Cosatu wants clarity on Zim
17/11/2004 23:04  - (SA)  

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Pretoria - The Congress of SA Trade Unions urged its alliance partner, the African National Congress, on Wednesday to clarify its stance on political and human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

Federation general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi slammed recent statements by ANC Youth League president Fikile Mbalula - likening Cosatu's criticism of the Zimbabwean state of affairs to that of rightwing personalities and media.

Mbalula's article in last week's publication of ANC Today raised serious questions for the ANC/Cosatu/SA Communist Party alliance, said Vavi.

It sought to question the bona fides of, and cast aspersions on, other alliance partners on behalf of the ANC.

"To ensure a proper, open and comradely debate in the alliance, we need clarity from the ANC leadership," said Vavi.

Among other things, the ANC should clarify whether it agreed with Mbalula that the government of President Robert Mugabe still represented a progressive national liberation movement.

His statements were 'a chilling warning'

"Or does it agree that the violence directed against government critics represents the kind of intolerance and repression that has plunged many parts of the world into bloody conflicts?"

Vavi said Mbalula's statements were a chilling warning that events in Zimbabwe could be a foretaste of what could happen in South Africa if the author had his way.

"Civil society groups and trade unions could be accused of guilt by association with imperialist forces, which would then be the pretext for the sort of attacks on human rights we see in Zimbabwe."

The only buffer to such a scenario was a strong ANC/Cosatu/SACP alliance and the country's democratic and progressive constitution.

"If they fail to protect us, then God help us all!" said Vavi.

'We should read from the same page'

"Thanks to our struggle, however, Mbalula and other like-minded people will never have the unfettered power President Mugabe has in Zimbabwe."

The article pointed to the need for the alliance to develop a common understanding of what was actually happening in Zimbabwe, said Vavi.

"Maybe the alliance must send a joint fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe so that we can read from the same page."

A Cosatu fact-finding mission to that country was recently expelled by Mugabe's government, and drew criticism from President Thabo Mbeki.

- SAPA

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