HARARE – Zimbabwe’s three governing political parties on Thursday resumed talks to try to resolve a power-sharing dispute threatening their shaky coalition government after taking a break to meet a team of facilitators appointed by South Africa leader Jacob Zuma.

One of the negotiators, Welshman Ncube, from Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara’s MDC-M party told ZimOnline that the talks had resumed.

“We resumed today and we are still negotiating and we are not expecting any visit by the facilitator,” said Ncube.

Asked if they are going to resolve the outstanding issues within the December 5 deadline set by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) organ on defence and politics summit in Mozambique last month, Ncube said; “We don’t believe in any deadlines, we will give a report to the SADC Troika once we are through.”

Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga is also representing MDC-M while Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma are standing in for Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T and President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF is represented by Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche.

The SADC Troika asked Zimbabwe’s political leaders to engage in dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues in the implementation of last year’s power-sharing agreement or global political agreement (GPA).

It tasked South Africa to monitor progress of the negotiations and facilitators appointed just over a week ago presented a progress report to Zuma yesterday.

Nothing official has been said by the South African leader since the presentation of the report.

Some of the outstanding issues that are threatening to destabilise the coalition government include Mugabe’s refusal to rescind his unilateral appointment of two of his top allies to head Zimbabwe’s central bank and the attorney general’s office.

Mugabe has also refused to swear in Tsvangirai ally Roy Bennett as deputy agriculture minister while the Prime Minister’s MDC-T party is also unhappy by what it says is selective application of the law to target its activists and officials.

On the other hand ZANU PF, which insists that it has met all its obligations under the GPA, accuses the MDC-T of not living up to a promise to lead a campaign for lifting of Western sanctions against Mugabe and members of his inner circle.

By Zimonline