Mbeki to chart way forward in Zim talks

Mbeki has demonstrated his bias towards Mugabe and ZAU-pf again and again; he is therefore not equipped to be a facilitator or mediator. He has far too many prejudices, personal agendas and ideologies of his own to be impartial. It is time he stood aside for a better man and a real peacemaker who can act impartially.

The talks are dead and buried, something obvious even to the blind. In usual circumstances Mbeki should be heading back to the SADC Council who gave him the Zim mediating mandate in the first place to report this. What is amazing is that he is not, still maintaining the talks are still alive while Zimbabwe is burning. What and to whose benefit is this? One wonders what has happened to the AU and UN involvement to bolster Mbeki's mediating efforts. This is giving more ammunition and reason for Mugabe to put in place cabinet, and portray Tsvangirai as the stumbling block in the talks so that the SADC could come down on him like a tonne of bricks, an arm twisting measure to make him sign the deal. One often wonders why Mbeki would like to keep Mugabe in power by hook and crook. Is Mbeki trying to secure himself a hiding place, for Mugabe is known for habouring fleeing dictators and thugs, like Mengistu, Van Hoogastran, Rautenbach, Bredenkamp, Intaharamwe remnants, you name them. The arms deal issue won't go away. Is Mbeki fearful for his own neck if the NPA, courts and parliament decide to launch further investigations? Just why is Mbeki being suicidal by wanting to sink together with Mugabe?

How can the M&G use a headline like this. President Mbeki has failed at every stumbling block as a facilitator in these talks. Most of us will not even buy Mbeki will "try too" in this headline.
He has failed end of story! His bias towards Mugabe is so obvious I do not believe he even started.

Good to see that the M and G is at least naming its soures now, when it parrots the Herald and the zanu govt mouthpiece.

If you want to check out the zim standard, www.thezimbabwestandard.com there is a report of an interview where Tsvangarai ays Mbeki WROTE THE "AGREEMENT" PERSONALLY, and then pressured the MDC to sign.

So it's Mbeki who wants Mugabe as "president for life" and a puppet MDC and Mugabe to drive around in a Rolls Royce with policemen in pith helmets playing "Colonial Governor General" whilst his people starve and he hands out Cash in briefases to swimmers.

By the way, wasn't there an agreement that the UN and the AU had a committee to oversee the talks, and wasn't the UN overseer banned from entering Zimbabwe? Whilst Mbeki failed to comment.

Personally, I am receiving reports that the aid ban has not been lifted, but that Zanu milita and police at checkpoints are demanding "licences" and "recognition statements" from a zanu poltician who isn't elected or appointed.

And that a zim army Regiment in North Zim is refusing to return to barracks unless paid in hard cash, weekly.

and has anybody heard a squeak from the ANC, AU, SADC and Mbeki about the aid ban being lifted, or does millions of starving black people not merit comment amongst all their effort to get a puppet to legitimate a Black African dictator beating and cheating his way to power, since this is an "African solution to an African problem."?

When was Mbeki going to stop re-neging on his agreement with the UN, and the AU and ask for the overseer committee to have a look at what he's doing? Or has he got something to hide about why ZANU are so desperate to keep him as "impartial" facilitator?

It takes some humility and visionary leadership to untangle the Zimbabwe crisis. There is need for those in political leadership to swallow their pride and cast the spirit of rebellion, and sit down to resolve this moral outrage. For how long shall we stand aside and look in the face of this catastrophe? Perceptive Zimbabweans feel the pain when their beautiful and once prosperous country is reduced to just another African crisis in Western capitals or just another Mugabe headline in the Western media. For the political leadership in Afrika and Zimbabweans a proud people reduced to a laughing stalk one would pose these questions: “Have the necessary lessons been learnt? What are those lessons? Who has learnt them? What have these people done with the knowledge they acquired? For the political leadership who have maintained this polarisation holding the nation at ransom will it be enough merely to say ‘sorry’ on the part of those who have the humility, courage and honesty to say ‘sorry’? And what of those who are perhaps too arrogant to utter this simple word?”
Some might argue that there are no financial sanctions in place but the truth is that there has been a deliberate strangulation of Zimbabwe’s economy by the West. Many a writer would be in a dilemma whether to be apologetic for Mugabe’s adamant occupation of the presidency or just dismiss him as an ageing authoritarian riding on folly. There is also a tinge of Western hypocrisy in media reporting which the gullible might not discern, however I believe there comes a time when you can not continue ruling at the expense of the national dignity and prosperity. No individual is greater than the nation they represent.

Short translation of article: ZANU-PF went to visit Mbeki to tell him what to do next, and MDC were invited to get the message via Mbeki to make it appear to be from a neutral party.

Mbeki is giving the word "fiasco" a bad name.

It seems as if the people making comments made up their nminds aobut the outcome of these talks. What amazes me is how the disagreement between Mugabe and Morgan can be blamed on Mbeki.If Mbeki is so anti MDC why are the SADC, and AU leaders still supporting him? maybe they all hate MDC. If Mbeki hates MOrgan so much, and is so good in ploting, why is Morgan still allowed to come to SA? Gentlemen I think you have your own issues, and agendas. The talks delaying or failing has nothing to do with Mbeki, but the two rivals. If you have any suspicion or evidence about Mbeki's involvement in the arms deal take it to the authorities. you sound like people with an agenda, and do you know how I know? because you are involving a lot of issues that are irrelevant(arms deal, negotiations, harbouring criminals), and have nothing to do with Zim. you hate Mbeki, and it's no longer about Mugabe. I wonder why. I hope you are not in the fantacy world of all solutions coming from the west for them to be the right solution. another thing if you don't like Mbeki tuff luck. He is the president, and facilitator. That is not about to change.

As a Zambian, I honestly wonder just when Mr Mbeki will get it that his silent diplomacy has abysmally failed to bear fruit in Zimbabwe. One has to be blind in the worst extreme to think that Mugabe can ever cede power and sadly it looks like only Mbeki remains confident of a positive out come to this tragic impasse. No wonder Mbeki also was the only one not aware that he was going to lose the ANC presidency to Zuma, what manner of lirthagy and lack of foresight!

Mr Nhama I am not a politician and I hope you too.However what I was taught from an early age is that politics is a dirty game.Was you seee happening is not what is actually happening behind closed doors.The fact that Morgan is allowed to come to SA doesnt mean that Mbeki and Mugabe are not playing dirty.
I think the AU's 50/50 will be a better deal.We as Morgan and MDC supporters will settle for 50/50.
Mashudu Ralushai