SADC Mediation Team Threatened With Arrest

Following the humiliation of Mugabe in Livingstone last week, and Mugabe's remarks upon his return that a mediator cannot dictate to him, the Commissioner-General of the police, himself a dyed-in-the-wool ZANU PF apologist, Augustine Chihuri, has threatened to arrest South African negotiators when they visit Zimbabwe if they were to repeat the SADC claims.

This, for me, is proof enough that Mugabe only entered the coalition to buy himself and his ZANU PF party time to regroup before re-employing his underhand tactics to regain the upper hand in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe forgets to mention, whenever he is near a microphone, that his party lost the general election in 2008, and he was only 're-elected' after Morgan Tsvangirai was forced to withdraw from the second round of voting in the Presidential election following the anti-MDC violence.

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"Robert Mugabe's outspoken police Commissioner and ZANU PF's loyalist Augustine Chihuri has attacked SADC Troika Communiqué of March 31, 2011 and threatened to arrest South African negotiators scheduled to arrive in Harare this week if they repeat its claims.

In an interview with the State media, the feisty police Commissioner, who sometimes behaves like a ZANU PF Political Commissar said he doubted on the credibility and basis for the SADC Troika Communiqué of March 31, 2011, and shot down claims by the Prime Minister, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai that police have been conducting themselves in a partisan manner.”

Since when does the chief of police of a member state of SADC threaten to arrest a mediation team, representing SADC and the SADC-appointed mediator, because they might agree with the conclusions drawn by regional leaders at a SADC conference?

Arrest them? For what?

Since when is passing the opinion of a regional bloc to be considered illegal? Even in Zimbabwe?

The reaction Augustine Chihuri - a self-confessed supporter of Mugabe's ZANU PF party - proves the point that SADC sought to put in place. Doesn't he realise that?

I do believe that the time for SADC's involvement in the Zimbabwean crisis to either cease entirely and leave the problem to be handled by another body - the AU perhaps - or they have to get distinctly more involved than allowing the mediator - South Africa President, Jacob Zuma - to abandon the 'silent diplomacy' policy adopted when it comes the Zimbabwe.

“A tense and visibly irritated South African International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane took a stern line with Zimbabwe’s unity government yesterday.

"We will refuse the temptation to respond in anger because we have a responsibility to focus on the mandate given (to us) by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as facilitators," she said at a briefing in Pretoria. She said SA remained resolute that it would enforce the conditions of the Global Political Agreement.

It was forged three years ago and culminated in the formation of a coalition government between Zimbabwe’s main political parties.

ZANU PF and the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) agreed to draft a new constitution before elections were held. However, President Robert Mugabe vowed to hold elections this year and accused SADC leaders of interfering in the affairs of his country.

Ms Nkoana-Mashabane said the inclusive government of Zimbabwe should finalise constitutional amendments and hold a referendum, which were "necessary steps for the holding of elections".

"SADC remains the guarantor for the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement. So there’s no lowering of the guard by SADC on playing that role," she said. "The status quo (the agreement) remains because that’s the mandate we got from the people of Zimbabwe."

Ms Nkoana-Mashabane distanced the Zuma administration from former president Thabo Mbeki ’s "quiet diplomacy", insisting President Jacob Zuma had a different approach."

With regards to the cross-party negotiations, Mugabe’s stance on the alleged ‘illegal economic’ sanctions in place against Mugabe and many of his sidekicks has stalled that endeavour. Mugabe has also refused - point blank - to implement any of the concessions that his party have agreed to.

In typical Mugabe fashion, he pushes the envelope so far and then just shuts up shop.

"We will be in Zimbabwe tomorrow (today) to continue our facilitation work," said Zulu.

"We will be meeting the negotiators and other stakeholders, depending on the issues which will arise. We are basically following up on the issues we have been working on, such as the implementation of the GPA and the election roadmap."

She declined to reveal the specific agenda, but sources said the team wanted all partners to respect and implement the GPA, as this would create an environment conducive for an undisputable election.

The team is eager to have an election roadmap which will result in a clean divorce of the GNU partners without throwing the country into further turmoil.”

Whether the ZRP chief decides to follow through on his threat to arrest the mediation team remains to be seen. The potential damage to the GPA would be devastating, but would prove to SADC, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Mugabe is playing mind games.

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man