President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, George Charamba, has hit back at the African National Congress international relations committee chairperson Lindiwe Zulu following her recent comments on the Zimbabwe crisis.
Posting on Twitter, Charamba accused Zulu of ignoring protocol by speaking publicly against the ZANU PF-led government during an interview with South African television channel, eNCA.
During the interview, Zulu said there is a political crisis in Zimbabwe, and there is a need to be frank and honest about the situation.
Charamba accused Zulu of trying to use Zimbabwe’s challenges, which he argued are caused by sanctions, to build her personal profile and name for international appointments. Charamba said:
CDE LINDIWE ZULU, Chairperson of the ANC’s international relations committee, is quoted in today’s press as calling for “honest and frank” discussion on the situation in Zimbabwe.
I will ignore her breach of protocol by pronouncing herself on the situation in Zimbabwe ahead of a report back by Special Envoys of the two Heads of State and Govt, odd even though that is, so we engage on substantive issues on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Cde Lindiwe Zulu has been long enough in Govt to know the provenance of Zimbabwe’s woes, namely woes related to Western illegal Sanctions against Zimbabwe over Land Reforms.
I am sure she knows that those sanctions, far from being dismantled, are in fact being tightened yearly. Sadc has taken a position against those sanctions, a position which now has been adopted by the African Union.
Even the UN Secretary-General recently spoke against those illegal sanctions. All these developments are within the purview of the committee she chairs.
Secondly, there were various initiatives between Zimbabwe and South Africa meant to help Zimbabwe neutralise the impact of illegal western sanctions against Zimbabwe.
Such initiatives trace back to days of First Republic. The sad truth is that all those initiatives fell flat on the floor as vested interests in South Africa would not allow solidarity between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
One is thus hard-pressed to understand what assistance South Africa can render to Zimbabwe now, more so given her own challenges presently, when she could not assist Zimbabwe when she had the capacity to do so.
Third, Cde Zulu knows about the Victoria Falls Sadc Summit held on balanced sub-regional spatial development to reverse the age-old trend where South Africa emerges as the sole manufacturing hub of the whole region while the rest of Sadc countries become mere trading warehouses.
A follow-up extraordinary summit was held at which all Sadc countries implored South Africa to share opportunities for industrialization for balanced growth and development.
Again, vested interests in South Africa vetoed that sub-regional call, with the result that the colonial development model of 19th Century Southern Africa where rest of Sadc countries become labour Dormitories for South Africa thus perpetuating skewed development persist to this day.
In the interest of frank and honest discussion, Cde Zulu should acknowledge that the phenomenon of migrant labour is not a bilateral one between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
To the contrary, it is a deeply embedded structural defect involving all Sadc countries and nationals who gravitate towards where raw materials from their countries end up!!
Again, I am not sure the ANC govt can do anything about that. Or to imagine that creating a GNU in Zimbabwe – a very foolish proposition which is entertained by some elements in the ANC – will change that structural deformity.
Not even an ouster of Zanu-PF would change that. Relatively speaking, Zimbabwe is a lot better by way of the level of industrialization in relation to other SADC countries.
And with projects which are underway, very soon Zimbabwe should be able to peep at South Africa as an alternative industrial hub. The western world is aware of this and is doing its damndest to stop that from happening. Of course, they will fail.
What Zimbabwe will not countenance are career politicians from elsewhere who seek to use Zimbabwe and her sanctions-related challenges to build personal profiles and names for international appointments. That would be blatantly cynical and very unfriendly.
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This is well said can something be done to speed up the base metal refinery at selous zimplats so that concentrates and mate that are shipped to south Africa for smelting and refinery would done in zimbabwe,bye products that comes from refining platinum are raw materials for most detergants,soap, and many others,companies like unilever would not waste foreign currency they place their orders for raw materials locally let me emphasis this to all zimbabweans if zisco steel can be put back into full operations l tell you zimbabwe would be great more than our imagination because any country that wants to develop its infrastructure would need steel for anything be it designing roads,bridges,factory shops,the list is endless so this is where most of our focus should be but remember there are big organisations and big people whose markets would have been destroyed as a result of our development so they dont let you do that which will make your country self sustaining on key requirements that reduces your dependants to other countries.Our country is exporting chrome in raw form in large quanties why can’t use zimasco for smelting these are some of the areas which can leverage our industrialisation quickly No body else can build zimbabwe beside us zimbabweans.We are going to be taken as a laboratory by the whole world anyone who has a theory to examine he/she would put it upon us bec we tend to think the solution is out there hence we are ready to take anything from outside THE SOLUTION IS WITHIN ZIMBABWE WITH ZIMBABWEANS.Most outsiders are there to talk about our problems it would an opportunistic window to heard and be seen by the whole world they would not be doing it for you,you will be mistaken if you think otherwise.You can write about zimbabwe and its problems using very strong english which could not be even understood by the owners of the language.Gus what? you will be inviting more problems.Can we not sit together swallow the pride,respect one another,humble ourselves,moderate our expectations,l think if we can do this we will move our nation forward
there is a crisis in zimbabwe mrs lindiwe zulu God bless you for saying the truth the anc God bless you for saying the truth as i see it a stable zim will hep sa a lot its time to speak against the evil gvt of zimbabwe and its arrogants zanupf has failed the zim soldiers are used as dogs to bite own brothers and sisters people are killed woman are raped people disappear i agree with the president of botswan who said mnangagwa must be toppled if the anc wants to be respected in africa as not some as zanu they must help zimbabweans remove mnangagwa then we shall have a stable southern africa
Cde Charamba is spot on. Cde Lindiwe Zulu has always spoken in an offside manner on Zimbabwe, even during our First Republic. We remember how she was reprimanded by our late Prsident Mugabe. Political activists crying about human rights in Zim are false democracy seekers. Democracy and human rights should accept land rights. Other wise where do we practice democracy when the land is occupied by Boers. In Zimbabwe we rejected that totally. As Cde Charamba stated , it is the sanctions that continue to cause our economic crisis , which in turmn is used by political stooges of the West crying suffering economically and accuse our elected government for failure. Lindiwe is myopic and forgets how Boers capitalists killed workers at Marikana, where the current SA Prrsident was fingered. Are black S Africans free and happy under neo apartheid economy? By no means in my revoltionary view. Lindiew suffers from political somnolence.
This is exactly how the same George Charamba facilitated the downfall of ex-President the late Robert Mugabe. The man is so insensitive and arrogant, but the biggest loser in the end will be ED. I suspect Mr George Charamba has already switched allegiance in the Zanu PF factional battle. He is making sure ED goes on a free fall in losing credibility.
Its is only yourself who believe that it was Cde Charamba who was intrumental in the departure from office of our First Rep President Cde Mugabe. Read the history soberly please and stop being school boyish reader of issues.
Charamba is a soilder of fortune who is signing for his super. The same for prof