I applaud their decision
Apr. 18th, 2008 11:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valkyrieza Sending arms to Zim 'a recipe for conflict'
Opposition to a shipment of arms being offloaded in Durban and transported to Zimbabwe increased yesterday when South Africa's largest transport workers' union announced that its members would not unload the ship.
"The union does not agree with the position of the South African government not to intervene with this shipment of weapons," said Randall Howard, the general secretary of the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union.
"Our members employed at Durban container terminal will not unload this cargo, neither will any of our members in the truck driving sector move this cargo by road."
He said the ship, the An Yue Jiang, should not dock in Durban and should return to China.
"South Africa cannot be seen to be facilitating the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe at a time when there is a political dispute and a volatile situation between the Zanu-PF and the MDC. The view of our members is that nobody should ask us to unload these weapons," he said.
Political parties, religious organisations and non-government organisations on Thursday criticised South Africa's role in facilitating the shipment of goods to Zimbabwe.
Government spokesperson Themba Maseko said the government would not take any action to stop the shipment from reaching Zimbabwe.
Nelson Kamdarami, the Movement for Democratic Change's vice-chairman in KwaZulu-Natal, said many Zimbabweans in Durban were concerned about why the Zimbabwean government needed arms.
"Mugabe is sitting on the election results and now he wants to use these weapons to get rid of MDC supporters and create instability in the country. Then he can declare a state of emergency and the election results will never be released," he said.
Kamdarami added that Zimbabweans would be holding a protest march in the Durban city centre tomorrow to highlight their concerns about the weapons shipment and delayed released of the election results.
The Institute for Race Relations said it would be unconscionable for the South African government to allow a consignment of arms through the country's borders into Zimbabwe.
"Introducing shipments of arms into the unstable political climate in Zimbabwe is a recipe for armed conflict which would result in direct negative consequences for Zimbabwe as well as South Africa," said Frans Cronje, the institute's spokesperson.
Diakonia Council of Churches chairman Bishop Barry Woods said the council strongly objected to the ship being cleared by the Durban port.
Political analyst Kiru Naidoo said it was a real shame that South Africa could be used as a conduit for arms that could be used against the opposition in Zimbabwe.
"If one looks back over the last decade in the evolution of South African foreign policy, human rights used to be a mainstay," Naidoo said.
"Sadly, it now appears that by acting as a transit point for offensive weapons it might be interpreted that Pretoria is aiding and abetting the discredited regime in Zimbabwe," he said.
Source: Independent News Online
By Kamini Padayachee & Sapa
Opposition to a shipment of arms being offloaded in Durban and transported to Zimbabwe increased yesterday when South Africa's largest transport workers' union announced that its members would not unload the ship.
"The union does not agree with the position of the South African government not to intervene with this shipment of weapons," said Randall Howard, the general secretary of the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union.
"Our members employed at Durban container terminal will not unload this cargo, neither will any of our members in the truck driving sector move this cargo by road."
| 'South Africa cannot be seen to be facilitating the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe' |
"South Africa cannot be seen to be facilitating the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe at a time when there is a political dispute and a volatile situation between the Zanu-PF and the MDC. The view of our members is that nobody should ask us to unload these weapons," he said.
Political parties, religious organisations and non-government organisations on Thursday criticised South Africa's role in facilitating the shipment of goods to Zimbabwe.
Government spokesperson Themba Maseko said the government would not take any action to stop the shipment from reaching Zimbabwe.
Nelson Kamdarami, the Movement for Democratic Change's vice-chairman in KwaZulu-Natal, said many Zimbabweans in Durban were concerned about why the Zimbabwean government needed arms.
| 'A recipe for armed conflict' |
Kamdarami added that Zimbabweans would be holding a protest march in the Durban city centre tomorrow to highlight their concerns about the weapons shipment and delayed released of the election results.
The Institute for Race Relations said it would be unconscionable for the South African government to allow a consignment of arms through the country's borders into Zimbabwe.
"Introducing shipments of arms into the unstable political climate in Zimbabwe is a recipe for armed conflict which would result in direct negative consequences for Zimbabwe as well as South Africa," said Frans Cronje, the institute's spokesperson.
Diakonia Council of Churches chairman Bishop Barry Woods said the council strongly objected to the ship being cleared by the Durban port.
Political analyst Kiru Naidoo said it was a real shame that South Africa could be used as a conduit for arms that could be used against the opposition in Zimbabwe.
"If one looks back over the last decade in the evolution of South African foreign policy, human rights used to be a mainstay," Naidoo said.
"Sadly, it now appears that by acting as a transit point for offensive weapons it might be interpreted that Pretoria is aiding and abetting the discredited regime in Zimbabwe," he said.
Source: Independent News Online
