ANC launch public attack on Mugabe
African leaders broke their self-imposed silence over Zimbabwe today to declare the situation there was “dire”.
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress split from President Thabo Mbeki’s policy of quiet diplomacy and criticised the delay in announcing election results.
The ANC’s top national working committee said the situation in Zimbabwe was having negative consequences for the whole of southern Africa.
It said it would be “undemocratic and unprecedented” for President Robert Mugabe to hold a run-off vote without first announcing election results.
Mr Mbeki had said over the weekend, when he met Mugabe before a regional summit on Zimbabwe, that “there is no crisis” despite the failure to publish results more than two weeks after presidential elections.
Mr Mbeki was appointed last year to mediate in Zimbabwe and has consistently refused to criticise Mugabe.
In a snub to him, the ANC said it would “make contact directly” with Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF and opposition Movement for Democratic Change “with a view to having dialogue on the situation in Zimbabwe.”
It did, however, accept that Mr Mbeki “needs to observe a neutral position in this matter.”
Jacob Zuma ousted Mr Mbeki as ANC president in an acrimonious leadership struggle in December.
Mr Mbeki remains national president until next year, but the new ANC leadership has made it increasingly clear that it disagrees with his policies.
