The March 31 deadline has come and gone and still there is no deal in Zimbabwe and President Jacob Zumas credibility takes a knock writes S'Thembiso Msomi: (Pictured: S'Thembiso Msomi)
President Jacob Zuma announced the deadline at the end of his “successful” three-day visit to Zimbabwe during which he met the three protagonists in that country’s political conflict.
In a statement issued after meeting President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara last month, Zuma said that the parties had agreed on a road-map, the detailing of which was to be concluded by the end of last month.
But, as we approach the second week of April, Zuma has had to send his mediating team back to Harare because little progress appears to have been made since his visit.
At the centre of the current crisis is the failure by the parties – especially Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) – to implement fully their global political agreement (GPA) of 2008.
It was this agreement – brokered during Thabo Mbeki’s last days as president – that led to the formation of the Zimbabwean unity government now in power.
Much of Mbeki’s almost 10 years in office were spent in unsuccessful efforts to bring about an end to the political conflict that had turned our northern neighbour into an economic and social nightmare for its citizens.
But, partly because of Mbeki’s actions and partly because of the Tsvangirai-led MDC’s political weaknesses, Mugabe somehow always succeeded in undermining South Africa’s efforts.
The result was that, by the time the ANC forced Mbeki out of office, he had lost all credibility in the eyes of many as an impartial and effective mediator in Zimbabwe.
Same direction
Zuma increasingly seems to be headed in the same direction, and it is not because of Mugabe’s cunning political tricks: it’s largely because of Zuma and the ANC’s schizophrenic approach to his Zimbabwean counterpart. This disorder is amply demonstrated by the recent ANC Youth League visit to the troubled country.
Only five months ago, youth league president Julius Malema was quoted as saying that Mugabe “must step down” because “we need a new president in Zim”.
But at the weekend, clad in a Mugabe shirt and speaking to Zanu (PF) youth supporters in Harare, Malema changed his tune: “We salute President Mugabe for standing firm against imperialists. The reason why they want him to go is because he has started attending to the real issues.”
He then denounced Tsvangirai and the MDC as allies of the “imperialists” who want to destroy liberation movements in southern Africa and replace them with “surrogate” governments.
Such statements, coming from the leader of the ANC’s youth wing, can hardly enhance Zuma’s image as an honest broker in the conflict between Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
Zizi Kodwa, Zuma’s spokesman and a youth league elder, told City Press that the presidency “cannot stop an NGO like” the youth league from doing “political work” in Zimbabwe.
But Kodwa and the ANC cannot have their cake and eat it too.
Since its Polokwane conference, party leaders have always insisted that the ANC is “the political centre” that determines and guides government policies and actions.
And as an integral part of that “political centre” we should assume that the ANC Youth League wields far greater influence than any ordinary NGO.
To dismiss Malema’s statements in Zimbabwe as yet another publicity-seeking stunt is to miss the point about the ruling party’s contradictory understanding of the crisis in Zimbabwe.
Anti-imperialist heroes
In confidential discussions, Zuma’s closest associates are quick to distance the ANC from Zanu (PF) – pointing out that, historically, South Africa’s oldest political party had fraternal relations with Mugabe’s past rivals – the Zimbabwean African People’s Union.
The implication is that Zuma and the ANC have no interest in keeping Mugabe in power and that they can, therefore, be trusted to mediate in the current political impasse.
On the other hand, however, you have the likes of Malema depicting Mugabe and Zanu (PF) as “anti-imperialist heroes” whose continuation in power is necessary for the very survival of the ANC and other governing former liberation movements in the region.
Since taking over, Zuma has had one thing working in his favour: the MDC and other role players genuinely believed him to be an impartial mediator committed to finding a lasting solution to the country’s problems.
But this confidence in him will soon evaporate if he does not watch the actions and utterances of those with strong ties to him.
Editors Note: S’Thembiso Msomi is political editor of The Times of South Africa which first published this article.
Post published in: Opinions