SW Radio Africa (London)
Tichaona Sibanda
1 December 2008
There are reports that talks to establish the elusive power-sharing government might be entering their final stage, when negotiators from ZANU PF and the two MDC's meet again early next week.
The negotiators broke off talks in South Africa last week to fly back to Zimbabwe to consult their respective party organs on the way forward, after they agreed on the content of constitutional amendment no 19. The amendment will create the new post of prime minister, bringing the country one step closer toward forming a unity government.
The three parties, in theory, reached a landmark agreement in September on sharing power, but have been haggling over the implementation process. An analyst privy to the negotiations said there is 'cautious' optimism the final details on a power-sharing deal could be worked out in the coming weeks. But this depends on the sincerity of Robert Mugabe who has, so far, clearly shown that he has absolutely no interest in sharing power with anybody.
The distribution of key ministries still remains the most contentious issue in the negotiations talks. Whether Mugabe yields to the MDC demands for a fair and equitable distribution still remains to be seen.
An analyst told us the South African government is exerting a lot of pressure on all parties to wrap up the talks because the political and economic crisis in the country has reached a critical level. South African President Kgalema Monthlante is said to have played an instrumental role in forcing the negotiators to agree on the text of amendment no 19 and asked all parties to conclude the talks as quickly as possible.
ZANU PF are believed to have made concessions at the talks, dropping all the fraudulently inserted clauses that gave Mugabe sole power to appoint and dismiss key government officials. But ZANU PF negotiators said they needed time to consult Mugabe on issues ranging from the appointment of provincial governors, permanent secretaries and ambassadors, to the composition of the National Security Council.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa confirmed the parties are using a small window of opportunity to refer to their various decision making bodies and get fresh mandates to tackle the outstanding issues.
'As the MDC we already have the mandate to discuss the outstanding issues. It's ZANU PF who asked for time-out, so we are hoping the talks will resume soon to deal with the matrix and entitlement of who gets what from the deal,' Chamisa said.
It's expected the talks will move into high gear next week, after making steady progress last week. The growing involvement of the regional powerhouse of South Africa indicates that the talks are moving from detailed technical matters to core political issues.
Clashes between soldiers and police officers, and the recent death of at least 400 people from cholera, has meant the situation in the country has entered a new phase where a solution is needed fast before the crisis implodes.
Eddie Cross, policy co-ordinator for the MDC, said the next step should be for the two parties to agree on an official version of Amendment number 19 and to then publish this in the Government Gazette, possibly next week Friday.
'The people of Zimbabwe have a month to study this and to analyse its implications and content. In the second week of January, Parliament might convene to debate the amendment and agree on its contents and pass it into law,' Cross said.
He added; 'On paper then, at least, the Global Political Agreement, signed by the parties on the 11th September, will be law. This will mean that we can form a new government - Mugabe can be sworn in as President, Tsvangirai as Prime Minister.'
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