'SADC will tell Mugabe to retire'
28/03/2007 08:11  - (SA)  

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London - Regional leaders will tell Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe at a summit that he is dragging southern Africa down, and must retire when his term expires next year, a former minister close to Mugabe told The Guardian on Wednesday.

Jonathan Moyo, the former information minister, also told the daily that Mugabe has lost the support of the rank-and-file, and of top officers in the police and the army.

Mugabe is set to attend a two-day extraordinary summit of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) beginning on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, spurred in part by the growing crisis in Zimbabwe.

"I have been to these SADC summits and I know that behind closed doors the leaders are brutally frank," Moyo told the daily.

"They will remind Mugabe that he told them he would retire at the end of this term in 2008. They will tell him he must do that.

"The statement issued at the close of the summit will not strongly condemn Mugabe, that is not the way SADC works. But I am certain that in the meeting the leaders will have told him in no uncertain terms that he must retire.

"They will tell Mugabe that his rule in Zimbabwe is dragging down the whole southern African region. They will say Zimbabwe's economic collapse is negative affecting all neighbouring countries," said Moyo, who fell out of favour with Mugabe in 2005 when he decided to contest elections as an independent.

'His back is against the wall'

Moyo said that while Mugabe was likely to fight hard to retain his power, this "will be futile and dangerous for Robert Mugabe".

"The forces are gathering against him. His back is against the wall. He relies on the police and army ... But the rank and file no longer support Mugabe and even the majority of top officers are no longer loyal. That spells trouble for Mugabe.

"I believe we are witnessing Mugabe's last days in power."

Apart from the political unrest, an inflation rate of 1 730% and unemployment rate of 80% has led around three million Zimbabweans to emigrate and caused the virtual collapse of an important market for the region.

Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party had planned to meet on Wednesday to discuss proposals to extend his term from 2008 until 2010, but put off the meeting until Mugabe's return from Dar es Salaam.

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