ZANU-PF AND MDC MUST "ASSIST" MBEKI!

Zimbabwe: MDC and government should find solution to cushion Mbeki May 29, 2007 10:59 AM       http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=858   OPPOSITION Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and the government of Zimbabwe should illustrate seriousness in finding a solution to the country's crisis to cushion President Thabo Mbeki's facilitation of political dialogue in Zimbabwe , Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in her budget vote debate in the National Assembly on Tuesday.   "The success of President Mbeki's facilitation largely depends on the political will of the Zimbabwean government and opposition political parties to take Zimbabwe out of this crisis," Dlamini-Zuma said.   Mbeki has been mandated by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to facilitate dialogue between the government and opposition in Zimbabwe.   The Democratic Alliance, meanwhile, has described as "regrettable" the South African government's lack of condemnation of the situation in Zimbabwe.   "Daily, thousands of Zimbabweans illegally enter South Africa in search of money and food in order to keep their families alive," said DA foreign affairs spokesperson Douglas Gibson.   "The Department of Foreign Affairs should make it clear that they would not support a government that does this to its citizens," he said.   However, the Inkatha Freedom Party said the talks are doomed to fail if ordinary Zimbabweans, Churches and the country's business community are excluded in the negotiations.   National Constitutional Assembly chairman Dr Lovemore Madhuku recently dismissed South African Mbeki involvement in Zimbabwe's dialogue process as a ploy to buy more time for embattled President Robert Mugabe.   He said solutions to the Zimbabwe crisis lay with Zimbabweans; putting faith in Mbeki was "a waste of time".   Madhuku said Zimbabweans must ratchet up pressure on the 83-year-old Zimbabwean leader and his government by staging massive demonstrations in the coming months.   "We have solutions to our problems and these solutions come from Zimbabweans. Mbeki must never fool us. He is buying time for Mugabe and his government by promising us that he can help mediate on the crisis.   "All Mbeki wants is time for his friend (Mugabe). Mbeki does not want us to have demonstrations or put pressure on Mugabe. We have seen Mbeki before. What has he done for us? As Zimbabweans we must realise the power and means of escaping poverty and hunger lie within us", he said.

Reverse Comment Order Added: May 30, 2007 02:32 AM Cushion Mbeki? What for? It's all very well to say that the MDC must come up with the goods to "cushion" Mbeki. Howcome Mbeki hasn't come up with the goods to cushion the people of Zimbabwe against human rights abuses of Mugabe? The truth is that Mbeki's "Quiet diplomacy" has been very good for South Africa and for Mugabe. The ANC government has been very active in it's quiet diplomacy and much of this has been to assist Mugabe stay in power. If Mbeki was sincere, he wouldn't be a mediator, he would step aside for someone who was not partisan. If Mbeki was sincere, he would stop Mugabe's current nationawide head bashing and torture of Zimbabwe's main opposition under Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC. So they talk whilst their people are being brutalised, very strange indeed. The talks about talks should cease forthwith until Mbeki stops Mugabe's violence. Only then should talks about talks resume. I presume that readers are aware that the focus of these attacks are on Morgan Tsvangirai's faction and not on the other faction. This should not be overlooked because it is part of the Mbeki/Mugabe strategy to form a national interim government between zanupf and the other MDC faction of the Rocket Scientist. Mbeki will then go to the world and tell them that he has agreement between the MDC and zanupf, leaving Tsvangirai out in the cold. This is what Zimbabweans should be worried about, not cushioning an enemy who may as well be wearing zanupf colours. Do not trust Mbeki, not for one second. He is a trojan horse and will sell the people of Zimbabwe down the river to ensure that a liberation movement (zanupf) remains in control. By:   P Mangwende

 

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