Zim politician slams SA for rejecting asylumJ

JOHANNESBURG – White Zimbabwean opposition politician Roy Bennett, who fled to South Africa in fear for his life, has criticised Pretoria for denying him asylum and accused it of turning a blind eye to rights abuses in his country.

The feisty veteran of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party also said South African President Thabo Mbeki’s so-called “quiet diplomacy” towards neighbouring Zimbabwe and its leader Robert Mugabe had failed. “The decision … to deny me political asylum leads me to conclude that the South African government may not have a full understanding of the situation in Zimbabwe and therefore do not acknowledge the severity of the human rights abuses, the economic destruction and social degradation,” he said.”The softly-softly quiet diplomacy has failed.”he said. “Issues like mine are not recognised.””There is ongoing evidence that the Mugabe regime will stop at nothing to get rid of me,” he said.Bennett described himself as “just one of the hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans who are wilfully and ruthlessly persecuted by the regime of Robert Mugabe.”- Nampa-AFP”The decision … to deny me political asylum leads me to conclude that the South African government may not have a full understanding of the situation in Zimbabwe and therefore do not acknowledge the severity of the human rights abuses, the economic destruction and social degradation,” he said.”The softly-softly quiet diplomacy has failed.”he said. “Issues like mine are not recognised.””There is ongoing evidence that the Mugabe regime will stop at nothing to get rid of me,” he said.Bennett described himself as “just one of the hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans who are wilfully and ruthlessly persecuted by the regime of Robert Mugabe.”- Nampa-AFP