Zuma on mission to fast-track Harare talks Weekday Top Stories

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HARARE – , South African President Jacob , Zuma (pictured) arrives in , Zimbabwe today to try to fast-track the pace of power-sharing negotiations between President Robert , Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a Pretoria official announced Monday. Zuma’s spokesman , Magwenya Latest News & pictures Zimbabwe">Vincent Magwenya said the South African leader – whose mediation team led by political advisor Charles Nqakula, and including special envoy , Mac Maharaj and the president’s international relations adviser , Lindiwe Zulu arrived in the country yesterday – will hold talks with Mugabe and , Tsvangirai on the issues affecting the , September 2008 global political agreement (GPA), but was keen to fast-track the process. “President Jacob Zuma will travel to Harare, Zimbabwe on 16-18 , March 2010 to meet with political parties that are signatories of the global political agreement,” Magwenya said in a statement. “President Zuma is visiting the country to conduct an assessment of progress with regards to the implementation and to see how , SADC can assist to fast-track the processes.” Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara signed the , GPA in September 2008 leading to the formation of the government of national unity in , February last year. The administration has done well to halt rampant inflation and set the economy on the recovery path but its efforts continue to be hampered by unending squabbles over full implementation of the GPA and failure to attract direct foreign investment. Zuma, who controls the region’s biggest economy and is the , Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s mediator in Zimbabwe, last visited , Harare in , August last year. “President Zuma’s visit to Zimbabwe comes within the context of SADC’s commitment to assisting the inclusive government to implement the global political agreement,” said Mangwenya, adding that , South Africa was appointed by SADC to “facilitate the removal of obstacles which hinder the full implementation of the agreement”. Some of the outstanding issues that have threatened to destabilise the coalition government include Mugabe’s refusal to rescind his unilateral appointment of two of his top allies to head Zimbabwe’s central bank and the attorney general’s office. Mugabe has also refused to swear in Tsvangirai ally , Roy Bennett as deputy agriculture minister while the PM’s MDC-T party is also unhappy by what it says is selective application of the law to target its activists and officials. On the other hand Mugabe’s , ZANU PF party, which insists that it has met all its obligations under the GPA, accuses Tsvangirai of not keeping a promise to lead a campaign for lifting of , Western sanctions against the party’s top leaders. Zuma’s facilitation team has been interacting with the parties in Zimbabwe since December 2009. The South African leader is known to favour a fresh vote as early as next year to end political stalemate in his northern neighbour. According to the GPA Zimbabwe should hold fresh elections following the drafting of a new and democratic constitution to ensure the new vote is free and fair. But the constitutional reforms are lagging behind, prompting suggestions that the new vote that was initially expected in 2011 might have to be delayed to probably 2012 or 2013 – unless Zuma can convince the Zimbabwean parties to agree new electoral laws to enable the holding of elections before drafting of a new constitution. Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai have in recent days urged supporters to prepare for new elections with the former, who is empowered to call elections, adding that Zimbabwe will have to go to polls whether the constitutional reform exercise flops or succeeds.

Published: Tue, 16th Mar 2010
Source: TheZimbabwean.co.uk