Commonwealth meeting set to pave way for Zim readmission

By Alex Bell
03 July 2009

A meeting of a Commonwealth committee on Zimbabwe, which is set to host a roundtable discussion in South Africa next week, could pave the way for the possible readmission of the country into the 54-nation grouping.

The group of former British colonies suspended Zimbabwe in 2002 after the widespread violence that characterised, and ultimately cemented, the result of the presidential elections that year. Zimbabwe then quit the grouping in 2003 after then South African President Thabo Mbeki failed to get the suspension lifted. But the Commonwealth is reportedly interested in re-engagement with Zimbabwe, now that the unity government has been formed - provided democracy and the rule of law are restored.

The three-day meeting starts on Tuesday in Johannesburg, and it is hoped that the meeting will also result in the mobilisation of critical humanitarian aid. The discussion was organised by the cmmittee in an effort to re-engage on a humanitarian front. There are also hopes that a special fund to advance humanitarian assistance toe country could be established.

Carl Wright, chairman of the Commonwealth Committee on Zimbabwe, said that the aim of the meeting is to “marshal the Commonwealth’s professional and other networks, in support of existing aid efforts, and the medium to long-term prospects for reconstruction and development in Zimbabwe.”

“We hope that the roundtable will result in practical action plans and
the identification of the necessary resources to take these forward,” Wright said.

According to the programme of next week’s meeting, various working groups will examine the immediate humanitarian crisis across key sectors in the country and formulate responses on a national and international level. Notable participants at the roundtable will be Moeletsi Mbeki (deputy chairman of the South African Institute of International Affairs), Cephas Zinhumwe (Zimbabwe National Association of NGOs), Christine Platt (President of the Commonwealth Association of Planners), Fanie du Toit (Institute for Justice & Reconciliation), Jay Naidoo (chairman of the Development Bank of Southern Africa), and Cyril Ramaphosa, (Commonwealth Business Council).