South Africa won't dictate to Zimbabwe: Mbeki
Posted: Monday, October 14, 2002SOUTH AFRICA will not dictate policy to Zimbabwean President Mugabe, nor will it be "dragooned" into overthrowing his Government, South African President Thabo Mbeki said in an interview published yesterday.
"When people say: 'Do something', we say to them: 'Do what?', and nobody gives an answer because they know when they say 'do something' what they mean is march across the Limpopo and overthrow the Government of President Mugabe, which we are not going to do," President Mbeki told South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper.
The South African government has been criticised for its refusal to criticise President Mugabe's land reforms and perceived lawlessness in Zimbabwe.
In September, Australian Prime Minister John Howard called for Zimbabwe to be fully suspended from the Commonwealth because of alleged human rights and democratic abuses.
However, he was overruled by President Mbeki and Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo, who said Cde Mugabe should be given a further six months before reviewing the situation in Zimbabwe.
"You can see that there is a particular agenda that drives that particular perception about Zimbabwe. The notion that South Africa can dictate policy to Zimbabwe . . . people must abandon that."
"What (US) President (George) Bush calls regime change is not going to happen," President Mbeki said. "The particular focus on Zimbabwe . . . suggests that particular agendas are being pursued here. And we are being dragooned to play: to come and fulfil and implement other people's agendas."
The South African President said the mainly white Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) had sent him a message opposing sanctions, sought by the West over President Mugabe's land reforms and the March presidential election victory.
President Mbeki spoke out against singling Zimbabwe out for punishment for perceived political wrongdoing, when global powers were doing little to resolve the "terrible situation" in the Middle East.
He also said no one had suggested punitive sanctions against President Pervez Musharraf, who took power in Pakistan via a military coup.
"It is Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, Zimba-bwe everyday. Is a military coup less of an offence? Or is a military coup in Pakistan okay?" he said.
The SA leader said the Zimbabwe question was often raised at forums discussing the continent's economic rescue plan — the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) — but had not obstructed the programme in any way.
Nepad pledges improved political and economic governance by African leaders in return for increased financial assistance by Western governments.
President Mbeki is one of Nepad's key promoters.
The South African leader said the only solution to Zimbabwe's problems was continued engagement with all parties concerned.
Sadc decided last week, at President Mugabe's invitation, to send its Ministerial Task Force on Zimbabwe back to the country to review developments, particularly the land redistribution programme.
South Africa's Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who was on a three-day visit to Zimbabwe last week said there were clearly no signs of a looming bloodbath in Zimbabwe as suggested by the SA media.
"We are not seeing any signs of that bloodbath and maybe we are too blind to see this looming war, but we are saying we are not blind and there is not any looming bloodbath," she told journalists after meeting President Mugabe on Friday.
"The media in SA wants to paint a picture of gloom and doom, but we think the public wants to be informed about what exactly is going on."
Dr Dlamini-Zuma said the major problem with the SA media was that it always thought people wanted to read and listen to bad news.
The South African minister held closed door meetings with her Zimbabwean counterpart Dr Stan Mudenge where they exchanged views on regional and international issues, and other developmental issues between the two countries. — AFP-Reuters-Herald Reporter.
Reproduced from:
http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id=15214&pubdate=2002-10-14
Australia announces sanctions against State officials
Australia announced yesterday unilateral sanctions against Zimbabwe, including travel bans and a freeze on assets of Government officials following its failure to persuade the Commonwealth to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.
In a statement, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer claimed the sanctions were designed to influence the Zimbabwean Government to return "good governance and rule of law". MOREPrinter friendly version
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