THE power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe has to be welcomed. At last there is a chance now that the people’s suffering can end. They have endured years of violence, brutality and economic chaos from a regime whose only interest was greed — greed for power and greed for the country’s wealth. Zimbabwe could be one of the richest countries in Africa. Instead, with inflation at 11 million percent, there is no economy there, which is why so many Zimbabweans have fled, three million to South Africa.
The deal is all the more welcome because over the past three months, it seemed that the efforts of South African President Thabo Mbeki to broker a deal would fail. Time after time it was reported that talks had again broken down. Robert Mugabe was determined to hang on.
But welcome though the deal is, it is not a just solution. It is a pragmatic solution. The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangirai, should be president. He won the first round. Mugabe cheated and then used his cronies in the army and police to intimidate and terrorize voters who had dared to support the opposition. The galling reality is that, in part, he has succeeded. He has had to surrender some power to Tsvangirai who now takes over as prime minister, but Mugabe will remain in office with his associates holding on to almost half the Cabinet posts and he himself in charge of the Tsvangirai-hating military.
The fact that Tsvangirai has accepted this unfair, forced marriage is to his immense credit. He could have refused — and the world would have supported him. But he knew that it would only prolong Zimbabwe’s misery. He now says his immediate priority is food, electricity, water and fuel —- the basic necessities for modern life. The fact that he sees this as the priority, rather than punishing Mugabe or holding out for complete political power that is his by right shows him to the right leader for the country and deserving of respect — unlike Mugabe, who at the agreement ceremony had nothing to say about his country’s suffering.
But there has to be great caution. There remain too many questions about this deal. Will the 15 ZANU-PF ministers in the new Cabinet take orders from Tsvangirai or will they continue to do Mugabe’s bidding? What about the army? Will it continue its campaign of intimidation? Most of all, what about Mugabe himself? He says he is committed to the deal. Given the way he has twisted and cheated there can be little confidence in anything he promises. What is to stop him reneging in a couple of months’ time and having Tsvangirai and the MDC members of Parliament arrested? Only time will tell.
The EU and the US have said that sanctions will not end until democracy and the rule of law is restored.
Such skepticism is understandable. Nonetheless, it must not be a block on aid. The deal may be far from perfect but, as Tsvangirai well understands, half a loaf is better than none. He must be given all the help he needs to turn Zimbabwe around. Without it, he will certainly fail; the only victors then would be Mugabe and his cronies. With help, Tsvangirai has at least the chance to transform the country and thereby of gain the other half of the loaf — full power and Mugabe consigned to the dustbin of history. It is risky but it is worth it.
