The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

On Friday the Democratic Alliance (DA) submitted a copy of our "Roadmap to Democracy in Zimbabwe" to President Jacob Zuma. We believe our roadmap would establish a properly functioning and legitimate democracy in Zimbabwe. South Africa needs to play a critical role in this regard and it is therefore imperative that President Zuma steps out of the shadow of former President Thabo Mbeki and his policy of silent diplomacy towards Zimbabwe. A copy of our letter follows below. We believe that one of the main reasons why the Global Political Agreement (GPA) has stalled in recent weeks is because of the participation of Robert Mugabe, who has undermined the agreement at every turn. One of the main aims of our roadmap, is to create a system of democratic governance from which Robert Mugabe is removed. During the run-up to the national elections ANC President Jacob Zuma spoke out against Mugabe on a number of occasions. In April last year, after Mugabe had failed to timeously release the results of the Zimbabwean elections, Zuma stated that Zanu-PF's behaviour was "not acceptable". In June last year he stated that the ANC's values were no longer in line with those of Zanu-PF, stating, "We cannot agree with Zanu-PF. We cannot agree with them on values." Both those pronouncements were rightly interpreted as an indictment of President Thabo Mbeki and his mediation on Zimbabwe, of which Zuma was also critical. However, since becoming President, Jacob Zuma has become silent on Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe. This change of attitude was demonstrated best by Zuma's failure to take any action against Mugabe while South Africa was the chair of SADC up to October this year. We were therefore greatly encouraged by his statement after meeting with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai this week that "South Africa was ready to step in to assist the implementation of the GPA" and we urge President Zuma to demonstrate this commitment by urging the regional and international community to unite around our roadmap and to lead the way in bringing about real democratic change in Zimbabwe. MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Athol Trollip MP - 082 417 9254 Ross van der Linde - 076 543 7254 LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT: Hon. Mr. J. Zuma President of the Republic of South Africa Tuynhuys
Private Bag X1000,
Cape Town
8000 Tel: (0)21 464 2100
Fax: (0)21 462 2838 THE DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE'S ROAD MAP TO DEMOCRACY IN ZIMBABWE Mr President Please find enclosed herewith two documents that set out in detail our recently launched ‘road map to democracy' for Zimbabwe. Recent events in Zimbabwe including the disengagement by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC party from the government of unity have highlighted the fact that the Global Political Agreement (GPA) has stalled and has not provided a solution to the political instability in the country. The failure of the GPA indicated by Zanu-PF's disdain at Prime Minister Tsvangirai's disengagement, and the continued political and economic instability in the country, has not only caused the people of Zimbabwe to suffer, but has also negatively affected South Africa, the SADC region and Africa more broadly. It is therefore in the best interest of all stakeholders including South Africa to establish a functioning, legitimate democracy in Zimbabwe. We believe that the only way in which this can be realised is for a new course to be plotted. It is imperative that this course is objective and neutral and is not determined by the vested interests of any party in Zimbabwe. We believe our roadmap meets these criteria as it is a neutral course of action which, if agreed to, allows for a clear path towards the establishment of a democracy. In this regard, it is critical that South Africa moves away from its current approach of silent diplomacy towards the ongoing critical situation in Zimbabwe and takes the lead in bringing about real democratic change in the country. We were therefore encouraged by the statement you made after meeting with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai this week that "South Africa was ready to step in to assist the implementation of the GPA." We believe the GPA is the only mechanism able to get all parties in Zimbabwe to agree to our road map. We therefore call on you to demonstrate your commitment to making the GPA work by using every mechanism at government's disposal to ensure it is used as a way in which to get all stakeholders in Zimbabwe to agree to implement our road map and to use what leverage government has to make sure the steps in our road map are adhered to. Lastly, you and your government have stated on a number of occasions that you are committed to restoring economic and political stability in Zimbabwe and to establishing a functioning and legitimate democracy. We call on you to demonstrate how serious you are to fulfilling this commitment by adopting our road map as South Africa's plan of action for Zimbabwe and by getting the regional and international community to unite around the steps contained therein. We look forward to your response in this regard. Thank you. Sincerely Athol Trollip MP Leader of the Opposition