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The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), South Africa’s umbrella labor body, called on its members June 24 to mobilize to isolate Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. The call by COSATU represents a significant threat to the Mugabe government, which relies heavily on South African services for its survival.
COSATU’s call comes as the Zimbabwean government is preparing to hold a runoff presidential election June 27, in which Mugabe is virtually assured of re-election after opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai decided June 22 to pull out. Tsvangirai cited ruling party violence and the lack of a fair chance to win, given government tactics, as reasons for his pullout.
COSATU’s move represents a departure from the position of the South African government led by President Thabo Mbeki. Mbeki essentially has protected the Mugabe government, preferring to mediate between the Zimbabwean government and the opposition with a “quiet diplomacy” that has yielded little movement on either side. Mbeki’s reluctance to bring substantive pressure to bear on Mugabe results from his desire not to appear cavalier toward Africa like the apartheid-era South African government was. Mugabe also is reluctant to listen to Mbeki, whom he views as a junior statesman indebted to him for his support during South Africa’s liberation struggle.
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