Africa gets impatient with Mugabe

Posted 9 hours 25 minutes ago

South Africa's ruling party leader Jacob Zuma has called for African action to resolve Zimbabwe's crisis, amid signs of increasing regional impatience with President Robert Mugabe.

Maritime southern African states refused to allow a Chinese ship carrying arms to landlocked Zimbabwe to unload, in unprecedented action towards Mr Mugabe by long-passive neighbours, including traditional allies.

The action indicated a tougher response by the region, which has been criticised for not doing more to end a three-week delay in issuing results from the presidential election on March 29.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he won the vote and Mr Mugabe's 28-year rule is over.

"It's not acceptable. It's not helping the Zimbabwean people who have gone out to ... elect the kind of party and presidential candidate they want, exercising their constitutional right," African National Congress (ANC) leader Mr Zuma said in an interview in Berlin.

Mr Zuma, who has distanced himself from the "quiet diplomacy" of South African President Thabo Mbeki over Zimbabwe, added: "I imagine that the leaders in Africa should really move in to unlock this logjam.

"Concretely this means African countries should identify some people to go in there, probably talk to both parties, call them and ask them what the problem is, as well as the electoral commission".

Mr Zuma toppled Mr Mbeki as ANC leader last December and has gradually increased his power at the expense of the president. Analysts say he has seized on Zimbabwe as a golden opportunity to improve his international image and influence.

Mr Tsvangirai called for African leaders to acknowledge that he won the vote, saying Mugabe would be allowed an honourable exit.

Africa's reputation would suffer "serious disrepute" if Mr Mugabe stayed in power, he said in Accra.

Zimbabwe has postponed an annual summit of Africa's largest trading bloc which it was scheduled to host next month because of the election impasse, state television reported.

The 19-nation Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), chaired by Zimbabwe, was scheduled to hold a two-week summit from May 1-15.

China said earlier that it may have to bring its arms ship home after it was unable to unload in southern African ports.

The United States said it was pleased by the statement after discouraging Beijing from sending arms to Zimbabwe and asking neighbouring states not to let it dock.

Zambia, which has been one of the more critical countries in the region over a crisis that has wrecked Zimbabwe's economy, urged neighbouring states to bar the ship from entering their waters, saying the weapons could deepen the election crisis.

Zambia is chair of the regional group SADC (Southern African Development Community).

The Chinese ship was unable to unload in its original destination of Durban on the Indian Ocean coast after trade unions - which are allies of Mr Zuma - refused to handle the cargo, saying the weapons could be used against the Opposition.

After it left South Africa, both Mozambique and Angola said it was not welcome.