President Thabo Mbeki is making renewed efforts to rescue Zimbabwe from further political turmoil. His latest attempts were triggered after the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) decided to suspend participation in the country’s elections in March next year until the government complies with Southern African Development Community (SADC) benchmarks for democratic elections.
Mbeki, accompanied by Reverend Frank Chikane, his legal adviser Mojanku Gumbi and the Director General of Foreign Affairs Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba met an MDC delegation comprising vice-president Gibson Sibanda, secretary general Welshman Ncube and deputy secretary general Gift Chimanikire at the Union Buildings in Pretoria last Saturday.
Sources who attended the two-hour long talks told the Mail & Guardian that Mbeki felt that the MDC’s move would deepen the political crisis in the country. He also expressed concern about President Robert Mugabe’s continued defiance of calls to open political space in Zimbabwe.
“He could not understand why Zanu-PF was refusing to play ball. The NGO bill, harassment of civic organisations and the banning of newspapers was of concern to Mbeki,” the sources said.
Mbeki nonetheless put it to the MDC that its withdrawal from the elections would derail progress, a statement that baffled the MDC delegation. In their opinion there hasn’t been any progress.
But, the sources said that it was apparent that Mbeki was still determined to engage Mugabe.
Speaking after Mbeki met Mugabe on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo confirmed that the South African president had indicated that he would increase his interactions with the MDC and Zanu-PF.
However, Brian Raftopolous, of Zimbabwe University’s Institute of Development Studies, doubts that the meeting will yield much: “Zanu-PF [is] simply not interested. They don’t need talks; they don’t think it’s necessary.”
The Zanu-PF campaign machinery is already in top gear. Its structures are being revamped countrywide to wage a “vigorous campaign” dubbed “A war against Blair”.
Mugabe is introducing electoral reforms in line with the SADC guidelines to try and improve his standing with the body’s leaders.
Already Zanu-PF has indicated that all parties contesting the election will be granted access to radio and television on the state broadcaster.
Opposition parties have slammed this development as “attempts to hoodwink the world” and said that access was “dependent on the benevolence of Zanu-PF”.
Despite its withdrawal, said Raftopolous, “They [the MDC] are still making preparations to participate. Strategically, it is the correct move.”
The MDC will have to depend on global pressure to force Mugabe to open up more democratic space.
“They could act as an extra-parliamentary force and build a new popular momentum, going back to its roots. Engage trade unionists and a new popular front will have to re-emerge, but it will be difficult.
“They have a greater presence as a legitimate national force … that they are agents of imperialists has found a hearing in some quarters of Africa … to others it’s a genuine opposition,” said Raftopolous.
The MDC’s boycott of the election has left its supporters in a quandary.
According to Ncube, the decision was taken unanimously by the party’s national executive who was “not prepared to dignify a flawed electoral process”.
“The fundamental principle is whether the people of Zimbabwe have their freedom or not.
“If they [Zanu-PF] want to have the 150 seats, they can have them. They will definitely know the people of Zimbabwe did not elect them,” said Ncube.
Concerns have been raised that the MDC decision was “hurried” without proper consultation.
A member of its youth wing, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said its withdrawal “will not pay any political dividends” and would take them “out of the political picture, particularly [out of ] Parliament.
“It will be difficult for the public to judge our effectiveness,” he said.
But Raftopolous believes the decision was “understandable [given that] there have been continued threats on the opposition and civic organisations”.