Is Zuma softening on Mugabe?

South African President Jacob Zuma has been accused of softening his stance on Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe following his reprimanding of special advisor Lindiwe Zulu over her comments about Zimbabwe’s preparedness for the elections due this week.

But former deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said nearly four years ago that there would be no shift in South African policy towards Zimbabwe because former President Thabo Mbeki was not implementing his own policy but that of the African National Congress.

The Voice of America quoted a University of Witwatersrand lecturer Gilbert Khadiagala as saying that Zuma was softening his stance on Mugabe and this could be bad for the Southern African Development Community.

“I’m saying the recent incidents around Lindiwe Zulu show that he’s departing from that line of toughness. When you lose that toughness, you undercut all these efforts by the regional actors. So I think Zuma has been doing very well until very recently, I think he’s now beginning to look like he’s kowtowing to Mugabe.

“I can imagine that Zuma doesn’t really want to rock the boat, because he’s the leader of the Southern Africa Development Community group on Zimbabwe….And they are interested in a soft landing during these elections. I don’t think they want to antagonize Mugabe.”

He added: “When Lindiwe Zulu is rebuked by Zuma it looks like South Africa is actually looking very weak. And that weakness is translated into a very weak SADC that has been weakening every day. My point is that SADC is becoming even weaker when it comes to Zimbabwe and that’s not a very good sign.”

But former South African deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad put the record straight in a documentary made by the Southern African Liaison Office , entitled: South Africa’s relations with Zimbabwe Part II- The impact of the Zimbabwe Transition and South Africa-post Mbeki.

“I don’t think South African policy in general but more specifically vis-a-vis Zimbabwe can change,” Pahad said. “We must always work on the basis that this was not a policy of Mbeki. This was a policy of the party implemented by the government.”

“There might have been tactical differences between the party and the government but generally the policies and even the tactical approach was the correct one. I don’t believe the new government will change that. We can’t go on a learning experience for ever.”

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