Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe may or may not have squeezed his way into the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) set for Abuja, Nigeria, early next month after talks with Chogm host President Olusegun Obasanjo this week.
But his attendance is irrelevant to the real struggle going on inside the country, say Mugabe watchers.
A day after Obasanjo’s visit, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and its civic partners took to the streets to protest continued human rights abuses and the deteriorating economic situation — one that has seen inflation rise to 525% (see story below), unemployment to 80% and a foreign currency crisis that has led to a clampdown on illegal forex and gold dealers but without netting sufficient forex resources for fuel and other requirements. A paltry $2-million worth of forex is said to have been received in early November, while about 40% of the gold being produced is currently coming in.
The demonstration led to more than 400 arrests, including those of top ZCTU and civic group leaders who were charged with violating the notorious Public Order and Security Act, which seeks to stifle perceived anti-Mugabe protests by requiring that they receive police sanction. There were reports of beatings by police during the arrests and these, the ZCTU said, demonstrated the continuing internal crisis.
Said Colin Gwiyo, the deputy secretary general of the ZCTU: “The demo takes our message further. Abuja is not a big issue. With or without Obasanjo, human rights are being violated. Whatever happens, the situation is here, now.”
The ZCTU has called for a two-day strike on November 21 and 22 to demand the release of those arrested. The start of the strike will coincide with Finance Minister Herbert Murerwa’s Budget speech.
More protests are planned for Human Rights Day on December 10, when the crisis is expected to have worsened. The protesters are also expected to target the National Youth Service Programme believed to be churning out youths responsible for much of the election violence.
Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth for a year after Mugabe’s March 2002 presidential election victory, dubbed fraudulent by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and the Commonwealth and Western nations, but largely endorsed by Asian and African countries.
The suspension has remained in place because of reports of continued human rights abuses such as those reportedly perpetrated against demonstrators this week. However, Mugabe still views Zimbabwe’s suspension as “a racist plot” cooked up by the white Commonwealth because of his seizure of white-owned farm land.
Mugabe’s attendance at Chogm is still far from certain, however.
Although he confidently informed the state media “we look forward to attending Chogm, Abuja”, Obasanjo was more circumspect. After talks with Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai he announced that he would seek wider consultation before a decision could be taken on Zimbabwe’s attendance.
Professor Heneri Dzinotyiwei of the University of Zimbabwe said: “It’s not obvious, really, that he [Mugabe] will be invited. It’s still very much hanging in the air, but [President Thabo] Mbeki and Obasanjo would wish for Zimbabwe’s problems to be settled internally rather than externally.” He added that it would be to the MDC’s advantage to focus on the internal crisis.
MDC party spokesperson Paul Themba Nyathi said Mugabe’s attendance at Chogm was of “no consequence”, that the real struggle the MDC was concerned with was “for the people of Zimbabwe” and the “piles and piles of applications” it was receiving daily were testimony to the party’s growing popularity among the people.
He said the MDC was continuing as before and nothing had changed. “Mugabe’s attendance is not the issue [the issue is] rather the inflation, the unemployment, the fact that one in three have no access to anti-retrovirals and the government’s failure to provide maize seed. These are the issues of immediate concern, not Abuja, which is 6 000km away,” he said, adding that his party had in no way been weakened by the Obasanjo visit.
The state-owned Herald newspaper reported that Obasanjo had in talks with Mugabe mentioned that he had witnessed a “changed, mellow” Tsvangirai. However, when contacted for comment, Tsvangirai denied that he was softening towards the idea of a government of national unity and insisted that the MDC would continue as before with its court challenge: “How can there be a government of national unity when we have not negotiated?” he asked.
The MDC’s court petition against Mugabe’s 2002 election victory began on November 3, but was temporarily put on hold the following day to give the judge time to study the initial submissions.
David Coltart, the MDC secretary for legal affairs, believes that it was placed before the courts “overwhelming arguments. There is no other peaceful lawful action at our disposal. As we’ve said in the past, if there’s meaningful progress, we will consider suspending the court proceedings, and if the discussions yield a final agreement which is irreversible and endorsed by the international community”. — Africa Media Online