With unrest monitors talking of ”highest ever death rates” for August and September, the once promising peace initiative is now at a standstill. This decision was contained in one of a number of resolutions relating to current peace efforts, passed by the lnkatha Central Committee last weekend. The resolution said in effect that talks were off until it was certain they would work.
Other resolutions passed by the ICC indicate further factors behind lnkatha’s decision to quit talking:
- The fact that the African National Congress has not yet replied to a letter from lnkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi about dates for the planned top-level peace meeting between the ANC, Inkatha, the United Democratic Front and the Congress of South African Trade Unions;
- Dissatisfaction over the size and number of delegations to be involved in the talks: Inkatha claims Cosatu/ANC/UDF should be one delegation as they are ”one political thing”;
- An anonymous document, discredited by the UDF and Cosatu, which is derogatory about Buthelezi and the peace effort;
- Remarks allegedly made by the ANC’s Thabo Mbeki in June which are derogatory of Buthelezi;
- The fact that violence is continuing despite the talks; and
- The fact that the UDF and Cosatu have been involved in ”marches and initiatives” without consulting Inkatha.
Representatives of the UDF and Cosatu reacted ”with grave concern” to Inkatha’s decision to quit further talks. They have met virtually every day this week to formulate a response and a major statement is expected on Monday. The UDF’s Diliza Mji also said he and the others on the peace negotiating team were disappointed with the development since the peace talks had been going well with a lot of progress made.
lnkatha’s position on talks is confusing – at the same time as deciding to halt further talks ”until we can meet with prospects of making progress”, the organisation has continued making counter-proposals about the composition of the top level talks between Inkatha, the UDF, Cosatu and the ANC, saying these proposals were made so as not to ”jeopardise prospects of the summit peace meeting which has been suggested”.
Although Inkatha appears have left doors open for the talks to be rescued even at this stage, one of the issues raised by the organisation puts the UDF and Cosatu in a ”Catch 22” position. The resolution calling off future talks appears, in effect, to say that if the violence stops, the talks will go ahead, whereas the other side argues that the talks are necessary precisely be¬ cause of the continuing violence.
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
