Development Talk

We are less than a month away from former President Nelson Mandela’s birthday on 18 July. But enroute to that day, in which South Africans and the world will get to celebrate the life of a truly great man, stands the date of 27 June. On that day voting is scheduled to begin in the Zimbabwe Presidential run-off election.

Because of solidarity among African leaders and countries with foreign policies that did not fear engagement, policies like divestment, South Africans were able to go to the polls and vote for change in a free and fair election on the 27^th day of April 1994. Fourteen years and 2 months later the people of Zimbabwe ought to be afforded the same opportunity to vote for change in a free and fair election.  Such an election can only take place if the pre-election environment is healthy and allows for free and fair participation and electioneering.  Continued violence against MDC supporters and Zimbabwean citizens merely perpetuates the fear and tryanny of Zimbabwe under Mugabe’s rule.  This environment of fear, intimidation and violence is not conducive to a healthy democratic elction.

As this election day looms on the horizon, Mugabe and Zanu-PF have renewed their old campaign strategies of violence and intimidation with renewed vigour. At least 70 people have died in the political violence thus far.  Just recently MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was detained by police not once but twice, and while Mugabe was at the World Food Summit in Italy his government was using food as a political weapon.  Tendai Biti continues to be detained on charges of treason and his fate seems unclear. Messages of support can be sent to freetendaibiti@gmail.com.

The Mail and Guardian reported that in an interview with the BBC, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said that the climate in Zimbabwe was not at all proper for an election to take place. Former Zimbabwean Presidential candidate Simba Makoni takes that sentiment even further by declaring that the run-off must be cancelled. Even President Mbeki forwent his general desire to be uninvolved in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs by mediating talks between the MDC and Zanu-PF that included the possibility of cancelling the run-off.

Now the MDC has pulled out of the elections scheduled for this Friday – and we all wonder what will happen next.  On announcing the MDC’s withdrawal on Sunday Tsvangirai referred to his unwillingness to participate in a “violent illegitimate sham of an election process”.

Since a free and fair election seems impossible and given that the MDC has withdrawn a negotiated settlement is now the only way forward. One hopes that the South African mediation team, consisting of Minister Sydney Mufamadi and Mbeki’s legal advisor Mojanku Gumbi, are able to shift and facilitate a solution for Zimbabwe.   A negotatiated alternative to Mugabe’s years of mismanagement and continued violence-centred, undemocratic rule is now the only way forward.