Zuma says sanctions hurting efforts for free and fair poll in Zimbabwe

By Tichaona Sibanda
22 February 2010

President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has said efforts to create a conducive environment for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe are being hampered by targeted sanctions against Robert Mugabe and his allies.

Zuma told journalists over the weekend that sanctions were undermining his efforts to push Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai to agree an electoral framework that could guarantee a free and fair vote.

‘We want to create a conducive environment so that they can have elections to choose their own government but the continuation of sanctions is undermining the agreement,’ Zuma said.

The European Union last week extended the targeted sanctions on Mugabe and his inner circle by another year citing lack of progress in implementing the Global Political Agreement.

Zuma’s statement on the sanctions attracted severe criticism from analysts who said the person to blame for Zimbabwe’s woes was none other than Mugabe and his ZANU PF party.

Political analyst Munjonzi Mutandiri said it was unfortunate that Zuma was barking up the wrong tree by blaming western countries for what is happening in Zimbabwe.

‘To be honest, I don’t see any link between sanctions and free and fair elections in Zimbabwe,’ said Mutandiri, adding ‘the reason the sanctions are still there is because a year after the formation of the inclusive government, its full implementation has been stalled by Mugabe and ZANU PF.’

‘No repressive laws have been repealed and draconian media laws POSA and AIPPA are still intact. So Zuma should direct his criticism toward Mugabe and not the western countries,’ Mutandiri said.

In the absence of a checks and balance system in the implementation of the GPA by the guarantors, many observers admit that Mugabe will never comply with reforms as this would loosen his grip on power.
Analysts insist South Africa should instead step up efforts to push for the full implementation of the power-sharing agreement between Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

Meanwhile, Paul Mangwana, co-chairperson of the parliamentary committee on the Constitution, says elections will only be held in 2012 because the constitutional reform process is already behind schedule.
Addressing journalists in Masvingo at the weekend, Mangwana said the constitution making process was seven months behind schedule, and that elections could only be held in 2012, if they started the outreach programme next month.

The GPA stipulates that elections in the country can only be held after completion of the constitutional reform process. MDC MP for Masvingo Urban, Tongai Matutu, told us a timeframe for any future elections in the country would be known only when the reform exercise gets underway.
‘Those were Mangwana’s own personal views but I think the correct time to judge when to have elections is when we start the outreach programme,’ Matutu said.