South African President Thabo Mbeki expressed his belief that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe will resign peacefully, and emphasized the importance of ensuring free and fair elections in Zimbabwe next year. Mbeki, appointed by the Southern African Development Community to lead mediation efforts in Zimbabwe, stated in an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday that he is optimistic Mugabe will eventually step down. In an interview, it was stated that President Mugabe and the leadership of ZANU-PF believe they are governing a democratic country, evidenced by the presence of an elected opposition and the opposition's ability to run municipal government in Harare and Bulawayo. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) appointed Mbeki as a mediator between Mugabe and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) following the Zimbabwe government's violent crackdown on political opponents. Despite suggestions that Zimbabwe's neighbors could force change, the South African leader emphasized that they do not possess the means to do so, but suggested that a joint effort by African leaders could lead to a resolution. Mbeki stated that his office has already been in communication with both factions of the MDC and ZANU-PF to establish a framework for negotiations ahead of next year's elections, in which Mugabe has been endorsed as the ZANU-PF candidate. Mbeki mentioned that the upcoming discussions will likely revolve around the MDC's requests for legal and electoral reforms, particularly focusing on the media and security laws that critics argue have been utilized by Mugabe to solidify his control in the country. Mbeki emphasized that based on previous interactions with the MDC, they are expected to bring up issues such as media legislation and laws concerning public meetings. He explained that the next step would involve engaging with ZANU-PF to address these concerns, and eventually reaching a point where both parties would need to come together to agree on actions to ensure a fair and open electoral environment. Morgan Tsvangirai, the main leader of the MDC, expressed his willingness to participate in any election that is guaranteed to be free and fair. However, he emphasized the need for urgent action from Mbeki to establish the necessary conditions. The SADC, facing criticism from the West for overlooking Mugabe's crackdown, is hopeful that Mbeki's appointment will facilitate direct negotiations between Mugabe and the MDC, despite past failed attempts to broker a political agreement. The West accuses Mugabe, who has been in power since Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980, of ruling authoritatively and mismanaging the economy. Mugabe contends that he is facing repercussions for redistributing white-owned farms to landless blacks.