Time for SADC to act | Editors Column

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Time for SADC to act

Written by Editor

Friday, 29 January 2010 14:58

The decision by President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) party ruling out further concessions in power-sharing talks with the MDC formations only confirms what everyone else – except southern African leaders – knew.
That it is time for the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s mediator in Zimbabwe, President Jacob Zuma, to return to Harare because the power-sharing government is not working.
In fact, the SADC and Zuma should have intervened many months ago because the coalition government they helped impose on Zimbabweans has never really worked. Forget the phony successes claimed for this administration by its supporters from both Zanu (PF) and the MDC formations. The truth is this administration has not achieved much or at least not enough to give anyone – except the fatally optimistic – hope that it is capable of plucking Zimbabwe out of crisis.
The slight signs of economic recovery and the availability of goods in shops that many attribute to this government are in truth the result of dollarisation which was instituted by one Patrick Chinamasa, months before the present government was born. Bring back the Zimdollar and we are back where we were!
Of course, with Tendai Biti in charge of treasury, Welshman Ncube in charge of industry and Elton Mangoma overseeing economic development there has been a huge and positive shift in economic thinking and policy.
But the reason why Zimbabwe flopped under Zanu (PF) was never a lack of good ideas. It was bad politics! And almost a year after the unity government came into office in February 2009, Zimbabwe’s politics remain as bad as ever. The political tension has reduced but the violence and human rights abuses continue while perpetrators have been allowed to freely roam the streets.
Agriculture, the mainstay of the economy, remains in chaos as state security agents and Zanu (PF) activists step up a campaign to drive the few remaining white farmers off the land. In other words, the merchants of torture, violence and lawlessness have simply carried on committing rights abuses and acting as if February 2009 never happened. On the other hand, the constitutional reforms touted as probably the most important task for the unity government are in limbo and at risk of being overshadowed by Vice President Joice Mujuru’s rather curious constitutional outreach programme.
It is an embarrassing scorecard for this unity government, which we know in reality has nothing to do with unity because it is a mere collection of bitter political enemies each plotting, day and night, the downfall of the other. Zanu (PF)’s declaration last week that they will not concede any more ground in talks is a declaration of deadlock in negotiations. Mugabe’s party merely put it differently.
Zuma and SADC have no more excuse to continue standing on the sidelines. The SADC must intervene now to make the coalition government work or if it cannot be saved, push for new elections that the regional bloc, the African Union and other interested international bodies must supervise. We see no other option.

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