Mugabe Party Heads for New Dispute With Zuma

Kitsepile Nyathi

12 May 2011

Harare — 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.

“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.

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