Manuel defends SA's stance on Zimbabwe Clare Nullis | Cape
Town, South Africa 21 August 2007 05:26
DisplayDCAd('220x240','1','');
A senior government minister on Tuesday defended South Africa's quiet
diplomacy toward Zimbabwe, saying that foreign intervention to bring about a
regime change risked unleashing turmoil like in Iraq.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel told lawmakers that South Africa -- the top
regional powerbroker -- was not in a position to dictate political and economic
policy to Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.
"We must encourage Zimbabweans to solve their own problems. That is the most we
can do because the decisions have to be carried by Zimbabweans into
perpetuity," Manuel said in a heated exchange in Parliament.
"For those who don't understand, I ask that [United States] President [George]
Bush recruit them and send them to Iraq," a visibly angry Manuel said amid
heckling from opposition lawmakers. "Then they will understand what regime
change is about."
President Thabo Mbeki has long advocated quiet diplomacy toward Zimbabwe. Since
March he has acted as mediator between Zimbabwe's ruling party and the
opposition, but so far there has been no visible progress.
In the interim, there has been an upsurge in the number of desperate
Zimbabweans crossing into neighbouring countries to escape the meltdown.
Mugabe has intensified his clampdown on the pro-democracy movement. He has
worsened shortages in the stricken economy by trying to enforce massive price
cuts, which has led to the arrest of hundreds of store owners who insist they
can't afford to sell their goods below cost.
The Zimbabwe government has stopped publishing inflation figures, which in June
stood at 4 500%. The International Monetary Fund has warned inflation might hit
100 000% by the end of the year.
A summit of the Southern African Development Community last week asked finance
ministers from the 14-nation regional bloc to consult with the Zimbabwe
government and "draw up an economic plan to support Zimbabwe", mindful that the
catastrophic state of its economy is torpedoing the regional drive toward
integration.
Manuel -- one of Africa's most experienced and respected finance ministers --
said that South Africa would not squander South African taxpayers' money by
bailing out the ailing Zimbabwe economy.
"We cannot ... decide what kind of economy the Zimbabweans must have. They must
get the prices to work, they must drive the changes. We can't commit financial
resources ..."
Zimbabwe's official media have hailed the outcome of the Southern African
summit on Friday as a victory for Mugabe. The closing summit communiqué
welcomed the negotiations mediated by Mbeki and encouraged the ruling Zanu-PF
party and Movement for Democratic Change to narrow their differences to enable
elections scheduled for next year to take place in "an atmosphere of peace and
tranquillity".
But critics say there is little prospect of this, given the ban on opposition
gatherings and the general atmosphere of violence and intimidation.
In an article in the South African based ZimOnline news service on Tuesday, a
former newspaper journalist detailed his 71 days in detention after he was
arrested in a raid on Movement for Democratic Change headquarters in March and
imprisoned because of his writings against Mugabe.
Luke Tamborinyoka, news editor of the banned Daily News and an opposition
activist, wrote that he had seen more than 10 people die of
malnutrition-related diseases during his detention in a Harare prison.
He was released in June.
"It was a place where one had to adjust to tough conditions such as leg irons,
dirty khaki shirts and shorts, substandard food, tight security, the company of
hardened criminals and scowling prison officers," he said.
"Harare Remand prison represented the dark rictus of death. It was an odd place
for hardened criminals and innocent prisoners like me, whose persecution arose
simply because of our relationship with Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for
Democratic Change party." -- Sapa-AP
---------------------------------
Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo!
Answers. _______________________________________________
Ugandanet mailing list
[email protected]
http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet
% UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including
attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way.
---------------------------------------
