As anyone would have guessed Zanu (PF) has responded to South African President Jacob Zumas inept calls on the MDC-T to shelve some of its demands by stalling progress on all important fronts.
In an interview with South African radio about a week ago, Zuma appealed to the MDC-T to shelve or park the two issues of central bank governor Gideon Gono and attorney general Johannes Tomana well known Zanu (PF) zealots unilaterally appointed by President Robert Mugabe in blatant violation of the global political agreement (GPA). It was the sort of endorsement of Zanu (PF) intransigence that the party would never have hoped for even from its supposed friend, former mediator Thabo Mbeki. Clearly emboldened by Zumas utterances Zanu (PF) is now demanding that not only should the matter of Gono and Tomana be shelved but that it should never be subject for discussion at all one of the key reasons why the inter-party talks immediately broke down last Wednesday.
Out to make the most profit from the window of opportunity availed by Zumas reckless comments, Zanu (PF) has also stepped up efforts to either derail the constitution reform process or force a situation where Zimbabweans will have to accept the Kariba Draft constitution whole or with some cosmetic changes as their new governance charter. The Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) has postponed the outreach programme after Mugabes party demanded that civil servants be tasked to collate information gathered by outreach teams.
Of course, the civil servant that Zanu (PF) has in mind for this important task is not your average teacher or government clerk it is the ever-patriotic youth from the Border Gezi militia camps. Need we say more?
Yet, the clearly unintended but no less disastrous consequences of Zumas maladroit utterances should have been obvious to an experienced political operator that we all know him to be.
But what is most galling about the whole thing is not that Zuma failed to anticipate the obvious. It is the mans motive. As explained by Vincent Magwenya, his spokesman, Zuma wants contentious issues shelved so that the unity government can concentrate on implementing agreed reforms in order that it is able to meet a 2011 deadline to hold fresh elections. Utter nonsense! Doesnt it occur to Zuma that in a country like Zimbabwe where nearly every election outcome over the past decade has been contested in the courts, it is critical that we have a man/woman of unquestionable integrity in the attorney generals office before we can think of calling another vote?
How about the outstanding issue of security sector reforms? As SADCs point-man on Zimbabwe, is Zuma not concerned about the fact that the army generals are likely to step into the ring, as they have done before — to protect their preferred candidate in the event he/she is facing defeat? We consider Zuma a friend of Zimbabwe. But at this rate, he will find very few friends among Zimbabweans.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga