The crisis in Zimbabwe goes beyond the disputed elections and is more about the division of opinions among Zimbabweans themselves, the Zimbabwe Institute said on Monday.
“Elections in Zimbabwe will not resolve the crisis,” said James Muzondidya, research manager for the Zimbabwe Institute, which is a political advocacy organisation.
“The issue about Zimbabwe is much more beyond elections,” he said.
“[ The Southern African Development Community’s (SADC)] strategy focus on credible elections is therefore very limited.
“This is more of a political and governance problem,” said Muzondidya.
He also criticised the “winner takes all” electoral system, saying it pushed an incumbent political party to hold on to power for dear life.
He was speaking in Pretoria during a University of South Africa discussion themed “SADC mediation and the future of democratic transition in Zimbabwe”.
This comes just a few days after police cancelled a Movement for Democratic Change rally as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai made an unscheduled weekend visit to South Africa for a meeting with President Jacob Zuma who is heading meditation talks.
Tsvangirai’s visit was reportedly intended to brief Zuma on the latest developments and rise in political temperature in Zimbabwe.
Cease fire agreement
Zimbabwe’s Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed two years ago, which Muzondidya likened to a cease fire agreement, was seen as a significant achievement in moving towards a successful resolution.
However, this seemed to have been effectively collapsed, he said.
“What you have at moment is an existing framework. SADC and everybody else need to look beyond the GPA because the protagonists in the Zimbabwe crisis are looking beyond.”
The agreement came into effect after months of dispute over the sharing of cabinet portfolios. Its enactment saw Zanu-PF leader Robert Mugabe remain president of the country while Tsvangirai became prime minister.
Muzondidya said that in the last two years, the ability of MDC to influence change had been very limited in the power sharing government.
“Its bargaining strength has also progressively declined and Zanu-PF strength has been increased,” he said, attributing this to mainly Zanu-PF resistance to the implementation of some agreed reforms and internal weaknesses within the MDC itself.
He said Zanu-PF had managed to use loopholes in the agreement to consolidate its position. This had serious implications on the SADC’s mediation efforts.
Muzondidya also spoke of the “post-Mbeki era”. He said Zuma’s team, which “has a more edgy and robust approach” compared to former president and mediator Thabo Mbeki, could find it hard to earn trust.
Transparency had not gone down well with Zanu-PF who would much rather prefer the “hush-hush approach,” Muzondidya said. — Sapa