Zimbabwe power sharing futile if EU joins US stance on Mugabe

When the United States and the European Union indicated that they would assist Zimbabwe if the power sharing deal gave de facto control to Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC, it offered the parties the prospect of substantial progress in bringing material relief and a start to rebuilding the country. It also afforded the Zanu-PF an undeserved chance to return to policy and abandon militancy leaving Zimbabwe with two powerful parties before the next election.

Unfortunately as things stand at the time of writing, and as a result of Mugabe and the Zanu-PF’s disgraceful conduct, the USA has finally come to the same conclusion as many of my readers ; with Mugabe still there, power sharing is simply a smoke screen for his continued presence and abuse.

Notwithstanding if the EU were to stand by its undertaking to inject substantial aid into Zimbabwe in the event of :

• The presidency going to Mugabe, the prime minister being Tsvangirai ;

• The Cabinet comprising 16 posts to the MDC and MDC splinter party and 15 to Zanu- PF ; of which the first 2 allocations are Finance and Home Affairs to Tsvangirai’s
group. Home Affairs to be theirs permanently ;

• Council of Ministers effectively control the day to day running of the country with
some oversight by the cabinet ;

then the deal may still have some merit based, unfortunately, upon the SADC and South Africa’s point blank refusal to see Mugabe removed.

If however that offer should be withdrawn then the whole point of sharing power falls away because Tsvangirai, without this substantial aid coming into Zimbabwe, would not want to become part of a government which is going to take the blame for not only the massacres and negligence of the Mugabe years but in addition the horrendous death toll we are about to witness in 2009.

Indeed without that offer of support the country will simply continue to rapidly deteriorate with very few options left to Zimbabweans.

If I for one minute believed that South Africa and the SADC would get rid of Mugabe, which they can, I wouldn’t give any further consideration to power sharing. However and as the world has come to realize, even if Bob turns Zimbabwe into one massive death camp, which he has, comparisons with Auschwitz being a daily occurrence, South Africa and the SADC will still continue to offer material support.

No matter what the cost to the nations hosting all Zimbabwe’s refugees, feeding of their own masses, reduction in service delivery and of course the immense suffering by Zimbabweans nothing will deter this African regional bloc from propping up this evil man.

Leaving aside this incredible and inexplicable desire to support Senor Satan the problem now, is that if the USA and the EU abandon Zimbabwe to its own devices, token aid aside, unless Mugabe is gone, that effectively makes Tsvangirai’s position almost untenable.

On the one hand he has the SADC ensuring Mugabe stays and on the other he has nothing to offer the people of that country. Which leaves the people of Zimbabwe with the Zanu-PF as a given and no alternative unless you consider junior partnership in the next Genocide Museum attractive to Tsvangirai.

Other options?

China is helpful in supplying arms to Mugabe. While the Chinese government is quick to point out that the arms that went via the DRC were not intended to supply Zimbabwe, what cannot be denied is that China does supply Mugabe with arms.

As China said at the UN, Zimbabweans must resolve their own problems which seems to be a combination of starvation, disease and shoot the rest, for which they seem determined to provide the weapons. China must be waiting for Bob and the Zanu-PF to become the warlords rather than the government whereafter the country can be used as a factory state to send the mineral wealth to Beijing.

Unless you can come up with a better explanation for China continuing to send in arms while using its veto at the UN to block resolutions which could assist in ending the humanitarian nightmare in Zimbabwe.

Unfortunately unless the USA takes a step back and reassesses this move or the EU confirms its undertaking to assist in bailing out Zimbabwe, if the above conditions are met, Zimbabweans will be left to the good faith and mercy of the SADC and the AU to bail them out.

If that is the case God help the people of Zimbabwe.