Issues in Zim will be SA’s problem ‘for the longest time’, says Mbalula
Speaking at an ANCYL conference, Mbalula also urged government not to change its neutral stance on the war in Ukraine.
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa has a Zimbabwe problem – and no one is willing to help it, said African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula as he called for an end to long-standing sanctions against the country.
He also urged the South African government to not budge on its refusal to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Mbalula was speaking at an ANC Youth League fundraiser in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning.
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He said that South Africa would have to contend with Zimbabweans flocking into the country in search of better living conditions.
Sanctions against Zimbabwe were implemented in the early 2000s in the wake of the land grabs era.
The United States and the British claimed that the sanctions were due to human rights violations and a lack of commitment to press freedom and other democratic practices.
Mbalula said that the Americans and the British were refusing to let up because they wanted regime change.
“We've got a problem here in Zimbabwe and it's brewing. And you think it's going to be the problem of the Americans; it's going to be our problem for the longest of time.
“Americans must give peace a chance... We need a roundtable; we need peaceful negotiations,” Mbalula said.
He said that South Africa had to continue refusing to side with either Russia or Ukraine, and instead push for negotiations toward a peaceful solution.
