South African civic groups on Thursday called for the resignation of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono, whom they accuse of bankrolling Robert Mugabe’s regime.

Speaking at a social justice gathering held in Cape Town under the theme, “Stand Up- For social Justice in Zimbabwe, Against Xenophobia and For a Free Zimbabwe Now”, Elinor Sisulu, a human rights activist and daughter-in-law of the late South African anti-apartheid hero Walter Sisulu criticised Gono for running the money printing machines overtime, to buttress a ruthless regime.

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“The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, Gideon Gono should be removed and we recommend that the RBZ be put under regional curatorship,” said Sisulu. Sisulu said a government of national unity is bound to flop in the very same way that the unity agreement between Zanu PF and PF Zapu failed in 1987.

PF ZAPU and ZANU PF signed a unity agreement, which signalled the end of the violence On December 22 1987, and the formation became known as ZANU PF.

“Given the almost one sided violence that had preceded the agreement, it appears to me that ZAPU was bludgeoned into submission and so a government of national unity was forged. That Unity Accord created a one-party state and that one party, ZANU PF. It therefore marked the end of ZAPU as an opposition party. Therein lies the first pitfall.

“Pitfall two; a government of national unity as defined by the ruling party is one in which the ruling party calls the shots. It is a method of co-opting members of the opposition and thereby compromising them. Offer them a few cabinet posts and neutralise them. There goes the opposition. Yet if there is one thing Zimbabwe needs, it is a viable opposition,” said political analyst Catherine Makoni.

Analysts have pointed out that a comparison of the events of the 80s and 2008 shows that the events of the weeks leading up to the June 27th election exhibit startling similarities- prohibition of independent media, the ban on food relief and other humanitarian activities, among other ills.

Sisulu said South Africa’s president Thabo Mbeki and Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe need to accept MDC’s preconditions for talks in the same way that South Africa set the tone for talks for negotiations for its independence with the Harare Declaration.

The MDC has demanded an end to the ongoing political violence, the repealing of repressive laws such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) access to aid among other conditions.

Sisulu said although civic society does not condone the recent wave of xenophobic attacks, the attacks were a reflection of the South African government’s failure to address the needs of the poor.

She criticised the current leadership in Zimbabwe and South Africa, for robbing the youths of opportunities and suggested that a delegation be sent from the Social Justice coalition, Congress of south African Trade Unions, Treatment Action campaign, South African Council of Churches and Amandla Publishers organisation, to probe the Zimbabwe crisis.

The Movement for Democratic Change vice president, Thokozani Khuphe also addressed the meeting and emphasized that the MDC would only advocate for an all inclusive transitional government which will be led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

“MDC won the March 29 elections and has been winning elections since 2000, and only participated in the run off election in order to give the people of Zimbabwe a second fighting chance, but decided to withdraw after the launch of a brutal violence campaign by Zanu PF.

“What Zanu PF should know is that it can never negotiate the will of the people and we are not going to do anything above the heads of the people or behind their backs,” said Khuphe.