Power Struggle in Zimbabwe

by Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

(October 16, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) It seems Zimbabwe, reeling under a serious power struggle, is moving towards a reconciliatory strategy mediated by South Africa to resolve the political impasse. Talks on rescuing Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal have ended on 14 Oct without result but will resume and Mugabe said: "Continuing tomorrow means we have covered some area." Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is again in Harare to try and salvage the power-sharing deal he brokered last month.

Thabo Mbeki, invited back for mediation after a meeting on Oct 10 between Mugabe, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC splinter group head Arthur Mutambara, is expected to bring about a reliable solution to the crisis. This is Mbeki's first intervention since he stood down as president, just days after brokering the agreement. Now Mbeki effectively came to Zimbabwe as a private citizen, although he does have the backing of the regional group, the Southern African Development Community (SADC). His policy of quiet diplomacy, which sealed last month's deal, may not hold much sway now that he has been forced to step down by his party, the African National Congress. Zimbabweans were so happy that South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki was forced to go as president. He's not a favorite person here in Zimbabwe and his downfall was welcomed.

Zimbabwe's parliament held its first working session on Oct 14 under opposition control since the disputed elections earlier this year. MPs heckled each other at the opening. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party entered the new parliament stripped of a majority for the first time since independence from Britain in 1980 and needing to work with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to run an effective government. Zimbabwe's parliament held its first working session under opposition control since the disputed elections earlier this year. MPs heckled each other at the opening.

The crisis worsened after disputed elections earlier this year. Tsvangirai gained more votes than Mugabe in March's polls, but not enough for outright victory. He pulled out of a run-off in June, accusing Zanu-PF militia and the army of organizing attacks on its supporters which left some 200 people dead.

The MDC apparently wants the crucial ministerial posts - home affairs and finance. "We are still placing our faith in the efforts of the mediator, and that Zanu-PF has to be persuaded that it has to share and not grab power," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.

CRISIS

The government and the opposition MDC remain deadlocked over a decision by President Robert Mugabe to allocate key cabinet posts to his own Zanu-PF party. Earlier, Thabo Mbeki mediated the negotiations which produced the power-sharing agreement. On 15 September 2008 Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and the opposition leaders, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, have signed a power-sharing deal, aimed at resolving the country's political and economic crisis.

The Zimbabwe government gazette on Oct 11 showed Mugabe had allocated to his ZANU-PFparty the 14 ministries including ministries for defence, the foreign affairs, justice, the media and information ministries home affairs -- which is in charge of the police -- and finance, a crucial portfolio for the resuscitation of Zimbabwe's devastated economy. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) gets 13 portfolios including Constitutional and parliamentary affairs, the health, public service, Science and technology, economic planning and investment promotion, labor, arts, culture and sport.

Under the deal Mugabe remains president while Tsvangirai becomes prime minister. The executive authority of the inclusive government shall vest in, and be shared among the president, the prime minister and the cabinet, as provided for in this constitution and legislation. There shall be 31 ministers, with 15 nominated by the Zanu-PF, 13 by the MDC-T and three by the MDC-M. The agreement also provides for Zanu-PF to hold 15 cabinet seats. Opposition is annoyed with Mugabe for allocating the key ministries responsible for the army, police and other state security to Zanu-PF. The state-run Herald newspaper said Mugabe had allocated the ministries "in terms of the agreement signed by the three parties". Zimbabwe's government says Mugabe's actions do not violate the agreement. The country's ambassador to the UN, Boniface Chidyausiku said that the post of finance minister was still open for negotiation.

The parties declared and agreed to work together to create a genuine, viable, permanent, sustainable and nationally acceptable solution to the Zimbabwe situation and in particular to implement the following agreement with the aims of resolving once and for all the current political and economic situations and charting a new political direction for the country.

The present economic and political isolation of Zimbabwe by the UK, EU, USA and other sections of the international community over and around issues of disputed elections, governance and differences over the land reform program. The ruling and opposition parties recognized the consequent contribution of this isolation to the further decline of the economy and committed themselves to working together in re-engaging the international community with a view to bringing to an end the country's international isolation.

Opposition Wants Home portfolio

The opposition and Mugabe remained far apart on the issue of who should control which ministries. The opposition MDC said the move had put the deal "in jeopardy. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has threatened to pull out of a power-sharing deal agreed last month. Tsvangirai said that if Zanu-PF wanted the defense ministry, the MDC must have home affairs, which controls the police. MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said it is unilateral, contemptuous and outrageous. But the parties have been deadlocked in allocating ministries and have called back South African mediators. The MDC had signed the power-sharing agreement with Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party on 15 September. On 30 September Zimbabwe's opposition MDC said talks with President Mugabe have failed to produce agreement on cabinet posts. MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa accused Mugabe of demanding all the key ministries for his Zanu-PF party in the new unity government. He was speaking after a meeting between MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zimbabwean President.

One of the MDC's key expectations was that it would get control of the police if Zanu-PF controlled the army. "Just yesterday we agreed to call in the facilitator Thabo Mbeki because there was a deadlock. The MDC totally and absolutely rejects this nonsense. "He wants to grab all the resource ministries like finance, home affairs, information, and justice and make the MDC a peripheral player," he said. "We will end up in but out of government." Chamisa also called for further mediation as well as African Union involvement.

