News / National
Stick to election deal: South Africa tells Zimbabwe
06 Apr 2011 at 04:26hrs | Views
A TENSE and visibly irritated International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane took a stern line with Zimbabwe's unity government yesterday.
"We will refuse the temptation to respond in anger because we have a responsibility to focus on the mandate given (to us) by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) as facilitators," she said at a briefing in Pretoria. She said SA remained resolute that it would enforce the conditions of the Global Political Agreement .
It was forged three years ago and culminated in the formation of a coalition government between Zimbabwe's main political parties .
Zanu (PF) and the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) agreed to draft a new constitution before elections were held. However, President Robert Mugabe vowed to hold elections this year and accused Sadc leaders of interfering in the affairs of his country.
Ms Nkoana-Mashabane said the inclusive government of Zimbabwe should finalise constitutional amendments and hold a referendum, which were "necessary steps for the holding of elections".
"Sadc remains the guarantor for the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement. So there's no lowering of the guard by Sadc on playing that role," she said. "The status quo (the agreement) remains because that's the mandate we got from the people of Zimbabwe."
Ms Nkoana-Mashabane distanced the Zuma administration from former president Thabo Mbeki 's "quiet diplomacy", insisting President Jacob Zuma had a different approach .
Mr Zuma was heavily criticised in Zimbabwe's state media last weekend. "Bemused people have often asked: how does the disaster- prone Zuma manage to run Africa's biggest economy?" a Sunday Mail editorial asked. "The answer is really simple: he does not run anything, not even a tuck shop in Soweto.
"President Zuma and Sadc ' individually and collectively ' have no legal or moral authority to meddle in Zimbabwe's internal affairs."
Last week Mr Zuma took the unprecedented step of inviting MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to his homestead in KwaZulu-Natal to hear his grievances.
"We will refuse the temptation to respond in anger because we have a responsibility to focus on the mandate given (to us) by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) as facilitators," she said at a briefing in Pretoria. She said SA remained resolute that it would enforce the conditions of the Global Political Agreement .
It was forged three years ago and culminated in the formation of a coalition government between Zimbabwe's main political parties .
Zanu (PF) and the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) agreed to draft a new constitution before elections were held. However, President Robert Mugabe vowed to hold elections this year and accused Sadc leaders of interfering in the affairs of his country.
Ms Nkoana-Mashabane said the inclusive government of Zimbabwe should finalise constitutional amendments and hold a referendum, which were "necessary steps for the holding of elections".
"Sadc remains the guarantor for the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement. So there's no lowering of the guard by Sadc on playing that role," she said. "The status quo (the agreement) remains because that's the mandate we got from the people of Zimbabwe."
Ms Nkoana-Mashabane distanced the Zuma administration from former president Thabo Mbeki 's "quiet diplomacy", insisting President Jacob Zuma had a different approach .
Mr Zuma was heavily criticised in Zimbabwe's state media last weekend. "Bemused people have often asked: how does the disaster- prone Zuma manage to run Africa's biggest economy?" a Sunday Mail editorial asked. "The answer is really simple: he does not run anything, not even a tuck shop in Soweto.
"President Zuma and Sadc ' individually and collectively ' have no legal or moral authority to meddle in Zimbabwe's internal affairs."
Last week Mr Zuma took the unprecedented step of inviting MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to his homestead in KwaZulu-Natal to hear his grievances.
Source - BD
