MDC threatens to pull out of talks if violence is not stopped

By Tichaona Sibanda
9 October 2007

Sekai Holland, the MDC’s secretary for Research and Policy warned on Tuesday the country’s opposition parties will pull out of the SADC led mediation talks if violence against it’s officials, activists and members is not stopped.

Speaking in Wellington, New Zealand, Holland said Zimbabweans are still being beaten and killed by Robert Mugabe’s militias despite the ongoing negotiations between Zanu-PF and the MDC.

‘As I speak today, another 64-year-old was beaten to death by the same squad that beat me up. We support the Mbeki initiative ... but if Mugabe continues to beat our people up we are pulling out of the talks,’ said Holland, who has also been victimised by Zanu-PF’s hit squads.

Her statement was backed by another senior figure of the party, Sam Siphepha Nkomo, secretary for Home Affairs who admitted that violence has in fact escalated against supporters of the opposition.

‘We have made representations to President Mbeki about the violence and we have not seen anything to suggest he has asked his counterpart (Mugabe) to stop the repression,’ Nkomo said.

Nkomo said Mugabe was in danger of jeopardising the mediation talks by failing to control his militias and security forces. Thousands of opposition supporters have fallen prey to Mugabe’s brutal security forces and many more have lost their lives in a political crackdown that now threatens the talks.

Reacting to MDC’s threats, President Mbeki said he was confident the talks between the political parties to find a solution to the crisis in that country were progressing well.

His spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said negotiations were going very well and that there was a common determination to conclude them as quickly as possible so as to allow enough time to implement all of the matters that must be implemented.