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'Intensify Zim intervention'
23/04/2008 13:33 - (SA)
London - African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma called on Wednesday for efforts to resolve the Zimbabwe electoral crisis to be intensified.
Election-linked violence in the country is "not acceptable" and will be "totally out of order" if poll officials have been detained, Zuma told BBC radio.
"We must intensify the intervention to ensure that Zimbabweans helped by all of us resolve their problems," Zuma said.
"That means intensifying the interventions in whatever way. I'm not here to prescribe."
Asked about reports of violent gangs beating up and evicting people who did not vote for President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party in the March 29 polls, he replied: "I think that is the case, so far as the reports are concerned, that the situation has turned violent. I've publicly said that is not acceptable."
When asked to what extent Mugabe would be responsible, he replied: "I'm not certain whether I should stand there and really condemn people."
Zuma blamed the delay in publishing the poll results on the electoral commission, saying it was "not Mugabe's job".
"Of course if they (electoral officers) have been arrested that's totally out of order," he added.
He rejected suggestions that President Thabo Mbeki had not done enough to put pressure on Mugabe and said he was happy with Mbeki's handling of the situation.
"We are doing something more than anybody else. Other people are doing absolutely nothing," Zuma protested.
"President Mbeki is a mediator, he is totally different from any other person.
"You cannot have a mediator who takes sides, who stands and criticises.
"Of all the leaders, Mbeki is the only leader who can give a report of what he has been doing in Zimbabwe."
On potential knock-on problems for the region, Zuma added: "Zimbabwe is our neighbour, what is happening in Zimbabwe is not going to affect us. It can't in South Africa because our fundamentals of democracy are very firm in a sense."
Zuma, who started the week in Berlin, was due to meet British Prime Minister Gordon Brown later on Wednesday before ending his European tour in Paris on Friday.
- AFP
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