HARARE – Zimbabwe’s squabbling political leaders have agreed to call back South African President Jacob Zuma to mediate in a power-sharing dispute threatening to destabilise their already shaky coalition government,reports Zimonline a south African based  online newspaper.

Zuma is the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s official mediator in Zimbabwe where President Robert Mugabe and former opposition leaders, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara formed a power-sharing government to try to end a political crisis following inconclusive elections 16 months ago. 

The coalition has been hobbled by disagreements between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who is Prime Minister, over how to share executive power and the appointment of top public officials. 

Government officials speaking on condition they were not named told ZimOnline on Wednesday that the three leaders agreed after a four-hour meeting on Tuesday to refer their deadlock to Zuma, whose predecessor Thabo Mbeki brokered the Harare unity government on behalf of the SADC. 

“The principals met and agreed to bring in the facilitator,” said a top official who is a member of Mutambara’s smaller MDC faction.

Tsvangirai’s spokesman James Maridadi confirmed that Zuma was expected to intervene after Tuesday’s meeting of the three principals to discuss a report prepared by their negotiators failed to resolve the deadlock. 

“There are some agreements and disagreements on certain issues,” said Maridadi, “But I can’t say much save to say the ball is now in President Zuma’s court.” 

George Charamba, Mugabe’s spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the matter with his secretary saying he was locked up in a meeting.

Disagreements between Mugabe and his coalition partners arose after the veteran leader refused to dismiss the country’s attorney general and the governor of the central bank that he appointed without consulting Tsvangirai or Mutambara.

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

The Zimbabwe leader has also blocked reform or restructuring of the armed forces that have backed his three-decade rule and last month opened a new front of conflict when he appointed new judges to the country’s High and Supreme Courts without consulting his coalition partners. 

Our sources said Tsvangirai raised the issue of appointment of judges during the meeting earlier this week but Mugabe denied any wrongdoing saying he was within his constitutional right to appoint the judges.

The sources said Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who have previously said they had built a good working relationship, seemed to be further drifting apart than before.

Mugabe, who accuses Tsvangirai of campaigning for imposition by Western countries of visa and financial sanctions against him and top officials of his ZANU PF party, says he will not shift position until the Premier calls for lifting of the punitive measures. 

Tsvangirai denies responsibility for calling for lifting of sanctions and says instead Mugabe should allow democratic reforms in the country to persuade Western governments to scrap sanctions. 

Meanwhile sources said there was a possibility that the Zimbabwean leaders might meet Zuma during the official opening of the FIFA World Cup tournament tomorrow to which the three principals have been invited.

By Zimonline