Speculation swirled last night that Zimbabwe could be struck off the Sadc summit agenda following doubts over the availability of South African President Jacob Zuma for the regional indaba.
The summit is, however, expected to go ahead on Friday.
Zuma, the Sadc-appointed facilitator in the Zimbabwean crisis, is engaged in South Africa’s critical local government elections today, and may not be available for the summit in Namibia.
The South African President was expected to present a progress report on the implementation of the Global Political Agreement and the election roadmap, expected to lead to an undisputable election in this country.
However by last night, MDC-T leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, his MDC-N counterpart Welshman Ncube and all the other negotiators for parties in the inclusive government had not received invitations to the summit, resulting in doubts over whether Zimbabwe is on the agenda or not.
“As things stand, it’s unclear whether we will be on the agenda or not, but I understand the Sadc chair (Namibian President Hifikepunye) Pohamba is trying to ensure that Zuma comes so that the issue of the roadmap can be finalised,” said a source close to the development.
The spokesperson of Zuma’s facilitation team, Lindiwe Zulu, was also not sure whether Zimbabwe would be on the agenda or not, referring questions to the leader of the team, Charles Nqakula.
“I am not sure and I am not in a position to comment because I am out of the country,” she said.
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Nqakula could not be reached for comment as he was said to be busy with campaigns.
The special summit was called to deal with the crises in Zimbabwe and Madagascar as well as the impasse over the Sadc Tribunal, which in 2008 ruled that 78 white Zimbabweans could keep their farms because the land reform programme discriminated against them. Zimbabwe then pulled out of the Tribunal arguing the establishment of the court was not ratified by at least two-thirds of the bloc’s membership as per the requirements of rules and procedures governing the regional grouping.
“By tomorrow (today) there should be a clearer picture, but President (Robert) Mugabe has received his invitation as a Head of State. Whether Zimbabwe is discussed or not discussed, the President as the Head of State would still get an invitation for the summit,” said our source.
Some analysts, however, believe the development maybe a diplomatic victory for President Mugabe, who is pushing for elections this year, even without the proposed election roadmap.
