Sanity in Zimbabwe At Last

At last, it seems that sanity is about to prevail in Zimbabwe between Mr. Robert Mugabe’s regime and its opponents in the two factions of the MDC. There are indications that both stakeholders in the crisis that stem from Mr. Mugabe’s misrule of the country are beginning to engage each other in South Africa-brokered talks behind the scene. Although the talks do not involve prominent regime and MDC elements at this time, the fact that they are taking place at all is cause for hope. The MDC has obviously become more realistic particularly by putting aside its unrealistic demand that Mr. Mugabe must first acknowledge that he is an illegitimate president before it would accept to talk to him.

Considering the circumstances under which he emerged as president in all the elections that have taken place in Zimbabwe since his misrule triggered the current opposition from the MDC, no one is saying that the issue of Mr. Mugabe’s illegitimacy as Zimbabwe’s president is devoid of logic. What one is saying is that considering the weaknesses that riddle the MDC and the fact that the objective conditions in both Zimbabwe and the sub-region would not be conducive for the kind of armed resistance that some elements in the MDC might prefer to adopt against Mr. Mugabe’s regime, digging deep and firm on the demand for Mr. Mugabe to acknowledge the obvious before talks is not only unrealistic, but is also foolish. That demand is foolish because it will at best achieve the opposite by buying Mr. Mugabe the time to foment more intransigence, adopt more repressive tactics against the opposition even as he continues to ruin Zimbabwe in every sense of the word.

Talks between the MDC and the regime will open the necessary avenues for the eventual resolution of the crisis. Zimbabwe has been ruined enough already. The time to begin its resuscitation can no longer be shifted. Let the talks continue.