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Civil society demands more from talks
Stanley Kwenda, IPS
August 16, 2008

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43582

"The person with the least votes determines how the talks should go" -- protesters say no.

A barrage of banners denouncing Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe greeted passersby in the well-manicured gardens of Johannesburg's Sandton Convention Centre, where that country's political crisis is high on the agenda of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit.

"Mugabe must go. Red card for Mugabe. The world stands with Zimbabwe's people," read some of the banners carried by protesters who swarmed the environs of the convention centre on Friday before marching through the streets of Sandton.

The march was meant to send a message to SADC leaders that they must act decisively on the Zimbabwean crisis which has pushed several million Zimbabweans to seek sanctuary in neighboring countries. As many as 3 million fleeing state violence and a collapsing economy are believed to have sought refuge in South Africa alone.

The march, organized by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, was attended by hundreds of Zimbabweans living in Johannesburg and others who came in busloads from other South African cities. But it was the huge army of Zimbabwean civil society organizations at the march which was most striking.

"We are here to let the SADC leaders know that any negotiations without the wishes of the people will not succeed and that's what we are here for," Jenni Williams, the leader of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise told IPS. "We don't want elite talks aimed at parceling out power we want talks that will benefit all the people and as women we are pushing for our recognition, it's not too late."

Zimbabwean civil society organizations have been pushing to be included in the SADC-mediated talks between the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Talks were deadlocked last week, the sticking point believed to be disagreements over power-sharing.

"The differences are irreparable, both parties want power but they are not prepared to share it. We now have to take the matter away from politicians and establish a government of national unity to run the country for two years then we can have fresh elections," said Lovemore Madhuku, from Zimbabwe's National Constitutional Assembly.

He said Zimbabwe does not need the SADC-mandated talks but an inclusive solution that can only come through a change of the governance system. "SADC and AU must put a timeline to these talks, they cannot drag on like this, if they fail then a transitional authority headed by neither Mugabe nor Tsvangirai should be put in place."

But Elinor Sisulu, the head of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition office in South Africa, said it was encouraging that the talks are taking place.

"Yes, the talks have been problematic, but we have to acknowledge that they are offering an alternative. The only problem is that they are being held in secrecy and they are elitist. They are sort of alienating political leaders from their constituencies. The people's voice is not visible," Sisulu told IPS. She added that any outcome of the talks should reflect the will of the people and recognise the results of the March 29 election which is widely believed to have been won by the MDC.

"If this is not the case the MDC should return to its constituency and consult the people on further action," Sisulu said.

Thomas Deve, policy analyst for Africa at the United Nations Millennium Campaign office in Nairobi, Kenya, was in agreement with Sisulu, saying that despite the failure to reach an agreement so far the talks have provided a relief for the suffering masses in Zimbabwe.

"The most important thing is that the talks have offered ordinary Zimbabweans a chance to breathe after being choked by violence and given political parties time to reflect on what is going wrong in Zimbabwe."

He said SADC should not be satisfied merely by the fact that the rival political parties are talking.

"It's time for SADC to rein in Mugabe because democracy is being subverted when the person with the least votes determines how the talks should go. It's a fraud. If they are failing to agree then they should try something (else). A transitional authority is the way to go," said Deve.

Despite divergent opinions on the way forward among the Zimbabwean civil society groups, they seem to be in agreement on one point: the formation of a transitional authority.

"We would rather prefer a transitional authority for two years at most. We will not be under any illusion that SADC will provide an answer to the Zimbabwean crisis, the deal that SADC is negotiating for is elitist for us its aluta continua," Munyaradzi Gwisai, the leader of the Zimbabwe Socialist Movement, told IPS.

Meanwhile, power sharing talks between Zimbabwe's political rivals continued on the sidelines of the summit with rumours that a deal is on the horizon. All parties attended the SADC summit with Mugabe taking his place among regional leaders while the two MDC leaders sat in the observer gallery.

South African president Thabo Mbeki, mandated by SADC to mediate talks, said he was confident of a deal and urged other regional leaders to help Zimbabwe achieve stability as he assumed the chairmanship of regional body. Sources close to the negotiations told IPS that SADC leaders have proposed that the two political parties should share power equally.

But by the time the regional leaders sat down for the heads of state dinner at the Sandton Convention Centre on Saturday night, no deal had been inked.

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