Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is on a collision course with Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party after he endorsed President Robert Mugabe’s controversial decision to award his ruling ZANU PF party all the powerful ministries that the opposition want shared equally. Mbeki’s decision, contained in his facilitator’s report of which we have a copy, is likely to derail his entire mediation exercise in Zimbabwe as the MDC has come out with guns blazing and written him a “scathing response” telling the ousted South African leader that he has outlived his usefulness as mediator and must therefore quit. In his report, Mbeki largely supports the allocation of portfolios as unilaterally gazetted by Mugabe two weeks back with a few amendments proposed during Mbeki’s failed mediation mission last week.

“The facilitation commends the current allocation of ministerial posts to the parties for their adoption,” said Mbeki’s report in reference to the allocation decreed by Mugabe plus the few variations to the finance and home affairs portfolios. To the extent possible, all the parties have been allocated portfolios which allow them to have a presence in each of the priority sectors identified above.” Mbeki was referring to the urgent priority sectors identified in the power-sharing agreement signed on September 15. These seven priority tasks for the new unity government were the restoration of economic stability, delivery of social services, the rule of law, adoption of a new constitution, the land question, restructuring state organs and institutions, and national healing, cohesion and unity. Mbeki argued that these priority tasks should define which among the portfolios would serve as key ministries and should also be regarded as the common standard of measuring equity in power sharing. He then went on to analyse the ministries as allocated by Mugabe against each of the seven priority areas above.

The former President concluded that Mugabe’s gazetted list was fair as it would allow all three parties to play a role in these priority tasks, an argument fiercely rejected by Tsvangirai’s MDC (MDC-T). Mugabe had already rejected MDC-T’s proposal on allotting ministries submitted to Mbeki. For instance, Mbeki said MDC-T would play a key role in the priority area of writing a new constitution as it had been allocated the Ministry of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs. Mbeki also endorsed a proposal by Arthur Mutambara, who heads a breakaway faction of the MDC, and supported by Mugabe for Tsvangirai and ZANU PF to share the Ministry of Home Affairs on a rotational six-month basis. This, he said, would enable both parties to partake in the other priority task of restoring the rule of law. But the proposal had been rejected as not feasible by Tsvangirai who wanted sole control of home affairs, responsible for the police, since Mugabe already controlled state security and defence.

In Mbeki’s view, the list gazetted by Mugabe would allow Tsvangirai to play a key role in the priority area of restoration of economic stability since he would control the Ministry of Finance, which Mugabe had agreed to relinquish, as well as other ministries like economic planning and investment promotions, energy and power development, state enterprises and parastatals. But MDC-T also rejected that argument, noting that Mugabe had given himself control of all resource-based ministries like mines and mining development, agriculture, lands and resettlement, environment and natural resources and tourism. This would effectively keep the MDC away from all the critical resource-based ministries considered critical for economic transformation. Mbeki’s analysis on the priority areas effectively endorsed Mugabe’s own unilateral allocation.

Mbeki’s report did not even mention other key ministries disputed by MDC-T like defence, state security, information, foreign affairs and others as they did not directly fall in line with his suggestion of using priority tasks in the September 15 agreement to determine designation and allocation of lead ministries. These portfolios would therefore remain in Mugabe’s hands. MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti said he was not at liberty to comment on the facilitator’s controversial report. “We are shocked that you have that confidential document. We have however responded directly to him (Mbeki) but we won’t comment on our response in the media,” said Biti. However, ZimOnline is informed that the MDC-T’s response is so scathing and effectively accuses Mbeki of being Mugabe’s hatchet man. It asks him to “retire” as mediator, one source said.

Mbeki’s spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga refused to comment saying the Zimbabwe talks were not being carried out in public. Mugabe has himself publicly boasted that his unilaterally gazetted list leaves him in “the driving seat” in government. MDC officials are therefore puzzled that Mbeki endorses the same list with slight pro-Mugabe variations. Meanwhile, the MDC-T, which boycotted a Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) troika summit on Monday over the Zimbabwe government’s decision to refuse Tsvangirai a passport, has threatened not to participate in the troika’s meeting rescheduled for next week in Harare if authorities persist with denying the MDC leader his passport.

(Source)