Dumisani Muleya
7 August 2008
Johannesburg — IN a move that shows Zimbabwe's parties in power-sharing talks are inching closer to a final agreement, the ruling Zanu (PF) and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) for the first time jointly condemned political violence in the country.
This came after an intensive debate on the issue at the talks in Pretoria, which initially threatened to derail dialogue as the two parties fiercely traded accusations on who was perpetrating violence.
The MDC has accused Zanu (PF) of sponsoring violence that led to the killing of more than 150 people, mainly its activists, during the election period from March to June.
Zanu (PF) has always denied the accusations.
However, during the recent blood-soaked elections, a number of well-known MDC activists and key supporters were abducted and murdered, allegedly by state agents loyal to President Robert Mugabe, whose party had resolved to wage a "military-style" campaign to win.
Mugabe himself said the elections were taking place in "war-like conditions" and said the vote by way of an X was not mightier than the gun.
Human rights groups accused the state security forces, army, police and intelligence of carrying out atrocities.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai ended up pulling out of the June 27 presidential runoff election due to the violence and killings.
Last week, Tsvangirai said Zanu (PF) and Mugabe were in denial about violence.
The MDC says violence is continuing after the elections.
Sources said Zanu (PF) and the MDC negotiators were deeply engaged in talks on what should be done about recent perpetrators and victims of political violence.
The parties were trying to secure a deal to ensure perpetrators of violence were prosecuted, while victims were compensated.
"The talks on this issue centred on justice and compensation. The issue was how do you ensure perpetrators of violence face trial, while at the same time ensuring justice to the victims," a source close to the talks said.
"There was heated debate because the issue is fraught with antagonism, resentment and bitterness.
"The problem is Zanu (PF) did not want to end up tacitly accepting responsibility for violence. The MDC wanted a clear acknowledgement of that. In the end, they both accepted responsibility."
The negotiators, however, did not debate violence and atrocities that took place in the past. Violence and killings that happened in the 1980s, in which at least 20000 civilians were massacred by state security forces in the southwestern region, and murders during the 2000 and 2002 elections, have not featured in the talks.
There have been growing calls for a South African-style truth and reconciliation c ommission to deal with violence, disappearances and killings since 1980.
Zanu (PF) and MDC negotiators yesterday issued a joint statement condemning continuing violence, showing they had agreed to deal with the issue head-on.
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