Johannesburg — As the Zimbabwe crisis nosedives once again, it should be noted that the Zuma Administration bears a particular responsibility for what has gone wrong with the power-sharing agreement the Zimbabwean political parties entered into eight months ago.
It is therefore under a special obligation to take action to resolved the crisis.
Former President Thabo Mbeki brokered the agreement on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in September 2007. But then the victorious Zuma faction of the ANC forced Mbeki to step down after Polokwane and Motlanthe took over as interim President to keep the seat warm for Zuma. So it fell to him as head of the country then holding the chairmanship of SADC to play the lead role in ensuring that the agreement was implemented.
Tsvangirai was reluctant to enter into the power-sharing government because Mugabe was playing games. First it was discovered that the printed document presented to Tsvangirai for signing at the ceremony had been surreptitiously altered in several critical respects from the version to which he, Mugabe and the leader of a small breakaway faction of the MDC, Arthur Mutambara, had accepted in the negotiations.
Tsvangirai, realising that the devil was in these details that kept coercive power in Mugabe’s hands, wanted SADC to ensure full compliance before committing himself to the power-sharing government. But Motlanthe, growing impatient at the long delay, put pressure on him to quit stalling and join the power-sharing government — telling him in effect that he could sort out the details later when he was in power as Prime Minister and able to build a working relationship with President Mugabe.
In any case, he reminded Tsvangirai, SADC was the guarantor of the agreement and there was a joint monitoring committee called JOMIC to oversee the process.
This was the height of naivety. Anyone who had watched the workings of Tricky Bob over the years, during which he had rigged at least three national elections, violated property rights, ignored the rule of law and committed many human rights atrocities, should have realised he could not be trusted to honour the letter, never mind the spirit, of a deal such as this.
But Tsvangirai thought the Zuma crowd, represented by Motlanthe at this point, would be a tougher and more reliable guarantor of the agreement than the limp-wristed Mbeki had been. After all Zuma’s big ally, Cosatu, had been grievously abused by the Mugabe government when a delegation paying a fraternal visit to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions was arrested, insulted and unceremoniously thrown out of the country in 2004.
That must have given Tsvangirai reason to believe he could expect more from the Motlanthe-Zuma-Cosatu-SACP axis than his dismal experiences with Mbeki.
So he reluctantly agreed and went into the power-sharing government — the terms of which Mugabe has continued to violate ever since.
That is why I contend the Zuma administration has a special obligation to back Tsvangirai in the present dispute and force Mugabe to implement all the outstanding requirements of the agreement he signed and to stop undermining it. It is they who pushed Tsvangirai into this deal prematurely and as the government of the lead member of the guarantors they must honour that obligation now.
Tsvangirai has put up with ZANU-PF’s continuous harassment for eight months. He has tried to put the best face on an intolerable situation because the MDC’s participation in the government was bringing at least some relief to the long suffering people of Zimbabwe. But precisely because of that ZANU-PF has been stepping up its harassment lately, fearing that the MDC was gaining increasing popular support.
Even as Tsvangirai calls on the guarantors to intervene Mugage is treating them with contempt, saying he will not yield to any pressure nor give away any aspects of ZANU-PF’s authority. “They (the MDC) can go to any summit, any part of the world to appeal,” he said last Friday. “That will not happen.”
To emphasise his disdain for SADC and the unity deal, 50 armed police raided a house in Harare used by the MDC’s out-of-town leaders last on Friday night, ransacked the premises, seized documents and dug up the garden ostensibly in a search for weapons of which there were none. There were also reports of troops carrying out violent raids against MDC supporters in the rural areas across the country over the weekend.
It seems clear Mugabe doesn’t believe the SADC leaders have the political will to deal firmly with him. He has faced them down before and he reckons he can again.
The SADC “troika” responsible for monitoring the situation in Zimbabwe, currently consisting of President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique, President Rupia Banda of Zambia and King Mswati 111 of Swaziland, are due in Harare tomorrow for three days of negotiations on the crisis. But ultimately it is South Africa that has the clout in this region. It is up to Zuma to prove Mugabe wrong and show that he is prepare to honour his obligations as guarantor and deal firmly with the errant president.
Doing that is not as difficult as Mbeki’s apologists used to imply. No need for threats of force or sanctions or other such unrealistic posturing. Just a simple warning that if Mugabe doesn’t implement the GPA fully and tries to rule alone, South Africa will not recognise his government. It will regard him as the head of an illegitimate regime.
