Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai called for unity in his party on Wednesday, as the MDC prepares to decide on a power-sharing deal with Zanu-PF leader Robert Mugabe.
The MDC leadership plans to meet on Friday to decide whether to accept a regional proposal to form a unity government by mid-February, despite concerns about the balance of power under the deal.
“It’s an historic decision, and I hope that the party will be united in ensuring that we respond to the needs on the ground and people’s expectations,” he told reporters in Harare after returning from a regional summit in South Africa.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) told the rivals to install a unity government by February 13, but Tsvangirai has warned that the deal could be derailed by long-running disputes about the control of key ministries.
Negotiators are to meet in Harare to hammer out details of the agreement, before the MDC meets on Friday.
Party spokesperson Nelson Chamisa issued a statement denying any division within the party, but saying the MDC was disappointed with the outcome of the summit.
“Outstanding issues were not treated with the justice and fairness that we expected,” he said. But he insisted the MDC leadership “remains united and alive to the hopes and aspirations of the suffering people of Zimbabwe”.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai signed a unity accord in September, but have remained deadlocked over control of the key Home Affairs Ministry, changes to the Constitution and MDC allegations that its members have been abducted.
‘We believe it will work’
Meanwhile, Botswana on Wednesday threw its weight behind the regional push for a Zimbabwe unity government, saying there was “no need for political games” as Zimbabweans suffered.
In a statement, acting Foreign Minister Ramadeluka Seretse said Botswana supported the resolution that Tsvangirai and his deputies be sworn in by February 11 and for the Cabinet to follow two days later.
Botswana President Ian Khama, one of few African leaders to openly criticise Mugabe, was among the SADC heads of state that set out the agreement in talks early on Tuesday.
“We believe it will work this time around because there is a time-frame,” Seretse said.
Botswana’s stance on Zimbabwe has resulted in strained relations between the two countries, with Harare accusing Gaborone of harbouring opposition military training camps to overthrow the Mugabe regime.
Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s prime-minister designate, was in self-imposed exile in Botswana for several months, and Khama snubbed a SADC summit last year over Mugabe’s return to office in a one-man presidential run-off last June.
“What is important for both parties is to trust each other. The people of Zimbabwe are suffering and there is no need for political games,” Seretse said.
“We also believe that the people of Zimbabwe should be given a chance to find a solution for these problems. The two parties should sit down and resolve their differences,” he said. — AFP