Link between ANC, Zanu 'rebels'

2005-01-19 08:45

Waldimar Pelser

Johannesburg - South Africa believed the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would destabilise Zimbabwe even further and therefore wanted to rather co-operate with "progressive elements" within Zanu-PF to speed up reform in that country.

This was the opinion of experts regarding the prosecution of five senior Zanu-PF members on espionage charges after they allegedly sold "state secrets" to a South African spy.

The five were generally seen as part of the "rebel" element in president Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.

Chris Maroleng of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria said the decision to send a spy to Zimbabwe was an attempt to get "inside information" about the "intrigues and scheming" within Zanu-PF.

"Government apparently believed that an MDC government would destabilise Zimbabwe even further, therefore they probably rather tried to use progressive elements within Zanu-PF to encourage change within the party.

"We have already lost credibility with the MDC earlier through 'quiet diplomacy' and now attempts to influence Zanu have also failed."

Dr Nhamo Samasuwo, director of multilateral affairs at the Institute for Global Dialogue, said South Africa would have to "be very careful in its choice of words" and convince Zimbabwe that it wasn't planning to destabilise that country through espionage.

"Quiet diplomacy might become even more quiet. Before the spy drama, it was already difficult for the ANC (African National Congress) to criticise Zanu. It could become even more difficult now.

"The link between the South African and the Zanu 'rebels' is creating a serious diplomatic problem for the ANC."

- Beeld