Wednesday, 02 February 2005
The South African Communist Party (SACP) strongly condemns the decision of the Zimbabwean government to block and stop a delegation of COSATU from entering & visiting Zimbabwe on the basis of its invitation to Zimbabwe by the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).
Through this act, the Zimbabwean government and ZANU-PF demonstrate that they are increasingly incapable of engaging honestly with progressive forces and other role-players in the SADC. Instead, they seem engulfed by a siege mentality which sees conspiracies everywhere & thus blocking any opportunity for a confident progressive force rising to the challenge of leading Zimbabwe out of its crisis and putting the Zimbabwean national democratic project back on track. A COSATU delegation in Zimbabwe meeting with trade unions, civil society and even the Zimbabwean government was one such opportunity.
We call on the workers & poor of South Africa to intensify their solidarity with the workers and poor of Zimbabwe in their struggle for the democratisation of Zimbabwe. The ANC-led alliance and the South African government have a central role to play in this regard including ongoing, open & unequivocal engagement with all political & social forces in Zimbabwe.
The SACP calls on the SADC to send a clear and unequivocal message to the Zimbabwean government that there is no other acceptable route other than a conducive political climate for free and fair elections to take place in Zimbabwe as a basis for resolving the impasse through genuine engagement with all political forces in Zimbabwe. There must be insistence that the Zimbabwean government must adhere to the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. This includes the need for trade unions & other organisations to have access to their counterparts & other organisations in Zimbabwe.
Contact
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara (surname Jara)
Head of the Office of the General Secretary
South African Communist Party
Tel - 011 339 3621,
Fax - 011 339 4244/6880
Cell - 083 651 0271
Email - mazibuko@sacp.org.za , sacpho@wn.apc.org (alternate)