After months of political crisis in Zimbabwe, South African president Thabo Mbeki has brokered a power-sharing agreement between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai.
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A political confrontation immediately followed. The Western powers rallied behind the MDC, claiming they should be given sole power.
Mugabe has been demonized by the West for pursuing a land reform policy outside of what imperialist powers find acceptable for African nations. ZANU-PF’s attempts to break from the western-dictated model of “development” translated into economic sanctions and isolation imposed by imperialist governments.
The United States and Britain are funding opposition groups like the MDC in attempt at regime change in Zimbabwe. In response ZANU-PF has adopted security measures aimed at halting the overthrow of the government.
Both the ZANU-PF and MDC are made up of many different political tendencies. ZANU-PF members and followers tend to support an anti-imperialist, nationalist development policy. They focus on “South-South” cooperation—trade with other undeveloped countries.
The MDC is made up of a mixture of those who support the MDC’s development policies oriented towards the West as well as those who voted for the MDC in the hope that it would provide the quickest end to the economic crisis imposed by western economic sanctions. Another sector of the MDC is made up of those who are angered by corruption in ZANU-PF.
Washington, London fail to get their way
On Sept. 15, the talks mediated by the South African government resolved the crisis—at least for the time being—with the signing of a fairly comprehensive agreement creating a National Unity government.
According to the deal brokered, Mugabe will be President and Tsvangirai Prime Minister. Mugabe will appoint the cabinet to be overseen by a Council of Ministers led by Tsvangirai. Fifteen ministers will come from ZANU-PF, 13 from the MDC, and three from an MDC splinter led by Arthur Mutambara. Their responsibilities and day-to-day supervision will be decided by Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
Additionally, the deal enshrined land reform that has already taken place and called for the lifting of sanctions. A constitution is also to be prepared and ready for a vote within 18 months.
Both sides have continued to support their previous policies. Genuine national development and the MDC’s propositions to develop the country on the imperialist’s terms are ultimately irreconcilable. Above all else, Britain and the United States seek to exploit Zimbabwe and the rest of the African continent for profit.
Land redistribution—which continues to have great support in Zimbabwe—is essential to economic progress for many Zimbabweans and for the elimination of injustices carried over from the colonial period. Former white colonial elites still own much of the best land. Britain, the United States and other western powers strongly desire that Mugabe and the ZANU-PF—the party most closely associated with land reform—be totally removed from the political equation.
It remains to be seen if the deal will resolve the political conflict—even in the short term. As of Sept. 18, differences over the allocation of ministries threatened to revive the bitter dispute between the contending parties. It is unclear how power will be shared and which party will have responsibility for what. Western nations have said they will only lift sanctions and provide aid if Tsvangirai and the MDC are in charge of the economy.
Though Mugabe had to make substantial concessions of power to the opposition despite having won the elections outright, the deal will still be a victory if it holds up. Powerful western governments applied unrelenting economic and political pressure throughout the crisis, yet failed to remove Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party from Zimbabwe’s political equation. For all the U.S.- and British-led assaults on their right to self-determination, African leaders brokered the deal without western mediation.
These gains are no reason to throw caution to the wind. Washington and London have not given up on their goal of full regime change. The people of Zimbabwe have the right to develop their own country free of imperialist influence. U.S. and British hands off Zimbabwe!
