ZIMBABWE — HARARE - The SADC region is severely suffering the effects of Zimbabwe's political crisis as the international community withholds aid and investment packages and demands that Zimbabwe should be sorted first, ZimDaily can reveal.

 

We established after the failure Monday of the SADC troika meeting by the organ on politics and defence failed to solve Zimbabwe's political impasse, that the region has come under immense pressure from the international community to either solve the crisis or risk losing out more in donor and investment packages.

 

The troika meeting Monday failed to bring Zanu (PF) and MDC into agreement on sharing of ministries and referred the matter to a full SADC summit.

However, as the SADC officials left Harare, dark cloud of uncertainty and worry hung over their heads as it emerged that already, funds in excess of US$200 million are being withheld by donor agencies and western investors demanding that the Zimbabwe crisis be solved first.

 

ZimDaily heard from a senior SA diplomat that President Kgalema Motlanthe had come to Harare under a lot of pressure from his government and the ANC party to srcap an agreement between Zanu (PF)'s Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the MDC main wing, who are at a loggerheads of the sharing of key ministries.

"Motlanthe has been put under a lot of pressure following the position taken by the western community to withhold donor and investment packages until the crisis in Zimbabwe is solved," the source said.

 

"The SA economy is already showing signs of fragility and decline due to the attitudes based on the Zimbabwean crisis.

 

The same applies to the rest of the region in which most countries are in dire need of humanitarian assistance especially in the form of food and HIV/AIDS drugs."

Another diplomat, working in the SADC secretariat confirmed that the region is awaiting "huge amounts of funds that have been approved for release by donor agencies but being withheld due to the crisis in Zimbabwe".

The SADC summit recommended after Monday's troika meeting, is expected to consider calling for fresh elections in the event the deadlock over sharing of ministries remains, a SADC official said.

 

However, that suggestion is likely to spark outrage and stiff resistance from Mugabe and his party, who are fully aware of their high chances to lose any new elections.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said they were working on "Plan B, which is very comprehensive and likely to be effective" but refused to divulge details about the plan.

 

Tsvangirai has been telling people at rallies that if Mugabe sticks to his position of wanting to take most of the key ministries, the power-sharing arrangement signed on September 15 is in danger of collapse. The MDC leader has been calling for fresh elections.

Mugabe has offered the MDC the ministry of Finance but refuses to let go of that of Home Affairs, which Tsvangirai is demanding.

There is also an impasse of permanent secretaries and ambassadors as well as provincial governors, which Tsvangirai says must be shared as well but Mugabe has been refusing to negotiate over them.

 

 

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