20th March 2002
Over the last few years, the South African Communist Party (SACP) has closely observed and studied developments in Zimbabwe.
The SACP has been extremely concerned about the unacceptable levels of intimidation, violence, abuse of state resources, and the enactment of repressive laws since the Zimbabwean parliamentary elections in 2000. The SACP has also been equally concerned about the centrality of the land question in Zimbabwe, and the need for all stakeholders not to be misdirected away from constructive discussion on the practical tasks facing the people of Zimbabwe and the role South Africa in particular must play.
In our view, developments in Zimbabwe since the late 1980s represent an intensification of what has been an ongoing harassment of progressive trade unions, media, student and other social movement forces. The instability in Zimbabwe must be seen against the background of deepening poverty, unemployment, land hunger and general social distress after a decade of punitive structural adjustment measures demanded by the IMF and World Bank, and implemented by a government which showed signs of increasing bureaucratisation and remoteness from its mass base. The gathering economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe is impacting negatively on poor and working people in that country as well as on the economies and people of other Southern African countries, and could impede efforts to promote regional cooperation in Southern Africa.
As the SACP, we believe that all Southern African countries have a responsibility to constructively and carefully engage all forces in Zimbabwe towards national unity and reconciliation. We condemn and reject the self-serving recklessness with which Western countries, Britain in particular, are demanding sanctions and the isolation of Zimbabwe as if the problems in Zimbabwe are limited to the difficult conditions which prevailed in the 2 year run-up to the elections. We also strongly reject attempts to turn South Africa into a +ACI-nanny+IB0- of Zimbabwe on behalf of Western countries. Zimbabwe is an independent country and not the 10th province of South Africa.
While the recent land invasions had more to do with electoral maneouvering than the pursuit of a programme of thorough-going transformation, the long delayed resolution of the land question remains absolutely central in Zimbabwe. This requires the decisive implementation of a far-reaching land reform programme and international support for such a programme. The return, control, ownership and productive use of the land by the people is the key grievance, essence and original demand of the people Zimbabwe and their struggle against colonialism. A thorough-going land reform programme is the key obligation and issue to which the Western countries and Britain in particular must respond to. Britain must not be allowed to run away from this obligation on the pretext of the negative developments since the 2000 parliamentary elections.
Therefore the SACP calls on the Zimbabwean government to ensure that the rule of law prevails, and that an environment conducive to the advancement of the basic rights to freedom of association, free and fair political activity and freedom of expression takes place.
Whatever the competing electoral trajectories were, and whatever the outcome of the elections, the SACP believes that it is time for all progressive forces on all sides in Zimbabwe to pursue a strategic convergence around a shared vision of reconstruction and development, including, in particular, land reform and the stamping out of corruption and bureaucratisation. This requires co-operation and national reconciliation. In the circumstances, any attempts to cause a stalemate over the outcome of the elections will further divide and polarise the motive forces of the struggle in Zimbabwe. The unemployed and suffering rural masses need to work together and be united with their urban sisters and brothers in a struggle to reconstruct and develop Zimbabwe in their common interests. In pursuit of this outcome, the SACP will inter-act with the ANC and COSATU, and key political and social forces in Zimbabwe.
It is within this overall context then that the SACP understands and appreciates that millions of Zimbabweans came out to vote in their numbers and made their choices and expressed their collective will under extremely difficult conditions. The resilience and commitment displayed by the people of Zimbabwe has been critical in understanding the elections as legitimate. In Southern Africa's recent history, we witnessed massive violence, killings of thousands of people, intimidation and repression from the apartheid regime in its attempts to block the South West African People's Organisation and the African National Congress from electoral victories in Namibia and South Africa respectively. With everything said and done, it was important, in the circumstances, to appreciate the resilience and commitment of the people of Namibia and South Africa in legitimately expressing their choice and collective will.
Without doubt, the elections were held under difficult and extremely problematic conditions. In today's circumstances, we therefore believe that the attention and focus of all stakeholders must be directed towards the tasks at hand in Zimbabwe, as outlined above. To do otherwise would be to play to the agenda of Western countries which would rather leave the land question as it was in colonial Rhodesia and who do not want to advance the building of a democratic and progressive state and society in Zimbabwe.
CONTACT
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara
Department of Media, Information and Publicity
South African Communist Party
Tel - 011 339 3621
Fax - 011 339 4244
Cell - 083 651 0271
Email - sacp1@wn.apc.org