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.

President Zuma fails to publically address either the remaining sticking points of the Global Political Agreement, or comment on the Zimbabwean government's flouting of a SADC Tribunal ruling
Evasive approach has weakened negotiations process by implicitly condoning Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's disdain for rule of law
DA writes to President Zuma to request an explanation for the ANC government's implicit support for President Mugabe's contemptuous conduct





I have today written to President Jacob Zuma to request an explanation for the ANC government's silence on the Zimbabwean government's flouting of a 2008 SADC Tribunal ruling, which declared that country's disastrous policy of land reform as unlawful.

President Zuma's glowing report on the Zimbabwean negotiations process, presented yesterday to the SADC Summit in Windhoek, failed to address the considerable obstacles blocking the path to the establishment of a democratic dispensation in that country. Most notably, the President's muted approach to Zimbabwe's brazen contempt for the Tribunal's ruling has further undermined the legitimacy of the highly-respected SADC Tribunal -- and that of SADC itself.

The South African government's silence on this matter is as concerning as the Zimbabwean government's clear disregard for the rule of law. That the Tribunal's ruling impacts the rights of the many South Africans who live, work and invest in the Zimbabwean farming community- and the economy in general- raises further questions about the ANC government's decision not to comment publically on this matter.

The Zuma administration's evasive approach to the Zimbabwean political situation continues to raise serious concerns about its political motivations for implicitly condoning President Robert Mugabe's continually undemocratic behaviour. In refusing to condemn the Mugabe administration's contempt for the rights of those South Africans in Zimbabwe affected by the Tribunal's ruling - rights which should also be protected by the newly ratified South Africa-Zimbabwe Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA)- the ANC government has placed its political affiliations above the rights of its own citizens.

That the ANC administration has resorted to court action to keep the contents of various reports into the Zimbabwean political situation out of the public domain is a powerful indicator of the government's determination to keep South Africans in the dark about the scale of Zimbabwe's plight. The report compiled by Judges Dikgang Moseneke and Sisi Khampepe detailing their conclusions about the fairness of Zimbabwe's 2002 presidential election, and the infamous Generals' Report commissioned by former President Mbeki, are two such examples.

President Zuma's "smoke and mirrors" approach to Zimbabwe has allowed President Mugabe's despotic tendencies to flourish and the rights of South African citizens in Zimbabwe to be repeatedly and systematically abused.

This deserves a full explanation.