SADC Troika Criticized for Dropping Zim From Agenda

SW Radio Africa (London)

Tererai Karimakwenda

30 June 2011

South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party has leveled strong criticism at regional ministers after they removed the Zimbabwe crisis from their agenda this week.

The Ministerial Committee of the SADC Troika on Security and Defence this week said it was decided last Thursday in Lusaka that Zimbabwe would no longer be discussed in their meetings because the situation in the country had “normalized”.

The Ministerial Committee said further action will now be left to SADC’s appointed facilitator, South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma. South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) reacted to the development this week saying they were “deeply concerned”.

In a statement on Thursday the DA deputy Minister for international relations, Stevens Mokgalapa, said the party would write to the Troika’s Ministerial Committee and to President Zuma, to question the grounds for removing Zimbabwe from their agenda.

The statement pointed to some recent incidents of intimidation and violence in Zimbabwe, including last week’s arrest of Minister Jameson Timba, saying these are “not the actions of a regime with a stable political environment”. Minister Mokgalapa described the ongoing abuses as “a powerful illustration of Robert Mugabe’s determination to entrench repressive, tyrannical rule”.

The DA called on the regional grouping to “exert its full might to pressure the Mugabe government into taking decisive steps towards democratic reform. Until conditions in Zimbabwe are sufficiently stable to allow for the hosting of free and fair elections, Zimbabwe should remain very much on the Ministerial Committee’s agenda.

In Zimbabwe the deputy Minister for Justice, MDC-T MP Obert Gutu said the continuing crisis should remain on the Troika’s agenda, but there needs to be less emphasis on SADC as the solution.

“The crisis is an internal problem and the solution lies with Zimbabweans themselves”, Gutu explained. “Don’t expect too much from SADC countries because you must remember they have their own internal problems to solve,” he added.

But Phillip Pasirayi from the Crisis Coalition said SADC should remain engaged, along with other campaigns for democratic freedom. “We must adopt a three-pronged approach where we engage SADC but continue with demonstrations, protests and other campaigns,” Pasirayi explained.

We were unable to reach the DA for comment.

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