South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed two special envoys to engage Zimbabwe amid concerns over human rights violations in the beleaguered country.
According to the South African presidency, former deputy president Baleka Mbete and State Security minister Sydney Mufamadi “will leave for Zimbabwe as soon as the arrangements are made.”
“The special envoys are expected to engage the government of Zimbabwe and relevant stakeholders to identify possible ways in which South Africa can assist Zimbabwe,” read a statement from the presidency on Thursday.
President Ramaphosa, who is also the chairperson of the African Union, has been under pressure to intervene in Zimbabwe following a violent crackdown on protests against corruption that were set for July 31.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government arrested opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume and prominent investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono for allegedly organising the protests.
Several opposition and civic society leaders were arrested on July 31 while a man from the second city of Bulawayo was allegedly abducted by suspected state security agents.
He was dumped near his home after three days of alleged torture and hours after a High Court judge gave the state 72 hours to produce him.
President Mnangagwa this week threatened to “flush out” opponents he said were threatening the country’s stability.
He described the opposition as dark forces and terrorists.
South African opposition parties have been putting pressure on President Ramaphosa to act on Zimbabwe, saying the human rights violations were worsening. L
One of the special envoys, Mr Mufamadi, was a key member of former South African president Thabo Mbeki’s 2008 mediation team in Zimbabwe.
The mediation led to the formation of an inclusive government between former president Robert Mugabe and then opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
It followed a violent presidential run-off election in Zimbabwe and an unprecedented economic crisis.
On Thursday, the Zimbabwean government said there was no crisis in the country and warned its neighbours not to be misled by opposition claims of human rights violations.
“To set the record straight, there is no crisis or implosion in Zimbabwe,” said government spokesperson Nick Mangwana.
“Neither has there been any abduction or any war on citizens.”
The crisis in Zimbabwe has gained prominence in recent days after a hashtag #ZimbabweanLivesMatter meant to draw attention to the human rights violations went viral.
