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Cosatu to defy Zim warning
29/01/2005 16:35 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The Congress of SA Trade Unions has vowed to visit Zimbabwe next week despite a warning from that country's envoy urging the it not to travel to Harare.
"There are no legitimate grounds for the Zimbabwean government to deny Cosatu its democratic right to meet and talk to comrades in the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions," Cosatu's spokesperson Patrick Craven said on Saturday.
"We are confident that we have the backing of our alliance partners," he said.
On Friday, Simon Moyo, Zimbabwe's envoy to South Africa, warned Cosatu to stop meddling in his country's internal affairs.
He said reports that the African National Congress had changed its mind about Cosatu's planned fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe and was supportive of it were contrary to what they had learned from South Africa's ruling party.
On Thursday, the alliance secretariat - the SA Communist party, the ANC, the SA National Civic Organisation and Cosatu - said the South African federation's planned visit formed part of efforts to create space for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.
'Zim is not for sale'
But, on Friday, Moyo said in a statement: "Zimbabwe is not for sale.
"Zimbabwe is currently too busy with preparations for the March elections, which will be conducted within the SADC (Southern African Development Community) principles and guidelines on elections.
"These SADC protocols were crafted for all SADC member states and the notion being projected that they apply to Zimbabwe only must be dismissed with the contempt it deserves," he said.
Independent analyst Aubrey Matshiqi said he was certain Cosatu has the support of the ANC, but was unsure if that support was qualified.
He said the Zimbabwean government has been consistent in its rejection of Cosatu's fact-finding mission.
"They do not want Cosatu," Matshiqi told Sapa.
The ANC could not be reached for comment.
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