Opinion / Columnist
Anti-Zim demos in SA raise stink
08 Jun 2011 at 05:23hrs | Views
MDC-T and its network of Western-funded non governmental organisations here have organised a demonstration against President Mugabe on Saturday on the sidelines of the Sadc extraordinary summit on Zimbabwe.
This is after South African police here granted MDC-T supporters permission to stage demonstrations against the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
South African police turned down a similar application by the Zanu-PF Johannesburg branch under as yet to be ex-plained circumstances.
The pro-MDC-T NGOs reportedly hired 20 buses to ferry demonstrators from Zimbabwe and South Africa to the summit venue.
The development has riled the high-powered Zanu-PF delegation that arrived here yesterday on a mission to set the record straight on developments in Zimbabwe contrary to false reports on violence by MDC-T and its functionaries.
Police here are understood to have turned down the Zanu-PF application on the excuse that if both parties were allowed to stage demonstrations at the venue, it could disturb public peace.
Besides hosting the Sadc Summit, South Africa is facilitator to the Zimbabwe dialogue and the decision to give one party in the inclusive Government the right to demonstrate, while denying the other has been described as "scandalous and offensive to natural justice" by Professor Jonathan Moyo.
Prof Moyo is leading the Zanu-PF delegation here.
"For the host and the facilitator to allow one of the political parties to have a demonstration against the other is scandalous. It's either all of them are allowed or none of them.
"The matter cannot be treated as if it is business as usual. Allowing one party to demonstrate is offensive to natural justice and public interest," Prof Moyo said.
He suspected someone with a sinister motive against Zanu-PF could have contributed to the turning down of the Zanu-PF application and hoped that the facilitation team would urgently intervene and resolve the matter.
"It is a matter that is scandalous. The hosting of the summit in South Africa could be an ambush by hostile forces wanting regime change in Zimbabwe.
"It is an attempt to humiliate our President," Prof Moyo said.
President Mugabe is attending the summit not only as a principal in the inclusive Government, but as Head of State and Government.
"This kind of an orchestration will be seen as hostile to Zimbabwe if not rectified.
"We think it is very unprocedural and deserves the highest attention. We are very concerned about this," added Prof Moyo.
Forces behind the planned demonstrations have been using Studio 7 and the MDC-T website to encourage Zimbabweans resident in South Africa to converge at the venue of the summit on Saturday and turn it into an anti-Mugabe zone while creating an atmosphere of an uprising.
Prof Moyo said it was wrong for MDC-T and its Western handlers to use Zimbabweans as a tool against their own country.
This is after South African police here granted MDC-T supporters permission to stage demonstrations against the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
South African police turned down a similar application by the Zanu-PF Johannesburg branch under as yet to be ex-plained circumstances.
The pro-MDC-T NGOs reportedly hired 20 buses to ferry demonstrators from Zimbabwe and South Africa to the summit venue.
The development has riled the high-powered Zanu-PF delegation that arrived here yesterday on a mission to set the record straight on developments in Zimbabwe contrary to false reports on violence by MDC-T and its functionaries.
Police here are understood to have turned down the Zanu-PF application on the excuse that if both parties were allowed to stage demonstrations at the venue, it could disturb public peace.
Besides hosting the Sadc Summit, South Africa is facilitator to the Zimbabwe dialogue and the decision to give one party in the inclusive Government the right to demonstrate, while denying the other has been described as "scandalous and offensive to natural justice" by Professor Jonathan Moyo.
Prof Moyo is leading the Zanu-PF delegation here.
"For the host and the facilitator to allow one of the political parties to have a demonstration against the other is scandalous. It's either all of them are allowed or none of them.
He suspected someone with a sinister motive against Zanu-PF could have contributed to the turning down of the Zanu-PF application and hoped that the facilitation team would urgently intervene and resolve the matter.
"It is a matter that is scandalous. The hosting of the summit in South Africa could be an ambush by hostile forces wanting regime change in Zimbabwe.
"It is an attempt to humiliate our President," Prof Moyo said.
President Mugabe is attending the summit not only as a principal in the inclusive Government, but as Head of State and Government.
"This kind of an orchestration will be seen as hostile to Zimbabwe if not rectified.
"We think it is very unprocedural and deserves the highest attention. We are very concerned about this," added Prof Moyo.
Forces behind the planned demonstrations have been using Studio 7 and the MDC-T website to encourage Zimbabweans resident in South Africa to converge at the venue of the summit on Saturday and turn it into an anti-Mugabe zone while creating an atmosphere of an uprising.
Prof Moyo said it was wrong for MDC-T and its Western handlers to use Zimbabweans as a tool against their own country.
Source - Ziana
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