Having observed the worrisome developments in neighbouring Mozambique, following the highly contested recent general elections in that country, ActionSA is concerned by what an escalation could mean for the people of Mozambique, the region, and for South Africa.
Granted, our continent is like a moving target. Whenever one person points out at something bad happening in one part, another person could easily point out to something positive happening in another part. There are, for instance, accounts of positive, progressive, transfers of power following democratic elections, such as the ones we recently experienced in Botswana and Ghana, as well as our own peaceful transition from 30 years of one party dominance to a multiparty government, and there are perennially bad ones, such as the ones we experienced in Mozambique, which is just a recent example of many such stories, including Zimbabwe.
The worrisome aspect of this is that when things go bad, they really go bad.
Of even more concern is that being the most developed and industrialised economy in the region – despite our well recorded problems – South Africa continues to be the most desired African destination for people fleeing hardships in their home countries. It is also a favoured destination for criminal fortune seekers who come here to terrorise our people through armed robberies of all kinds, including the spiking our roads to rob unsuspecting motorists, illegal mining, human trafficking, carjacking, money laundering, etc. Several suspected sleeper terrorist cells are also known to be hiding it out in South Africa.
It doesn’t help that there is an often reported “gentlemen’s agreement”, amongst former regional liberation movements, to support and shield one another even against the best democratic interests of their own countries.
ActionSA calls on the South African government to ensure that:
- 1. Our formal border crossings receive heightened protection and that the vulnerable areas for illegal crossings along our borders also get monitored.
- 2. Immediate discussions are held to peacefully resolve the Mozambican situation, preferably facilitated by a credible African Union/ SADC body. The UN should also play a part here.
- 3. South Africa remains neutral and avoids the mistakes it made over the years in shamelessly siding with ZANU-PF, in Zimbabwe, against the best interests of the people of that country.
ActionSA is Concerned by Developments in Mozambique
Having observed the worrisome developments in neighbouring Mozambique, following the highly contested recent general elections in that country, ActionSA is concerned by what an escalation could mean for the people of Mozambique, the region, and for South Africa.
Granted, our continent is like a moving target. Whenever one person points out at something bad happening in one part, another person could easily point out to something positive happening in another part. There are, for instance, accounts of positive, progressive, transfers of power following democratic elections, such as the ones we recently experienced in Botswana and Ghana, as well as our own peaceful transition from 30 years of one party dominance to a multiparty government, and there are perennially bad ones, such as the ones we experienced in Mozambique, which is just a recent example of many such stories, including Zimbabwe.
The worrisome aspect of this is that when things go bad, they really go bad.
Of even more concern is that being the most developed and industrialised economy in the region – despite our well recorded problems – South Africa continues to be the most desired African destination for people fleeing hardships in their home countries. It is also a favoured destination for criminal fortune seekers who come here to terrorise our people through armed robberies of all kinds, including the spiking our roads to rob unsuspecting motorists, illegal mining, human trafficking, carjacking, money laundering, etc. Several suspected sleeper terrorist cells are also known to be hiding it out in South Africa.
It doesn’t help that there is an often reported “gentlemen’s agreement”, amongst former regional liberation movements, to support and shield one another even against the best democratic interests of their own countries.
ActionSA calls on the South African government to ensure that: