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Statement on Allegations that South
Africa Supported Zimbabwe in Suppressing a Report to
the AU Structures
Reports in the Mail and Guardian of today, 9 July that
South African Foreign Minister, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini
Zuma supported efforts by Zimbabwe to suppress a report
on human rights is devoid of all truths and must be
rejected with the contempt it deserves.
The Report: Annual Activity Report of the African Commission
on Human and Peoples Rights was tabled and discussed
at the Executive Council meeting of the Foreign Ministers
in terms of accepted procedures of the African Union.
Minister Dlamini Zuma for the record did not speak
when the report was tabled as suggested by the Mail
and Guardian but to her credit she insisted on the report
being forwarded to the Heads of State and Government
for discussions towards the conclusion of the discussion.
When a suggestion was made that the Executive Council
should not forward the report on procedural grounds
to the Heads of State and Government for discussion,
Minister Dlamini Zuma objected and insisted the Executive
Council could not pretend that it did not receive nor
discuss the report. In this regard, Minister Dlamini
Zuma insisted the Executive Council forwards the report
to the Heads of State and Government with recommendations
from the Council.
Accordingly, the Executive Council of Foreign Ministers,
on Minister Dlamini Zuma's insistence noted the report
and forwarded it to the African Union Assembly of Heads
of State and Government where it was tabled for discussion.
The Assembly took note of the report but:
· Suspended publication of the report pending
comments from concerned parties
· Urged that in future the African Commission
on Human and Peoples Rights must submit reports which
must include comments from concerned parties as well
as steps undertaken to remedy the situation.
The article in the Mail and Guardian, consequently,
amounts to scapping the bottom to find ammunition with
which to attack the name, integrity and reputation of
the Minister where none exists. Minister Dlamini Zuma
was at all times during the Summit available to assist
South African media present at the Summit.
It is therefore alarming that such an allegation was
never put to her to respond but that the Mail and Guardian
chose to publish these scurrilous suggestions without
checking their facts with either the Minister and/or
members of her delegation to the African Union.
Secondly, after the closing session of the AU Heads
of State and Government both President Thabo Mbeki and
Minister Dlamini Zuma addressed a media conference of
South African media, in which the Mail and Guardian
correspondent was present and none of these suggestions
were put either to the President or the Minister.
We would expect a correspondent of the calibre of the
writer of the article to double-source his facts before
venturing into publication of unsubstantiated stories.
For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa at 082-990-4853
Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
P/Bag X152, Pretoria, 0001, 9 July 2004.
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