ZANU PF Youth League Deputy Secretary Lewis Matutu said the envisaged Thabo Mbeki-mediated talks between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC leader Nelson Chamisa are welcome.
Speaking to the Daily News on Friday, Matutu said Mbeki is a respectable former statesman who has already played significant roles in the region. Said Matutu:
We respect former president Mbeki, given the various roles he has played in the region, including in Zimbabwe in 2008, so we welcome any initiative that is genuine.
Nobody has ever blocked the MDC leader from meeting with the president (Mnangagwa), so the idea of them coming together is not a bad idea at all.
Former South African President Mbeki visited the country on Monday before meeting President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his rival, MDC leader Nelson Chamisa separately, members of the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD), and churches and civic organisations.
The internationally-recognised former statesman facilitated dialogue between Robert Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai (both late), resulting in the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2009.