South African agricultural leaders are cautiously optimistic about the power-sharing deal between Zimbabwean leaders. R obert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangerai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a breakaway MDC faction, finally reached agreement.
Mugabe will remain president and head of cabinet, while Tsvangerai has been appointed prime minister and chairperson of a council of ministers supervising cabinet. Fifteen seats in cabinet have been allocated to Zanu PF, 13 to the MDC and three to Mutambara’s breakaway faction. Local leaders have taken a cautious “wait and see” attitude to the agreement, and said the agreement must not be seen as a magic wand offering a solution to the country’s deep-rooted problems – it’s but the first step in a long and uphill battle. The continued role of Robert Mugabe seems to be cause for concern. – Annelie Coleman
