SW Radio Africa (London)
19 April 2008
A Chinese ship carrying arms to Zimbabwe, which was turned away from South Africa, is heading to Angola in hopes of docking there, the transport minister of Mozambique said on Saturday.
Reports say the ship left South African waters on Friday after a court refused to allow the weapons to be transported across South Africa.
Mozambique's Transport and Communications Minister Paulo Zucula told Reuters that Mozambique has been monitoring the movements of the ship since it lifted anchor and left South Africa.
'We know that it registered its next destination as Luanda because here we wouldn't allow it into Mozambican waters without prior arrangements', he said.
The An Yue Jiang, a Chinese ship, had been at anchor off Durban on South Africa's Indian Ocean coast since Monday, turning into a flashpoint for trade unions and others critical of President Thabo Mbeki's quiet diplomacy toward Zimbabwe.
The 300,000-strong South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) refused to unload the weapons because of concerns Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's government might use them against opponents in the post-election stalemate.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 SW Radio Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
The government of South Africa did not turn the consignment away. In fact, the South African state contractor had the go-ahead from the government to ship the consignment to Zimbabwe. I give credit to the those dockmen for not giving in to Mbeki's regime.
DO NOT BELIEVE SOUTH AFRICAN AND MOZAMBIQUE. THESE ARE PROFESSIONAL FABRICATORS AND SERIAL LIARS WHO ARE EAGER TO SEE mugabe STAY IN POWER FOREVER. YOU HAVE TO SEE THE EXACT PHYSICAL LOCATION OF THIS TERRORISTS OWNED SHIP. THE CHINESE ARE KLLING PEOPLE IN SUDAN AND NOW THEY ARE COMING DOWN TO SOUTHERN AFRICA, NOT FOR ANYTHING BUT TO LOOT OUR RESOURCES AND THEN GO BACK. PLEASE, IF POSSIBLE THERE IS INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION OF THIS SHIP BEFORE YOU BELIEVE THESE GUYS. THE GENOCIDE GOING ON IN ZIMBABWE IS A TOTAL COLLABORATION OF REGIONAL LEADERS. THABO MBEKI IS THEIR SUPERVISOR. THIS SHIP… [Read Full Text]
if they refuse to take it back to china,and are adamant to offload it,ithink it will be better to sink the ship then .because that arms and ammunition and mortars can create an all out war in southern africa
The South African workers refusal to offload that ship just stresses how much influence the west has on that country. Zimbabwe, just like any country on earth, has the right to purchase or produce conentional weapons. No one stopped or stops the daily shipments of weapons destined to kill innocent folks in Iraq. What is concerning here is that the world, but more sadly, the black people have not realized that Zimbabwe is suffering not because of Mugabe but because of the west's vandetta on the government ther for allowing war veterans to take over the white people's farms,… [Read Full Text]
Paki, get your facts straight. Mugabe and Mugabe alone is responsible for what has happened to Zimbabwe and he did a good job of brainwashing the lot of you. How much of the farms that were grabbed from the white farmers has been redistributed to the people of Zimbabwe and is being put to productive use? Why are so many Zimbabweans flooding countries like Botswana and South Africa(professionals, the brains of Zimbabwe)in search of jobs and a means to survive? Leaders like Mugabe and Thabo Mbeki are the scourge of Southern Africa and they are holding the region hostage.
get… [Read Full Text]
Paki, well said. The west are also after the mineral wealth in Zimbabwe and are also afraid that Zimbabwe's dealings with China will encourage other African nations to go that way too. I do not belong to any political party but can clearly see what is going on - If Mugabe dont play ball with the west they will do anything to replace him with someone that does. This has been done throughout Africa and they did it to Saddam.
This is not a political issue whether the west or china are trying to control Zimbabwe and its people. The issue is the downward spiral of a one time very successful and economically sound government into the typical ego driven african government controlled by an African leader (who at one time fought against everything he is now doing) who's own self interest superceedes his peoples. Where else in the world has ever had an 100,000% inflation rate? Are you a realist is saying the white farmers who supported the economy of Zimbabwe deserve to have there land taken… [Read Full Text]
See all comments (18).
Thank you South Africa for denying that Chinese ship loaded with arms now let the rest of Africa and as of now Angola take than same stance with the ship no matter where it goes it would be turned away...