Zimbabwe

South African police stand near the entrance to the Zimbabwean Embassy during a picket against the government of Zimbabwe’s alleged state corruption, media freedom and the deteriorating in Pretoria on August 7, 2020. (Photo by Phill Magakoe / AFP)

Zimbabwe crisis: Zapu seeks meeting with ANC, uMkhonto we Sizwe

On Sunday, 9 August 2020, former speaker of parliament Baleka Mbete and former minister Sydney Mufamadi met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa to offer assistance to the country.

Zimbabwe

South African police stand near the entrance to the Zimbabwean Embassy during a picket against the government of Zimbabwe’s alleged state corruption, media freedom and the deteriorating in Pretoria on August 7, 2020. (Photo by Phill Magakoe / AFP)

The Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Zapu) has voiced its concern surrounding the unrest that has rocked the country and has requested a meeting with the African National Congress (ANC), SA Communist Party (SACP) and uMkhonto we Sizwe, the ruling party’s military wing.

Zapu’s Future Msebele said while the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) was at the centre of the chaos, they still needed to be consulted on a way forward. The party was placed into a coalition with Zanu-PF in 1987 following the Gukurahundi killings, in which thousands of people were killed.

“What we are looking forward for is an inclusive approach and an inclusive engagement. Not only engagement where we are going to see the ANC government or envoys that have been sent to Zimbabwe to negotiate only with Zanu PF”, Msebele said in an interview with eNCA.

Zimbabweans have been taking to the streets to call for an end to corruption, which has played a part in the crippling of the country’s ailing economy.

Zimbabwe African People’s Union: ‘Quiet diplomacy doesn’t work’

Msebele said President Cyril Ramaphosa needed to be reminded that quiet diplomacy has not been effective in Zimbabwe and added that another approach needed to be taken.

 “Quiet diplomacy does not work in Zimbabwe…they need to take a better stance than that and they need to voice out people’s concerns”, he said.

Msebele added that people were not satisfied by the credibility of the envoys, which were sent by Ramaphosa in the wake of the crisis.

Former parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete and former cabinet minister Sydney Mufamadi were roped in to intervene on the president’s behalf and met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Sunday, 9 August 2020.

However, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said there had meant to be talks on Monday, 10 August 2020, and were subsequently informed that the meeting would be moved to a later date. The opposition party suspects that Zanu-PF could have influenced the decision.

“We can only assume that the failure to meet the MDC Alliance delegation was a result of the demands made by the Zanu PF delegation”, it said in a statement.

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 60 people have since been arrested during anti-government protests.