Back to Index

Zimbabwe Update - August 2011
Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA)
August 20, 2011

Download this document
- Acrobat PDF version (62.5KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking here

http://www.actsa.org/Pictures/UpImages/pdfs/Zim%20Update%20August%202011%20Final.pdf

SADC summit affirms position on Zimbabwe but no decisive action

The SADC summit in Angola affirmed the position adopted at SADC meetings in Zambia in March and a summit meeting in June in South Africa, calling (again) for implementation of the Global Political Agreement the parties signed in September 2008 and a road map to address outstanding issues, understood as a reference to a process and timetable for elections. South Africa remains facilitator for the Global Political Agreement (GPA), although Zanu PF have lobbied they should not be, as South Africa took on the key role as chair of the SADC organ on Politics, Defence and Security. Civil society views on the outcome of the meeting were mixed, Dewa Mavhinga, regional coordinator of Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe commented "We left Angola reasonably satisfied that, contrary to our fears and concerns, regional leaders who met . . . in Angola on August 18, did not heed Zanu PF's desperate lobbying". Phillip Pasirayi also of the Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe said however, "The SADC has to show it has the power to enforce its resolutions. So far there have been no decisive steps to ensure that".

Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos, seen as a friend and ally of President Mugabe, stated: "In terms of the [Global Political] Agreement, a new constitution must be passed then a referendum which will lead to the holding of elections. That is SADC's position". Ahead of the summit several regional civil society activists were detained and deported upon arrival in Luanda. Members of Zimbabwean civil society groups who were admitted to the country had the publications they were carrying confiscated at the airport. The civil society members were hoping to attend the 7th Southern Africa Civil Society Forum, which is held annually in the SADC country that will be hosting the SADC Heads of State Summit.

EU calls on Zimbabwe government to probe diamond torture claims

In light of the BBC Panaroma programme claming there was torture and human rights abuses in the disputed diamond fields of Marange region, the European Union has called on the Zimbabwe government to investigate the allegations. Civil society groups have claimed that the resumption of mining in the region will call into question the nature of ethical diamonds on the market, with both consumers and retailers uncertain if what is being sold are in fact ethical diamonds. Annie Dunnebacke of Global Witness told The Guardian: "At this point, the consumer has no idea what they're getting at jewellery stores . . . And retailers have no way of telling consumers if a diamond has been produced without human rights abuses". The World Diamond Council (WDC), which represents the diamond traders interests in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) decision urged its members to stay away from Marange diamonds for the time being: "The WDC urges all members of the trade to deal only in rough diamonds that are accompanied by KP certificates that comply with the consensus decisions of the Kimberley Process".

Download full document

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP