Mugabe dismisses Mandela's criticism as of 'no consequence' as he prepares for 'sham' vote

13 April 2012

Robert Mugabe has dismissed Nelson Mandela's criticism of his leadership as of 'no consequence'.

A spokesman for the Zimbabwe president claimed Mr Mandela was bowing to western pressure.

The former South African leader told a fundraising dinner in London that there has been a "tragic failure of leadership in our neighboring Zimbabwe."

Mr Mandela's words were welcomed by Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. He said: "We appreciate the solidarity from Nelson Mandela - it is something we cherish."

Criticism: Gordon Brown, Bill Clinton, Sarah Brown, Chelsea Clinton with Nelson Mandela and his partner Graca Machel

Criticism: Gordon Brown, Bill Clinton, Sarah Brown, Chelsea Clinton with Nelson Mandela and his partner Graca Machel

Tsvangirai was speaking by phone from the Dutch Embassy in Zimbabwe's capital, where he has sought shelter as political violence, blamed primarily on Mugabe's government, has increased.

But Zimbabwean Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu hit out at Mr Mandela, who is in London to commemorate his 90th birthday.

He said: "Mandela is a statesman. He is courageous, yes he is - I am condemning all Westerners for putting pressure on Mandela."

Ndlovu also said a move the Queen to strip Mugabe of his knighthood was part of the West's campaign, along with Mandela's comments.

"All those things are of no consequence," he said.

"No one is condemning Britain for" calling for expanding sanctions against Zimbabwe, he said.

"We would also like Mandela to condemn the sanctions against us."

Laughing tyrant: The Queen during the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in South Africa with Robert Mugabe seated behind her

Laughing tyrant: The Queen during the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in South Africa with Robert Mugabe seated behind her

Gordon Brown's spokesman Michael Ellam said sanctions against Zimbabwe are under review, but said Britain wanted to guard against hurting the population.

European Union leaders last week threatened Zimbabwe with more, unspecified sanctions. Brown said then they could include more targeted sanctions against members of Mugabe's regime.

Mandela uses his influence sparingly, and it is particularly rare for him to publicly differ with South Africa's current president, Thabo Mbeki.

South Africans and other Africans have been increasingly questioning Mbeki's unwillingness to publicly criticize Mugabe.

On Friday, Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold a presidential runoff that world leaders have dismissed as a sham.

Tsvangirai, who had been the only candidate facing Mugabe, announced Sunday he was withdrawing because state-sponsored violence made it impossible to run.

Electoral officials say the election will go ahead with Tsvangirai's name on the ballot.

Penned in: Hundreds of Zimbabwe political violence victims seek refuge at the South African Embassy in Harare

Penned in: Hundreds of Zimbabwe political violence victims seek refuge at the South African Embassy in Harare

Bailed: MDC No.2 Tendai Biti has been released on bail after being charged with treason

Bailed: MDC No.2 Tendai Biti has been released on bail after being charged with treason

On Wednesday, a security committee of the Southern African Development Community  urged postponement of the vote, saying Mugabe's re-election could lack legitimacy in the current violent climate.

South Africa said a top negotiator was in Harare mediating talks on options including calling off the election.

The ruling African National Congress, which has been severely critical of Mugabe, in contrast to Mbeki, said it was not too late to call off the vote.

"The ANC is convinced that it is not too late for President Mugabe to cancel the election, the run-off, and lead the country in a dialogue that will be for the good of all Zimbabweans," spokeswoman Jesse Duarte told BBC television.

The United States said Mugabe's government should talk to Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change.

"That offer obviously ought to be taken up. But it can't be taken up from a position in which the Zimbabwean authorities declare themselves the victors and then believe they can divide the spoils. That's not going to work," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Japan.

The SADC security troika, comprising African Union chairman Tanzania, Swaziland and Angola, called at its meeting near the Swazi capital Mbabane for talks between
Mugabe's government and the opposition before a new run-off date was set.

Zimbabwe's state media on Thursday quoted the SADC poll monitors - the only large group in the country - as saying they would stay for the vote despite Tsvangirai's withdrawal.

Meanwhile,  hundreds of terrified Zimbabweans have sought refuge at the South African embassy in Harare as violence escalates in the run-up to tomorrow’s election.

The refugees, supporters of the opposition MDC party, fled to the embassy in the
capital in fear for their lives last night as the campaign of intimidation by president
Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF party intensified.

One of the refugees, a woman too scared to reveal her name, told observers from the
Southern African Development Community at the embassy: “We have come here
as a last resort. We hope you can do something about our desperate situation.”

Pretoria government spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa confirmed that a group of about
300 alleged MDC supporters had sought sanctuary at the embassy.

South Africa’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mlungisi Makalima, and embassy staff were
arranging food, blankets and other basic necessities amid fears that the trickle of
people fleeing the violence engulfing the country would turn into a flood.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in