SADC Troika begins mission in Zimbabwe

By Tichaona Sibanda
29 October 2009

The SADC Troika on Defence, Security and Politics began its fact finding mission in Harare on Thursday in an effort to narrow the differences between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe.

The ministerial mission is being led by Oldemiro Baloi, the Mozambican Foreign Affairs Minister, Zambia deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Fashion Phiri and Lutho Dhlamini from Swaziland.

Two South African facilitators to the Global Political Agreement dialogue have been included in the mission, Frank Chikane and Monjaku Gumbi.

SADC’s Executive Secretary, Dr Tomaz Salamao, is also in Zimbabwe and our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa said he briefed journalists in the morning and outlined how the Troika team was going to undertake its mission.

‘The team first met Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara before having another meeting with ambassadors from the SADC region. Salamao said the Troika will meet with the other two principals in the inclusive government later in the day,’ Muchemwa said.

SADC chairman Joseph Kabila, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is expected to fly to Harare from his visit to South Africa, either on Thursday or Friday. Concerns continue to be raised by observers because of the fact that Kabila is a very close associate of Mugabe.

The Troika intervention comes in response to MDC-T’s disengagement from government two weeks ago. So far Tsvangirai has boycotted two consecutive cabinet meetings and has cut all contact with Mugabe and his ZANU PF party, and says he will maintain that position until all outstanding issues in the GPA are resolved. However the two did meet on Monday, under the mediation of Mutambara but that meeting ended in complete deadlock. They are reportedly still ‘worlds apart’ over key appointments to government.

Mugabe has also been using his usual strong arm tactics to force the MDC to either submit to his will or leave government altogether, with renewed violent attacks on the MDC.