HEADLINE:   Zimbabwe at a crucial turning p

PUBLICATION: Cape Times

PAGE NUMBER: 9

AUTHOR:     Zubeida Jaffer

DATE:       2003-03-04 22:00:00

last ditch attempts at dialogue Zimbabwe at a crucial turning point 

The next six months may mark a turning point in the fortunes of Zimbabweans. Efforts to develop a broad, inclusive opposition are under way with the church sector playing a pivotal role in seeking mediation between conflicting parties.

Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane's recent meeting with President Robert Mugabe has shaken religious groupings into action. 

"His visit here has been a blessing in disguise," said Brian Kagaro, national co-ordinator 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. Reverend Daniel Ngubane, pastor of the International Assemblies of God in KwaZulu-Natal and part of the delegation to Zimbabwe last week, said that the KwaZulu-Natal churches had decided to have a group of people liaising with Zimbabweans. 

"Our church cannot be a 

spectator," said Ngubane, former chairman of the peace committee in KwaZulu-Natal.

After an hour-long discussion, there was agreement that church red tape and protocol have, in the past, hindered a resolution of the crisis. There was a need for 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 Cathedral in Bulawayo, said the churches had become the last open space for democracy in Zimbabwe. Torture victims told stories of state and vigilante persecution. 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, 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 gadgets 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."

After his release, Sikhala 

instituted civil proceedings against the police.

As I write, quiet talks are under way 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.

Professor Brian Raftopolous, director for Development Studies at 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 under way 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 Union 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 particularly 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, in dialogue with both Israelis and Palestinians in an attempt to resolve the crisis.

Despite paucity of comment 

on Zimbabwe at the opening of 

parliament, President Thabo 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 under way 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. 

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