South Africa hails electoral changes

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SOUTH AFRICA yesterday praised electoral changes in Zimbabwe,
calling them positive developments ahead of next month’s poll
as it dismissed the abortive fact-finding visit by the
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) as a
sideshow.

Chief government spokesman Mr Joel Netshitenzhe said South
Africa had taken note of the recent reforms including a new
independent electoral commission, the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission, which is a key element of the electoral
guidelines agreed to by the Southern African Development
Community (Sadc) last year.

"There are some positive developments which give us hope that
Zimbabwe should come as close as possible to the protocols
that have been agreed by Sadc," Netshitenzhe told a news
conference in South Africa.

He said South Africa was unable to make a judgment on
complaints by MDC that the reforms do not go far enough.

Mr Netshitenzhe said Sadc, a 14-member regional bloc, planned
to send a technical fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe before
the elections to assess the situation and that South Africa
would reserve judgment until the team reported its findings.

He said Pretoria would not be diverted by "sideshows" after a
Cosatu team was denied entry into Zimbabwe at Harare
International Airport on a "fact-finding" visit on Wednesday.

"There is a fundamental strategic objective that we pursue as
South Africa and as the Southern African Development
Community, and that objective is to help (Zimbabwe) achieve
free and fair elections.

"If we allowed ourselves to be diverted by sideshows, we
might lose sight of the ball. It is very critical that we
work within the structures of Sadc," said Mr Netshitenzhe.

Our Bulawayo Bureau reports that leaders of ZCTU and Cosatu
yesterday met in Musina, South Africa, amid reports that they
want to mobilise other trade unions in the region to blockade
Zimbabwe’s borders and simultaneously stage demonstrations at
Zimbabwe’s embassies in the region.

The meeting was held at the Aventura resort in Tshipise.

In a telephone interview from South Africa, the acting Cosatu
spokesman, Mr Patrick Craven, said his organisation had
received "a full report on the situation in Zimbabwe" from
the ZCTU and the two labour unions agreed to take action
against the Government of Zimbabwe.

"There were also proposals for action and we will mobilise
the Southern Africa Trade Unions Co-ordinating Council to
demonstrate against the Government of Zimbabwe in solidarity
with ZCTU. We want to block the Beitbridge Border Post and
all other ports of entry into Zimbabwe while at the same time
demonstrating at Zimbabwe’s embassies throughout the region."

Mr Craven could not be drawn to give the date of the planned
demonstrations and blockade, but said it would be some time
soon.

The planned blockade and demonstrations vindicates the
Government’s decision to expel the Cosatu delegation, which
tried to bulldoze its way into the country. The Government
argued that Cosatu had an ulterior motive and had
deliberately ignored following proper protocol.

The timing of the visit and the planned demonstrations and
blockade is seen as a move to tarnish the image of the
country and put it under the spotlight ahead of the March
general elections.

Reuters-Bulawayo Bureau.