South African and Zimbabwean trade unions on Monday called on the Zimbabwean government to admit to the crisis in Zimbabwe.
They urged the Zimbabwean government to call off its ”short-term populist actions” and actively cooperate with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) process.
”We are worried that if this all fails the Zimbabwe economy will collapse completely, with dire consequences for the poor of that country and our region as a whole,” Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said on Monday.
He was speaking after talks with a Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) delegation at Cosatu House in Johannesburg.
Vavi said at least 5 000 refugees a week were arrested while trying to cross the border from Zimbabwe into South Africa.
However, should the Zimbabwean economy collapse there would be no way of stopping the flow of Zimbabweans openly walking into South Africa and other neighbouring countries just to survive.
The unions demanded an immediate meeting between the government, labour and business in Zimbabwe to solve the crisis of empty shelves, food shortages and hunger.
A solution to the Zimbabwe crisis had to be found ”yesterday”, said ZCTU secretary general Wellington Shibebe.
”Today is too late and tomorrow will be disaster,” he said.
If Zimbabweans had one request of the South African government, it was to ensure free and fair elections, said ZCTU president Lucia Madibenga.
In a joint statement, Cosatu and the ZCTU said: ”We want a democratic process, involving civil society, to draw up a new, progressive constitution and free and fair elections in line with SADC protocols.”
Cosatu said it would be discussing with its alliance and civil society partners a package of ”people-based humanitarian interventions” in preparation for Zimbabwe’s economic collapse.
Sued
Meanwhile, state radio in Zimbabwe said on Monday that a prominent critic of Mugabe, Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube, was being sued for adultery.
The radio claimed the fearless cleric, who is archbishop of the second city of Bulawayo, had been having a two-year relationship with a married woman.
The woman, who has been named, admitted to the affair to ZBC news, the radio claimed. Her husband is reported to be suing Ncube. The report said that court papers had been served on Ncube on Monday.
Ncube, who is regularly vilified by the Mugabe government, said he was unwilling to comment until the matter had been settled by the courts.
”We will cross bridges when we come to them,” he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in a telephone interview from Bulawayo.
This is not the first time Ncube has been accused by the state of adultery. Many Mugabe critics will treat the latest allegations with scepticism.
A week ago Mugabe hit out at church leaders he accused of peddling falsehoods about Zimbabwe, saying they have sworn to celibacy but they sleep around. The 83-year old Zimbabwe president did not give any names.
Ncube recently angered the Mugabe government when he told international reporters that military intervention would be justified in Zimbabwe, reeling under chronic economic and social hardships.
Earlier this year the archbishop travelled to Australia to convince authorities there not to send their cricket team to play in Zimbabwe, to protest rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
The tour was later cancelled by Prime Minister John Howard’s government. — Sapa-dpa