No image available
/ 1 June 2008

Daring to be a Daniel

POINT: In April 2001, 22 months after Thabo Mbeki became president, the Mail & Guardian ran a full-length front-cover photograph of him alongside the question: ”Is this man fit to rule?” Letters to the paper the following week convey the intensity of the reaction. ”Who are these racists masquerading as newspapermen?”

No image available
/ 14 May 2008

Generals’ report may sway Mbeki on Zim

A report by six former South African National Defence Force generals might lead to action being taken to address the violence in Zimbabwe, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said on Wednesday. He said President Thabo Mbeki was waiting for a report from the generals on the violence before considering appropriate action.

No image available
/ 10 April 2008

SA govt asks: Where are Zim vote results?

South Africa will work with other countries in the region to ensure the will of the Zimbabwean people is reflected, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said on Thursday. The country has joined the chorus of international calls for Zimbabwe to release the results of its March 29 presidential election as soon as possible.

No image available
/ 2 April 2008

SA aims to strengthen UN, AU security ties

South Africa said on Wednesday it plans to use its presidency of the United Nations Security Council in April to enhance security cooperation between the world body and the African Union on the continent. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said that South Africa would call a summit this month at the UN to discuss conflict resolution in Africa.

No image available
/ 12 March 2008

SA rejects Mann’s coup-plot allegations

South Africa on Wednesday rejected ”with contempt” claims by jailed British mercenary Simon Mann that it backed his plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea. ”South Africa is thrown in just out of the blue … he says he had a nod from us. I would like to know in what sense he had a nod,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said.

No image available
/ 12 March 2008

SA believes Zim elections can be free and fair

South Africa believes conditions for a free and fair election in Zimbabwe exist — at least on paper, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters at the Union Buildings, Pahad said the next 17 days in the run-up to the Zimbabwean presidential and parliamentary elections would be telling.

No image available
/ 31 January 2008

Mugabe blows hole in quiet diplomacy

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe may have dealt a fatal blow to Pretoria’s "quiet diplomacy" by calling an election in the middle of mediation efforts by his South African counterpart, say analysts. President Mbeki was handed the poisoned chalice of mediating between Mugabe and the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change last April.

No image available
/ 29 January 2008

SA fears ‘very serious crisis’ in Kenya

South Africa believes that no political ambition could justify the current cycle of violence in Kenya, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Union Buildings, Pahad called on Kenyan political parties to rise above ”narrow political interests” and settle the conflict through dialogue.

No image available
/ 18 January 2008

Mbeki meets Mugabe on mediation mission

South African President Thabo Mbeki met his Zimbabwean counterpart on Thursday after local media reports that he was stepping in to break a deadlock in talks aimed at ending Zimbabwe’s political and economic crises. Mbeki met with Robert Mugabe at a hotel for four hours and also met with members of the political opposition.

No image available
/ 16 January 2008

SA warns over slow pace of Sudan peacekeeping

South Africa wants countries who have promised troops for the peacekeeping operation in Sudan’s Darfur region to speed up their deployment. ”If we don’t get fast movement of the forces, their full deployment and the technical assistance, then the whole comprehensive agreement … could be endangered,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said on Wednesday.

No image available
/ 16 January 2008

Zim opposition to march for free, fair poll

Zimbabwe’s main opposition said on Wednesday it planned a protest next week to demonstrate against a crumbling economy and press for a new Constitution it says will guarantee free and fair elections scheduled for March. Opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said earlier this month the party might boycott elections scheduled for March.

No image available
/ 23 December 2007

Mandela says Zuma can heal the ANC

Former president Nelson Mandela has praised Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress (ANC), as a man who could unify the divided party. In a message of congratulations, Mandela said: ”Our experience of Comrade Zuma is of a person and leader who is inclusive in his approach, a unifier and one who values reconciliation and collective leadership.”

No image available
/ 18 December 2007

Oh, my aching feet of clay …

Sanele ”Shanee” Moroka was a girl trapped in a boy’s body with feet trapped in too tight pumps in the voting queue in Polokwane. She doesn’t believe the ANC should remain a multi-class organisation and is wondering what will happen to her poor calloused palms after having tugged the comrades ”forward towards enlightenment”.

No image available
/ 20 November 2007

Mbeki will not attend Nepad summit

President Thabo Mbeki will not attend a Dakar summit aimed at accelerating an African initiative to increase government accountability and reduce poverty, his deputy minister of foreign affairs said on Tuesday. Mbeki had been expected to be among a group of African leaders gathering capital to discuss ways of improving the New Partnership for African Development (Nepad).

No image available
/ 20 November 2007

SA urges rich nations to equip Darfur force

South Africa urged rich countries on Tuesday to provide the hardware required for the deployment of a hybrid United Nations-Africa peacekeeping force in the strife-torn Darfur region of western Sudan. The Darfur conflict between rebels and a pro-government militia has claimed an estimated 200 000 lives in the past four years.

No image available
/ 8 October 2007

Pahad remains in Swedish hospital

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad is still not well enough to travel back to South Africa after being admitted to a Swedish almost a week ago. ”He is stable and improving,” Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Monday when asked at an unrelated press conference about the well-being of her deputy.