We must act now on Zim - Zuma
2008-11-24 11:40
Johannesburg - The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe has gone beyond a wait-and-see approach, African National Congress president Jacob Zuma said on Monday.
Following a meeting with the elders' delegation who were refused entry into Zimbabwe, Zuma said the ANC would send representatives to Zimbabwe to met with Zanu-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change factions.
"The situation has just gone beyond a situation where we can say 'let us wait and see'. We have got to act and act now."
Zuma said the elders delegation - former US president Jimmy Carter, former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and rights advocate Graca Machel - believed the situation in Zimbabwe was "very bad".
"They believe that things could collapse."
He said they had planned to go to Zimbabwe for humanitarian reasons. The refusal to allow them entry was an "unfortunate act".
"It does give an unfortunate picture."
Following the meeting with Zuma, the elders went into a meeting with President Kgalema Motlanthe.
- SAPA