Mugabe Seeks To Unseat SADC Mediator Zuma

"President Robert Mugabe has intensified his fight against an emerging consensus among SADC leaders for him to go, by among other tactics, trying to sideline and remove no-nonsense facilitator President Jacob Zuma.

Well-placed SADC sources told the Daily News yesterday that Mugabe had now identified Zuma as his biggest problem. This was because the South African president was "unshakable in his impartiality and determination" to see an election roadmap in Zimbabwe that would usher in a credible election next year or in 2013, that would be devoid of violence and rigging as happened in the disputed 2008 presidential election runoff.

The sources also said their own intelligence had established that Mugabe and his ZANU PF party were pushing for Zuma’s isolation because they were aware that they could not win a fair election. To that extent, Mugabe and his ZANU PF viewed Zuma’s drive for a mutually agreed roadmap within the Global Political Agreement (GPA) context as an attack on Mugabe and the former ruling party."

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So, Mugabe has decided that Zuma's work is done. I would disagree with him, only because Zuma didn't do anything! He did even less than he predecessor, Thabu Mbeki... and that is saying something!

So who does Mugabe want as a mediator? One of his fawning regional leaders? The choice of a mediator should not fall to Mugabe, but should be influenced by SADC who are the guarantors of the GPA - and if they decide to leave Zuma in place, tough on Mugabe!

(He will probably then withdraw from any negotiations - and just play the waiting game.)

"Mugabe last week made two remarkable moves. Firstly, the 87-year-old - who has been to the Far East for medical reasons five times since December - effectively declared himself fit to rule for life. He then unsuccessfully attempted to foist his agenda for an early election at Friday’s SADC summit in Namibia that Zuma did not attend.

SADC firmly rebuffed the bid.

"We are totally against the idea of a new election roadmap as it means re-negotiating the Global Political Agreement instead of implementing it," read ZANU PF’s position paper that was circulated in Windhoek. Mugabe had, through the position paper, tried to take advantage of Zuma’s absence to overturn resolutions of the SADC troika on politics, defence and security which called for an end to violence, the full implementation of the GPA and elections only after the roadmap has been completed.

But one of the top SADC officials who spoke to the Daily News yesterday said Mugabe’s attempts to attack and weaken Zuma and his facilitation team was "backfiring badly"."

Mugabe, if he doesn't get his own way, will now closet himself with his party, away from the negotiations and calculate his next move, which will probably include a verbal whip lashing for the West, a complaint-ridden whinge at SADC and a step-up in violence against the Zimbabwean people.

Who needs a crystal ball when it comes to Mugabe and ZANU PF?

"Among other "ill-considered moves" by ZANU PF, the former ruling party had written to Zuma demanding the removal of Ambassador Lindiwe Zulu from the facilitation team, "alleging rather ridiculously" that she was biased against ZANU PF.

The SADC insider said this move was being interpreted by the region as a very direct way by Mugabe and his party of asking Zuma to step aside from his facilitation work.

"This is surprising because Mugabe is literally biting the hand that feeds him. What future is there for Mugabe, ZANU PF and Zimbabwe without South Africa’s immense sacrifice for its neighbour. Without Zuma and the GPA that he has kept together at great cost to him personally and his country, Mugabe would not be president anyway.

"Nevertheless, Mugabe is wasting time because SADC is sick and tired of his machinations. He wants to trick us into believing that President Zuma is biased but it’s far from it.

"We are aware that Zuma’s frankness has rattled Mugabe and that is why he brought in his position paper which was ignored. Now they are spreading propaganda that it is Mugabe who said Zimbabwe must be discussed in the presence of President Zuma and other political players," the official said."

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man