Zimbabwe expels South African union delegation
Zimbabwe turned back a fact-finding delegation from South Africa’s main union group after it landed at the capital’s airport today.
Zwelinzima Vavi, the general secretary of Congress of South African Trade Unions, or Cosatu, said the 18 delegation members were told they were being deported on the first available return flights from Harare.
Speaking at Harare airport, he said the delegates were barred from passing through immigration and customs controls under immigration laws deeming them “prohibited immigrants”.
Cosatu is a traditional ally of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party. But its relations with South African President Thabo Mbeki’s government have become strained over its policy of “quiet diplomacy” toward Zimbabwe’s authoritarian leader, President Robert Mugabe.
Zimbabwe, which has been cracking down on domestic dissent and defiant in the face of criticism from abroad, threw a Cosatu delegation out on the first day of a trip in October, accusing them of working alongside Britain and other Western interests critical of Zimbabwe.
On Tuesday, as Cosatu prepared to try again, Zimbabwe Labour Minister Paul Mangwana warned the group they were not welcome and were required to obtain clearance from Zimbabwe authorities.
Cosatu insists official clearance is not needed for labour leaders to travel to each other’s countries to discuss labour issues, but Mangwana accused the South Africans of trying to “bulldoze” their way into Zimbabwe.
Lovemore Matombo, head of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, said members of his organisation now planned to travel to South Africa to try to hold talks.
He said the South Africans “have seen and felt for themselves the situation in this country.”
Zimbabwe is suffering its worst economic and political crisis since independence in 1980, with massive inflation and soaring unemployment.
Mugabe has called a general election on March 31. Opposition leaders have not announced whether they will contest the election, complaining they already face harassment and intimidation.
In the 2000 election, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change came close to defeating Mugabe’s Zanu-PF, despite electoral rules seen as biased in the ruling party’s favour and political violence blamed on that party.
