HARARE -- South African mediators have urged Zimbabwes squabbling political parties to step up dialogue to resolve power-sharing differences ahead of next years FIFA World Cup finals that South Africas hosting. Zimbabwe could miss out on spin-offs from the World Cup if the country was still caught up in political wrangles by the time the soccer tournament commences next June, a spokeswoman for the South African mediators, Lindiwe Zulu, said last week.
“(There is) progress on the dialogue between the parties,” said Zulu, after the mediators visit to Zimbabwe last week, the second in as many weeks. “The good thing is that they (party negotiators) are talking. If they are not ready then Zimbabwe will miss out on the benefits of the World Cup, we as South Africa are ready for the World Cup.”
South African President Jacob Zuma appointed a new team of mediators to help quicken the pace of dialogue to resolve a host of outstanding issues and disputes arising from last years global political agreement (GPA) that gave birth to Zimbabwes power-sharing government.
The South African President is said to be keen to have the Zimbabwean political dispute resolved to avoid bad publicity that could cloud the World Cup tournament that is happening on African soil for the first time ever.
Zulu said her team will submit a report to Zuma on the talks between Negotiators from President Robert Mugabes Zanu (PF) party and the two MDC formations led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara.
She said the mediators were planning to return to Zimbabwe to monitor the inter-party negotiations but did not say when exactly they would be returning.
“We will be (coming) back once they (negotiators) have completed some thing,” she said. “The earlier the issues are resolved, the better for the welfare and social status for the people of Zimbabwe.”
The mediators comprising Zulu who is president Zuma’s international adviser also includes former cabinet ministers Charles Nqakula and Mac Maharaj returned from Zimbabwe last week after holding a series of meetings with the negotiators from Zanu (PF) and the two factions of the MDC.
The mediators have also held separate meetings with Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara.
The SADC organ on politics and defence on November 6 gave the Zimbabwean parties up to 30 days to open up negotiations to resolve the outstanding issues that have held back their power-sharing government.
The outstanding issues include Mugabes refusal to rescind his unilateral appointment of two of his top allies to head Zimbabwes central bank and the attorney generals office.
Mugabe has also refused to swear in Tsvangirai ally Roy Bennett as deputy agriculture minister, while the MDC-T is also unhappy by what it says is selective application of the law to target its activists and officials.
On the other hand Mugabe, who insists that he has met all his obligations under the GPA, accuses the MDC-T of not living up to a promise to lead a campaign for lifting of Western sanctions against the veteran Zimbabwean leader and members of his inner circle.
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