Zim deal done?

Hmm. I prefer to wait and see. It won't be the first time Mad Bob reneges on an agreement. Until I see Tsvangirai holding the keys to the safe so-to-speak, it will be believing when seeing.

I trust Mbeki and his bum chum Mad Bob as far as I can throw them, which is zip, zero, nada.

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Thabo Mbeki announced late last night that he has mediated a power-sharing deal between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and the opposition.

Mbeki did not offer details, but said the agreement is expected to be signed on Monday.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai also told reporters that the parties “have got a deal”.

Mbeki has been in Zimbabwe since Monday trying to work out how Tsvangirai and Mugabe would run a unity government.

The key stumbling block has been how the two rivals would divide responsibilities and who would have the most authority.

Tsvangirai has said he should be head of government and preside over cabinet meetings, while Mugabe’s role should be relegated to a ceremonial position.

But Mugabe had shown little willingness to give up much of the power he has held since independence from Britain in 1980.

Tsvangirai’s party won the most votes in legislative and presidential elections in March, but he did not win enough to avoid a run-off against Mugabe.

An onslaught of state-sponsored violence against Tsvangirai’s supporters forced him to drop out of the presidential run-off.

Mugabe subsequently was the only candidate in a presidential run-off, which Western nations widely denounced as a sham.

Much of Mugabe’s popularity at home and across the continent is linked to his image as a proud African leader unafraid to defy the West. Tsvangirai, who lacks Mugabe’s anti-colonial credentials, has said Zimbabwe needs to work with the West to overcome its economic and political crises.

A settlement would free the leaders to address Zimbabwe’s severe economic problems.