SADC in Harare as talks deadline reached

Talks between the parties remain deadlocked largely because of Zanu (PF)s failure to abide by the global political agreement. A summit of the SADC troika gave the parties up to December 5 to meet and review the implementation of the GPA and resolve all outstanding issues, with South Africas facilitation.

The troika comprising Mozambique, Zambia and Swaziland said the dialogue should include all the outstanding issues emanating from the implementation of the GPA and the SADC communiqu of January 27. President Zuma was expected in Harare on Sunday but, because of pressing engagements in his country, the three-strong team acted on his behalf.

Negotiators from Zanu (PF) and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations were expected to present a detailed report on the state of talks between the parties. The negotiators worked all weekend until late on Sunday. ??

The facilitation team, led by ANC stalwarts Charles Nqakula and Mac Maharaj and President Jacob Zumas international relations advisor, Lindiwe Zulu, met negotiators on Monday.

When the team returned to Pretoria on Tuesday they were expected to present President Zuma with a report, which he would forward to President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique, the current chairman of the troika.

Sources say Zimbabwes negotiation teams had agreed on 12 of the 15 items that had been deliberated on by last weekend on a 21-item agenda at the talks. The negotiators have been meeting since November 23, and the talks have been held in complete secrecy at an undisclosed location.

The major impasses were reported to be the failure of the National Security Council to meet, the unprocedural appointment of RBZ Governor Gideon Gono, Attorney-General Johannes Tomana, and the refusal to swear in MDC Treasurer Roy Bennett as deputy minister of agriculture.

The SADC troika has said these three issues must be addressed as Zanu (PF) has now accepted them as outstanding in the GPA, and were contained in a January 27 communiqu that amended the power-sharing agreement.

Zanu (PF) previously said the issues were not contained in the GPA, but now says the contentious issues need to be discussed to avoid stifling progress at the talks. Significantly, sources say Zanu (PF) may have backed down and agreed that the five MDC governors be sworn in as initially agreed by the negotiators. There could also be movement on opening up the media, and establishing human rights, anti-corruption and electoral commissions. In addition, the review of ministerial positions looks to have been agreed on. But there was said to be lack of movement on the land audit and rule of law issues.

There was speculation in the media that Mugabe was going to make an important announcement about the setting up of the four constitutional commissions that were established by government as stipulated in the GPA. However, Mugabe has had the names of the commissioners to sit on the Zimbabwe Media Commission, the Independent Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Human Rights Commission for the last two months, highlighting how slow any progress is and how Mugabe seems to be stalling.

It is now ten months since the formation of the inclusive government and the political rivals are still haggling over the full implementation of the SADC-brokered unity agreement. The MDC is also demanding an end to the renewed state-sponsored violence, the stopping of prosecutions of party activists on spurious charges, continued bias against it by the state media, farm invasions by Zanu (PF) supporters, and clandestine deployment of military personnel to instil fear among villagers in the countryside.