VIII. South Africa’s Role in Mediating the Zimbabwe Crisis

Zimbabweans look to the international community, particularly South Africa, to come to their aid and ensure that the transitional government delivers on its main objective: a just, sustainable, and peaceful resolution of the Zimbabwean governance crisis.

The SADC-appointed mediator in the Zimbabwe mediation, South African President Jacob Zuma and his facilitation team, have great potential to push the parties to the GPA to deliver genuine reforms and produce a lasting solution to Zimbabwe’s crisis. By virtue of its close proximity to Zimbabwe, its economic and political clout in the region, and its position as mediator, South Africa’s role in pressing for democratic and human rights reforms cannot be overemphasized.

For President Zuma to effectively mediate in Zimbabwe, he needs to focus on critical issues that include cessation of human rights abuses, institutional reform targeting constitutional and electoral processes, as well as security sector reform. At present, Zuma’s focus appears misplaced.

He has called for the lifting of targeted sanctions against President Mugabe and his inner circle, arguing that these were a major obstacle to the progress of the power-sharing government. Human Rights Watch, as well as other observers, does not believe this to be the case. Targeted sanctions on Mugabe’s inner circle are a necessary form of pressure on ZANU-PF and should be lifted only when there is evidence of irreversible human rights reforms.

President Zuma and his team, during a visit to Zimbabwe from March 16 to 18, 2010, secured further promises from the parties to the GPA that several agreed (but unspecified) changes will be implemented.[82] Such reform under the GPA, however, has been nearly impossible to achieve. More than one year ago, for example, Mugabe and ZANU-PF agreed with the MDC on a formula to appoint provincial governors in which six ZANU-PF provincial governors would be dismissed to make way for MDC governors. To date, this promise, like so many others, remains unfulfilled.

The people of Zimbabwe, the African Union, and the wider international community look to South Africa to guide the transitional government toward a system of accountable, democratic governance. If South Africa fails, then so, too, might its northern neighbor.

Human Rights Watch urges President Zuma to focus concertedly on the full implementation of the GPA, particularly those reforms that lead to the creation of relevant institutions to enable Zimbabwe to hold a free, fair, and credible election as envisaged under the GPA. A good start would be full respect for the right to freedom of expression in Zimbabwe as a solid foundation for broader human rights improvements. Meaningful progress in Zimbabwe will emerge out of concrete results, not empty promises.