The sentencing in absentia of Madagascar’s former president Marc Ravalomanana to hard labour for life will not help resolve problems in Madagascar, International Relations and Cooperation Minister
Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said on Thursday.
Nkoana-Mashabane told journalists in Cape Town that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was “not impressed” with any activity that undermines efforts to bring constitutional order to Madagascar.
“I don’t think judgements passed in absentia help in resolving problems in Madagascar,” she said.
“The reality is the current president of Madagascar was not democratically elected. We will get the full report through our facilitator, [former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano], on what are implications of the judgement.”
Ravalomanana — who lives in exile in South Africa — was sentenced in absentia on Saturday by a court in Antananarivo for his part in the killing of at least 30 supporters of the island’s current leader Andry Rajoelina, by security forces on February 7 2009.
Madagascar has been in political turmoil since Rajoelina grabbed power in May 2009.
Nkoana-Mashabane said South Africa, with other SADC countries, had received a report on peace processes in Madagascar in August, which said that the people of Madagascar “are not impressed by this tit-for-tat going on with leadership”.
“SADC is not impressed with any activity that further undermines efforts by people of Madagascar and ourselves and other international sympathisers who want Madagascar to turn back to
constitutional order.”
SADC would never give up on Madagascar, she said.
“In any country if you walk in and ask if courts and judicial system should grind to halt, the answer will be no. But the reality is that at the moment the line is grey.
“There will never be a time when SADC will give up on Madagascar”. – Sapa