Mbeki, Kaunda and Makoni in bid to cancel run-off
By Lance Guma
12 June 2008

South African President Thabo Mbeki, former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda and losing presidential candidate Simba Makoni have all ganged up to help Robert Mugabe avoid the June 27 presidential election run-off. With Mugabe entering the election as a first time underdog, the trio are being accused of trying to help him by supporting the cancellation of the run-off and establishing Mugabe as head of a government of national unity. The suggestion is that Tsvangirai takes the post of Prime Minister, much the same way as happened in Kenya. Tsvangirai has already made it clear there can be no power sharing before the run-off and that Mugabe would not be acceptable to lead any unity government.

Mbeki, Kaunda and Makoni are all said to be pressuring Tsvangirai, despite the MDC President winning the majority of votes in the first round of elections. The MDC have described the ‘Kenyan’ model of a unity government as flawed. Makoni has claimed he is acting as an informal mediator between the MDC and Zanu PF and argues; ‘In the current situation, there is no hope that a free and fair election can be undertaken.’

What is very disappointing is that instead of Mbeki and other regional leaders tackling the state sponsored violence that they are clearly aware of, they are seeking a solution that effectively rewards the use of violence by keeping Mugabe in power. Kaunda, who constantly defends Mugabe, urged Tsvangirai to accept the post of Prime Minister under a Mugabe presidency. ‘The authority between president and prime minister must be fairly shared,’ he said. The MDC responded by saying any transitional government should be led by the person who won the first round of elections.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told Newsreel Thursday that all Zimbabweans wanted was a free and fair election where their will is respected. He described Makoni’s support for a cancellation of the run-off as ‘understandable’ given his poor showing in the March 29 poll. He said Mbeki, Kaunda and Makoni should be focused on getting authorities into the country to create conditions for a free and fair poll. Chamisa also vowed the MDC would never support a cancellation of the run-off, adding it will only be cancelled when, ‘Mugabe either steps down or drops dead.’

On Wednesday Mbeki described the violence in Zimbabwe as a ‘serious concern’ but stopped short of laying the blame on Mugabe. At least 66 MDC activists and officials have now been assassinated in state-sponsored violence, 200 are thought to be missing and more than 3000 people have been admitted to hospital and treated for severe torture and beatings. Chamisa refused to be drawn into why Mbeki was refusing to confront Mugabe and said, ‘we refuse to be overwhelmed by the politics of frustration.’

Meanwhile the MDC has accused the Mugabe regime of clandestinely registering new voters in perceived Zanu PF rural strongholds. The party said new voters were being registered in Murehwa, Mutoko, Wedza, Marondera, Shamva, Mount Darwin, Rushinga and Chiweshe. The registrants are being given backdated registration slips, to allow them to vote in the run-off.