ANC, Cosatu make up over Zim
26/01/2005 22:59  - (SA)  

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Johannesburg - Cosatu and the African National Congress moved on Wednesday to end a bitter row on how to deal with Zimbabwe.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions and the ANC had been waging a war of words since a Cosatu fact-finding mission was deported from Zimbawe in October.

Cosatu at the weekend said it would send another mission to Zimbabwe next week, but this time the ANC approved.

Smuts Ngonyama of the ANC said: "The organisation does not have any objection to Cosatu going to Zimbabwe.

"This time they have said themselves that they will do so within the confines of respecting the government of Zimbabwe and therefore the ANC does not have any objections to that."

During next week's trip, Cosatu would meet only with fellow trade unionists, and not with civic organisations which are known to be among President Robert Mugabe's harshest critics.

Mugabe's government deported a 13-member fact-finding mission from Cosatu in October, saying it was pursuing a "political agenda" after it arranged to meet with civic groups.

Ngonyama said: "There are certain protocols that people have to go through in a country, and it must not be with the aim of fanning ... tensions in the country.

"It must be to enhance peace and try to find solutions to the challenges facing Zimbabwe."

Patrick Craven of Cosatu denied reports that the labour federation had bowed under pressure from the ANC and had softened its critical stance.

Craven said: "We certainly have not compromised any issues of principle."

"This time we plan just to meet with trade unions and we want to establish the principle that we have the right to meet with them.

"Obviously on future visits, we reserve the right to to meet whomever we wish, but we just decided that this particular visit would restrict itself to meeting the trade unions,"

Mugabe has been accused of rigging elections and cracking down on the opposition, the media and civic groups to maintain his Zimbabwe African National Union, the Patriotic Front's hold on government.

The ANC recently called on Zimbabwe to ease restrictions on the opposition ahead of parliamentary elections in March.

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