The ANC delegation to Zimbabwe has scored a diplomatic point after Zanu-PF agreed they should meet the opposition and civil society groups on their next trip to Harare.
Source: We will meet Chamisa next time: ANC delegation – The Zimbabwean
The Ace Magashule-led team drawn from the ANC national executive and working committees arrived in the capital on Tuesday to meet Zanu-PF leaders on Wednesday.
The party-to-party meeting was to discuss the escalating political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe. Since July, with a crackdown on opposition politicians and journalists characterised by kidnappings and torture, the country’s woes have drawn international attention. Zanu-PF, however, insists there is no crisis in the country.
Magashule told journalists there was an agreement between Zanu-PF and the delegation that on the next visit the South Africans should meet rival parties.
“We felt that together with Zanu-PF, indeed there is no problem in meeting with the structures. Therefore, we are going to make arrangements to once more come back and meet these organisations,” he said.
Magashule singled out Zapu, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, the MDC Alliance and the US ambassador to Zimbabwe as some of the people they would meet.
This was the second visit by emissaries from SA in a month. On both occasions they met Zanu-PF leaders only.
Members of the opposition and civil society said meetings that excluded them would not solve Zimbabwe’s crisis.
Some government critics felt the resolution to meet them was a step in the right direction, comparing it to former president Thabo Mbeki’s policy of “quiet diplomacy” that forced Zanu-PF under the late Robert Mugabe to negotiate, resulting in a government of national unity.
This time around, some sections of the opposition and civil society are calling for a similar power-sharing deal to put an end to the country’s problems.
Zanu-PF sources told TimesLIVE that because SA had in the past offered to help its neighbour lobby for the removal of sanctions imposed by the US, UK and the EU and possible economic assistance, the ANC commanded its respect.
COMMENTS
I don’t know why but this report’s title made me think of a recent newspaper story telling that a lady called Vera Lynn sang for soldiers leaving Durban harbour in the 1940s for the war in the Middle East.
The chorus of her song went something like, “We’ll meet again sometime, though the road is steep and very hard to climb”.
Yes, this new ANC delegation might try and meet with opposition parties in Zimbabwe on their next visit. However, that road will be steep and very hard to climb if ED and his cohorts have any say in the planning of, and the agenda for, the meeting.
I want a candid, full, and public explanation as to why they did not meet with the opposition on their first visit. Just what reason did Mnangagwa and ZANUPF give them that they were not allowed.
“ZANUPF agreed…”. So, it does take ZANUPF’s approval to meet with others beside ZANUPF. ZANUPF’s idea of “democracy in action”.
My guess is that ZANUPF’s requirement is that they be represented in meetings with any others, and ZANUPF will determine exactly which individuals are identified as “opposition” and “civic society”. You see where i’m going with this… there are those who are ZANUPF-sponsored “opposition in name only” or who want to protect their dubious relationship with the party. You know who they are.
So far, I’m calling it a typical farce, them caring only about the optics… but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. The ZANUPF agenda has been displayed so open and undeniable by their actions that them attempting to distract from it shows them to be embarrassingly sophomoric role-players rather than responsible adults.