[I do like the incontrovertible evidence and conclusions reached by the DA. It should be clear, to even the most brain-dead, that S.Africa is holding up Mugabe’s rickety, evil regime.

This is why I say, some of the fight against Mugabe, should be carried out here in S.Africa – because it will hurt the ANC badly. Mugabe is extremely unpopular in this country, even among Black people. But the ANC will have none of it. They will keep that evil old Marxist in power to their last breath. And I hope they do – because they will pay dearly for that – and they won’t fix Zimbabwe. Jan]

Cape Town – The opposition has demanded the South African government reject Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s plea for a R6.5bn loan to shore up his flagging economy in view of the damning United Nations report on Zimbabwe’s “clean up” operation.

“The excerpts from UN Special Envoy Anna Tibaijuka’s report on the Zimbabwean government’s Operation Murambatsvina (Drive Out Trash) come as no surprise,” Democratic Alliance foreign affairs spokesperson Douglas Gibson said on Friday.

“Her report, in a welcome deviation from normal UN practice, harshly criticises patent human rights abuses.

“Surely South African diplomatic representatives in Zimbabwe must have made similar reports to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma) and President (Thabo) Mbeki?

Failure

“This makes the government’s failure to speak out against the operation indefensible,” he said.

Mbeki initially “bought time” by reserving his comment and action until after the release of the report. If his response to the findings was now to lend R6.5bn to Mugabe and the Zimbabwean government it would shock democratic opinion around the world, Gibson said.

If South Africa was seen to be shoring up Mugabe and in effect sanction busting by rushing in to replace International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank loans, South Africa’s own public image and interests could be severely damaged, he said.

“While it is correct that there are huge humanitarian needs in Zimbabwe, those should be channelled through the UN, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP),” Gibson said.

Donation

“A loan, or donation, which is what it will be, because Zimbabwe cannot repay the money, will be seen as an endorsement of the callous ‘Operation Murambatsvina’, and not a condemnation,” Gibson said.

“The message from the UN report is clear, President Mbeki must just say no.”

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder said any loan by South Africa to Zimbabwe should be subject to Mugabe undertaking to resign.

“Given the damning UN report on the situation in Zimbabwe, there are no longer any excuses why South Africa cannot exercise the maximum amount of pressure on President Mugabe.

“The only condition, upon which South Africa can loan money to Zimbabwe, is an undertaking from President Mugabe that he will resign.”

That would offer Mugabe the opportunity to prove he was willing to sacrifice himself in the interests of Zimbabwe and its people.

If South Africa were to extend a large financial loan to Zimbabwe on an unconditional basis it would become the weak link in the international world’s pressure on Zimbabwe, Mulder said.

Destruction

According to excerpts of Tibaijuka’s report on the effects of the campaign by the Zimbabwean government, the destruction of urban slums is a “disastrous venture” that has left 700 000 people without homes or jobs, violated international law and created a grave humanitarian crisis.

Source: News24.Com
URL: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/New…/p>