Mugabe agrees to call Mbeki in to help break impasse

By Violet Gonda
10 October 2008

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is expected in Zimbabwe early next week, according to a statement by the Mutumbara MDC. The leaders of the political parties, Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara met in Harare on Friday but failed to resolve their differences over the distribution of cabinet posts, but finally agreed to recall the facilitator to help break the impasse.

At a press conference in Harare on Thursday Tsvangirai had appealed to the African Union and SADC for immediate assistance. He said: “It is not true to say that we are left with two ministries to negotiate, as any agreement reached on those two particular ministries would have an effect on the allocation of the rest of the ministries. In this regard we have declared a deadlock and therefore the process can not move forward except in the presence of the facilitator.”

He also made an extraordinary disclosure that the signed agreement that had been published, did not include the full details that had been negotiated and signed for.

He said the facilitator had assured the parties that the ‘problem’ would be sorted out and an updated document would be provided to the general public.

Observers say this admission indicates that the MDC had signed under a huge amount of pressure, especially as all issues had not been completely resolved.

One of the controversial aspects of the power sharing agreement is that it did not stipulate who would get which cabinet posts and it did not deal with the sharing of governors. Key issues to do with governance and power.

The Zimbabwe Times reported on Tuesday that Tsvangirai nearly refused to sign the deal a few hours before the signing ceremony but that Mbeki told him: “Heads of states are already here for the signing of this
deal and you say you cannot sign,” putting pressure on Tsvangirai who then felt he had no option.

But with all political parties providing very little information about the deal and the talks, it is impossible to know if this is fact.

Tsvangirai is holding a star rally at Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield on Sunday and it’s hoped he will explain more about the political deal which Zimbabwean’s had such hope for, but which has delivered nothing.