Mbeki rushes to help Zim
2008-10-12 14:25
Special Report
Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says he is thankful for South African efforts to rescue his coalition government.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says he doesn't expect the US sanctions on his country to be lifted soon.
Fanuel Jongwe
Harare - Zimbabwe mediator Thabo Mbeki's spokesperson said on Sunday that the ousted former South African president is heading to Harare in a bid to resurrect power-sharing talks.
Talks on implementing a stalled September 15 agreement were branded dead in the water on Sunday by opposition leaders soured by President Robert Mugabe's weekend decision to award key posts to his ruling party.
However, Mbeki will seek to hold discussions on Monday with each of the three parties which signed up to the power-sharing accord.
"Mr Mbeki is travelling to Zimbabwe tomorrow (Monday). The allocation of the ministries and all other issues will be discussed in Harare when he meets that country's political leaders," his spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga told AFP Sunday.
Appeal to Mbeki
Nelson Chamisa, the spokesperson for the main Morgan Tsvangirai-led Movement for Democratic Change, made a passionate appeal to Mbeki and the 15-member regional bloc Southern African Development Community that appointed him to help resolve the latest crisis.
"Mr Mbeki, please help Zimbabwe. We need your help. We also need the help of and support of SADC," Chamisa told SA FM radio.
In power since Zimbabwe's 1980 independence from Britain, Mugabe's decision, announced on Saturday, to award defence, home and justice ministry portfolios to his Zanu-PF ruling party means he would retain control of the army, police and other state security apparatus.
"It kills the talks completely," Chamisa said. "This flies in the face of the dialogue and an attempt by SADC to help us out of this crisis. Clearly, it is an act in bad faith," Chamisa added.
The spokesperson said that the move was "arrogant, unilateral and unacceptable."
Edwin Mushoriwa, spokesperson for the breakaway MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara that also signed an Mbeki-brokered September 15 deal to share power, said that Mugabe's announcement stemmed from "hallucination on the part of Zanu-PF.
"That (ministerial) list is what they wish to happen. It was not agreed on. As far as we know there was no agreement on the allocation of cabinet posts and we are waiting for the mediator, Mr Mbeki, to come and resolve the impasse," he told AFP.
Mutambara gets three ministries
A government notice carried by the state-run Herald newspaper said on Saturday that the veteran leader had given his Zanu-PF party 14 ministries, including control of defence, home and foreign affairs, justice, local government and the all-important state media.
According to the report, Tsvangirai's MDC gets 13 portfolios, covering portfolios such as constitutional and parliamentary affairs, economic planning and investment promotion, labour and social welfare, and sport, the arts and culture.
Mutambara's MDC would get three ministries.
Under the September 15 accord, 84-year-old Mugabe remains as president while Tsvangirai takes the new post of prime minister.
But efforts to form the government have become steadily more bogged down over disputes about who will control the most important ministries, with the finance brief also strongly contested.
- AFP