invasion
Swapna Prabhakaran
Some political allies of the African National Congress have remained strangely silent in the wake of the destruction of Maseru that resulted from South Africa’s military intervention in Lesotho last week.
While the ANC’s highest organs have supported the intervention, its alliance partners appeared unable to draft a quick response.
Human rights bodies, opposition parties and most of the media have been vocal in condemning the move.
But the South African Communist Party’s response came more than a week after the intervention, and, although it did not join in the general condemnation, welcomed the reaction as a “healthy and broad-based South African distaste for military action beyond our borders”.
“We need, as a nation, to think three and four times before we take military actions, and whatever is done needs to be subjected to close scrutiny and public debate,” an SACP secretariat statement read.
They said the restoration of infrastructure in Leeotho must be a priority of that country’s government, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and all progressive civil society organisations in the region.
The ANC’s national working committee this week said the intervention was a necessary “mission . to stabilise the deteriorating security situation and create a climate conducive to peaceful negotiations.
“The SADC intervention in Lesotho must be seen to be in the best interest of the people of Lesotho and the principle of democracy.”
However, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has not yet reacted to the intervention. The organisation’s international affairs officer, Mxolise Dlamini, admitted that a statement from Cosatu was “long overdue”.
“We haven’t made a statement because we have not been in contact with any of the unions in Lesotho,” Dlamini said, blaming the delay on poor communications with the kingdom. “The phone lines have been down.”
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) would not comment either. A union official said the union has many ties with Lesotho labour, and, as the situation is sensitive, the NUM “has not adopted a position on the current situation”.
The South African Catholics Bishops Conference was far more outspoken. They expressed shock at the “tragic loss of life, wanton destruction of property and the fleeing of business people from Lesotho”, and accused the SADC of not pursuing a diplomatic solution. The majority of Basotho are Catholics.
The bishops condemned the intervention as “ill-advised and ill-prepared”, and said: “South Africa’s participation in this blunder is in stark contrast to the hospitality offered by Lesotho during the apartheid era.”
Dr Barney Pityana of the South African Human Rights Commission sidestepped the issue, saying: “The activities of the SANDF in Lesotho is not directly a matter for the commission to become involved in.”
Amnesty International said it had received reports of excessive force used by the troops in Lesotho and unconfirmed reports of soldiers raping women near the Makoanyane military barracks.