South Africa's President Kgalema Motlanthe opened an extraordinary summit of southern African leaders on Sunday with a call to Zimbabwean leaders to "show political maturity" by ending the two-month-long stalemate over the formation of a power-sharing government.
Motlanthe, speaking in his capacity as chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), also echoed the appeal for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) issued by an African Union summit in Nairobi on Friday.
The summit, which is taking place in Johannesburg, has been called to address two issues:
- the failure of Zimbabwe's political leaders to finalize the composition of the power-sharing cabinet which they undertook to form in an agreement signed on September 15; and
- the fighting in the DRC region of North Kivu between government forces and rebels lead by former general Laurent Nkunda.
Last Monday, President Ian Khama of Botswana said that in the absence of agreement on a cabinet, the "one viable way forward" would be to re-run this year's presidential election under international supervision.
But Motlanthe said on Sunday that the September 15 agreement "remains the only vehicle to help extricate Zimbabwe from her socio-economic challenges." He said it was "disappointing" that Zimbabwe's parties had been unable to conclude their talks.
"We urge the three parties to build on the achievement made thus far and reach an agreement on the outstanding issues including the Ministry of Home Affairs," he added. Control of the ministry – which controls Zimbabwe's police force – is a crucial sticking-point in the talks.
On the DRC, Motlanthe said there was "no military solution to the problem" and suggested that the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known by its French acronym, Monuc, needed to be widened. "Their current mandate limits their ability to become real peace-makers and provide for a lasting solution," Motlanthe said.
He added that SADC called for full implementation of both the communiqué issued after the Nairobi meeting and earlier agreements. "These processes are a basis for a sustainable solution to the problems of the eastern part of the DRC," he said.
Following a South African government spokesman's statement last week that the government would be "taking quite a hard stance" on Zimbabwe at this weekend's talks, Motlanthe declared: " Let me emphasise that the objective of this summit will be to resolve the issues before it."
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One way to ensure maturity is to allow live coverage of this circus on Zimbabwe. If wverything was transparent from day 1 Mugabe would have been shamed into accepting the obvious. This shroud of mystery around the talks makes them appear like shrieks from a pack of ghosts scheming how best to keep Zimbabweans under seige by a political elite.
I agree with the earlier post, of the so called talks that need to be transparent so the Zimbabwean people could see, how are so called heroes of the revelation that rescued us from imperial colonists are now acting far worse then colonists, but hear lies the problem you have the Mugabe generation that are currently running Africa, keep on reminding us how they thought blood & sweat against imperialist west, yet have become worst then the imperialist. Then you have the Tsvangirai generation who are sick to death of hearing that crap, are sick to death of the abject corruption and just wants them out.
The solution we can either wait until the Mugabe generation dies out which means there will be nothing for us Africans or we can stick 2 fingers up to these useless blind 'bury there heads in the sand old cockroaches' and tell them we have had enough for them.
Furthermore could someone please tell Nelson Mandela to take his head out of the sand and stand up for the Zimbabwan people, Nelson! 'African solution for african problems' does not mean you should stand buy while your brothers & sisters are starved, raped & murdered.
Remember when you were in jail at robin island, it was the people of africa who shed there blood & life to free you, not Robert Mugabe. I think I would not be rude if I was to say that you owe the zimbabwean people.
Sad sack SADC. No guts - no glory!!!
An African Solution to an African Problem LetSADC give the aid and finance to Mugabe, let him steal from them for a change, they will soon sing a different tune!
Mugabe is a thief? Your evidence, please?
Cheers.
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