Reader Richard Schwartz emails:
A few days before Christmas, you put up a comment by Edgar Neufeld about Mbeki’s gratitude to Mugabe. In fact, while Zimbabwe did harbour some ANC exiles after 1980, relations were historically rather cool between ZANU-PF and the ANC, partly as a result of the latter’s alliance in the mid-late 1960s with ZAPU. The former had a warmer relationship with the PAC. None of the senior cadres of the ANC were based in Zimbabwe. I therefore think some other explanation is in order for Mbeki’s baffling support for Mugabe.
Nevertheless, if one takes that explanation at face value, then a speech by Zwelinzima Vavi of COSATU from 2001 provides a useful antidote.
Zwelinzima Vavi is General Secretary of COSATU, the Congress of South African Trade Unions. The speech to which Richard refers does begin by talking of the ‘historical ties between ZANU-PF and the South African liberation movement’ and of ZANU’s support for that movement’s struggle against apartheid. But it also contains passages like these:
In the midst of the political violence meted against the opposition last year COSATU and SATUCC issued a statement condemning government action against the ZCTU [Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions]. Government threatened to invade the union’s office and examine its financial records. This action would have clearly undermined the organisational autonomy and integrity of the Trade Union…
We took a decision as a trade union movement in the region in principle to support land redistribution in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is still characterised by unequal distribution of land – still largely in the hands of whites. At the core of the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe was the land question and it is important that this be addressed in an orderly manner. However, we could not associate ourselves with the chaotic and anarchic fast track land resettlement programme unleashed by the Zimbabwean government in 2000. This programme was in flagrant disregard of the law and unleashed a wave of violence that threatened the very stability of the society. What is even more disgusting was that the violence by party hooligans was also directed at farm workers…
In order to mask its failures and faced by prospects of a credible opposition government opportunistically used the land question to deflect attention from its failures.