The South African Communist Party has welcomed the African National Congress’s statement on Zimbabwe, the party’s spokesperson Mazibuko Jara said on Tuesday.
”The SACP is particularly pleased with the ANC NEC statement on Zimbabwe,” he said in a statement.
”This statement is a clear signal that all South Africans must contribute to the achievement of free and fair political activity and parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe.
”We agree that anti-democratic measures and human rights abuses in Zimbabwe — regardless of the source — must be consistently and clearly condemned by our entire alliance.”
On Monday, the ANC confirmed that South Africa’s approach to help Zimbabwe solve its internal strife was correct.
”It is primarily the people and the leaders of Zimbabwe who have the ability to achieve a lasting solution to the country’s problems.
”The role of the international community, including South Africa, is to provide support for their efforts,” the ANC said after this weekend’s lekgotla.
But the Congress of SA Trade Unions has accused Kgalema Motlanthe, the ANC’s secretary general, of attacking Cosatu’s integrity.
Cosatu’s plans to revisit Zimbabwe were motivated by a desire to attract headlines, Motlanthe told reporters at the party’s Johannesburg headquarters on Monday.
”They go there with the intention of defying a country’s laws and they make it known. This has value for the newspapers but it has very little to do with familiarising yourself with the situation,” Motlanthe said.
He said Cosatu, whose ill-fated visit last year ended in deportation and embarrassed the ANC, wanted to create media hype rather than familiarising themselves with Zimbabwe’s internal strife.
Cosatu was concerned only with defending the human rights and economic well-being of their counterparts in Zimbabwe, the federation’s spokesperson Patrick Craven said on Tuesday.
”This uncharacteristic comment borders on an attack on Cosatu’s integrity when it addresses these important issues,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi is expected to meet Wellington Chibebe, the secretary general of the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions, in Cape Town on Saturday.
Asked which part of the ANC’s statement pleased the SACP, Jara said: ”The written text, not what Kgalema said at the press conference. He was responding to a question.”
The SACP’s statement said: ”We call for the deepening of South African solidarity with Zimbabwe. Government to government, party to party, and people to people engagements are all part of what is required.
”In engaging with all formations within Zimbabwe, different components of our alliance and of South African society will have better prospects in different directions,” said the SACP. – Sapa