President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, George Charamba, has hit back at the African National Congress international relations committee chairperson Lindiwe Zulu following her recent comments on the Zimbabwe crisis.
Posting on Twitter, Charamba accused Zulu of ignoring protocol by speaking publicly against the ZANU PF-led government during an interview with South African television channel, eNCA.
During the interview, Zulu said there is a political crisis in Zimbabwe, and there is a need to be frank and honest about the situation.
Charamba accused Zulu of trying to use Zimbabwe’s challenges, which he argued are caused by sanctions, to build her personal profile and name for international appointments. Charamba said:
CDE LINDIWE ZULU, Chairperson of the ANC’s international relations committee, is quoted in today’s press as calling for “honest and frank” discussion on the situation in Zimbabwe.
I will ignore her breach of protocol by pronouncing herself on the situation in Zimbabwe ahead of a report back by Special Envoys of the two Heads of State and Govt, odd even though that is, so we engage on substantive issues on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Cde Lindiwe Zulu has been long enough in Govt to know the provenance of Zimbabwe’s woes, namely woes related to Western illegal Sanctions against Zimbabwe over Land Reforms.
I am sure she knows that those sanctions, far from being dismantled, are in fact being tightened yearly. Sadc has taken a position against those sanctions, a position which now has been adopted by the African Union.
Even the UN Secretary-General recently spoke against those illegal sanctions. All these developments are within the purview of the committee she chairs.
Secondly, there were various initiatives between Zimbabwe and South Africa meant to help Zimbabwe neutralise the impact of illegal western sanctions against Zimbabwe.
