Dumisani Muleya
21 November 2008
Johannesburg — A South African aid package of R300m for Zimbabwe would be withheld until a representative government was in place, the cabinet said yesterday.
Government spokesman Themba Maseko said the cabinet was "extremely concerned" about the political impasse that had deepened the humanitarian crisis there.
The ultimatum coincides with a delegation from the group called the Elders saying they would visit Harare this weekend to assess the humanitarian situation there in spite of a purported ban on their visit by President Robert Mugabe.
Representatives of the Zanu (PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change are expected to meet again in SA next week in yet another effort to salvage a power-sharing deal signed in September. Mugabe's government told the Elders, represented by former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan, former US president Jimmy Carter and Graça Machel, it was unwilling to receive them, claiming it was busy with power-sharing talks and agricultural activities.
While the official reason sounded plausible, authorities have in private accused the Elders of pursuing a "partisan mission". The state media in Harare has described the Elders as "a clique made up of personalities hostile to Zimbabwe".
Mugabe is sensitive to the Elders as its founder, Nelson Mandela, tried last year to persuade him to retire , and wanted to send the Elders to talk to him about it. Mugabe rejected Mandela's request, and refused to receive the Elders. He went on to contest the March elections which he and his party lost.
Annan, Carter and Machel are expected in Harare today, "to meet those working on the ground to better assess the extent of the crisis and how assistance can be improved," Annan said. "We understand that the situation requires an urgent response, and that delays will only prolong the people's suffering," Annan said.
He said his group was going to meet Zimbabwe's political leaders, although their mission was not political.
"We have sought meetings with political leaders in Zimbabwe, and would be pleased to hear their views. As we said earlier, we have no intention of becoming involved in the ongoing political negotiations in Zimbabwe."
But a senior official in Mugabe's government said that it would not receive the group.
"They can come, but we are not going to receive them as government. We will treat them as tourists."
SA's foreign affairs department said former president Thabo Mbeki would mediate in a fresh round of talks next week.
With Sapa-AFP
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Well said Makomborero.
Once Mugabe has been to the gallows, his headstone should read, "Thief, Coward & Mass Murderer"
He should be burried in Bulawayo, so that the Ndebele can celebrate every day, the death of this war criminal.
The truth hurts; cuts like a knife. Mugabe and ZANU-PF will rather deal with the discredited powerless Mbeki because he's in bed with them. They don't want to hear the truth from the respected Elders.
Mugabe can go ahead and form a government; nobody is blocking him, but tell me how he will manage to build a nation. Where is the help coming from? From outside or within?
You've to face the reality; mugabe is a spent force, and a failed leader who doesn't have the moral authority to lead his people. He's taken Zimbabwe hostage by the gun like an armed robber. This kind of leadership is not sustainable. Things are crumbling and falling apart fast around him, and it's just a matter of time. SADC and Mbeki who are propping him up are going down with him.
why don't you guys just join MT's party in Paris? You are, ACCORDING TO SOME OF my ZANU-PF SOURCES, IDELOLOGUES OF THE WEST.
Seriously, MY SOURCES REVEAL that you are fifth columnists of the West in Zimbabwe; nonetheless, since you are toothless tigers,they are reasonably certain that the Fighter views your neo-imperialistic narrative, as impeccable evidence of IDEOLOGICAL NAIVETE.
Regards.
jallohlaw, do you just string a bunch of words together and hope that it makes sense ?
Your Zanu PF sources ? Wow !! Idealogues of the west ? Now, you're catching phrasing, and hoping it applies.
Truth is Mugabe, Zanu PF.....not Zimbabweans. Criminals lose voting rights.
I am a true Zimababwean, not a westerner.
As for the tuthless tigers comment, Idi Amin, Mobutu etc, all thought the population were toothless, but they soon found out the truth.
You are a truthless pussycat, but we, the masses will educate you shortly.
Mr. Le President of the masses, if my word strings did not make sense to YOU, you'd have to consider yourself bizarre responding to the same, correct? Correct, because you did respond.
Now, beyond formal-lingusistic metatalk, dude I do have sources within the referenced entity. And, if you have a problem with that, a problem of yours, it is, and shall be, not mine.
I repeat: the fighters of the the Fighter, according to my sources, are eager to engage MT and his neo-imperialist tails in the West and in Zimbabwe at any and all levels of political interaction. So, take it to them: they are in Harare.
Moreover, Mr. tiger with teeth, you can't defeat the fighters and the majority of Zimbabweans who support Cdr. MUGABE by scripting wobbly, petit bourgeois dreams and illusions on allafrica.com. You know where the action is: in the structures of Harare.
Jetz, allez dort!
Highest Regards.
Mr. Truth, if I am a "truthless pussycat", then what should one call MT, the petit bourgeois proxie of the reactivated reactionary neo-colonial West? And, since you want to play philologist, tell me your spin on "truth," or, should I quote the Lamb?
That was an ironical question: A spagetti spined coward, he is.
Bring him to Harare to nook it out with the Great Fighter, Cdr. MUGABE, mano mano at every level of legitimated political interaction.
Comprendez vous, monsieur?
Highest Regards.
Dude stop smoking what ever you smoke, the days of the revolutionary hot head are long gone with the USSR. because your Bob whants to play the revolutionary 20 yrs late, your country men are beeing burned alive in SA, prostituting, begging and sleeping in the streets of zambia, mozambigue, and Bots. Wake up fools
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Let the truth be told about the so called sanctions whose main architect is believed to be Morgan Tsvangirai. It becomes clear when even your most friendly neighbour withholds R300 million in funding, not because they where called upon to withhold funds by the MDC-T, but obviously because Mugabe and his thugs are still misruling the country. Next time we see the ZANU-PF thug communiqué' blaming MDC-T for lack of funding by the int'l community, remember that they are the ones who have imposed it on themselves and the people of Zimbabwe because of their lack of accountability and integrity when it comes to handling donor funds. These thugs go to bed with their tummies full and yet millions of their fellow countrymen are on the verge of death because of mismanagement of our natural resources by the same people whose motive is to enrich themselves. Remember where you go after life, you will not be able to go with the wealth you so plunder today. If they had an ounce of caring, this whole berserk and embarrassing situation would not have lasted this long. So to Mugabe and his thugs, be warned, your days are numbered and cells in the dungeons are being prepared for your comforts when your stars fall down in disgrace. Long live Zimbabwe…..