Mdladlana scolded over Zim poll remarks Star (SA) Date posted:Fri 18-Mar-2005 Date published:Fri 18-Mar-2005
Back to previous page		Trying to extricate itself without openly rebuking him Colleagues distance themselves from controversial statements Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana, head of the official SA government observer mission to the March 31 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections, has been rebuked even by his own government colleagues for apparently prejudging that the elections would be free and fair. The separate ANC observer mission and the SA parliamentary mission have both distanced themselves from controversial remarks which Mdladlana made on arrival on Monday that he saw no reason why the elections should not be free and fair. Senior members of SA's government election observer mission and the head of the SA parliamentary observers, Mbulelo Goniwe, told Mdladlana not to "jeopardise" their credibility and impartiality, a source said. His remarks provoked Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, to cut off all contact with the SA observers. But the MDC resumed contact with the ANC mission after receiving a letter from it, making it clear that it was separate from Mdladlana's mission. Priscilla Misihairambwi, MDC spokesperson on international affairs, said the MDC would now meet the ANC. "It is unfair that we lump them together with the other SA observer mission," she said, adding that the MDC appreciated that the ANC mission had not yet made any statement on the elections. A reliable source said that Goniwe and other colleagues had told Mdladlana that as a result of his statement, the MDC and some other stakeholders were now suspicious of every South African institution. Luphumzo Kebeni, spokesperson for the parliamentary observer mission, said that Goniwe met with Mdladlana to make it clear that the mission was separate from Mdladlana's. But Mdladlana hit back at his critics last night, denying that he had prejudged the outcome of the Zimbabwean elections. The minister described the current situation in Zimbabwe as calm and much improved from elections in 2002. Mdladlana said people who accused him of saying that conditions in the country were conducive to free and fair elections were lying. "I can tolerate anything and everything, but not lies," he said. The SA cabinet also waded into the row yesterday with a statement apparently designed to extricate itself from the mess Mdladlana had created without openly rebuking him. Government communications head Joel Netshitenzhe told journalists that the cabinet believed that Zimbabwe had taken steps so far to create an environment for free political activity. There had also been a drop in political violence compared to the last election. But the government had also noted the concerns raised by the MDC about the issue of the voters' roll, and their right to hold political gatherings, Netshitenzhe said. Instead of complaining from now on, the SA government observers would deal with "concrete" incidents as they arose. Brian Kagoro, co-chair of Zimbabwe's Crisis Coalition, which represents most human rights and governance NGOs, threatened to walk out of a briefing with Mdladlana on Tuesday. The MDC has said it would not engage with the South African government observer team until the minister was replaced. It said he had prematurely declared the polls free and fair.