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"Nepad should not be associated with just one country"
SABC News
May 12, 2005

http://www.sabcnews.co.za/politics/government/0,2172,104191,00.html

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the foreign minister, says Africa's economic upliftment should not be jeopardized by the perceived problems in Zimbabwe. Dlamini Zuma was speaking yesterday in Dubai. She also said the obsession with Zimbabwe smacked of racism. Addressing media during a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dlamini-Zuma said Nepad should not be associated with just one country. "We resent the idea that if the rest of the world or the West does not like what one country does, then all of Africa must suffer." Why should Africa suffer collective punishment, even if there were problems in Zimbabwe. Does all of the EU suffer because of problems in Northern Ireland?" Being divided only by the Limpopo river, South Africa knew Zimbabwe's problems better than any other country, she said. "Zimbabwe is correcting an historic injustice. We may not agree with the methods but we agree with the correction of an injustice. This whole hullabaloo is about black people are taking land from white people. There is an element of racism," the minister said.

She stressed that South Africa believed in a more orderly way of land redistribution. "In South Africa we are going through a process of buying back land. We believe these things must be done in this orderly fashion." However, South Africa would not police Zimbabwe. "This is not how we conduct our relations. When it rains there is a border between us, when there is no rain there is no border. So we know the problems of Zimbabwe better than anyone," the minister said. She said if Zimbabwe should collapse Britain, the US or the EU would not be affected. "South Africa will be affected. If there is a crisis, even the white people will have to cross over to South Africa to get flights to Britain." She said although Africa would accept the support of the West to see Nepad succeed, it would not stoop to pressure to "police Zimbabwe." "Nepad should not be linked to one country," she said. The minister also said South Africa was hopeful that the UAE would become involved in Nepad through infrastructure development.

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