It would have been a disaster if Tsvangirai and his team had turned up at the dubious meeting. The venue of the meeting was clearly indicating that the MDC was going to be in second, if not third place. It would have been an admission that the one-horse race of 27 June was a legitimate contest that was won by the geriatric Zanu (PF) leader. It would have constituted recognition of Robert Mugabe as the legitimate head of state in Zimbabwe. Further, for Tsvangirai to have turned up for the fruitless meeting would have been a betrayal of all the people of Zimbabwe who were killed, raped, beaten up and whose property was destroyed by the Zanu (PF) militia and the state coercive apparatus in the past eight weeks in the name of Zanu (PF).
It is unfortunate that the Mutambara group decided to turn up for the silly meeting, much to their embarrassment. I doubt very much that there had been any consultations between the two MDC formations prior to the holding of the ridiculous Mbeki meeting. There are those who hold the view that by boycotting the meeting, the MDC (Tsvangirai) party was in danger of sidelining itself. Nothing can be further from the truth. On the contrary, by attending the circus, the Mutambara faction ran the risk of being accused of being aligned with the devil incarnate, Zanu (PF). There are some people who even hold strange fears that the Mutambara faction might now throw in its lot with Zanu (PF), as well as instruct its MPs to support Zanu (PF) in both houses of the legislature. While that possibility exists, it would still be a futile exercise since no Zimbabweans would ever accept any arrangement that leaves Robert Mugabe as head of state and Zanu (PF) as the ruining party in Zimbabwe.
For any real negotiations to begin, the MDC’s pre-conditions must be met to the last letter. These are, inter alia, the violence has to stop; all MDC supporters that are under arrest must be released, and all charges against them dropped. Anything short of these conditions must not be accepted by the MDC. If the stupid run-off was a legitimate electoral process, then Mugabe can go ahead and rule the country for the next five years. What is the need for negotiations? Where in the world do people go to elections and then after the publishing of results they start to negotiate? Mbeki must first come clean on the run-off rubbish. Does he recognize the 27 June one old man dance as a valid contest? If he does, then what is the purpose of the mediation process? If the 27 June nonsense was nothing but a farce, then Mbeki has to state that categorically, and thereby justify the need for negotiations and mediation.
We are very much aware that violence is still going on in many parts of the country, especially in the rural areas. There are still a lot of MDC supporters that are still living in the bush, up the mountains and away from their homes. Mugabe is trying to give the impression that all is now well in Zimbabwe, but that is not at all the case. Indeed, the invasion of the South African and US embassies in Harare by some of the victims of Mugabe’s violence is ample evidence that violence is still rampant throughout the country. The MDC cannot be expected to sit down at the table to negotiate with Lucifer while their supporters are still being haunted by Lucifer’s wild dogs, the Zanu (PF) militia. The JOC has a lot to answer for what is going on in Zimbabwe.
Post published in: Opinions