Mugabe Doesn't Need SADC - Or So He Says

Here we have Robert Mugabe, the illegitimately elected President of Zimbabwe, making a stand against SADC, the guarantors of the cross-party negotiations, denying them any access to the Zimbabwean security chiefs. Mugabe is aware that it is the Joint Operations Command that really runs Zimbabwe, and to preserve his own skin, he has decided to make a stand against SADC.

"Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party has declared that South African President Jacob Zuma will not be allowed to meet the country’s security forces as a dispute over electoral reform intensifies.

President Zuma who was appointed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2009 to mediate in Zimbabwe’s peace talks wanted to get an assurance from the generals that they would not disrupt preparations for a credible election. The commanders of the army, police, prison and intelligence services who are fiercely loyal to President Mugabe are accused of engineering the violence that disrupted previous elections.

They have insisted that they would not salute Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai if he beats the 87 year old ruler in elections because the former opposition leader does not have liberation war credentials.

Zimbabwe’s three governing parties had also appeared to be in agreement that a credible election can only be held next year or in 2013 as major reforms were yet to be implemented.

But in a move that is set to put President Mugabe and President Zuma on a collision course, ZANU PF’s top decision making body the politburo did not only reject the proposed poll time table but also cynically dismissed South Africa’s proposal to engage the generals.

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(Don’t tell anyone, but neither of the so-called War Veteran leaders have liberation war credentials…)

Mugabe has, once again, proved that his signature on the Global Political Agrrement of late 2008 means nothing. And this is something that Mugabe does with frightening regularity.

Publicly, he will say one thing, and when it comes time to pay the piper, he reneges on his initial undertaking.

And he spends a lot of his time accusing very much anyone and any body of doing precidely that – reneging…

"Where on earth have you seen people coming to see security forces of another country? It is nonsensical," ZANU PF spokesman, Mr Rugare Gumbo told the state owned Herald today. The politburo also reiterated that ZANU PF wants elections held this year and would not be stopped by SADC intervention. ZANU PF chief negotiator in the talks Justice Minister Patrick Chinamsa last week had said the parties were agreed that elections can only be held next year or in 2013."

It would appear that Mugabe certainly does not hold the reins of power, and that it is the JOC that makes the key moves in the country.

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man