Kholwani Nyathi

28 November 2009

Harare — SOUTH African President Jacob Zuma’s appointment of a new mediation team for Zimbabwe will add impetus to efforts to find a quick solution to the outstanding issues as the envoys represent a complete break from the Thabo Mbeki era, analysts said last week. The three-person team has enough political clout and stamina to deal with the situation in Zimbabwe.

They are all liberation stalwarts who understand the dynamics of transitional politics having been at the centre of South Africa’s transition to democracy.

But more significantly they understand the need for compromise as part of the broader social cohesion processes that created the conditions of democracy in SA. Their combined experience favours them as Zimbabwe is probably where South Africa was in early 90’s.

The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) early this month gave Zuma a time line to help the country’s three governing parties to find a lasting solution to an array of thorny disputes threatening their power-sharing arrangement.

His appointment last week of veteran African National Congress (ANC) stalwarts Charles Nqakula, Mac Maharaj and international relations advisor to the president, Lindiwe Zulu effectively ended his predecessor’s role in the Zimbabwean crisis.

Mbeki was reviled in some circles that saw him as too soft on President Robert Mugabe and for his policy of “quiet diplomacy”.

The new team assembled by Zuma was described by observers as tough and experienced.

Analysts said it was the clearest indication yet that the South African leader was anxious to see the Zimbabwean question addressed before his country hosts the 2010 Soccer World in six months time.

“This is a new broom and it must sweep clean,” University of Zimbabwe (UZ) political science lecturer John Makumbe said of the new team.

“It is made up of senior ANC people who should be able to push the principals to find a solution to the problems that have prevented Zimbabwe from moving forward.”

Zanu PF and the two MDC formations missed a November 21 deadline set by regional leaders meeting in Maputo to start negotiations to meet the 30-day deadline to implement their Global Political Agreement (GPA).

The deadline expires on December 5. But the negotiators last week worked over-time when the talks resumed on Monday before they took a break on Thursday.

Makumbe said Zuma was hard pressed to find a lasting solution because of the World Cup. His negotiators were therefore likely to be tougher on the Zimbabwean parties.

“I see them pushing for a solution before the end of the year because they are mindful of the impact a crisis on their doorstep will have on the World Cup,” Makumbe said.

“My advice would be that they do away with Mbeki’s so-called quite diplomacy and call a spade a spade.

“They should be able to name and shame the spoilers who could be impeding progress.”

Another UZ political scientist, Eldred Masunungure said there was a lot of expectation that Zuma’s initiative would produce results within a short space of time.

He said Mbeki’s quiet diplomacy had alienated key constituencies such as the international community and the MDC-T.

“There is great expectation that Zuma’s team will do things differently and will deliver the goods,” he said.

Masunungure said the pressing need to improve the image of the region spoiled by Zimbabwe’s messy political atmosphere would drive Zuma’s quest for a quick solution more than the desire to see the crisis addressed before the World Cup.

“The issue of the World Cup in my view is over exaggerated,” he said.

“What is even more pressing is that the region needs stability.

“For a long time Zimbabwe has been considered the black sheep of the region and an impediment to efforts to attract investment.”

“South Africa and other countries will be more anxious to see a solution for the sake of regional stability and to project a climate conducive for development.

But Bulawayo-based political activist Qhubani Moyo believes the coming in of Zuma might harden Zanu PF as Sadc actually gave in to MDC-T demands when it relieved Mbeki of his duties.

MDC-T frequently accused Mbeki of bias towards Mugabe saying it was forced to make too many concessions during negotiations for the GPA that led to the formation of the unity government in February.

Moyo also thinks Zuma’s task will be made even more difficult by the worsening relations between the MDC-T led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara.

The MDC-T recently launched an unprecedented attack on MDC-M accusing its “unelected negotiators” of stalling the negotiations.

During the initial negotiations, MDC was seen by neutrals as the force that managed to bridge the gulf between Zanu PF and MDC-T.

It also sided with MDC-T at crucial points when Zanu PF sought to do things unilaterally but relations between the two parties last week appeared to hit rock bottom.

The Standard