SA 'won't stop Chinese arms'
2008-04-17 20:18
Cape Town - South Africa would not intervene to stop a shipment of Chinese-made weapons from reaching Zimbabwe, even though the political situation in the neighbouring nation was "dire", said a government spokesperson on Thursday.
Themba Maseko said: "When elections are held and results have not been released two weeks after, it is obviously of great concern. The situation is dire and requires further facilitation (mediation)."
The comments were the strongest so far by the South African government.
President Thabo Mbeki, the main mediator in Zimbabwe, has said there is "no crisis" - despite the mounting violence and intimidation since the March 29 vote and the refusal of Zimbabwe's election commission to release results.
Independent observers and the opposition say the results show President Robert Mugabe lost the vote.
There is concern that South African policy is tantamount to appeasement.
Criticism increased on Thursday after a report that South African mediator Sydney Mufamadi had chaired an arms-control committee meeting that gave the go-ahead for a shipment of Chinese weapons to transit South African territory en route to Zimbabwe.
Mortars and rockets
The Chinese ship, An Yue Jiang, docked in Durban harbour after receiving approval late on Wednesday from port authorities.
Beeld newspaper said the ship was carrying nearly three million rounds of ammunitions for small arms and AK-47s, about 3 500 mortars and mortar launchers, as well as 1 500 rockets for rocket-propelled grenades.
The paper said it had a copy of the ship's cargo documentation, finalised on April 1, three days after Zimbabwe's election.
A South African government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed that there were weapons on board, but gave no further details.
Durban port authorities and police explosives inspectors could not be reached for comment.
Maseko said that as long as administrative papers were in order, South Africa could not intervene to prevent weapons being transported through its territory to its landlocked neighbour.
"We are not in a position to act unilaterally to prevent a trade deal between two countries," Maseko told reporters after a regular Cabinet meeting.
"South Africa is not at all involved in the arrangement. It would be possible, but very difficult, for South Africa to start intervening and saying that we would not allow the shipment through."
He said there was presently no trade embargo against Zimbabwe and China was one of Zimbabwe's main trade partners and allies.
AfriForum, a pressure group representing mainly white South Africans, said it would organise protests along the route to Zimbabwe.
AfriForum's Kallie Kriel said that the National Conventional Arms Control Committee had granted approval for the transit of the weapons on Monday.
Kriel said he had written to committee chairperson Mufamadi asking him to retract the permission.
Policy of complicity
Mufamadi also heads the South African mediating team between Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party and the Opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Mufamadi's office referred reporters to the arms control committee, but the spokesperson there did not return phone calls.
Kriel said in comments echoed by the opposition Democratic Alliance: "The South African government's approval for the transport of the arms across South African territory will in effect mean that the government is replacing its ineffective policy of 'silent diplomacy' with an even-more catastrophic policy of complicity to the state violence and human rights violations committed by the Zimbabwean government against its own citizens."
- AP