Whether it is mere coincidence or this was South African President Jacob Zumas intention all along that he would personally tackle Zimbabwes unending political crisis at this point, after his trip to London and his meeting with International Monetary Fund boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn, we do not know. But it is most opportune that Zuma the Southern African Development Community (SADC)s mediator in Zimbabwe should, as is expected, arrive in Harare this week after his meeting in London two weeks ago with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his talks in South Africa last week with Strauss-Kahn.
The encounters with Brown and Strauss-Kahn should have disabused the South African leader of any notion that anyone in the world is buying the ruse that the unity government of President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Arthur Mutambara will, at this rate, deliver democracy in Zimbabwe.
This is exactly what Strauss-Kahn no doubt speaking for the IMF as well as for other multilateral lenders whose financial help Zimbabwe needs to rebuild its shattered economy meant when he told Zuma that the fund was ready to help but it cannot resume lending to Zimbabwe as long as the countrys political future remains uncertain.
To put it differently the IMF chief was saying that the world can see through the smoke-and-mirrors game that Mugabe and Zanu (PF) have tried to play on democratic reforms for the past 12 months; that no help is coming from the IMF or anybody else until the unity government makes real progress on the new constitution and Zimbabwe is on an irreversible path to democracy.
Or to use Browns words: The UK (read the West) is ready to support progress on the ground. But we must be absolutely sure that progress is being made. We must be moving from what is a unity, transitional government to free and fair elections.”
We do not expect Zuma to perform miracles and somehow manage to convince Mugabe that democracy could be good for Zimbabwe. But we expect him to frankly tell Mugabe that the trick is not working! That his attempt to retain all the power while putting up Tsvangirai as some kind of a window dresser Prime Minister in the hope that he could hoodwink the world into believing that a true democratic transition is underway in Zimbabwe is doomed to fail.
Zuma must tell Mugabe that the token reforms and the phantom commissions on the media, human rights, elections and whatever else are not what will bring investors flocking back to Zimbabwe. They will not bring development aid or cause the West to lift visa and financial sanctions on Mugabe, his family, friends and allies.
Only an honest and determined programme to restore citizens basic freedoms, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights will be able to convince the international community to open up its arms to embrace Zimbabwe once again. This is the message that Zimbabweans hope Zuma is carrying for Mugabe.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga