Mbeki’s mediation role more suspect after A.U. summit

By Tererai Karimakwenda
July 02, 2008

There has been much criticism of the role played by South African President Thabo Mbeki at the African Union summit in Egypt this week, and in the days leading up to it. Reports said Mbeki was lobbying African leaders to accept Mugabe as the legitimate leader of Zimbabwe, and he made it clear that he favours a government of national unity, that features Mugabe at it’s head. South Africa has also been joining China and Russia in blocking resolutions for sanctions at the UN Security Council. The MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai last week called for Mbeki to be removed as the SADC mediator on the crisis.

The meetings on Zimbabwe at this 11th Ordinary Session of the A.U. were held behind closed doors, but it is quite clear that the final resolutions made by the heads of state on Tuesday reflect Mbeki’s own policies on Zimbabwe. The African leaders called for a continuation of the SADC talks mediated by Mbeki, and for the MDC and ZANU-PF to negotiate a government of national unity.

The MDC immediately reacted and on Wednesday they released a statement that said in part:
“The MDC's reservations about the mediation process under President Mbeki are well known. It is our position that unless the mediation team is expanded to include at least one permanent representative from the African Union, and the mediation mechanism is changed, no meaningful progress can be made towards resolving the Zimbabwean crisis. If this does not happen then the MDC will not be part of such a mediation process.”

Luke Tamborinyoka, the MDC Information Secretary, explained that Mbeki’s efforts as SADC mediator produced no results after a year of secret talks between the two parties. He said: “SADC is not Africa and the A.U., as the continental body, should send someone to assist with the Zimbabwe crisis”.

Mbeki also failed to pressure Mugabe to comply with some of the changes to the Constitution that had been agreed to at the talks. Embarking on more talks serves only to extend Mugabe’s term in office and plays into ZANU-PF’s strategy of delaying progress.

Zimbabweans had pinned their hopes for a resolution of the crisis on the summit at Sharm el Sheik, but Tamborinyoka described the result as ‘milk and water’ resolutions that did not take into account the negative reports submitted by the A.U., SADC and PAP observers who monitored the presidential runoff on June 27.

Mbeki is also under pressure at home in South Africa. On Wednesday the opposition Democratic Alliance party released a statement that said: “Reports from the UN Security Council indicate that South Africa is again collaborating with Russia and China to shield Zimbabwe from international isolation. By turning a blind eye to human rights violations in Zimbabwe and the outcome of a farce election, South Africa is complicit in defending the political situation in Zimbabwe. South Africa still has a moral responsibility to ensure that the will of the people of Zimbabwe prevails; part of that solution is to exert strong pressure on those responsible for stealing the election from the people, by imposing travel bans and asset seizures on them.”