Namibia silent on Zimbabwe violence

THE Namibian Government yesterday held its silence over the violent anti-oposition crackdown in Zimbabwe.

However, South Africa and Zambia addressed the issue, albeit in muted tones, as condemnation started pouring in from rights groups and governments around the world. In Harare yesterday, the leader of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party and about 50 other democracy activists – many of them bandaged and bruised – were taken to hospitals following a court appearance, two days after they were arrested and reportedly beaten for trying to attend an opposition meeting.A battered Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), walked slowly to an ambulance looking disoriented but able to board a minibus unaided.Tsvangirai was allegedly tortured after being arrested when police crushed the gathering on Sunday that was organised as a prayer meeting by a coalition of opposition, church and civic groups under the ‘Save Zimbabwe’ banner.”The right side of Morgan’s face was swollen as was his eyes which were bloodshot but he seemed coherent.It was damn barbaric,” said Britain’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Andrew Pocock, who was in court.In Windhoek, opposition Members of Parliament in Namibia yesterday expressed concern about the human rights violations in Zimbabwe.Ben Ulenga, President of Namibia’s largest opposition party, the Congress of Democrats (CoD), announced in the National Assembly that he would table a motion today asking the House to debate the “recent beatings and torture of opposition leaders in our neighbouring country, Zimbabwe, including Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)”.This caused a stir among Swapo MPs.Ulenga went on to “also move that the House should condemn the torture and maltreatment of opposition leaders and members of that country and to ask the Namibian Government to use its diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe to persuade that government to desist from future trampling on the human rights of its citizens”.While he was still reading out his motion, the rumbling from the Swapo benches grew louder.As Ulenga stepped forward to take his motion to the Speaker’s desk, Deputy Justice Minister Uutoni Nujoma loudly and clearly said “Objection!” Ulenga turned towards him and remarked: “I know you like what is happening there.”Arnold Tjihuiko of the opposition Nudo party rose to pepper Foreign Affairs Minister Marco Hausiku with questions about Zimbabwe.He wanted to know whether it was true that at least four lawmakers of the opposition party MDC were arrested by riot squads as they were trying to reach a sport stadium in Harare to hold a peaceful demonstration.”Is it also true that the high court in Harare, Zimbabwe, rejected a bid by that government to ban the peaceful demonstration but still the police went ahead and banned the protest action despite the court ruling? Can the Minister confirm or deny that Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is in a bad shape after suffering head injuries while in police custody over the past weekend?” Tjihuiko also asked Hausiku whether there was any difference between conditions in South Africa during the apartheid era and the Zimbabwe of today.Only two weeks ago Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe travelled to Namibia for a state visit and in a joint communiqué Mugabe and President Hifikepunye Pohamba both condemned the sanctions the European Union, the US and Britain had imposed on Zimbabwe.The South African Foreign Ministry yesterday said the government of Zimbabwe must respect the rule of law and the rights of its opposition leaders.”South Africa will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with all parties in Zimbabwe in the political, economic, trade and social sectors to ensure the objective of dialogue among all political parties is realised,” deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said in a statement.”Pursuant to this objective, South Africa urges the Zimbabwean government to ensure that the rule of law including respect for rights of all Zimbabweans and leaders of various political parties is respected.”South Africa has been traditionally reluctant to criticise Mugabe in public, instead preferably to pursue a policy of “quiet diplomacy”.In Lusaka, Zambia’s President Levy Mwanawasa said the current situation around the anti-opposition crackdown in Zimbabwe was of “great concern”, but should be solved by Zimbabweans themselves.”The recent developments in Zimbabwe are of great concern to us.What we are getting and we know of the political situation here in Zambia is from our high commission and newspapers,” said Mwanawasa while taking the credentials of new Zimbabwean ambassador Lovemore Mazemo.”This morning I read that Morgan Tsvangirai was badly beaten during his incarceration.I am unable to comment much because I have yet to receive a full report from my envoy.”The Zambian president however, added that it was only Zimbabweans who could solve the problems in their country.Mwanawasa, who takes over the chair of the Southern African Development Community in August, warned against potential economic consequences stemming from problems in Zimbabwe.The country’s inflation stands at the highest in the world at 1,730 percent.”When the economy of Zimbabwe coughs, ours also coughs.We hope that we can provide a solution together in Zimbabwe when Zambia takes over the chairmanship of SADC in August.”British Ambassador Pocock said Arthur Mutambara, leader of a breakaway faction of Tsvangirai’s party, who appeared to have a broken arm and head wounds, sat next to Tsvangirai.”It’s been a grave mistake by government.This has done more for reunification of the opposition than formal talks could have done,” the British ambassador said.One opposition activist, Gift Tandare, was shot dead in the unrest surrounding the prayer meeting on Sunday.As the clampdown continued, police raided the main office of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions yesterday.”Staff were harassed, threatened, some were slapped and beaten up.All offices were searched and flyers, files and some video tapes were seized,” the union said in a statement.It said the financial administrator, Galileo Chirebvu, was taken away by police who had a search warrant and said they were looking for “subversive material.”United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour added her voice to mounting international criticism of Zimbabwean authorities.United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the European Union, Amnesty International and the human rights committee of the International Bar Association also have expressed concern and condemnation.In a late development US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice yesterday called on SADC countries to pay attention to