Back to Index

Elders to visit Zimbabwe despite government snub
Violet Gonda, SW Radio Africa
November 20, 2008

http://www.swradioafrica.com/News201108/elders201108.htm

A showdown is looming between the Mugabe regime and the globally respected group of Elders. The group, led by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said it will be going ahead with plans to visit Zimbabwe to assess the escalating humanitarian crisis. This is in spite of reports in the state controlled Herald newspaper saying the group had been told to postpone their intended visit.

A spokesperson for the group told SW Radio Africa on Thursday "there is no change of plan" and the mission will be arriving in Zimbabwe on Saturday. The spokesperson said: "The Elders have written to President Mugabe to seek a meeting in Harare, but have received no formal reply."

Annan will be joined by former United States President Jimmy Carter, and international advocate for women and children's rights Graça Machel - wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela. They have experience in conflict resolution and belong to a group of prominent personalities and former statesmen, who include Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The delegates say the purpose of the visit is to meet those working on the ground to better assess the extent of the crisis and how assistance can be improved.

But, according to the Herald a 'government' source said the group was advised to delay the visit claiming this was not a convenient time "as Zimbabwe was currently occupied with the ongoing inclusive government talks and preparations for the summer cropping season."

The regime also accuses the Elders of having some members, such as Annan and Tutu, who are hostile to them and who favour the Tsvangirai MDC.

However in a statement issued on Thursday Annan stressed: "We have sought meetings with political leaders in Zimbabwe and would be pleased to hear their views. As we said earlier, we have no intention of becoming involved in the ongoing political negotiations in Zimbabwe. My colleagues and I look forward to our visit."

The news comes as the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights announced on Thursday that there is an extremely serious situation in Zimbabwe that has resulted in the total collapse of the health delivery system.

Many hospitals throughout the country have been forced to shut down, while sick patients go home and often simply die. In Harare alone the two government maternity hospitals are closed, putting the lives of pregnant women in grave danger.

Aid groups and journalists say the situation in the country is beyond belief, with Zimbabweans burying family members almost everyday and spending the rest of their time in queues for food, fuel and cash.

Associated Press correspondent Angus Shaw says starving villagers are competing with wild animals for fruits and berries and that many are dying from malnutrition.

It is reports like this that have left many people wondering why the Mugabe regime would try and block this group of globally respected leaders, who want to offer their experience and independent voices to support innovative and cooperative approaches to addressing the problems.

Journalist Innocent Chofamba writes: These are mature diplomats whose operational strategy is not to appear disagreeable to the people they seek to engage - otherwise how do you bridge gaps and facilitate conciliation? It is obvious that their mission is not to come for the mere pointless satisfaction of announcing on Zimbabwean soil their 'utter condemnation' of the regime. Zimbabwe's foreign policy right now appears utterly uncreative and still locked in the Third Chimurenga propagandistic mode. You don't rubbish everyone and tell them off because you think they report to 'imperialist masters'."

Civic leader Jenni Williams said people are desperate for the Elders to go to Zimbabwe but their mission must be more than just issuing a report. "One of the key considerations right now is that they should be considering finding pilots brave enough to fly over Zimbabwe and to just drop food. This is how crucial this catastrophe is and if they can organise things like that, that will be a step further than just writing reports," the leader of Women of Zimbabwe Arise said.

Meanwhile, Zimbabweans will have to brace themselves for another round of negotiations between the political rivals. Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, the facilitator of the Zimbabwe talks, has summoned the negotiators representing the three main parties to South Africa next week, to discuss the draft of the Constitutional Amendment Number 19 Bill. The Tsvangirai MDC claim the draft was sent to Mbeki by Zanu PF, who compiled it without consulting the MDC.

The MDC said: "As far as we are concerned, the draft that has been sent to Mbeki is a Zanu PF document with Zanu PF perspectives. Our draft is also ready and will be sent to Mbeki for consideration. The final Bill to be tabled before parliament should be inclusive of the three main political parties' views."

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP