HARARE – Zimbabwe’s neighbours will launch an urgent humanitarian campaign in the hope of saving the country from economic collapse and a cholera epidemic, South African president Kgalema Motlanthe said yesterday.
Almost 1,000 people have died in the cholera outbreak, piling more agony on Zimbabweans already suffering runaway hyper-inflation and shortages of food and fuel.
The cholera epidemic has intensified western calls for Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980, to step down.
Regional mediation has failed to persuade the ruling Zanu-PF and opposition to implement a September powersharing agreement, seen as the best chance of easing an economic crisis that has driven millions of Zimbabweans to neighbouring countries.
But deadlock over ministries has blocked progress in negotiations as Zimbabwe descends further into chaos.
Mr Motlanthe expressed hope that a Zimbabwean government would be formed this week. But the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) did not share his optimism. “Maybe the president [Mr Motlanthe] knows something we don’t know, but we are not aware of any plans to form a government this week. It’s certainly news to us because the outstanding issues we have outlined remain,” said MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa.
Mr Motlanthe told a news conference in Pretoria that the parties had not raised the issue of Mr Mugabe stepping aside and he should stay on under the terms of the powersharing pact. Botswana has taken the toughest line against Mr Mugabe and Zambia has also been highly critical of him. But his status as a liberation hero still impresses some other regional countries and analysts say he has capitalised on this.
Zimbabwe has accused neighbouring Botswana of training opposition insurgents to topple Mr Mugabe.
But the accusations were dismissed by Mr Motlanthe, the chairman of the Southern African Development Community, which has investigated the allegations.
“MDC is a properly registered political party; they have been participating in elections; it is represented in parliament – there would really be no logic in that, at this late hour, they are planning for a military option,” he said.
John Makumbe, a political analyst and Mugabe critic, said regional states must pressure Zimbabwe’s president to end the stalemate. – (Reuters)