4 content of the talks between his party and Zanu-PF, Ncube alluded to the issue of legitimacy three times. He said, “ The talks are principally about how we restore legitimacy to our election processes so that whenever we hold the next elections we will have an outcome acceptable to all players. Assuming we agree on all those things then the next question would be when would it be best to hold a legitimate election so that whatever is born out of that as the new government has complete, unquestioned legitimacy.” So in a situation where no one between the feuding parties accepts the legitimate existence of the other, managing the conflict becomes a very big challenge. (ii) Basic Principles The other hindrance to managing the conflict in Zimbabwe is lack of agreement on “basic principles” that should guide the holding of free and legitimate elections. The opposition call for the demilitarisation of state institutions, a new people-driven constitution, reform of the electoral laws, repeal of sections of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), a repeal of the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), among other basic principles to govern the conduct of elections while Zanu-PF sees nothing wrong in the constitution, electoral laws and the cited Acts. The two parties divergent views on the issues noted above pose challenges to attempts at managing the conflict. However, with the on-going negotiations mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki there is a glimmer of hope the two parties might reach a compromise. (iii) Lack of consensus on the cause of the crisis One of the most important processes in conflict management is getting the belligerents to share a common understanding of the cause of their conflict. Whether the conflict management is achieved through negotiation, mediation, conciliation or arbitration, the first step is always to make the conflicting parties realise the common cause(s) of the crisis. In Zimbabwe, the high levels of political polarisation have lead to different understandings of the causes of the crisis. While the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJP), in their report of the June 2000