The massive influx of illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe is something South Africa is going to ”have to live with”, says President Thabo Mbeki.
Responding to questions in the National Assembly on Thursday, he said it is not possible to put a ”Great Wall of China” along the South African-Zimbabwe border.
Mbeki also refused to be drawn on progress in his South African Development Community-tasked efforts to ”facilitate dialogue” between the government of Zimbabwe and opposition parties in that country
It would be improper to divulge details, he told MPs.
A South African Development Community (SADC) summit in March this year had mandated him to foster dialogue between both the government of Zimbabwe and the two groups representing the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, and all parties had unconditionally accepted this decision.
”Having been mandated by our region, we have indeed moved with the necessary speed to execute its directive, and are therefore engaged in dialogue with our Zimbabwean interlocutors.”
Mbeki said it would be ”improper for us to divulge details of this engagement” before SADC was informed of the progress made.
”I should also say we have also agreed with our Zimbabwe colleagues that all of us should avoid conducting the dialogue through the media, as this would be counter-productive. However, I can confirm that the discussions are proceeding very well.”
On immigration from Zimbabwe, he said the government acted against those who entered South Africa illegally, attempting to identify and arrest them.
”As to this … inflow of illegal people, I personally think that it’s something we have to live with … its difficult; you can’t put a Great Wall of China between South Africa and Zimbabwe to stop people walking across,” he said.
According to reports, there are an estimated 3,5-million Zimbabweans in South Africa, the majority of them in the country illegally.
Inflation rockets
Meanwhile, it was reported on Thursday that Zimbabwe’s cost of living had doubled in a single month in April as annual inflation surged to 3 713,9%, a further sign of economic turmoil in a country where four in five people are jobless.
The Central Statistical Office (CSO) said prices jumped by 100,7% last month after a 50,5% rise in March, when annual inflation had been 2 200,2%.
Raging inflation is the most visible sign of a deep economic crisis that critics say has been worsened by President Robert Mugabe’s policies, such as his seizure of white-owned farms to redistribute to black Zimbabweans.
An economic recession has seen unemployment soar to about 80% and sparked shortages of foreign exchange, food and fuel, leaving many Zimbabwean families unable to feed themselves.
The CSO said prices of domestic power, food, fuel and commuter transport fares had contributed to last month’s increase. — Sapa, Reuters