ZIMBAWBE:A CALL for former South African president Thabo Mbeki to help salvage Zimbabwe's powersharing deal, which has stalled over key cabinet appointments, was rejected by the ruling regime yesterday. reports Bill Corcoranin Johannesburg.
On Monday, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called on Mr Mbeki, who brokered the deal under a regional body mandate, to re-engage with the process to help break the 18-day impasse after the rival parties failed to agree on how the country's 31 ministries should be divided. MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa claimed president Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party wanted to control all of the key ministries, including home affairs, finance, defence and information, which they could not agree to.
"It would appear that they do not understand powersharing," Mr Chamisa told local reporters.
He added: "We are still poles apart, with Zanu-PF insisting on taking all the key ministries, literally rendering the [opposition] peripheral in government - in fact, a situation where we would be in but out of government."
However, Zanu-PF's chief negotiator, Patrick Chinamasa, insisted the powersharing deal was not in danger of collapse and no outside help was needed.
"Anyone who says there is a deadlock is being mischievous.
"There is commitment on all of us to make things work . . . If there was a disagreement, as is being suggested, I don't think it's one that would justify calling in the facilitator," Mr Chinamasa said.
It had been unclear if Mr Mbeki was willing to continue in the role following his recent removal as South Africa's president, but spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said yesterday he was likely to do so if officially asked.
The Southern African Development Community would have to "formally pronounce" whether Mr Mbeki would continue as mediator, said Mr Ratshitanga. He said Mr Mbeki would "participate in any process that is aimed at taking the African continent a step forward".
Mr Mbeki, who coerced Zimbabwe's rival leaders into signing the deal after two months of talks, was recalled from his presidential position by his party, the African National Congress (ANC), days after returning from the deal's signing ceremony.
The ANC removed him as president after a high court ruling suggested he was linked to the national prosecution authority's decision to recharge the party's leader, Jacob Zuma, with corruption in 2005.