‘Slow pace’ in GPA talks worries South Africa

By Tichaona Sibanda
5 January 2010

South Africa on Tuesday expressed frustration over the slow pace of talks aimed at ensuring a definitive solution to the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Lindiwe Zulu, the international relations advisor to President Jacob Zuma, told Talk Radio 702 in Johannesburg they were not happy with the slow pace of the talks.

‘I don’t think that we should be talking of escalating conflict at this point in time. We are not saying that we are happy with the speed at which they are working but we think there are a number of things they’ve agreed upon,’ Zulu said.

Zulu is a part of the new three member facilitating team appointed by Zuma late last year to help with negotiations between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations. But their bid to nudge the three parties to iron out their differences has almost hit a brick wall. There have not been quick and concrete commitments from the parties to end their sharp differences. The other two facilitators are African National Congress heavy weights Mac Maharaj and Charles Nqakula.

Zimbabwe’s unity government has been in effect for close to a year now, but the atmosphere among them remains toxic. The boycotting of cabinet by Tsvangirai’s MDC in October last year put the deep differences between the two main parties into sharp focus, particularly over the vexed question of Roy Bennett’s appointment as deputy minister of Agriculture.

Negotiations broke off for the festive season in December without resolving any major differences, including the appointments of Reserve bank governor Gideon Gono and Attorney-General Johannes Tomana.

Zulu’s concerns were also echoed by human rights lawyer and political analyst Gabriel Shumba who said the talks still have to accomplish an ‘enormous amount’ of work before a final deal can be concluded.

‘Now that the South Africans admit they are concerned with the slow pace, what are they going to do about it since they’re the facilitators mandated by the regional bloc, SADC? Asked Shumba.

Shumba said the biggest problem with these talks was that Zimbabweans have for too long been left in the dark about the progress of the negotiations.

‘What the facilitation team should be telling us now is that they will give the parties another timeline or deadline to implement the GPA or they would approach SADC for another summit to be convened,’ Shumba said.

Analysts point out that Mugabe and his ZANU PF party are not interested in solving the country’s problems and are happy to drag the situation out.

Writing one of his regular emails the MDC policy coordinator Eddie Cross said 2009 was a very disappointing year in Zimbabwe.

‘So much was promised by the deal signed in September 2008 and implemented in February 2009, so little has been achieved. It is clear that even with the intervention of the South Africans and the region as a whole, ZANU PF remains recalcitrant and is refusing to allow the reforms that are required to put Zimbabwe back on track,’ Cross said.

He added; ‘They (ZANU PF) are holding the whole region hostage to their fears of the future. Prospects for 2010 depend totally on changing those factors that are retarding progress. I do not believe that we can go back on this process, the question is can we go forward?