Cosatu: DA hits out at Mugabe

2004-10-27 13:35

Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance believes the Congress of SA Trade Unions was shockingly treated in Zimbabwe, party chairman Joe Seremane said on Wednesday.

Seremane was referring to the summary deportation of a 13-strong Cosatu fact-finding mission to the country to assess the political, labour and human rights culture in the country.

The team was first taken to Harare's international airport before being bussed to the South African border when no flights were available.

The group was thrown out despite a court order to the contrary and under the pretext that they were being returned to their hotel.

Seremane said the incident showed that tyrants and dictators had to be condemned, not applauded.

"The propaganda that Cosatu is working with 'Tony Blair's and well known anti-Zimbabwe, pro-western interests' merely highlights the fact that similar charges levelled against the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change), are vile propaganda by Zanu-PF against legitimate oppositions," Seremane said in a statement.

"The incident emphasises the (Robert) Mugabe regime's long standing preference for the use of strong arm tactics to crush any possible threat to its rule."

The DA said the action taken was "particularly deplorable", for in any normal democracy a government would not react in such an intolerant and heavy-handed manner to a visit from a legitimate organisation from a key neighbouring state.

"This incident further illustrates how dim the prospects are of next year's parliamentary elections being free and fair.

"If the Mugabe regime is prepared to run the risk of antagonising its most powerful neighbour by meting out ill-treatment of this nature to members of Cosatu, then there can be little doubt that it will not hesitate to act in such a repressive manner when dealing with the MDC," Seremane said.

- Sake