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afrol News, 5 Febuary - South Africa's ANC government has made forceful statements against a US-led war against Iraq, but at the same time it defends the Mugabe-regime of Zimbabwe. "Double standards" and an attempt to "distract" South Africans from the Zimbabwe issue, the opposition shouts, but in the Iraq-issue, government has broad public support. Among Western democracies, it is only South Africa that has defined an equally clear position against a new Iraq war as has Germany. This war is "unjust, unnecessary and potentially-devastating," says ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama today. Tony Leon, leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) opposition party, on the other hand shows little enthusiasm for the foreign policy course of the ANC government. DA claims that the forceful critiques of the US only are made to distract attention from questions more important to South Africa, especially the country's relationship with the Zimbabwean dictatorship. DA had been shocked by statements by the ANC's Deputy Foreign Minister, Aziz Pahad, who earlier this week had said "justice must take its course" with regard to the treason trial of Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Mr Pahad "speaks as if Zimbabwe is a country in which the government is ruled by the law," the DA criticises. "We all know the reality is different," he party spokesman adds. "The ANC doesn't dare to speak up against [Zimbabwe ruling party] ZANU-PF, a party which it has described as an ally, and yet loudly calls for protest against the US over Iraq." The South African government has been central to create a united African resistance against a possible attack on Iraq, as it was expressed at the summit of the African Union on Monday. According to South African President Thabo Mbeki, an attack on Iraq inevitably would lead to a "sharp increase in oil prices and other negative economic consequences [that] would condemn the African continent to a deep economic crisis."
President Mbeki has met with Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair to help find "a peaceful resolution of the Iraqi situation within the multilateral global system of governance - UN," and more or less official South African delegations - one of them notably by ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Pik Botha - have been in Iraq to discuss peaceful solutions. The ANC government bases its resistance to a new Iraqi war on a solid popular support. Anti-war demonstrations are frequent and gather many South Africans, and a variety of civil society groups have announced their demand for a peaceful solution. Also the ANC-allied trade union COSATU has slammed US positions as wanting "war for oil" and a "bizarre family feud that began with tit-for-tat assassination attempts between Saddam Hussein and George Bush senior." Ex-President Nelson Mandela even has said the current US President "can't think properly." The official course of the ANC government is however less radical and spokesman Ngonyama emphasises that the ANC is not anti-American, as the DA accuses it of being. "South Africa has a strong and robust relationship with the United States, founded on mutual respect and honesty," he says, almost repeating statements by Germany's ruling SPD party. But according to Mr Ngonyama, DA leader Leon "is calling for South Africa to become a mercenary nation. He is calling for President Mbeki and the ANC to hold its tongue in the face of grave international danger because money has been promised to our continent. Our silence cannot be bought," the ANC spokesman adds. The rhetoric is on a much lower level when the ANC and its allies are discussing the crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe. Officially, the ANC government is engaged in "silent diplomacy" to move President Mugabe to address human rights violations. Nevertheless, South Africa has resisted all international attempts to impose sanctions or other pressure against the Mugabe regime. Even though the many poor and landless South Africans express a desire for much needed land reforms - the white minority actually has increased its economic strength compared to the black majority since the ANC came into power - there are very few that support Mr Mugabe's violent solutions to the problem. South African media coverage of the situation in Zimbabwe is unanimous: President Mugabe is a tyrant. Both COSATU and Mr Mandela have called on President Mugabe to step down in honour and are urging the ANC government to step up its pressure against the Harare government. The ANC is however unwilling and incapable of following popular demands in the Zimbabwe issue. The most important reason is that the new South Africa has sought and found its identity as a leading African nation. If democratic and liberal South Africa is to unite Africa and act as the continents mouthpiece in important international issues, the ANC government must accept the repressive governments that control power in the majority of African countries. The foreign policy is based on African unity, although South Africa in reality is a Western democracy. Within the West, South Africa's voice would barely be heard without backing from the rest of Africa, however. Also history forces the ANC to act as it does. As the present ruling party still was fighting the racist apartheid government, several neighbour countries served as the ANC's vital partners, also hosting its leadership. Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party also has a history parallel to the ANC's, fighting against the racist regime of what used to be Rhodesia. Later, it hosted the ANC. ZANU-PF and ANC will therefore always be sister parties, even if they presently represent totally opposite policy values. By Rainer Chr. Hennig, afrol News
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