Photo: SA Presidency SOUTH Africa wants Western countries to lift the illegal economic sanctions they imposed on Zimbabwe.
The Sadc appointed facilitator to the inter-party dialogue is also pressing on parties in the inclusive Government to speed up resolution of the outstanding issues and hold elections.
"It's not just Zimbabwe that's saying the sanctions are not working. The entire continent is saying that," Ms Lindiwe Zulu, South African President Jacob Zuma's foreign policy advisor told Reuters on Thursday.
Ms Zulu leads Mr Zuma's backroom team assisting with among Zimbabwe's team of negotiators.
"Now the challenge for us is to speed up the process and have a result that is lasting, or to make sure whatever decisions are implemented, are things that the Zimbabweans themselves must honour," said Ms Zulu.
South Africa is the country most affected by the effects of the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
Ms Zulu admitted that forcing change would not solve Zimbabwe's underlying problems or bring a stable "democracy."
"The fact that the Global Political Agreement does not have an endless life span is pushing them to realise that they don't have the luxury of time anymore," said Ms Zulu.
Zanu-PF wants the elections to be held this year, while the MDC formations want them sometime next year.
"We do not want to see a repetition of the 2008 scenario. We know what it looked like. It is a lesson for Zimbabweans themselves to ensure it does not repeat," Ms Zulu said.
The 2008 March harmonised election failed to produce a clear winner, leading to a rerun that was won by President Mugabe.
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Way to go,SA!The AU must follow suit.We know this might cost Azania the AU position.But who cares,solidarity is what we as a continent
You are absolutely right PFize, Africa needs solidarity today if it is going to avoid the fate that the 1894 Berlin Conference fostered on the continent. I would suggest that they also need to form an alliance with a nuclear-powered nation as the message of Libya shows that they have no hesitation about attacking under-armed countries in order to steal their resources with any and all the lies needed to make it "legal".
So if sanctions are "not working," why bother lifting them?
"Illegal economic sanctions?" If "illegal" (unlawful), then why not rightly sue. "Economic sanctions?" How come Zimbabwe is trading with other nations? On November 9th 2011, the Herald reported, "Country upturn US trade up 46%." Zimbabwe was America's 136th largest supplier of goods in 2010 and presently exports Iron, nickel,and sugar in large quantities to the US and since 1992 to the present, trade has continued on an upswing. Trade between Zimbabwe and China rose 62%, between South Africa 17.5 billion rand, between India trade doubled between 2010 and 2011 - just to mention a few countries. With an "economic sanction," it would mean just that - no one allowed to trade with Zimbabwe. There are NO "economic sanctions" against the country of Zimbabwe or its people except for those individuals in government with frozen assets and restricted travel. Anyone who palms Mugabe's incompetence on non existing "illegal economic sanctions" is nothing but an ignorant jackass.
Regarding the rejection of Zimbabwean diamond trading by some diamond traders such as the Rapaport group, Zimbabwe will have to stop snuffing its people at its diamond mines - Mugabe needs to find another pastime.