Briefing journalists on the situation in Zimbabwean in the company of his counterpart, the ZCTU secretary general Wellington Chibebe, Vavi said on Sunday at the Cosatu head offices in Johannesburg, that President Motlanthe and the Southern African Development Community (SDAC) leaders were treating the "illegitimate government of Robert Mugabe" with kid’s gloves.
"He (Motlanthe) needs to tell Mugabe in his face that we are withdrawing our acceptance of him as the President of Zimbabwe and that his government has no legitimacy and that alone will signal to Mugabe that the party is over," said Vavi.
Vavi added that the inclusive government endorsed by SADC would take Zimbabwe nowhere as Mugabe had a history of not honouring past promises.
"He betrayed Joshua Nkomo who was one of the liberation icons so what would stop him from doing the same on Morgan Tsvangirai whom he has over and over again labelled an agent of the west?" he asked.
He said Cosatu as part of the tripartite alliance had raised the Zimbabwe issue during party deliberations and were encouraged by ANC president Jacob Zuma’s open attack on Mugabe.
Vavi said he was very disappointed by Motlanthe whom he accused of having taken the same soft stance adopted by former President Thabo Mbeki. Even if the inclusive government was formed, Vavi said the Zimbabwe economy would continue to crumble as no company worth its salt would invest in a country where Mugabe remains the ruler.
Both Chibebe and Vavi said they supported a neutral transitional authority to organize free and fair elections under the supervision of an international body because "any unity government that rewards those who lost an election is setting a very dangerous precedent."
Vavi said as part of its solidarity with the Zimbabwean people, Cosatu will be intensifying its solidarity campaign with an already planned Southern African civil society conference, demonstrations and pickets on Zimbabwe.