Zuma seeks fresh polls in Zimbabwe

• SA leader’s new stance means his patience is running out

HARARE, Sunday

South Africa is now pushing for Zimbabwe to prepare for fresh elections next year as President Robert Mugabe’s coalition continues to live on borrowed time due to unending squabbles over a number of fundamental issues.

The three government parties led by Mr Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara resume their power sharing talks on Sunday amid pressure from neighbours for a quick resolution of all the outstanding issues.

Fresh elections

President Jacob Zuma’s call for the Harare administration to clear the hurdle for fresh elections next year could also be a signal that South Africa is losing patience over the dialogue that began in March 2007 and yielded the unity government 11 months ago.

The parties are poles apart on demands by Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party that Mr Mugabe must reverse the appointment of his cronies to head the central bank and the attorney general’s office.

But Mr Zuma has suggested that the issues could be put aside for now so that the country can ready itself for elections.

The Zimbabwean authorities have not come out clearly on the issue of elections, with some calling for the coalition to serve a full five year term.

But much depends on the ongoing constitution making process, which is likely to be concluded by the beginning of next year.  President Mugabe was dismissed as a dreamer in December last year after he called on his Zanu PF to prepare for elections anytime.

“The Zimbabweans have set themselves a deadline of 2011 for a vote,” President Zuma’s spokesperson, Mr Vincent Magwenya was quoted as saying.  
Last week, Mr Zuma had also expressed his impatience with the Zimbabweans during an interview with a South African radio station where he called on some of the contentious issues to be “parked.”

“Are these issues so fundamental that we cannot move without resolving them,” he said.