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SW Radio Africa (London)

Zimbabwe: Excitement, Relief and Anxiety Greet Deal

Lance Guma

12 September 2008

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Long suffering Zimbabweans reacted with a mixture of excitement, relief and anxiety that a deal between ZANU PF and the MDC had finally been signed. But while hope for a better life dominated everyone's interest, most people were still anxiously awaiting Monday's final signing ceremony and the release of further details relating to the deal.

Political analyst Eldred Masunungure compared the deal to, 'walking out of a landmine field while carrying a huge load,' and thinks it will only survive, 'on a lot of goodwill, commitment and strategic thinking by all the key players because it can easily collapse even on small things and misunderstandings.'

Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme reported scenes of jubilation amongst some residents of the city who remarked, 'umfana omncane usasilungisela- the young Tsvangirai will sort the economy for us.'

After 28 years of often brutal rule by Robert Mugabe many can be forgiven for not trusting his intentions to go into a deal with Tsvangirai. The ghost of the late ZAPU leader Joshua Nkomo who signed up to a unity accord with Mugabe in 1987 serves as a reminder that the ZANU PF leader remains a master of manipulation. But as Saungweme further explained, 'the people's suffering is so intense they are prepared to ignore their suspicions for a while.'

Some residents in the gold mining town of Kadoma told Newsreel they were still unsure what the deal meant for the country. Rumours trickled through the town on Friday suggesting the army generals had called the deal a joke. "We are not getting enough information on this deal to make up our minds," one pensioner told us.

In Harare it was business as usual for some as they engaged in the daily struggles of queuing for cash, food and other basic goods in stores. From the mood on the street it was hard to tell a deal had been signed. "Everyone is waiting for Monday (signing ceremony) to make up their minds," a vendor told Newsreel.

Some analysts argue Tsvangirai only agreed to the deal because his party would be assured of winning the next election should the economy recover from the current mess. A unity government with Mugabe is being viewed as a transitional process towards national healing and the creation of a better environment for the holding of fresh elections.

Simon Muchemwa in Harare reports that certain sections of ZANU PF are clearly not happy with Mugabe for signing the deal just as much as there were sections of the MDC not happy with Tsvangirai for signing. If suspicions from both sides are anything to go by then Zimbabwe might have got a proper 50/50 deal.

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