Zanu-PF wary of Zuma's new team

By Stanley Gama 

HARARE: The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is encouraged by South Africa’s appointment of new mediators for Zimbabwe, but President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF is wary.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC believes former cabinet ministers Charles Nqakula and Mac Maharaj and Zuma’s international relations adviser, Lindiwe Zulu, can help break its impasse with Zanu-PF over fulfilling all the requirements of the unity government’s founding agreement.

The team’s appointment ends Thabo Mbeki’s mediation role in Zimbabwe. The MDC has frequently accused Mbeki of being biased towards Mugabe.

“I think the new team will add the extra sense of urgency, precision and objectivity to the negotiations,” said MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa    .

Some well-placed Zanu-PF officials are uneasy, with a party politburo member saying the negotiations will become tough for his party.

“With Mbeki we would be under no pressure because he sympathised with Zanu-PF and did not get on really well with the MDC,” he said.

“The truth of the matter is that with Mbeki there was some kind of protection for us, but with Zuma it could be different. Zuma himself has in the past condemned us, even before he became president.

“Maharaj is also tough and wants things done properly, and this Lindiwe Zulu is a professional and not a politician, so it won’t be easy.”

A Tsvangirai aide predicted there would be a breakthrough in the negotiations.

“The reason why we are still negotiating a deal that was signed a year ago is that Mbeki and his facilitation team were not fair on us,” the aide said.

“But we have every reason to believe that the new team will be fair and will not show open support for one political party. A breakthrough is imminent.”

Pedzisai Ruhanya    , chairman of Zimbabwe Journalists for Human Rights, said Zuma would succeed because he was tough with both sides.

“He has brought with him professional people whom we think are fair.” SA Mercury