Botswana’s President Ian Khama has already done that. If the newest leader of one of the smallest populations in the region can do it, surely we the regional superpower can be as brave.
Business day
It is more likely that the M.D.C over-estimated their own worth,……over-estimated global politics itself. I mean think about it for a minute, Iraq and Afghanistan were promised THE GARDEN of EDEN by the same framework that sustains the M.D.C,….and what do these two countries have in common at the inevitably..?? Vertual Human Extinction under the pretext of DEMOCRATIC ENFORCEMENT.
Wake up guys, this Simba Makoni character may not be a Teddy Bear like Tsvangirai, however Mr Makoni’s record as well as credentials are impecable..!! Apart from bieng a technocrat, the man is able to engage reality..!!!
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How are Zuma’s and South Africa’s intrests served by Zuma reigning in Mugabe?This is a serious question which I have never been given and answer for.Is it because the 3 million or so slaves in South Africa are straining his country?
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Abel who caused the “3 million or so” to be slaves. Was it not Mugabe. And for sure, why would South Africa not smile when the slaves themselves hand themselves in to the master in return for food. Unfortunately, unlike what you think, a b**** proportion of Zimbabweans working overseas and in neighbouring countries are better off by far than what they would have been at home . Picture this Abel, it was/is taboo in Zimbabwe for a teacher to dream of driving a new car. And yet those Zimbabwean teachers who are now gainfully employed in South Africa are enjoying themselves driving cars of their dreams and buying properties. It is only propaganda infested minds like yours Abel who, after seeing that they can not help stop them, start talking about these teachers as “slaves” yet they earn the same salaries as their counterparts in those countries. Its just cheap propaganda, Mugabe destroyed the Zimbabwe motor car industry and left Willowvale for his benefit leaving the whole population to rely on old recycled and rejected vehicles that would have failed fitness tests in South Africa and Japan. So the real slaves are those who remained behind in Zimbabwe because they are far worse off. Civil servants in Zimbabwe cant even have decent breakfast of egg and bacon. Yet in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, New Zealand, Australia, UK, USA where the Zimbos are, everyday is good day. Remove the blinkers on your face Abel. I know that you yourself are outside Zimbabwe because you wouldn’t afford to sit on the internet everyday without power cuts and connectivity problems. So you are staying in a foreign country, enjoying their benefits including their democracy but crying daily that Zimbabwenas at home suffer like slaves. Shame on you “Abel”. One day it shall done on you that you were nothing but the devil’s disciple.
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Sheppy, it would help if you could read what I wrote before frothing by the mouth.You obviously have preconceived notions even before you read what I write.
Everything you have written above is very true, I never said its not at any time. I said why should Zuma help Zimbabwe so that things can improve there and he is deprived of that cheap labour. Its a win-win situation, Zuma and his economy get quality Zimbabweans to work on his economy for a very small fee as compared to if it was a SA citizen.He gets money’s worth from that Zimbabwean. The Zimbabwean teacher gets to buy himself a nice car in the process. Also imagine if things normalise in Zimbabwe and we are able to manufacture all goods for ourselves as before, where would Zuma get a replacement market for his goods? Do you know how much the businessman in Musina are now crying about lost business since the goods started being delivered to all parts of Zimbabwe by SA business. The original manufacturer in SA is now getting more money but the middle man in Musina has been left out of the loop. Now imagine if we started doing everything for ourselves. SA would loose business full time. All Zuma is intrested in doing is avoiding a full scale war across his border, otherwise the way things are now suits him just fine. Never mind the hypocrites telling you that Zimbaweans are straining the SA facilities so Zuma should act on Bob. Thats a whole load of bull. Thats why I shake my head in despair whenever I hear our opposition relying on Zuma to take them out of their misery., Untill they realise the reality on the ground, we will be stuck with uncle Bob for another quarter century.
So I hope this time I hope you have read what I said without rushing to the form to type some preconceived garbage like you have just done.One day it shall dawn on you that it is actually you who is the devil’s advocate. Hang in there, maybe SADC or Zuma will help your party but I am sure by then my grandmother will have regained her virginity.
