HEADLINE:   Turning point  

PUBLICATION: Mercury

 

PAGE NUMBER: 7

AUTHOR:     Zubeida Jaffer

DATE:       2003-03-04 22:00:00

Turning point in the fortunes of Zimbabwe

Church takes lead in efforts at mediation to solve crisis, writes Zubeida Jaffer

The next six months may mark a turning point in the fortunes of Zimbabweans.

Efforts to develop a broad, inclusive opposition are underway with the church sector playing a pivotal role - seeking mediation between conflicting parties.

Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane's recent meeting with President Mugabe has shaken this sector into action.

"His visit here has been a blessing in disguise," said Brian Kagaro, national coordinator of Crisis in Zimbabwe. "It shocked the church."

In a meeting between South African and Zimbabwean clergy in Bulawayo, it emerged that Ndungane's visit had created discomfort in the church in both countries. 

"We were surprised when he arrived here," said Anglican priest, Noel Scott. "We would have thought he would have linked up with the church and other groups to give him the other side of the story."

South African clergy would have liked to see a more inclusive approach and have urged the archbishop not to work alone. Rev Daniel Ngubane, pastor of the International Assemblies of God in KwaZulu-Natal and part of the delegation to Zimbabwe last week, said KZN churches had decided to have a group of people liaising with Zimbabweans to carve out an appropriate response.

"Our church cannot be a spectator," said Ngubane, who is the former chairman of the peace committee in KZN.

After an hour-long discussion, there was agreement that church red tape and protocol have in the past hindered resolution of the crisis.

Instead there was a need for the clergy and their churches to provide the democratic space for Zimbabweans to express themselves and support efforts to find a neutral mediator.

At a moving service for torture victims later that day, Pius Ncube, the Archbishop of St Mary's in Bulawayo, said the churches had become the last open space for democracy in Zimbabwe.

He left no doubt in our minds that there was a serious breakdown of democratic norms in his country. 

Torture victims told stories of state and vigilante persecution. A middle-aged Keresenzia Musanza told of how she was stripped naked and beaten by youths who accused her of supporting the MDC.

A member of parliament for the MDC in Harare, Job Sikhala, was accused of planning an uprising against Mugabe. 

His position as a public representative provided no protection. Police stripped and beat him on his buttocks and feet. They then attached electric cables to his toes and shocked him.

"After that they shocked me on my private parts and then put electrodes between my teeth and under my tongue. At this stage I collapsed." 

His tormentors urinated on him and he also lost control of his bladder.

"They told me to roll around on the floor to clean up the urine. Then they made me lick it up," he said. After his release, Sikhala instituted civil proceedings against the police.

As I write, quiet talks are underway between key church players and opposition activists to formulate a common approach that they hope could lead to mediation between the government and opposing groups.

If this initiative fails, then Zimbabweans face a protracted period of civil strife with disastrous consequences for the people and economies of Southern Africa.

Prof Brian Raftopolous, director for Development Studies from the University of Zimbabwe, warned that a mediator would have to address the questions of human rights abuses and economic stability simultaneously.

"The question of the ongoing abuses cannot be subsumed to a Pan-African agenda," said Raftopolous.

He, like others we met in Bulawayo, criticised the role played by our government  - accusing it of tilting in favour of the ruling party. 

"Your government needs a broader discussion about the human rights violations," he said. "Crisis economies can drag on for many years."

It is unfortunate that at a time when there are initiatives underway for greater rapprochement between the warring parties, our foreign minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was seen to plead Mugabe's case. 

She said that Mugabe needed more time to implement changes. Her statement came at a most inappropriate time when 21 protesting priests were arrested. It also comes in the week that saw an MDC delegation meeting at a seminar at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation to be followed soon by a Zanu-PF delegation.

At the same time, there is a possibility of a joint European  and Southern African Development Community initiative.

So far, our government has not been able to deliver any tangible results that indicate its policy of quiet diplomacy is working. It is crucial now for Zuma to support efforts at mediation and not to be seen to be taking sides in a drama that Zimbabweans must resolve. 

South Africa has admirably liaised with all parties in the Middle East conflict talking with both Israelis and Palestinians in an attempt to resolve the ongoing crisis.

Despite a paucity of comment on Zimbabwe at the opening of parliament, President Mbeki has clearly indicated that the solution lies in dialogue between different parties in Zimbabwe.

It is precisely this fresh attempt to bring parties together that is now underway and it will be a pity if Zuma persists at such a time to stand firmly on one side of the equation.

South African and Zimbabwean clergy will have to capture this opportunity to move the country towards peace. Nobody has any illusions that the road ahead is easy.

But says KwaZulu-Natal's Ngubane. "We are damned if we do and damned if we don't."

There is no other choice but to act in the hope that it will make a difference to the people of Zimbabwe and to the region. 

o Jaffer is an award-winning journalist and political analyst with the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation. This article is part of a series of articles submitted by the institute.