Security strongmen put pressure on Mugabe

President Robert Mugabe is under pressure from his top military and security advisers to form a government on his own, and ignore the power-sharing talks between his ruling Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Intelligence sources said on Wednesday that after Mugabe’s humiliation when he was heckled and harassed by MDC MPs while opening parliament on Tuesday, angry advisers had told the 84-year-old leader to immediately form a government without Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC.

Tsvangirai has rejected a power-sharing deal in which he would become prime minister and Mugabe remain president, as he says it gives him no real executive powers.

The all-powerful Joint Operations Command (JOC), comprising military and secret service chiefs, which advises Mugabe on national issues, has taken the hard-line stance that Mugabe should abandon the talks and form a Zanu-PF government, possibly with some ministers drawn from Arthur Mutambara’s smaller MDC faction.

“JOC has always been against the talks which could result in Tsvangirai getting some executive powers. Remember, JOC is made up of military commanders who have in the past made it public that they will not allow Tsvangirai to be the leader of the country,” one source said.

“Immediately after Mugabe’s speech, JOC members ran around and communicated to each other that this was the right time to pressure Mugabe to pull out of the talks,” a source said.

“It’s not clear if Mugabe has heeded their advice, but from the way he reacted after parliament, it seems he will announce his Zanu-PF cabinet anytime,” he continued, referring to reports in the state-owned Herald that Mugabe had told guests at a reception that he was ready to form a government.

Forming his own cabinet would kill the negotiations, mediated by President Thabo Mbeki, by blatantly violating the memorandum of understanding Mugabe signed together with Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara of the MDC faction on July 21, to set the framework for negotiations for a new power-sharing government.

“The president is in a quandary. He is well aware that he will disappoint Mbeki by forming his own government without Tsvangirai, but as things stand, he has little option. He is aware more than ever before that he cannot work with the main MDC.

“But he might give people like Mutambara powerful positions and dump Tsvangirai’s MDC, and form a government.

“It will be a difficult decision, but it looks like there is little he can do at the moment. Mugabe’s advisers seem determined and the old man might give in to pressure,” said the source.

The negotiations have suffered another blow with the arrest this week of five MDC MPs on charges including rape, kidnapping and violence. The MPs had not been released by late on Wednesday.

Though the negotiations are in peril, there are no signs that Mbeki is trying to salvage them. SA government sources had indicated last week that he would fly to Harare this week to try once again to secure a deal.

MDC sources said Mbeki would go to Harare on Thursday, but his spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga denied on Wednesday night that he would go on Thursday or Friday.

• This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on August 28, 2008