Coalition partners at each other's throats

"All along the President has been dispatching his team to Zimbabwe but he now wants to travel on his own .....to give impetus to the discussions among the parties....He is not travelling to break any deadlock," Vincent Magwenya, Zuma's spokesman, said in an interview with Unfree media.com
But the coalition partners in Zimbabwe are at each other's throats once again after President Mugabe unilaterally stripped three ministers from Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change of key responsibilities and allocated them to those from his ZANU PF party. Mr Zuma's visit follows a decision by Mr Tsvangirai's side to declare a deadlock with Mr Mugabe and appeal to the President's intervention as facilitator.
Mr Magwenya would not specify Mr Zuma's date of travel, preferring to only say he will be in Harare "quite soon" citing diplomatic consultations currently underway to try and find a convenient date for all parties.
Unfreemedia.com is nonetheless authoritatively informed that Mr Zuma lands in Zimbabwe next Tuesday. We are also authoritatively informed that Mr Zuma will tell the three principals to the coalition government ---- Messrs Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara-----to resolve their differences once and for all or call fresh elections next year from which a legitimate government would emerge.
But Mr Magwenya dismissed that view saying it was not up to Zuma to order the Zimbabwean parties to call fresh elections.
"The solution will not come from President Zuma .....It will come from the Zimbabweans themselves....It's the parties themselves who hold the key," said Mr Magwenya.
Fresh trouble erupted in the unity government after Mr Mugabe stripped powers from three of Mr Tsvangirai's ministries leaving one of them, Nelson Chamisa, as the equivalent of a Minister without portfolio. Mr Tsvangirai also complained to diplomats accredited to Harare on Wednesday that he is never consulted on an important issues and only reads decisions, like the controversial move forcing companies valued at $500 000 or more to give majority equity to Zimbabweans, in the Press.
Mr Tsvangirai had also given up any hope that outstanding issues in the Global Political Agreement (GPA) would be resolved in continuous discussions with Mugabe opting to declare a deadlock and call for Zuma's intervention. The outstanding issues include Mr Mugabe's refusal to appoint MDC governors and to reverse his unilateral appointments of Johannes Tomana and Gideon Gono as attorney-general and central bank governor respectively.
Mr Zuma has been previously quoted calling for elections to be held next year to end the stalemate but Mr Magwenya suggested such remarks had been quoted out of context as it was not Mr Zuma's prerogative to order elections.
He said the President's position was to urge the parties to move forward with the democratic process towards free and fair elections instead of stalling everything because of a few contentious issues.
"The President's view is that if they are left with a few contentious issues, then its better to move forward with the democratic process towards elections rather than stall the entire process because of two or three isssues. But President cannot impose a solution and say to them hold elections next year" he added.
Zimbabwean analysts fear that the country is not ready for elections without new institutions and a proper legal framework to avoid the fraudlent elections of the past. But Mr Mugabe said last week that fresh elections should be held next year with or without a new constitution. He said the GPA which ushered in the new unity government prescribes a two year lifespan for the coalition. There is no such wording in the GPA however. Mr Mugabe's party is also blamed for the slow movement in the constitutional process because of its publicly professed preference to impose a draft discussed during talks mediated by former South African President Thabo Mbeki . That draft, known as the Kariba draft, will guarantee Mugabe two more five year terms in office.
Mr Magwenya said Mr Zuma was quite keen to see the situation in Zimbabwe improving as he feels that any "instability that continues in Zimbabwe constitutes a direct national security threat to South Africa".