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The United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday, she would press South Africa to use more of its influence to counter the 'negative effects' of Robert Mugabe.
Clinton, who is expected to arrive in South Africa on Thursday, told journalists in Nairobi, Kenya that she will raise the Zimbabwe issue with South African President Jacob Zuma, who is also Chairman of the regional SADC bloc.
Zuma earlier this week, following his meeting with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in Johannesburg, said he was going to contact Mugabe over delays in implementing the power-sharing accord signed in February.
The South African President said while some progress has been made in implementing the agreement, the remaining problems were 'difficult, but very weighty.'
Tsvangirai said he hoped Zuma will 'do everything in his power to move forward in a positive way.' Zuma will also contact other leaders in the SADC bloc who helped broker Zimbabwe's Global Political Agreement.
Clinton will meet Zuma in Durban on Saturday, but is due to meet the International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane on Friday.
"I do intend to speak not only with President Zuma but other members of his government about what more South Africa believes can be done to strengthen the reform movement inside Zimbabwe, alleviate the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe, and try to use its influence to mitigate against the negative effects of the continuing Presidency of President Mugabe," said Clinton at a news conference in Nairobi.
Zuma has taken a harder line on Zimbabwe than his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, but the United States would like the new South African President to do more to quicken the pace of reform in Zimbabwe.
The United States, troubled by what it sees as an absence of reform in Zimbabwe, has no plans either to offer major aid or to lift sanctions against Mugabe and some of his supporters.
Targeted US sanctions include financial and visa restrictions against selected individuals, a ban on transfers of military items, and a suspension of non-humanitarian aid.
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Reforms in Zimbabwe can only be made by Zimbabweans under the encouragement of the regional body SADC. This is not a Clintons baby although we are aware that her country and she in particular have been pushing a regime change agenda in supporting one party of the Zimbabwe discourse.
It is clearly so that the Clintons, as personal friends to the Blair family, have dedicated most of their time to support a British labor party position to isolate and destroy the economic fabric of Zimbabwe.
Hillary is a panel architect of ZDERA legislation that illegally and unilaterally, without a UN resolution, stopped all trade activities of Zimbabwe with International Finance institutions that should be under the auspices of the UN.
When Zuma meets Clinton he is aware that he will be meeting the principles of the illegal regime change agenda in Zimbabwe. Zuma has already started coining diplomatic fireworks codes with regards to Zimbabwe when he dealt with a written questionnaire from SAs opposition party and later after meeting PM Tsvangirai. We anticipate more of that.
The Clintons and their Blair friends, USA and UK, have dissimally failed to remove Mugabe from power. They have failed to stop land repatriations to blacks. They could not influence the region to turn its back on the Zimbabwe cause. They could not influence China to support Zimbabwe. They failed to have a political voice through NGOs although they dedicated huge funding to the project. Their ambassadors have been acting truancy like school children and failed to provoke the Zimbabwean government. They have failed to influence African leaders to isolate Zimbabwe in those countries they have more dominion in the economy. They have belittled former SA president Mbeki but failed to change SAs foreign policy on Zimbabwe.
It is unfortunate the final stall for Clinton and Milliband is Zuma South Africa. Revolutionaries are excited because on southern Africa, the west will never learn.
Onesoulzim - you should remember that it was the US that brought the Second Chimurenga to an end. Smith only agreed to the Lancaster House talks after Vorster told him that he had no choice or the supply pipeline would be cut off. And Vorster only did so after he was leant on by Kissinger. Similarily, Mugabe only agreed to the talks after Machel and Kaunda told him the external bases were going to be closed down if he did not sit down and negotiate. Militarily things were at a stalemate, but SA would have continued to support Smith had it not been for the US. The USs'contribution will be recognised by future generations of Zimbabweans when the surviving liberation generation has passed on.
I wish whites would have joined the blacks in celebrating the coming of Zimbabwe if they also liberated the country. I am a participator of the 2nd Chimurenga and I tell you pal, the Rhodesians were just tired. War was coming into the city with Harare being put on inferno at BP and Shell deport. Sabotages were an order of the day.
It did not start with Lancaster but the protracted war of 15 years.
Remember Smith swore that blacks will not rule his Rhodesia in a thousand years but he agreed to a Muzorewa leadership way before Lancaster because there was war hot on his heels.
White boys were tired of call-ups and African fighters were multiplying each day awareness of military liberation had taken a notch up. I remember when on road blocks every middle aged black guy would be called zvimugabe ( little mugabes) or young terrorists.
Little telephone calls were to save a total massacre of Rhodesians, as they feared Machel would have wished Mondlane to do in Moz. Angola was still a thorny lesson under Neto.
America may have had little participation to oppress Zimbabweans then in the 70s but today America's ZDERA tops the least of agression against our nation as it internationalise the bilateral issue of land btn ZIM and the UK. History is recording!
Way to go Mrs Clinton. HIP HIP Hurray!
Onesoulzim - I too, pal, am a participant of the Second Chimurenga and I can tell you that Zambia and Mozambique were at breaking point. Both sides had fought to a standstill and only when that had happened were outside influences able to bring the parties to the table.