South Africa Needs to Play a Bigger Role in the Zimbabwe Crisis

The opposition to Mugabe's government in Zimbabwe recently announced the withdrawal from elections, due to its belief that a fair and free election in Zimbabwe is no longer achievable. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has asked the United Nations to intervene in Zimbabwe. However, South Africa and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) have to be an active player in any negotiations with Zimbabwe. A denounciation from the SADC would have much more legitamacy than from the West, since the Mugabe government is so entrenched in anti-white rhetoric/policies.

However, South Africa continues to play a limited role in any upcoming negotiations. Aziz Pahad, the South African Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister, stated "[It] is a decision the Zimbabwean people must take as there is no country that has the right or authority to impose that decision. It is not in our power to say anything to the Zimbabweans about the processes or what form of government they must have at what stage." However, at what stage does South Africa decide to get involved, especially considering there is little evidence that the people of Zimbabwe are going to have any say in the outcome regarding its future? Are they going to wait until we have another situation similar to what happened in Kenya? South Africa continues to be a shining example of democracy in Africa, yet it does little to promote it in its neighboring countries.