Mediated talks conclude and skepticism remains over Mugabe’s commitment

By Tererai Karimakwenda
10 December, 2007

The talks between ZANU-PF and the MDC, mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki, are reported to have concluded on Monday. According to journalist Peta Thornycroft, who spoke to diplomats closely following the progress of the talks, they ended after ZANU-PF’s Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche were called back from Johannesburg to Harare to prepare for the party’s extra-ordinary Congress. She said negotiators left Johannesburg on Monday and the few bits that remain to be sorted will be concluded in Harare.

Thornycroft said electoral amendments and a new Constitution have been agreed to, and all the legal work is done. What is left are the details as to the timing. The MDC want a period of 6 months after signing a deal, before elections are held. Thornycroft said she fears that Mugabe will insist on elections in March, before the new constitution agreed on is put in place.
In that case, it is believed the MDC will register a complaint with Mbeki, then withdraw from the elections, if Mbeki fails to convince Mugabe.

Thornycroft explained that Mbeki lured the MDC into supporting Amendment 18, which harmonised the elections and gave Mugabe the power to appoint a successor, by guaranteeing that a new constitution would be in place before the elections. Voting for Amendment 18 alongside ZANU-PF in parliament was a confidence building measure undertaken by the opposition factions, who are said to be in full agreement over the talks. Now Mugabe is expected to pay up.

So far Zanu PF has ignored all the issues that the MDC wanted addressed. The Mugabe regime has not repealed repressive laws and there is no independent media. The opposition has dismissed the state appointed Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on the grounds that the staff are mostly ruling party stooges. The electoral commission has also started the delimitation of constituencies, despite objections by the opposition over this process. Then just last week Mugabe announced that only “friendly and objective” nations would be invited to observe the elections. Experts said this means he will invite only those nations that will approve the outcome of the polls, despite the clearly uneven playing field.

It is not clear what has taken place at the talks in South Africa because Mbeki has insisted on keeping the process out of the public domain. Zimbabweans await the results, but the majority have little faith in the sincerity of the Mugabe regime. What is happening on the ground clearly show he is not taking the talks seriously.