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Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai called on Monday on South African President Thabo Mbeki to move rapidly to defuse the escalating political crisis across his northern border.
“It is critical that President Mbeki act quickly and decisively to halt the suffering of millions of Zimbabweans,” Tsvangirai told journalists. “There is no time to waste,” Tsvangirai added during a visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, for medical treatment.
The Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) decision to appoint President Thabo Mbeki as mediator in Zimbabwe was both lauded and ridiculed on Friday.
“The Inkatha Freedom Party welcomes SADC’s decision to call on President Thabo Mbeki to lead efforts to promote discussions between rival political parties in Zimbabwe,” IFP spokesperson Ben Skosana said in a statement.The party had recently called for an honest broker, such as Mbeki, to organise all relevant factions in Zimbabwe to start negotiating.
“We are therefore extremely pleased that the IFP’s suggestions were echoed by SADC, and we hope to see constructive talks between Zanu-PF and the opposition MDC (Movement for Democratic Change), so that democracy in one of themost troubled countries on the African continent can be restored,” Skosana said.
However, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Joe Seremane sounded a different note. “Once again South Africa and the SADC have been taken hostage by President Robert Mugabe and Zanu-PF,” he said in another statement.
“Instead of taking action on the massive human rights violations in Zimbabwe, the SADC leaders decided to call for a lowering of sanctions in what could possibly be interpreted as open support of the Mugabe regime.
“The leaders at the summit should have called for smart sanctions against Mugabe, his wife and members of his government, such as a travel ban within the SADC, and the freezing of all their externally held assets.
“This call should have been led by Mbeki, as an acknowledgement of the vicious poverty, deprivation and human rights abuses that the people of Zimbabwe were suffering as a direct result of the actions of Mugabe and his government’s policies, Seremane said.
“Calling on President Mbeki to be the mediator between Zanu-PF and the MDC is pointless. History would severely judge all the leaders who showed solidarity with Mugabe and Zanu-PF at the expense of the basic human rights of ordinary Zimbabweans, Seremane said. Sapa
