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.
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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 MIGHT BE DOCKING SOMEWHERE ON SOUTH AFRICAN OR MOZAMBIQUEAN SHORES. THESE ARE RHETORIC LEADERS WHO NEEDS VERIFICATION ON EVERYTHING THEY SAY.
IT IS IMMORAL AND UNETHICAL FOR FIFA TO COME TO SOUTH AFRICA. ZIMBABWEANS AND THOSE WHO ARE HUMANE ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPECTRUM LETS FORWARD OUR COMPLAINS TO FIFA. JUST GO FIFA.COM AND AIR YOUR COMPLAINS THERE EITHER THROUGH EMAIL OR TELEPHONE. SOCCER FANS DESERVE BETTER, BUT THE VENUE NEEDS NOT TO BE SOUTH AFRICA. MUSH-ZIMBABWEAN CANADA.
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, nothing else. The suffering of the Zimbabweans is being perpetuated by the racist western governments who have managed to buy Africans and make them fight againt a fellow African. Where were they when the racist regime in apartheid South Africa murdered innocent black people and distabilized economies in the region? Where were they when we called for sanctions on South Africa? Now when a few white folks are betrayed by their kind in Britain and are chased off the land they never bought and the whole world must condem Zimbabwe? Africans must wake up! I do not support Mr Mugabe but neither would I stand aside and watch while the west destroy a good country. Down with western hypocricy down!
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 a move on and stop blaming all of Zimbabwe's ill's on the West. The problem is in the region-SADC is nothing but an exclusive boys club that serves to ligitimize the actions of tyrants like "uncle bob and u thabo".
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 because they were WHITE. These people stayed after the 1980 victory of Robert Mugabe and did not run in fear of their lives from attacks by their BLACK neighbors. WHY? Because Mr. Mugabe needed these farmers to help make the transition from White Rhodesia to a successful BLACK Zimbabwe. When Mr Mugabe was threatened by the possibility of loosing the presidency, then it became a Black African versus a White African issue. Don't blame the west for the racist policy of Mr Mugabe. Blame Black Africa for standing by and allowing this once prosperous country to fall in the depths of ruin and using the convieniant HATE terminology blaming the West, the Whites,etc. for the downfall of this country and the suffering of many many BLACK African people. YOU ARE TO BLAME TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN and no one else. BLACK AFRICA has no backbone to take care of itself in a civilized manner. It seems killing and greed always wins in Africa. The world exploits Black Africa for this reason.
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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...