HARARE- Zimbabwe's official newspaper attacked South
African President Jacob Zuma on Sunday, calling him an erratic liability
after he called on Harare to end a crackdown on the opposition.
The comments reflect President Robert Mugabe's displeasure at Zuma, who
condemned events in Zimbabwe in unusually strong language at a regional
summit last week.
"President Jacob Zuma's erratic behaviour is the stuff of legends," the
Sunday Mail said in an editorial. "The problem with Mr Zuma now is that his
disconcerting behaviour has become a huge liability, not only to South
Africa but also to the rest of the continent."
Along with the leaders of Zambia and Mozambique, Zuma demanded an end to the
crackdown on Zimbabwe's opposition which is blamed on Mugabe's ZANU-PF
party. In recent weeks, Mugabe's security officials have cancelled
opposition rallies and detained some rival figures, heightening tension
before a possible general election this year.
The Sunday Mail is Zimbabwe's main government mouthpiece and is unlikely to
have published such comments, the strongest yet against Zuma, without
official sanction.
The paper accused Zuma, the Southern African Development Community's main
Zimbabwe negotiator, of being a dishonest broker and of betraying Africa by
voting for a no-fly zone over Libya at the United Nations Security Council.
"Mr Zuma's duplicity is astounding. With such leaders, Africa is in mortal
danger," the paper said in its attack on the president, who leads the
African National Congress (ANC).
"The same President Zuma who voted for the bombardment of Libya is now
speaking out against the use of military force by the United States,
Britain, France and their allies. His ludicrous stance has left political
scientists scratching their heads in puzzlement. Does South Africa have a
foreign policy at all or has the ANC entered the era of Mickey Mouse
posturing?"
Writing in the same newspaper, Jonathan Moyo, a member of Mugabe's ZANU-PF
Politburo said: "President Zuma is now tainted beyond recovery by the Libyan
situation and his commitment to the African cause has become questionable."
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