Mugabe and MDC finally agree to share power after disputed poll

• SA's President Thabo Mbeki has mediated in talks to end a political crisis after Mugabe’s re-election unopposed
• President Mbeki said the ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition will announce a national unity government on Monday.
• Earlier, Mr Mugabe had cast doubt that a deal was imminent.

HARARE, Thursday - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s ruling party and the main opposition MDC reached a power sharing deal today, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and a government source said.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has mediated in talks to end a political crisis after Mugabe’s re-election unopposed in a June presidential poll that was boycotted by Tsvangirai and condemned around the world.

“President Mbeki is going to give a press statement but I can say that we have got a deal,” Tsvangirai said as he left the venue of negotiations in the capital Harare.

A Zimbabwe government source also told Reuters: “They have reached some agreement, and President Mbeki, the mediator is going to announce that very soon.”

Late today, President Mbeki said the ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition will announce a national unity government on Monday.

Mr Mbeki said Zimbabwe’s leaders were committed to implementing the deal, which could end post-election political turmoil that has worsened the country’s economic decline.

Earlier today, Mr Mugabe cast doubt that a deal was imminent.

Mr Mugabe said he was still taking part in the power sharing talks with the opposition to avoid disappointing fellow Africans who are trying to help extricate Zimbabwe from a devastating political crisis but vowed that he will never cede his powers.

Speaking a few hours before the resumption of the tripartite talks led by Mr Mbeki in Harare, Mr Mugabe told a meeting of traditional leaders that very little progress had been made in the talks with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

In the biggest hint ever that the talks were heading for collapse, Mr Mugabe said his rival, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai was ‘mad’ to demand to be more powerful than him or his deputies.

Sticking point

He said the sticking point remained that the MDC wanted a complete transfer of power, which he would never allow to happen.

“We are prepared to work together with those who want to work with us but not with the transfer of power from our people and party… not at the expense of our unity,” he said.

“He (Tsvangirai) wants to be more powerful than the president and I said you are mad, you want to be more powerful than Vice President (Joseph) Msika, he is ignoramus .

“Mbeki is trying and we don’t want to disappoint our African bothers who want to help us resolve our problems. “But time is coming for us to tell them that we can’t continue like this, running a country without a government.”

Zimbabwe has been running without a substantive government since March after Mr Mugabe was asked to delay appointing a new Cabinet to give the talks that began in July a chance.

“We haven’t got anywhere, we are still at the point where those of the MDC want the power to govern the country and we are saying never,” Mr Mugabe said.

“It was sad and unfortunate that what we did in June we did not do in March and because of our failure to win the majority of the votes we are undergoing this humiliation of having to negotiate with this foreign sponsored party.”