what is happening in Zimbabwe and “engage on the issue”.But comment from Zimbabwe’s neighbours has been muted.Additional reporting by Nampa-Sapa, Nampa-AFPIn Harare yesterday, the leader of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party and about 50 other democracy activists – many of them bandaged and bruised – were taken to hospitals following a court appearance, two days after they were arrested and reportedly beaten for trying to attend an opposition meeting.A battered Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), walked slowly to an ambulance looking disoriented but able to board a minibus unaided.Tsvangirai was allegedly tortured after being arrested when police crushed the gathering on Sunday that was organised as a prayer meeting by a coalition of opposition, church and civic groups under the ‘Save Zimbabwe’ banner.”The right side of Morgan’s face was swollen as was his eyes which were bloodshot but he seemed coherent.It was damn barbaric,” said Britain’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Andrew Pocock, who was in court.In Windhoek, opposition Members of Parliament in Namibia yesterday expressed concern about the human rights violations in Zimbabwe. Ben Ulenga, President of Namibia’s largest opposition party, the Congress of Democrats (CoD), announced in the National Assembly that he would table a motion today asking the House to debate the “recent beatings and torture of opposition leaders in our neighbouring country, Zimbabwe, including Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)”.This caused a stir among Swapo MPs.Ulenga went on to “also move that the House should condemn the torture and maltreatment of opposition leaders and members of that country and to ask the Namibian Government to use its diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe to persuade that government to desist from future trampling on the human rights of its citizens”.While he was still reading out his motion, the rumbling from the Swapo benches grew louder.As Ulenga stepped forward to take his motion to the Speaker’s desk, Deputy Justice Minister Uutoni Nujoma loudly and clearly said “Objection!” Ulenga turned towards him and remarked: “I know you like what is happening there.”Arnold Tjihuiko of the opposition Nudo party rose to pepper Foreign Affairs Minister Marco Hausiku with questions about Zimbabwe.He wanted to know whether it was true that at least four lawmakers of the opposition party MDC were arrested by riot squads as they were trying to reach a sport stadium in Harare to hold a peaceful demonstration.”Is it also true that the high court in Harare, Zimbabwe, rejected a bid by that government to ban the peaceful demonstration but still the police went ahead and banned the protest action despite the court ruling? Can the Minister confirm or deny that Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is in a bad shape after suffering head injuries while in police custody over the past weekend?” Tjihuiko also asked Hausiku whether there was any difference between conditions in South Africa during the apartheid era and the Zimbabwe of today.Only two weeks ago Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe travelled to Namibia for a state visit and in a joint communiqué Mugabe and President Hifikepunye Pohamba both condemned the sanctions the European Union, the US and Britain had imposed on Zimbabwe.The South African Foreign Ministry yesterday said the government of Zimbabwe must respect the rule of law and the rights of its opposition leaders.”South Africa will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with all parties in Zimbabwe in the political, economic, trade and social sectors to ensure the objective of dialogue among all political parties is realised,” deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said in a statement.”Pursuant to this objective, South Africa urges the Zimbabwean government to ensure that the rule of law including respect for rights of all Zimbabweans and leaders of various political parties is respected.”South Africa has been traditionally reluctant to criticise Mugabe in public, instead preferably to pursue a policy of “quiet diplomacy”.In Lusaka, Zambia’s President Levy Mwanawasa said the current situation around the anti-opposition crackdown in Zimbabwe was of “great concern”, but should be solved by Zimbabweans themselves.”The recent developments in Zimbabwe are of great concern to us.What we are getting and we know of the political situation here in Zambia is from our high commission and newspapers,” said Mwanawasa while taking the credentials of new Zimbabwean ambassador Lovemore Mazemo.”This morning I read that Morgan Tsvangirai was badly beaten during his incarceration.I am unable to comment much because I have yet to receive a full report from my envoy.”The Zambian president however, added that it was only Zimbabweans who could solve the problems in their country.Mwanawasa, who takes over the chair of the Southern African Development Community in August, warned against potential economic consequences stemming from problems in Zimbabwe.The country’s inflation stands at the highest in the world at 1,730 percent.”When the economy of Zimbabwe coughs, ours also coughs.We hope that we can provide a solution together in Zimbabwe when Zambia takes over the chairmanship of SADC in August.”British Ambassador Pocock said Arthur Mutambara, leader of a breakaway faction of Tsvangirai’s party, who appeared to have a broken arm and head wounds, sat next to Tsvangirai.”It’s been a grave mistake by government.This has done more for reunification of the opposition than formal talks could have done,” the British ambassador said.One opposition activist, Gift Tandare, was shot dead in the unrest surrounding the prayer meeting on Sunday.As the clampdown continued, police raided the main office of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions yesterday.”Staff were harassed, threatened, some were slapped and beaten up.All offices were searched and flyers, files and some video tapes were seized,” the union said in a statement.It said the financial administrator, Galileo Chirebvu, was taken away by police who had a search warrant and said they were looking for “subversive material.”United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour added her voice to mounting international criticism of Zimbabwean authorities.United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the European Union, Amnesty International and the human rights committee of the International Bar Association also have expressed concern and condemnation.In a late development US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice yesterday called on SADC countries to pay attention to what is happening in Zimbabwe and “engage on the issue”.But comment from Zimbabwe’s neighbours has been muted.Additional reporting by Nampa-Sapa, Nampa-AFP