SW Radio Africa (London)
Alex Bell
1 October 2008
Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party on Wednesday denied that the cabinet talks with the MDC had hit a brick wall, and rejected the MDC's call for former South African President Thabo Mbeki to intervene to break the impasse.
Earlier on Wednesday, the MDC had announced it was asking Mbeki to resume his mediation efforts in Zimbabwe's political crisis, after Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai failed to come to an agreement over the distribution of cabinet posts on Tuesday.
ZANU PF's chief negotiator Patrick Chinamasa told media on Wednesday that "if there was a disagreement as is being suggested, I don't think it's one that would justify calling in the facilitator". Chinamasa also snubbed the MDC's announcement of a deadlock, saying: "Anyone who says there is a deadlock is being mischievous. There is commitment on all of us to make things work."
Meanwhile, confusion still reigns over Mbeki's future as a major player in the Southern African Development Community. Not only was the ousted president the SADC appointed mediator in the Zimbabwe political crisis, but he also took over as chair of the regional body in August. Mbeki's forced resignation last week not only placed doubt on the strength of the Zimbabwean power sharing deal that he brokered, but also raised questions over whether the former South African leader would remain a key figure in Zimbabwe's political fight.
SADC officials have said Mbeki's resignation would have no effect on his role as mediator, while South Africa's ruling ANC party has also indicated its support for Mbeki to continue in the role. On Wednesday a spokesperson for the new interim South African President Kgalema Mothlanthe said Mbeki had not yet "agreed" to continue as mediator, saying Mbeki was in his own talks with officials in the Presidency about whether he should continue in the role.
Professor John Makumbe, a political analyst from the University of Zimbabwe told Newsreel on Wednesday that it is still unclear if the ANC will allow Mbeki to continue, but argued that Mbeki was appointed as the mediator "in his personal capacity and not as the South African President". Makumbe agreed that the confusion over Mbeki's role "makes things very difficult for Zimbabwe," and said the former leader will not have the same influence over Mugabe as he once had. "My fear is that Mugabe is unlikely to treat Mbeki with the same dignity as he used to when Mbeki was still the head of state," Makumbe said.
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