Monday, December 7, 2009

South Africa Signals Tougher Zimbabwe Stance


JOHANNESBURG -- President Jacob Zuma's recent appointment of a team of envoys to monitor the unity government in neighboring Zimbabwe could mark a departure from the quiet diplomacy employed by South Africa under former President Thabo Mbeki.




Zuma took over the mediation role in the Zimbabwean crisis last month, and appointed a three-person team two weeks ago to oversee the functioning of Zimbabwe's national unity government. Established on Feb. 15, the coalition government in Harare has been threatened by sharp differences between the country's two main political rivals, President Robert Mugabe's ZANU (PF) party and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's principal MDC formation.



The South African team is headed by Charles Nqakula, a former defense minister who is also Zuma's political adviser. The other two members are Mac Maharaj, a former transport minister who is currently South Africa's special envoy to Zimbabwe, and Lindiwe Zulu, Zuma's foreign policy adviser.



Analysts say that Zuma's team, which they described as "tough as nails," is likely to come up with recommendations that will put an end of Mugabe's obstructionism. Mugabe has previously taken advantage of South Africa's reluctance take a more muscular role in negotiations in order to maintain his grip on power, to the detriment of his coalition partners.



"This brings to an end the business-as-usual approach that has been employed by South Africa in the past," said Emmanuel Hlabangana, a human rights lawyer and director for Diaspora Dialogue. "The fact that President Zuma has appointed a team of proven negotiators, a team with integrity who can break the deadlock, shows his will to resolve the Zimbabwean crisis immediately and concentrate on [South Africa]."



Another analyst, who requested anonymity, said that Zuma, now under immense pressure from his coalition partners within the African National Congress (ANC) party -- especially the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) -- needs to get Mugabe into line to ease domestic pressure back home.

* WPR