Airstrip One

Zimwatch: Intervention is the responsibility of South Africa - 14th December 2002, 16.26

If any country wished to intervene in Zimbabwe, it could not do so without the co-operation and the support of the Republic of South Africa. Yet this year has shown that Thabo Mbeki pays lip service to the multicultural diversity of the Left whilst his actions provide succour and relief to an odious regime. As Zimbabwe continues to spiral down, the economic costs continue to rise as petrol itself runs out due to a lack of hard currency.

South Africa provides economic subsidies that mitigate the worst of the economic fallout from the collapsing Zimbabwean economy. The ANC have provided a platform for Mugabe during the Earth Life Summit on Sustainable Development, assessed his election in March as 'free and fair', and have preferred to support this regime and watch the donors of NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) withdraw their aid until such time as the South African Development Community can get its act together.

Now, the ANC have invited a delegation from ZANU-PF to attend their conference next week and there is a possibility that Mugabe himself may attend. In part, Mbeki is attempting to outflank the growing links between the far-left Pan-Africanist Congress, the Landless People's Movement of South Africa and SWAPO of Namibia.

Despite the poor choices of their leaders, the Republic of South Africa remains a democracy that commands the loyalty of many of its citizens of all races. South Africa remains an unknown quantity with its ties to North Korea, Libya and China and is unwilling to take action against ZANU-PF without external pressure.

Life in Cape Town, the most charming city of the Republic, remains perched between hope and despair but it is unclear how long this state of affairs can remain in place as the ANC begins to make the same mistakes that have so dogged the post-colonial failures 'up country'.