South African opposition says Mugabe will never implement the GPA

By Alex Bell
18 December 2009

A top South African parliamentarian has accused Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF of deliberately stalling the progress of the unity government, saying the ageing dictator has no intention of fully implementing the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

Athol Trollip, the parliamentary leader for South Africa’s main political opposition the Democratic Alliance (DA), told SW Radio Africa on Friday it is clear that Mugabe is not serious about fulfilling the terms of the GPA. Trollip added that Mugabe and the party are deliberately working against the unity structure to retain their brutal grip on power in the country.

“Mugabe realises that if the GPA is implemented fully, it will influence the balance of power and weaken the strong grip he has on Zimbabwe,” Trollip said.

Trollip’s comments come as the unity government remains on shaky territory, amid ongoing talks to reach some form of agreement over outstanding issues in the GPA. Talks between the party’s political negotiators were expected to get underway once again on Friday; an exercise Trollip said was futile, “as nothing will come of the talks.”

Since the GPA was signed in 2008 Mugabe has been refusing to discuss or implement many of the issues agreed to, leaving the country at a political impasse and in a state of limbo. Trollip said Mugabe’s recent, vitriolic comments at the ZANU PF congress, provide no evidence of him changing his tactics any time soon. Trollip added that “instead it spells more doom,” as Mugabe was endorsed as leader for the next five years.

In his closing address at the congress that ended last weekend, Mugabe quoted part of the ZANU PF resolution, stating that: “Congress has noted that the inclusive government brings the party into partnership with ideologically incompatible MDC formations from which it must extricate itself in order to defend its mantle as the only dominant and ascendant political party that is truly representative and determined to safeguard the aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.”

The party has also vowed not to allow further discussions of pertinent issues hampering the successful conclusion of the current round of negotiations: “Congress resolved that our inclusive government negotiators cease to entertain any discussion on or negotiation of the issue relating to the appointment of the governor of the Reserve Bank, the Attorney General and the provincial governors, as these fall outside the purview of the Global Political Agreement and have their statutory origins that protect them.”

Trollip explained how these particular issues have been identified by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Troika as legitimate grievances of the MDC, that need to be resolved.
“These latest developments show that Mugabe and ZANU PF have no plans to implement the GPA. In fact it suggests an increase in their attempts to work against the agreement,” Trollip said.

He continued by saying that it was time for South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma to make use of the DA’s proposed ‘Road Map to Peace and Democracy’, “which now seems to be the only viable alternative to bringing about constitutional democracy in Zimbabwe.” The core of this roadmap is providing Mugabe with an ‘exit strategy’ that will leave the country able to vote freely and democratically, and without fear of political reprisal. Trollip reiterated that the country cannot move forward until Mugabe is out of the picture.

“It is time to realise that as long as Mugabe is leader of ZANU PF, the crisis in Zimbabwe will never end. It will continue to run in circles with ZANU PF hoping the opposition will grow tired and give up,” Trollip said.