Zimbabwe’s political crisis has received the attention of former South African President Thabo Mbeki who on Monday held talks with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to resolve lingering disputes including the failure of opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to recognise the current government.
“I think it’s very important that the region comes behind the president and the country because the challenges of Zimbabwe are our challenges,” Mbeki was quoted as saying by the state-owned Herald newspaper.
Reports quoted Zimbabwean officials in Harare as saying that Mbeki’s visit was at the instance of President Mnangagwa and that he was scheduled to meet with other political leaders on Tuesday.
Mbeki had previously mediated in Zimbabwe’s post-election crisis in 2008 between former President Robert Mugabe and then-opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, which resulted in the formation of a five-year power-sharing government.
The MDC has refused to recognize Mnangagwa as the country’s legitimate head of state since he was elected president in July 2018 and has called for an outside mediator to help resolve its differences with the ruling ZANU-PF.
Zimbabwe is currently grappling with drought, power and fuel shortages, including annual inflation estimated at 440%, the second-highest in the world, a Bloomberg report said.
A Vice President of the MDC, Tendai Biti said though the opposition welcomes efforts to end the country’s political crisis, Mbeki doesn’t have a mandate to mediate in the talks, he told Bloomberg.
Mbeki invited to mediate in Zimbabwe political crises by Mnangagwa
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki gestures while arriving at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, for the inauguration of Incumbent South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on May 25, 2019. (Photo by Michele Spatari / AFP)