Economic worries

Zimbabwe has been experiencing a crippling economic crisis. The UN says it needs $140m (£82m) for food aid in Zimbabwe over the next six months. Mugabe blames Western sanctions, which target him and his chief supporters, for wrecking Zimbabwe’s economy. Zimbabwe's economy is imploding with official inflation at a new record 231 million percent, while shortages of food, foreign currency, water and electricity have hit many the hardest. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced a new higher denomination 50,000 Zimbabwe dollar note on Saturday, barely two weeks after launching 10,000 and 20,000 dollar notes. Zimbabweans will now be able to withdraw Z$50,000 (167 pounds) from their accounts daily, enough to buy three loaves of bread. Previously people could take out Z$20,000 after the central back capped daily withdrawal limits, blamed for long queues at banks.

But the deal has so far failed to ease the country's crippling economic crisis. Some outlets have been licensed to sell goods in US dollars. On Oct 09, it was announced that Zimbabwe's annual inflation rate had soared to 231,000,000%. Meanwhile, the UN says it needs $140m for food aid over the next six months.

Land Question

The deal calls on the international community to support land reform, and in particular it asks the UK to pay compensation to white farmers who lost their land. It will be very exciting to see white farmers, black farmers - all of us - working side by side towards the turning around of this economy. Some white farmers still in Zimbabwe, like the 11 fighting their case at the Southern African Development Community tribunal, alleging the land reforms were racist, are more dogged. The UK foreign office said they have always expressed our willingness to work with others to support a fair and transparent process of land reform.

Economic problem is directly linked with the land issue. The detailed agreement devotes a whole section to the "Land Question". It notes that the fast-tracked farm redistribution is "irreversible", something President Robert Mugabe defiantly reiterated at the signing ceremony with the words: "Zimbabwe's land belongs to Zimbabweans."

Colonial racist land ownership patterns established during the colonial conquest of Zimbabwe and largely maintained in the post independence period were not only unsustainable, but against the national interest, equity and justice. They accepted the irreversibility of the said land acquisitions and redistribution.

This has long been a call by the former opposition MDC, which feels that much of the 11m hectares of prime farmland taken from 4,000 mainly white farmers has been given to ruling party loyalists. "Anyone who has multi farms which they obtained under the land reform program would have to lose, because it's one person per farm," Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Zanu-PF negotiator of the power-sharing agreement. The deal also says that all Zimbabweans can be considered for land "irrespective of race, gender, religion, ethnicity or political affiliation".

Sorting out the mess of Zimbabwe's agricultural sector will be the key to breathing life back into the country's economy and to the success of the power-sharing deal signed this week. And hopefully, at along last Zimbabwe has overcome the political crisis and solve the power struggle as far as possible beneficial to the ruling as well as opposition party. Now it is time to revamp the economy sector by taking corrective measures to weed out disorders.

Critics of Mugabe say he triggered the economic crisis when he began seizing white-owned farms for land redistribution ahead of parliamentary elections in 2000. But Mugabe blames Western sanctions which target him and his chief supporters for wrecking Zimbabwe's economy.

The US state department has accused Mugabe of "overstepping the bounds of the agreement". The European Union condemned Mugabe's "unilateral decision" to form a new government and ministers hinted that they could extend sanctions against Mugabe and his close allies. Last week, it was announced that Zimbabwe’s annual inflation rate had soared to 231,000,000% - by far the highest in the world.

A Word

The cabinet impasse has outraged Zimbabweans who had hoped a September 15 power-sharing agreement would end an economic meltdown. A power-sharing deal was signed two weeks ago to end the political crisis. Tsvangirai then pulled out of a run-off vote in June, accusing Zanu-PF militia and the army of organizing attacks on MDC supporters which left some 200 people dead.

While the power-sharing crisis continues, life for normal Zimbabweans remains a constant struggle. People in the capital hope Mbeki's intervention will end the deadlock and their suffering and it will be interesting to see if Zimbabwe's veteran leader, 84-year-old Mugabe, will be prepared to listen to him. Many people in the capital, frustrated by the deadlock and the crippling economic crisis, have been asking why Mbeki allowed a deal to be signed without the cabinet post being agreed.

Mugabe is accused of not pushing for free and fair polls and so the democracy, as wanted by the Zimbabwean people, couldn't prevail. Morgan Tsvangirai is not belittled or directly attacked anymore. Instead the ruling circles rant about the colonial powers, criticizing him indirectly.

Thabo Mbeki is confident he will be able to salvage Zimbabwe’s power-sharing deal in talks in Harare. Mbeki is to hold talks in the morning, before parliament meets for the first time since MPs were sworn in Mbeki has little room to manoeuvre given the stance of both parties and it is not clear if he will still wield the same clout in negotiations.

However, from what Mugabe has been saying one thing is quite evident: he is deadly against the foreign nations using the opposition as a powerful pawn to dethrone him if he gives them important portfolios like police and defense. But he is not averse to hand over the ministry for finances to the opposition. Also, Mugabe wants to control the opposition by keeping Home and defense. The South African mediator Thabo Mbeki will have to get enough guarantees from Mugabe that opposition is not persecuted if Mugabe retains the Home portfolio as well.

The UN says two million people are in need of food aid, and that the figure will rise to 5.1 million - or 45% of the population - by early 2009. The new government has the primary duty now to steer up the nation out of present economic crisis. Economic crisis is so bad that, apparently food supplies are being handed out around the country. - Sri Lanka Guardian