SOUTH AFRICAN president Jacob Zuma travelled to Zimbabwe yesterday to assess what progress political parties have made in overcoming the problems currently blocking the full implementation of the troubled country’s powersharing deal.
Mr Zuma is expected to meet President Robert Mugabe and his coalition partner and political rival, prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai, over a range of disputes between their two parties during his two-day trip.
This is the first time Mr Zuma will be acting in his capacity as the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) chief negotiator, but he has travelled to Zimbabwe before as part of efforts by South Africa to break the political deadlock.
“President Zuma is visiting the country to conduct an assessment of progress with regard to the implementation and to see how the Southern African Development Community (SADC) can assist to fast-track the processes,” a statement released by the regional bloc said. “South Africa was appointed by the SADC to facilitate the removal of obstacles which hinder the full implementation of the agreement.”
Hopes the signatories to Zimbabwe’s powersharing deal would be able to overcome their differences and fast-track the implementation of outstanding elements of the agreement after a SADC intervention last November have steadily faded.
Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party has accused Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF of undermining its attempts to push through much needed democratic and media reforms, as well as of deliberately stalling the constitutional reform process.
In response, Zanu-PF has lambasted the MDC for not doing enough to convince western governments to lift targeted sanctions against their leader and over 200 of his supporters. They have also warned there will be no more “concessions” made to the MDC until sanctions are removed.
In a further escalation of the infighting last week, Mr Mugabe stripped four MDC ministers of their powers and handed their responsibilities over to ministers from his own party.
The introduction of the controversial new Indigenisation Act on March 1st last, which forces medium- to large-sized companies to sell 51 per cent of their shares to a select group of local Zimbabweans, has also dismayed Mr Tsvangirai and the MDC, who believe it will scare off all potential foreign investment.