Zumas team back in Harare for more talks on electoral roadmap

Lindiwe Zulu, President Jacob Zumas international relations advisor, told SW Radio Africa the team was in Harare for talks with the negotiators to the Global Political Agreement. Yes we are in Harare and I cant say much because Im actually in a meeting, Zulu said. Latest talks on the roadmap started on Monday in Harare following the SADC Troika summit in Livingstone, Zambia that censured Robert Mugabe for the slow pace of implementing the GPA.

It has long been hoped that the full implementation of the GPA would allow at least minimum conditions for a free and fair election. But Mugabe and his ZANU PF party have delayed the process in the hope of unilaterally calling an election without any reforms in place, including a new constitution. A senior MDC-N official said the outstanding points in the GPA must be implemented if there is to be any hope of a free and fair election.

We impressed upon our negotiators after the Livingstone summit that we should have a new constitution in place first before anybody can talk about elections. More importantly the roadmap should guarantee the security of Zimbabweans, an end to violence and the introduction of a new voters’ roll, the official said.

During the Troika summit in Livingstone, SADC resolved to appoint a team of officials to join Zumas facilitation team on Zimbabwe, to ensure full implementation of the GPA. SW Radio Africa is reliably informed that SADC wants this three member team to be permanently based in Zimbabwe, despite misgivings from ZANU PF, which has been at odds with resolutions adopted in Livingstone.

A source in Harare told us Zumas team was in Zimbabwe to work on expanding the process and include civil society groups and other stakeholders to work on the roadmap. As it is both the MDCs have already submitted their draft documents while ZANU PF has not. I can only assume that they will present theirs this week, after which the facilitation team will invite various stakeholders to work with the three political parties to combine the drafts and come up with one document, the source said.