/ 17 March 2009

Dandala: Haul Mugabe before ICC

Robert Mugabe should be hauled before the ICC to explain the ''tragic situation'' in his country, Cope's Mvume Dandala said on Tuesday.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe should be hauled before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to explain the ”tragic situation” in his country, the Congress of the People (Cope) presidential candidate Mvume Dandala said on Tuesday.

”There must be ways by which the rest of humanity can ask questions. I believe the ICC is one of those instruments that can be used,” Dandala told reporters in Kliptown, Soweto.

”Given the tragic situation in Zimbabwe I personally feel that if President Mugabe was taken to the international court … he would be given a chance to actually explain himself.”

Dandala said this was his personal view and that Cope was still in the process of clarifying its position on several policy issues.

Cope Gauteng Premier candidate Lyndall Shope-Mafole later said that Dandala’s views on Mugabe were ”consistent, in fact, with the policies of the Congress of the People”.

Zimbabwe is currently in the throes of a political and economic crisis which has caused instability, severe food shortages and thousands of cholera deaths.

More than 91 000 cases of cholera have been reported in the country since the disease broke out last August, killing 4 035, according to latest World Health Organisation (WHO) data published on Monday.

The WHO said earlier this month that the outbreak was showing signs of slowing, with the number of cases averaging 4 000 to 4 500 a week compared to peaks of about 8 000 earlier in the outbreak.

Zim thanks SA for food aid
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe has expressed appreciation to South Africa’s government for agricultural inputs made under a Southern African Development Community (SADC) initiative.

During the third session of the Zimbabwe-South Africa joint commission held at the Victoria Falls from Saturday to Monday, the countries discussed ways of supporting the recovery of Zimbabwe’s productive sectors.

This included the opening of lines of credit, export credit insurance, spatial development initiatives and trade facilitation measures, they said in a joint communique issued on Monday.

The Zimbabwean delegation to the talks was led by its Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, while South Africa’s was led by his counterpart Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

During the talks, the countries agreed to finalise negotiations on the bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement, the memorandum on economic cooperation and the avoidance of double taxation agreement, according to the communique.

They also agreed to enhance cooperation in the generation and distribution of power, with the establishment of a joint working committee to discuss technical details.

Accord was reached on the enhancement of production in the mining sector, the beneficiation of minerals, the finger-printing of precious metals and the harmonisation of mining policies to attract investment.

South Africa and Zimbabwe were furthermore in one mind on the need to finalise negotiations on a draft protocol on tourism and establish a bilateral tourism technical committee ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup and with a eye on the Transfrontier Conservation Parks.

The countries exchanged views on collaborating to combat infectious diseases and other health management issues, labour migration, human settlement development and housing, public service administration, arts and culture, youth, gender and community development.

They also advanced discussions on long standing immigration matters between the two countries.

They further resolved to work together on Zimbabwe’s re-engagement with the international community and in the lobbying for the lifting of economic sanctions. — Sapa