Leadership issue remains major sticking point at talks

By Tererai Karimakwenda
July 25, 2008

Talks between Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party and the 2 MDC formations entered a second day on Friday at a secret location in South Africa, with local media reports saying that a deal could be reached before the 2 week deadline spelled out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). At the same time the reports acknowledged that the issue of who will lead a Government of National Unity (GNU) remains a sticking point at the talks.

On Friday the state controlled Herald newspaper reported that a ZANU-PF politburo meeting earlier this week decided that the party would not accept a power-sharing deal that does not recognise Robert Mugabe’s re-election, or seeks to reverse his land reform programme. Mugabe’s insistence on leading any government of unity is equally matched by the MDC’s demand that party President Morgan Tsvangirai be the leader since he won the initial presidential poll on March 29.

The leadership issue is nothing new but it could easily endanger the talks. A media blackout imposed on the current negotiations to resolve Zimbabwe’s political crisis has left the ordinary, suffering people in the dark speculating as to what sort of arrangement could please both sides in this strong rivalry.

Zimbabwean lecturer and political commentator Dr John Makumbe said he is aware that ZANU-PF is desperate for a unity government led by Mugabe while the MDC prefers a transitional authority without any officials from either party. Given the polarity between the two parties on the question of leadership, Makumbe believes that two weeks is not long enough for the negotiations. He said: “There is very little room for compromise and a semi-skilled mediator like Mbeki will have great difficulty bringing the parties to a centre position.”

Asked if he is aware of what ordinary Zimbabweans want, the outspoken commentator said: “Zimbabweans are sick and tired of the old man. Zimbabweans know Mugabe is poison and anything he touches is destroyed.”
Makumbe explained that the transitional government would be made of neutral individuals chosen from civil society, churches and community leaders.

Meanwhile the first-ever summit between South Africa and the European Union kicked off on Friday in the French city of Bordeaux, with a meeting between Mbeki, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. At a joint news conference after the summit, Sarkozy is reported to have showered Mbeki with praise for what he described as his "bold and courageous" intervention. The French leader also said he would not be holding any form of talks with Robert Mugabe, because he judges what the ZANU-PF leader has done to Zimbabwe very severely.