Mbeki’s deadline looms

he contrary. Since the Mbeki initiative began six months ago, MDC representatives Welshman Ncube and Tendai Biti, together with South African officials, have spent more than half the time allotted to the negotiations sitting in Pretoria twiddling their thumbs – while Mugabe’s emissaries Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche have been playing hide-and-seek.
On numerous occasions the Zanu (PF) has snubbed Mbeki and failed to turn up for dialogue sessions – without even the courtesy of an apology. This not only showed the contempt in which they held the mediators and the opposition, but also demonstrated their master’s total lack of any serious commitment to the negotiation process.
Time and again the South Africans have swallowed these insults.
We are disappointed to learn that the MDC (Mutambara) now agrees with Zanu (PF) concerning piecemeal changes to a constitution that has been amended 17 times in the past 27 years – every time to give more power to facilitate Mugabe’s tyranny.
Their argument that time is running out before the 2008 elections is ridiculous. Without a level playing field, holding elections in 2008 is an utter waste of time. A new constitution must come before elections, to ensure that the will of the people is respected at last.
Time need not be an issue. Zimbabwe is full of perfectly able constitutional draftsmen – Lovemore Madhuku, Geoff Feltoe, Welshman Ncube himself to name a few – who could hammer out a decent constitution within a relatively short time.
In any case, the date of the 2008 elections can be moved if necessary. Only Zanu (PF) is pushing for elections to take place so early in the year. For Pete’s sake, let’s do it right this time.
We need commitment from all parties to bring about an end to the misery of Zimbabweans. Throughout the process, Zanu (PF) has failed to show any commitment to a new order. On the one hand it is purportedly negotiating for free and fair elections, while on the other it has prohibited the MDC (Tsvangirai) from launching its election campaign this weekend. Its agents have abducted and tortured ZCTU leaders and disrupted a funeral attended by civic leaders.
Surely the writing is now on the wall for Mugabe’s protectors. He is not serious about the negotiations. He cannot and should not be trusted. Neither he should be allowed to hijack progress any further.
Word:
“I am God and there is no other.. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is still to come. I say my purpose will stand and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land a man to fulfil my purposes. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” Isaiah 46 10-11