Maravi

(HERALD) SA won’t pursue illegal regime change in Zim

‘SA won’t pursue illegal regime change in Zim’
By Caesar Zvayi

SOUTH AFRICA will not be swayed into pursuing illegal regime change in Zimbabwe as the solution to the challenges the country is facing can only be solved through the Sadc initiative on dialogue, President Thabo Mbeki has said. Speaking during parliamentary question time in Cape Town on Thursday, the South African leader said he would not bow to any external pressure to force a change of government in Zimbabwe.

‘‘We are not going to be involved in any regime change in Zimbabwe, we are not going to do it. We think it is fundamentally wrong. We can’t take on our shoulders the decision to determine who shall be the government of the people of Zimbabwe. It’s not going to happen," Mr Mbeki was quoted as saying by News24.

Some Western nations, the MDC and opposition in South Africa have tried to pressure the South African government to sabotage Zimbabwe to bring about the much-sought-after economic collapse.

Mr Mbeki has, however, refused to buckle and stuck to his policy of quiet diplomacy and non-interference in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.

Said Mr Mbeki: "The Zimbabwean leadership, both political and the non-governmental organisations . . . are quite convinced they can and will agree among themselves on how to handle the situation to have free and fair elections. I believe them."

This is the second time this week that the South African leader has come out in support of Zimbabwe. In his weekly letter in ANC Today, his party’s online publication, Mr Mbeki reaffirmed his and Sadc’s support for Zimbabwe, saying any initiative to help must be made with respect for the country’s sovereignty.

He also trashed attempts by rightwing elements in South Africa to liken Zimbabwe to apartheid South Africa, saying the two cannot be equated which is why it is wrong to use sanctions against Zimbabwe.

Sadc — which mandated Mr Mbeki to facilitate dialogue between the Government and the MDC factions with a view to coming up with a homegrown solution to the prevailing challenges — has called for the lifting of the illegal Western sanctions in addition to pledging a res-

cue package to mitigate their effects.

Mr Mbeki presented a report on the progress of the inter-party talks, which report was well received by heads of state and government at the just-ended Sadc summit in Lusaka, Zambia.

High-level talks have been going on between the Government and the two MDC factions.

But the Tsvangirai faction has remained unrepentant, showing utter contempt for African processes when its leader flew to Australia this week to meet that country’s prime minister Mr John Howard to discuss how his government could help intensify the illegal regime change agenda.

When he met Mr Howard, Mr Tsvangirai took the opportunity to thank him for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe in addition to asking for more sanctions.

The Australian government, however, refused to indulge him, saying it had already done enough and any intensification of the sanctions would compound the misery of ordinary Zimbabweans.

Labels: SOUTH AFRICA, THABO MBEKI, THE HERALD, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 5:02 PM