DEFENCE Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has stated publicly that the government’s attempts to end the economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe had failed, his representative said on Saturday.
Sam Mkhwanazi said the minister made the statement on Friday while addressing KwaZulu-Natal church leaders in Durban on the topic of strategic defence packages.
Lekota, responding to criticism of the government’s failure to publicly condemn Zimbabwe during its election crisis, said such measures would have been counter-productive.
Instead the government chose the route of strong behind the scenes diplomatic attempts to prevail on Zimbabwe’s government to stop the violence.
But he admitted that this alternate route of engaging privately with the Zimbabwean government had also failed, Mkhwanazi said.
”We failed. The government of Zimbabwe would not listen to us. We asked them to do something to stop the looting of farms and not to follow the route of lawlessness but we failed,” Lekota reportedly said.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Sunday said that South Africa’s failed policy of quiet diplomacy with Zimbabwe needed to be replaced by a new plan.
DA leader Tony Leon in a statement praised Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota for having, what he called, the ”courage” to admit that the government’s quiet diplomacy had failed.
”This is long overdue, and we cannot continue with the folly of that failed policy any longer,” Leon said.
He added that it was not enough to just admit failure.
”South Africa needs a new plan to assist the people of Zimbabwe to resolve the crisis largely created by one man, namely Robert Mugabe.”
Leon said that South Africa should call for tougher action to be taken against Zimbabwe within the Commonwealth and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
”The carrot of gentle persuasion and promises of assistance has failed to influence the Mugabe regime. Perhaps the stick of public condemnation by his peers and the genuine threat of diplomatic isolation within SADC and within Africa will bring President Mugabe to his senses.”
He said South Africa should apply smart sanctions against Mugabe and advised that South Africa?s parastatals should review their soft loans and easy credit terms with Zimbabwe.
It was essential to put pressure on the ruling Zanu-PF party to return to the negotiating table with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
”That path includes an end to the violence and intimidation, and fresh Presidential elections under an independent authority,” Leon said. – Sapa