Presidents Jacob Zuma of the Republic of South Africa and Robert Mugabe of the Republic of Zimbabwe. The two Southern African leaders are working to stabilize and develop the political economy of the sub-continent.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
AFP-Herald Reporter.
President Jacob Zuma will tell Sadc Heads of State and Government next week that Zimbabwe is "on the correct path", a South African Foreign Affairs Ministry official said yesterday.
This follows attempts by some sections of the anti-Zimbabwe media to get President Mugabe criticised for allegedly not honouring the Global Political Agreement that led to the inclusive Government’s formation.
President Zuma is the Sadc-appointed mediator in Zimbabwe.
Sadc leaders meet in Namibia early next week for their 30th annual summit, which some have tried to turn into a platform to attack Zimbabwe.
However, SA Foreign Ministry director-general Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba yesterday told a Press conference in Pretoria that President Zuma was not going to let the summit become a talk shop on Zimbabwe.
"He will recognise that the task in Zimbabwe is not completed, but the overwhelming picture is favourable.
"There is a semblance of stability and Zimbabwe is on the correct path," Dr Ntsaluba said.
President Zuma was last in Zimbabwe in March and made it clear that the country was advancing well despite pressure from Westerners and sections of the media suggesting President Mugabe was violating the GPA.
Dr Ntsaluba also defended the sale of diamonds from the Marange mining fields.
Zimbabwe on Wednesday auctioned US$72 million worth of gems in the first such sale of diamonds from Marange following Kimberley Process certification of the stones.
"This is a legitimate process and Zimbabwe is beginning to use its natural resources to improve the lives of its people," Dr Ntsaluba said.
A campaign to malign Zimbabwe has been building up in recent weeks as the Sadc Summit approaches.
There have been claims that President Mugabe was trying to get Zimbabwe removed from the agenda; an allegation that well-placed Govern-ment sources laughed off.
"Zimbabwe is actually eager to showcase the achievements it has scored in recent months and to claim the country wants to hide from scrutiny is nothing short of mischievous.
"We have come to expect this kind of fabrication whenever a regional or international summit or meeting is on the radar and we are not worried about such things.
"It merely shows the world how desperate some people are to say anything bad about Zimbabwe in general and President Mugabe in particular.
"How can Zimbabwe say President Zuma should not talk about political developments here and yet President Mugabe acknowledges Sadc and the African Union’s role in the political mediation very publicly?" asked a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On the political front, Dr Ntsaluba said the summit would also discuss the situation in Lesotho and the DRC.
"The summit is also expected to propel the region closer to regional integration through the adoption of various recommendations expected from the regional body’s structures and task forces," he said.
Among other issues, a report on regional infrastructure projects will be tabled at the summit and an infrastructure development plan of action is expected to be approved.
The Heads of State and Government Summit will be followed by a Sadc Infrastructure Invest-ment meeting.
The 30th Sadc Summit takes place in the same country where the body transformed from the Southern Africa Development Co-ordination Conference in 1992.
The body, whose foundation lies in the Front Line States, was formed in 1980 with the main aim of co-ordinating regional development.
The founding member-states are Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swazi-land, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
At the end of the summit, Namibia will take over as Sadc chair from President Joseph Kabila of the DRC. — AFP-Herald Reporter.
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