By Alex Bell
02 June 2010
Discussions about a critical report aimed at moving the country out of the current political deadlock, have again been put on the backburner, until Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara returns to the country.
Mutambara has been in Ghana this week for a business summit and did not attend Monday’s weekly talks with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe. Monday’s round of talks was hoped to include discussions about the final report on the Global Political Agreement (GPA), which was compiled by party negotiators in April. The report is meant to provide advice to the party principals on how to solve the deadlock reached on the implementation of the GPA.
The issues that have stalled any progress by the already fragile unity government include Mugabe’s recent, unilateral appointment of new judges that the MDC says was done behind its back. One of those appointed by Mugabe was the controversial former Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairman, George Chiweshe, who is now Judge President of the High Court. Tsvangirai, who only read about the appointments in the state controlled Herald newspaper, has been expected to challenge Mugabe over the appointments, but that has not yet happened.
Monday’s usual meeting between the principals was then hoped to be another chance for the critical discussions to take place. But with Mutambara in Ghana, Mugabe and Tsvangirai reportedly decided not to discuss the negotiators’ report until all three principals to the unity government could meet. The much anticipated discussions will now have to wait until Mutambara is back in the country, which is reportedly only next week Monday.
Political commentator Professor John Makumbe told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that there is “a lot of foot-dragging” and no sense of urgency to discuss the report, which he said contains “no agreement on the key issues.” Makumbe added that there is a general weariness over the state of Zimbabwe’s political stalemate, with even President Jacob Zuma, the facilitator in the crisis, being “fatigued”. Makumbe explained that the excitement of the upcoming football World Cup will further divert attention from Zimbabwe’s politics, which he said was worrying for the majority of Zimbabweans who are still waiting for change.
“We are now witnessing a dangerous ‘wait and see’ game,” Makumbe said, accusing the MDC in particular of not doing enough “to rock the boat.” He added: “What we have is an intra-elite cohesion that will not move the country forward, even though people desperately want and need change.”
Mediation by the South African facilitation team under President Jacob Zuma’s leadership is dependent on the principals discussing their negotiators’ report. But the principals have failed to meet to discuss the report since it was compiled in April, citing tight travel schedules. Last Friday was set down as a chance for discussions to take place, but after flying in from South Africa late the night before, Prime Minister Tsvangirai pulled out of the talks, saying he was tired.
The delay means that Zimbabwe remains in a state of political limbo. Last month Lindiwe Zulu, a member of the South African facilitation team, said President Zuma’s next visit to Zimbabwe depended on the principals’ recommendations to him on the way forward regarding the contentious issues in the GPA. She said it would be futile for President Zuma or the facilitation team to visit Zimbabwe when the three principals were yet to meet and deliberate on the final report.
“President Zuma can only come once the principals have met... when he eventually comes, he will be coming to engage but not only after the principals have set the ball-rolling by meeting,“ she said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara told the business summit in Ghana this week that elections in Zimbabwe would only happen when the country was ready in terms of national healing, economic and political reforms. Mutambara described the call for next year’s general elections in Zimbabwe as premature, adding “when you start talking about elections, you make people confrontational. It is distractive and unhelpful to the process of reforms.”
“We are busily working on national healing and a free and fair election. We are busily working on the national constitution, media, electoral, political and economic reforms. These are more important than calling for the next elections,” he said.
Mutambara’s comments are therefore a direct contradiction of indications by both Tsvangirai and Mugabe that elections will go ahead next year, again highlighting the lack of unity in the coalition government. Prime Minister Tsvangirai told a press conference in South Africa last week that he hoped elections would go ahead next year, dependent on the constitutional reform program. He said that once the constitutional reform program is completed an agreed timeframe for elections will be outlined. He said this date will only be set after a referendum to decide on the new constitution.
Mugabe meanwhile said earlier this year that he was ready to represent ZANU PF in an election, whether or not there was a new constitution. Many believe that his recent appointment of Chiweshe, who guaranteed his previous election ‘win’, is a sign that he is preparing to call elections at any time. Part of Chiweshe’s new job as Judge President of the High Court will be to single-handedly pick judges to sit on the Electoral Court, to preside over any future election related disputes. Analysts have said that Chiweshe’s appointment is a well-calculated, strategic move by Mugabe, as he prepares for elections.
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