The South African government said they were monitoring the situation in Zimbabwe, following the arrest of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday.
”We are monitoring the situation on an ungoing basis. We have to see what is happening,” foreign affairs representative Ronnie Mamoepa told the Mail & Guardian Online.
Tsvangirai, formally charged with contempt of court for defying a court order issued at the weekend barring planned opposition protest marches, was taken to court on Monday to attend his treason trial. The opposition has appealed against the court order.
South African opposition leader Tony Leon said the arrest ”and harassment of the Movement for Democratic Change is an aggressive intimidation by the Zimbabwean government against a political opposition”.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe ”has signalled that his retention of power is far more important to him than any attempt towards national reconciliation”.
Leon said Mugabe had ”further reminded us that he is not at all fussy about how he intends to hold on to power”.
The South African government must, he said, condemn the actions of the Zimbabwe government and use its influence with that government to end this campaign of political harassment against the lawful opposition in that country”.
Leon said: ”Our past inaction has had heavy costs; recent studies indicate that the crisis in Zimbabwe has cost the South African economy a conservative R15-billion and 20 000 to 30 000 lost jobs over the past three years.”
The Democratic Alliance leader said his party would be raising the matter in Parliament during this week ”and seeking a meeting with government leadership”.
The planned anti-government demonstrations — which are set to last for this week — represent the most significant challenge yet to the Mugabe’s leadership.
The Zimbabwean opposition says it wants Mugabe to negotiate on the nation’s deepening political and economic crisis and agree to step down so new presidential elections can be held.
The treason hearing was adjourned on Monday to consider an application by Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi to alter bail conditions for the opposition leader and his two co-accused, Movement for Democratic Change secretary general, Welshman Ncube, and Renson Gasela, the shadow agriculture minister.
The government wants to include in the bail conditions provisions that the trio should not make any inflammatory statements or incite violence.
In an interview, Tsvangirai said he was not sure if he would be returning to the police station after his trial, but his lawyer Innocent Chagonda said it was likely he would be freed because he had made a statement to the police already.
The government has acted to stop the protests gathering momentum in the opposition strongholds of Harare and Bulawayo, with military roadblocks set up along routes into the cities. – I-Net Bridge, Sapa