He asked if Tsvangirai would consider a senior job within the Zanu (PF) government that would give the MDC leader and a few of his comrades physical safety and perhaps amnesty for those awaiting trial on mostly spurious treason charges such as MDC secretary general Tendai Biti. Highly placed MDC sources said the South African leader appeared astonished when Tsvangirai and his colleagues said they had no interest in power sharing with Zanu (PF) before the election, having glory or job security. They would rather be hounded, persecuted and prosecuted than get into bed with Zanu (PF) before the crucial June 27 vote. Tsvangirai told Mbeki that the MDC would not stand for any deal with Zanu (PF) before the election and whoever was hoping to solve the “Zimbabwe problem” with a government of national unity was, to put it politely, wasting their time.
Mbeki, a fierce proponent of a GNU, had earlier met Mugabe at the Bulawayo State House. He, according to our sources, certainly didn’t appear to grasp the MDC’s position when he met Tsvangirai in Harare later the same day. Snubbed by Tsvangirai, Mbeki delivered a message he had also presented to Mugabe, that what ever outcome of the election, the contesting parties must accept the people’s verdict and ensure peace and tranquility prevails. Mbeki has been shuffling between Zanu (PF) and the MDC, which says it will settle for nothing less than an internationally supervised and monitored presidential election run off, managed by an impartial electoral body that restricts all statutory and non-statutory forces to barracks. Political commentator Ronald Shumba said: The only real hope is that the people can withstand this terrible pressure as they did in the liberation struggle against the Rhodesians. Perhaps someone could tell Mbeki that a government of national unity, South Africa’s quick-fix solution, won’t fly for the Zimbabwe problem. Not all African politicians will settle for power at any cost and Tsvangirai must be applauded for this principled position.Zanu thugs hold nurses as patients die