Amidst the tumult in South Africa, Zimbabweans and other observers worry whether Thabo Mbeki's resignation will have a deleterious impact on the still tenuous negotiation process in Zim. Despite Mbeki's de facto ouster, it appears that high-ranking officials in both Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change want Mbeki to continue as mediator. The Southern African Development Community (SADC), which had appointed Mbeki to broker a solution to Zimbabwe's political crisis seems inclined to keep Mbeki in that post despite the fact that upon resignation he will no longer be head of state in South Africa.
Continuity will be important in making sure that both sides continue to forge ahead with negotiations. Mugabe in particular may well be on the lookout for an excuse to renege on his agreements. Mbeki's departure would certainly provide that excuse.
