SW Radio Africa (London)
Lance Guma
4 September 2008
Zimbabwe's power sharing talks looked set to completely collapse on Thursday after Mugabe issued an ultimatum to the MDC to join a proposed unity government or be left out. The ZANU PF leader threatened to appoint a new cabinet if the MDC did not sign up.
"If after tomorrow (Thursday), Tsvangirai does not want to sign, we will certainly put together a cabinet. We feel frozen at the moment," Mugabe told the state owned Herald newspaper. Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by all the parties in July this year the appointment of a cabinet among other things would effectively kill the basis of any talks.
The MDC reacted to the ultimatum by saying it would not be bullied into a deal. Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa issued a statement saying, "Dialogue is not done with threats, arm-twisting and bully tactics. We shall not swallow the ZANU poison. Mugabe is effectively issuing a death certificate to the talks."
Despite state media reports that South African President Thabo Mbeki would travel to Zimbabwe on Thursday to save the talks his office denied he was traveling. Presidential spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga confirmed Mbeki would remain in South Africa but that the talks were still continuing.
Tsvangirai is refusing to sign the current deal on the table because it effectively makes him a ceremonial Prime Minister, while Mugabe would retain all of his executive powers including control of the security forces.
In an interview with South Africa's Radio 702 he explained how, "There was an attempt to fragment the Cabinet, with some ministers reporting to the President and some ministers reporting to the Prime Minister. In this case, the economic and social ministries will report to the Prime Minister, the security ministries will report to the President." It's Mugabe's retaining control of the same institutions that were used to 'brutalise the people' that he objected to.
Meanwhile South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said if Mugabe insists on staying in power that would be the, 'worst possible recipe for instability' in the country.'
Speaking in London at the unveiling of a sculpture to mark the 19th century abolition of the slave trade, Tutu said he hoped a way could be found to salvage the talks because, 'any arrangement that excludes the MDC clearly is not going to be regarded as legitimate.' He predicted a return to political violence if the talks failed adding, "I hope everybody will pray desperately, that somehow they will be able to pull the iron out of the fire."
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