Talks to save unity govt in trouble, despite Tsvangirai assurances

By Lance Guma
23 April 2009

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai tried to put on a brave face Wednesday by suggesting that talks aimed at resolving outstanding issues in the unity government had not reached a deadlock. But events so far show his optimism is misplaced. Crippling the coalition are issues around the fact that Mugabe stripped off the communications sector from a ministry controlled by the MDC, the delay in swearing in Deputy Agriculture Minister Roy Bennett, fresh farms invasions, the continued detention of political prisoners and the appointment of governors, ambassadors and permanent secretaries.

On Thursday Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara met as the three main principals to the unity agreement and sought to reach an agreement. This was after another meeting on Monday drew blanks. The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Gorden Moyo, told us there was ‘progress made’ but that the meeting had been adjourned to Monday next week. The arrival in the country of Frank Chikane, the Director General in the South African presidency and one of the facilitators to the initial inter-party talks, seemed to suggest the talks were in trouble, particularly in the aftermath of reports that former South African President Thabo Mbeki had been called to Harare to mediate.

But several MDC and government officials maintain they don’t know why Chikane is in the country and Newsreel has been told he is visiting on ‘personal business’. Tsvangirai meanwhile has expressed frustration with the slow pace of progress saying the issues, ‘will be addressed and we are in the process of addressing them. We cannot go on for ever and ever, we have to address those issues.’ Pressed for a time frame he said, ‘we have no specific date but we cannot go on with outstanding issues always hanging over our heads.’

MDC sources privately say that quitting the unity government is still way off. ‘We now have equal access to intelligence reports and we know they (ZANU PF) are determined to make us quit. So yes it frustrating and painful but we are determined to hang in there and equally frustrate them too,’ an official told us. He said even if it came to quitting the coalition, that would be a decision for the National Council of the MDC, and not Tsvangirai alone. Analysts however feel the party is being totally undermined by a well thought out ZANU PF plan, which has laden them with responsibility in government, but no actual political power.