HARARE - South Africa’s ruling ANC president Jacob Zumba widened his chasm with President Thabo Mbeki yesterday, slamming events in Zimbabwe and suggesting Zanu (PF) was no longer behaving like a fraternal liberation war movement.

Zuma, who tore through Mbeki’s discredited quiet diplomacy policy on Zimbabwe, said the failure by Robert Mugabe to announce presidential election results was now embarrassing and had potential to destabilize the whole region.

 

 

Zuma was speaking at the Four Party Dialogue in Brazil, attended by leaders of ruling parties in India, Brazil and German to discuss approaches to global challenges.

 

“Our current role is the mediation of the peace process in Zimbabwe, conducted by Comrade Thabo Mbeki as President of the Republic,” Zuma said.

 

“We have voiced our views on the need to uphold the will of the people in Zimbabwe, as the ANC. We reiterate that election results should be released without delay, to enable the starting of the healing and reconstruction process.”

 

Zuma, who embarrasingly toppled Mbeki as ANC leader last December, said the ANC regarded Zanu (PF) as a fraternal liberation movement and an ally in the effort to improve the lives of the people of Southern Africa but said events in the northern neighbour was causing great anxiety and prompting people to ask whether the leadership was now liberators turned oppresors.

 

“We speak on Zimbabwe not because we favour our comrades in Zanu (PF), or because we side with the opposition parties,” Zuma said.

 

“We speak out to promote democracy, peace and stability, and also because as all democrats know, no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people.

 

“We also speak because as neighbours who are directly affected, we want to avoid a deepening social and economic crisis in Zimbabwe, which would be difficult to resolve.”

 

Zuma spoke as the country entered its fourth week without presidential election results that the MDC claims Mugabe has lost.

 

Mugabe has ordered a recount in 23 constituencies he incredulously believes the MDC has cheated him. A SADC observer has described the recount as “fatally flawed.”