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Abel, you surprise me a lot. One time you are an avid supporter of Bob, the next time, you are lamenting his misrule. Where do you stand fellow Zimbo? If you support the dictator, we will have no option but to accept your opinion,note accept not respect, though it would be difficult to understand how on earth someone as eloquent as you are will do that. However if you don’t support the ills that have befallen our beloved country, then, lets all speak with one voice, exchange ideas until there is a solution of freeing our country from the devil’s chains. Lets not be caught up in arguing over who is more intelligent than the other, intelligent or stupid the devil is poisonous. Our contributions here should unite us and help find a lasting solution to our country’s problems instead of polarizing us further .
Guseni Senior
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Abel, pure Strategic assesment my brother, well done again..!! This is what the rest of our brothers here do not get, THIS IS 21st CENTURY GLOBAL POLITICS, nothing is ever what it seems..!!
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Guseni, unlike you I dont take a hard line stance. I know very well the evils and capabilities of Zanu and I think I know the problems of MDC and why it will be almost impossible for them to take over power. Acknowledging that Bob is a political grandmaster does not equate to saying I approve of things he does.I am just giving a spade its proper name.For me the reality currently is as follows: On a party to party level it will be a close call between zanu pf and MDC but at a leader level, Morgan will be left in the dust by a far margin. What does that mean to me? Until there is a leadership renewal of some form from the MDC there will just be plenty of howling on forums like this one.For me though, the scary thing is without Bob, Morgan might find it impossible to control Bob’s bulldogs who have their own internal fight about taking over.
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he he he rinashe makes me laugh all the time, he IDENTIFIES with abel rather than RELATE to him, he never has his ideas jus the same old hubba dubba rubbish, come to think of maybe he just comes here to “cheer” abel on, poor soul! i wounder how you survive in the States where almost everyone seems to be opinionated?…..nevertheless i agree with some of abels comments, (phew thats the first), i like the idea that he is a bit of a mouse, anoruma achifuridzira and jumps ship whenever he gets the opportunity, thats to be expected as he associates with people like mutambara and jono,, that said i agree that maybe Mr Morgan placed too much faith in the wrong people and that was a big miscalculation on his part concequently it has come back to bite him. nonetheless i still support him a 1000%, he compromised but the big egotistical fool that is mtabili just wont play his part, no suprises there. Zuma should at least do something, not just anything. he fooled a lot of people by pretending to criticise mtbili and that probably explains some of the popularity he seems to be enjoying at the moment. but politics is a dirty game and honeymoon periods dont always last a lifetime, south africans are going to slowly but surely see him as the weak leader he is, in fact he is exposing his weaknesses very early on into his term it will be interesting to see how he fares with ordinary south africans after a little while. he should not take people for granted like his predecessor mbeki did, bt then again thats the biggest mistake most politicians make….all that said i dont think zuma is not our saviour, i dont think he actually has a clue as to how to deal with Zimbabwe let alone the bafoon that is mtabili. the guy has no solutions, wht he knows best is fathering children and tribal dances.
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Mr Mboko,…To whom the cap fits, let them wear it….!!
Iyezvino ndikokuzoti he-e, Zuma ibenzi, he-e Morgan overcompansated on trust, he-e politics is a dirty game, he-e I agree with Abel 1000%….Nhasi wazo shara kuvhura pfungwa dzako haikona…., shamwari tipe ma serious.
Politics is never what it SEEMS mwana wamai…
Zvisinei hazvo Welcome to the world of reason..!!
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give you maserious he he he, i have already done that, wht amazes me is unoshaisha kutaura yet you are living in the US. until you are at home and suffering with evryone whilst still pledging yr undying loyalty for mabili and his regime then please dont bad talk people trying to bring abt change. Frm wht i have gathered u r very good at passing judgement without taking time to think or reflect. you are the one who needs to reason LOGICALLY! why are you in the USA fool? enda kumba ka! go and support yr husband in Zim, not in the US taking refuge in the “imperialists”
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First of all I was born here, and secondly form an early age (Ndichiri MuZimbabwe) I warned against vanhu vatema becoming too dependent on mavheti, and shunning self preservation.
I have always received the same “MUNHU MUTEMA UYU ARIKUTI KUDINI KO..??” reaction first, followed by the ever classic ” OH MY GOD WE JUST WALKED INTO THAT BRICK WALL WE WERE WARNED ABOUT” reaction.
Zvakare ndinoku chingamidzai mu this World of Reason,…… kusvikira tatanga kuzviriritira, zvokwadi hakuna chichafamba ..!! Ma short-cut ka aya, ndiwo abvongodza handiti…??
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