinherited poor people of Zimbabwe. The South African Government continue to show that is is strictly for Mugabee and what he represents. Its seems that the African Black leadership is still in the business of enslaving all but the eleist in their population. Just like they did when they sold their people to European during the slavery era. As you know absolute power absolutely corrupts. Someone should rise to the occasion and eliminate or overthrow Mugabee.
you are of your father the devil and you will continue to cause as much mischief and evil as you can. You were quick to promote the lie that the leaders of afrika sold their own people but you quite whitely failed to mention the evil white people that performed the inhuman acts of terror, and destruction of the Afrikan people and their culture. You are the one who throws a rock and hide his hand. But the youth of Afrika will know you as the evil one and you white devils will not win in Afrika or any where else on this planet. You may have won a battle but the war is not over.
No one objects the fact that whites in Zimbabwe before 1980 were evil.For people that lived in those times like myself it was hell and the system had to be removed.Freedom fighters were not the only people that lost their lives and belongings at that time.Civillians suffered more because they were victims of both sides,Rhodesian soldiers and the Freedom figters alike.Ana mujibha were the scouts without guns,ana chimbwido became the sexual toys for both sides.Kids that would never know the identity of their fathers were born and left.The coming of Independance was a huge relief and then Mugabe became a hero and a house hold name.Up to about 1990 he improved quite a lot in education and infrastracture but had fumbles in Matabeleland seen as a disgrace in Zanu history.If you wear the same shirt over and over,it deteriorates first in colour,then texture then it tears bit by bit until its rags.This man has outlived his Presidency and when you get to a stage where you beat your own mom,dad,bro,sis and kids then its time.For the born free,history needs to be told for you to understand.Our country has become a laughing stoke even to the worst countries in Africa.Mugabe has failed and Mbeki has become his accomplice in failure.Its never the whites or the west its us and believe it or not this time will come to pass.
No price for guessing where you belong. i don't mean on your pseudonym No not all but from the language. Full of insuslts and hate. If you do not have meaningful contribution stop abusing readers who have Zim situstion at heart.
Our hope is on Jean Ping because Mbeki betrayed us a long time ago
pres Mugabee and tsvangirai meeting is based on what self interest. party interest.or Zambweans interest? the leaders in Africa and people of Africa some time think alike we think west will leave their problems in west and come to Africa to fixe our problems.an that will never happen, but untill Africans recognise an understand that the problems of Africa is not just the problems of our leaders but an African problem we must stop going around killing each other in the name of politic. power.an so on as an Africans we don,t have to look far to see what kind of damage Africans have done to Africa in the name of politic an power from west to east. south-north there is a lesson to learn from all this "
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