Motlanthe must use the carrot and the nuke on Mugabe

One of the issues I highlighted in my coverage of the xenophobia was the fact that lack of housing was considered a primary grievance among local township dwellers. They were of the view that local councils were taking kickbacks from exiles, mainly Zimbabweans, in order to obtain houses ahead of those who had been on the list for years. During this past week my views have been confirmed by those investigating the causes of the riots.

In addition to the housing being allocated through bribery, township residents who possessed homes also complained of shacks being erected on their doorstep overnight. Crime, particularly violent crime with people being shot for cellphones, began manifesting itself. Jobs started being given to foreigners because they were cheaper and did not belong to unions.

The Sunday Times ran an article to show that with policing, medical support and the like, the cost of propping up Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe ran into tens of billions of rands which dwarfs both the arms deal and the Eskom power fiasco.

This is a material drain on the ability of this government and the next to fulfil its promises to the South African electorate while ensuring that the will of the people of Zimbabwe is neither recognised nor carried out.

South Africa and SADC will be in Harare on Monday for the latest round of attempts to make the parties see sense in the allocation of Cabinet posts in order to implement the power sharing deal. In the case of the MDC — who won the election — the fact that they have agreed to share power is compromise enough. The Zanu-PF who lost and president Mugabe who ensured the presidential election had to be abandoned however don’t seem to grasp the concept of power sharing any more than they did that of free and fair elections.

Accordingly, South Africa must make it clear to Mugabe that should he not concede the ministeries of Finance and Home Affairs at the very least then the time has come to hand this over to the international community. With an election due in South Africa next year it will be very difficult to explain in these financial times how South Africa can continue to pay for the elite of Zimbabwe while South Africa’s masses are starving.

That would ensure the demise of Mugabe, Zanu-PF and the real possibility of prosecutions and imprisonment.

Should they however, immediately see reason, then the region will support the government of Zimbabwe on the long road back to stability.

Take it or leave it.