MDC aims for unity after Mbeki fails to break deadlock

By Tererai Karimakwenda
18 January, 2008

There is consensus among political activists and analysts, who were keenly awaiting progress on the deadlocked crisis talks, that mediator Thabo Mbeki has failed. The South African President returned home from Harare Thursday night without any news of a breakthrough between the ruling party and the opposition.
The talks are meant to lead to free and fair elections in March, only six weeks away. But they have stalled over Robert Mugabe’s refusal to adopt a new constitution and postpone the polls in order to implement changes agreed to at the talks. Mbeki held separate meetings Thursday with Robert Mugabe and MDC leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara. Diplomats monitoring events in Harare say Mugabe flatly refused all options presented by Mbeki on these issues.

Our sources say teams from both MDC factions, including Tsvangirai and Mutambara, left for South Africa Friday morning to discuss forming a united front against Mugabe. There was no explanation as to why they felt it necessary to travel to South Africa to do this.

The MDC announced this week that they would conduct a "freedom march" in Harare on 23rd January, to demand a new constitution and postponement of elections. This would clearly indicate that even before Mbeki’s Harare visit they felt they were making little progress.

Ivor Jenkins, director of the Institute for Democratic Alternatives, South Africa (IDASA), agrees with the notion that Mbeki and the talks have failed. He said: “I think, as so often in the past, people have underestimated Mugabe’s capacity to derail things. Having already heard from the opposition party, there is a real feeling that the talks are going nowhere.” Jenkins said it will be interesting to see whether Mbeki throws in the towel or pursues another route.

Asked whether Mbeki had any leverage to pressure Mugabe, Jenkins said this may have been true before Mbeki lost his position as President of the ANC recently. The analyst said Mugabe will use this to dismiss Mbeki, because his time is up. Jenkins believes the MDC should withdraw from the talks immediately and avoid wasting any more time.

We were unable to get any comment from anyone involved in the talks.