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MDC ups stakes and urges SADC to broaden mediation talks
Tichaona Sibanda, SW Radio Africa
August 14, 2007

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news140807/mdcsadc140807.htm

The Movement for Democratic Change on Tuesday appealed to the Southern African Development Community to broaden the Zimbabwe initiative and include other SADC Heads of State.

Apparently concerned at the slow pace of the mediation talks, the MDC made it clear the current initiative by President Thabo Mbeki has failed to stop the country cascading further into chaos. MDC Vice-President Thokozani Khupe said nothing concrete has emerged from the talks since SADC Heads of State mandated President Mbeki to find a lasting solution to the crisis five months ago.

Speaking to Newsreel from Lusaka, Khupe said by adding one or two Heads of State to help Mbeki would ensure a 'fair outcome' to the crisis because they felt the initiative was too much work for one individual. Analysts however believe Mbeki's closeness to Mugabe has always compromised his position as an impartial mediator.

'We feel the burden of such a critical issue as the Zimbabwe question cannot be put solely and exclusively on the shoulders of President Thabo Mbeki alone. The problems in Zimbabwe are multiplying by the day so its obvious President Mbeki is finding it hard to keep up with the growing crisis,' Khupe said.

Pointing out the state sanctioned violence specifically targeted at the MDC, Khupe said 600 of their members have in the last two months been victims of 'this callously violent regime.'

Another 200 of their branch party leaders have fled the country into South Africa.

Khupe, who is also the MDC MP for Makokoba in Bulawayo, said any rational analysis indicated that the situation in Zimbabwe has negative regional implications. She added that the processes of regional integration couldn't meaningfully progress while there is a pariah state run by unrepentant and ruthless dictators like Mugabe.

'This kind of environment does not provide a reliable basis and foundation for meaningful negotiations in line with the SADC initiative. The conditions simply do not exist for this SADC initiative to come out with acceptable results,' Khupe said.

The MDC Vice-President stressed that they believe the Zimbabwe crisis is an African problem which has to, and is capable of, being resolved by Africans.

'While we are fully supportive of the SADC initiative presided over by President Thabo Mbeki, we are extremely concerned at the pace at which the process is taking. We are convinced that the process could move faster to give birth to agreements that could become practical political facts on the ground, cognizant of the expected Presidential and Parliamentary elections in March 2008,' said Khupe.

According to Khupe, the MDC hopes that SADC will act quickly and decisively to avert a complete catastrophe of unimagined proportions in Zimbabwe. She said it was not too late for SADC and all democratic forces to act.

'As each day passes without a meaningful and concrete step being made, we are moving towards a catastrophe. We do not want to go that way,' she added.

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