ANC's support for Zanu-PF is at the cost of its own citizens

AfriForum regards the ANC's public declaration of support for Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF as a slap in the face of the large group of South African citizens who are being subjected to gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe (see Sunday Times report).

"In South Africa we often hear about inhuman land grab programmes and attacks executed against South African citizens under the direction of the Zanu-PF government.  In spite of numerous appeals made by AfriForum to our own government in this regard, the latter still neglects to take a stand against these attacks by the Mugabe regime," said Ernst Roets, Deputy CEO of AfriForum.

"To hear our ruling party openly declaring its support for one of the most dangerous political parties in the world, in spite of the fact that our own citizens are being maltreated by Zanu-PF, is an insult to every South African," Roets added.

This past weekend at Zanu-PF's national conference in Zimbabwe, ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe ascribed the ANC's support for this party to the fact that Zanu-PF is a liberation organisation and that liberation organisations have to support each other.  He added that the ANC will share its expertise regarding election campaigns and on how a hostile media should be treated, with Zanu-PF.

"It therefore is clear that our ruling party's loyalty to liberation organisations in general and more specifically Zanu-PF, is of more importance to the ANC than loyalty to its own citizens.  AfriForum will continue bringing pressure to bear on the South African government to protect its citizens in Zimbabwe.  We are even prepared to embarrass the ANC internationally if local remedies were to fail to ensure such protection," Roets said.

Statement issued by Ernst Roets, Deputy CEO, AfriForum, December 12 2011

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter