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Angry protesters outside the Zimbabwean Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa on January 16, 2019 |
South African main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has
threatened to approach the International Criminal Court (ICC) if
President Cyril Ramaphosa continues to "turn a blind eye" on the
Zimbabwe crisis.
The DA has been calling on the
government to intervene directly to stop what it calls gross human
rights violations by the Zimbabwean government.
Zimbabwe
was hit by anti-government protests last week after a hike in fuel
prices stoked anger over an economic crisis. Several people have been
killed after the protests turned violent in the capital Harare and
second city Bulawayo.
“The DA strongly believes that
the human rights crisis currently in Zimbabwe is of sufficient gravity
to warrant an ICC investigation because, according to the Zimbabwe Human
Rights NGO Forum, at least 12 people have been killed, 78 shot at and
240 faced assault, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment,” said
Stevens Mokgalapa, the DA’s shadow minister for international relations
and cooperation.
He accused President Ramaphosa and his
government of “sitting on their hands over the Zimbabwe crisis in much
the same manner as [former president] Thabo Mbeki’s failed diplomacy in
2008”.
Mr Mokgalapa was referring to a military clampdown on civilians after a disputed election in 2008.
“Mr Mbeki’s silence only served to worsen the human rights
climate in Zimbabwe and led to a collapse of the economy, whose
consequences are still being felt to this day with thousands of
Zimbabweans flocking to South Africa to seek economic refugee. The DA
will not stand by while Mr Ramaphosa repeats a ‘Quiet Diplomacy 2.0’
strategy that is sure to produce the same results as Mbeki’s ill-thought
foreign policy,” he added.
Zimbabwean President
Emmerson Mnangagwa on Sunday said he would cut short his five-nation
tour and skip the World Economic Forum in Davos to address the crisis.
Meanwhile, South Africa turned down a request from its southern African neighbour for a $1.2 billion loan in December.
This was confirmed by South Africa’s Finance Ministry spokesperson, Jabulani Sikhakhane.
“South Africa doesn’t have that kind of money,” Mr Sikhakhane told Johannesburg's biggest talk-radio, 702.
- The EastAfrican
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