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Details emerge from Tsvangirai-Zuma meeting
Zimbabwe Metro
April 08, 2008

http://zimbabwemetro.com/2008/04/08/details-emerge-from-tsvangirai-zuma-meeting/

Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, met Jacob Zuma in Johannesburg on Monday as part of the MDC leader's appeal to the international community to intervene in the Zimbabwean crisis, details of the meeting are emerging.

The "secret" meeting with the ANC leader took place at Luthuli House on Monday morning on the initiative of the Zimbabwean presidential hopeful, while President Thabo Mbeki was wrapping up a round of meetings in Britain.

'Will you support us?'

ANC party spokesperson Jessie Duarte confirmed that the meeting had indeed taken place, but was not aware of the content.

However, a source close to the ANC leader explained the visit as an attempt "to secure support from the ANC, not so much from South Africa, but support from one party to another. From the ANC to the MDC."

It is also understood that the two party leaders discussed the "best possible options" for Zimbabwe's opposition movement in the event that "Robert Mugabe chooses to use force to remain in power without the appropriate endorsement of his people" or to meet Tsvangirai in a violent run-off.

"This was really about the MDC asking the ANC: 'Will you support us?'" the source explained.

Although the detail of the MDC strategy is unclear, Metro understands that the ANC would be willing to support the Zimbabwean party "in any attempt to secure a peaceful, negotiated settlement" that would break the present impasse and include the country's main players.

'African leaders must surely now say no to Mugabe'

It is also understood that Zuma appealed to Tsvangirai "not to go down the Kenya route".

"Zuma is strongly against violence over elections," the source says.

The ANC leader encouraged his MDC counterpart to "put pressure on Southern African Development Community and South Africa to exert whatever influence they can over Mugabe not to remain in power".

Earlier last month Gwede Mantashe the ANC secretary-general says he was declared persona non grata while he was part of the aborted trade union fact-finding mission that was deported by Zimbabwe's authorities in 2005.

"I have never observed elections in Zimbabwe. I cannot enter that country because I have been declared persona non grata. I can only observe from a distance," Mantashe said.

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