ZCTU slams Malemas childish outbursts

Zuma is Southern African Development Community (SADC) mediator in the power-sharing talks between President Robert Mugabe and Tsvangirai. What is worrying is that his party leader President Jacob Zuma, has been trying to mediate a political dispute between ZANU PF and the MDC and Julius Malema, without an hindsight, has undermined the impartiality of Zuma by openly associating with ZANU PF, said ZCTU secretary general Wellington Chibebe in a statement. Worse still, Malema forgets that the MDC was the winner in the last election and therefore describing it as a popcorn opposition is not only unfortunate, but a direct challenge on the intelligence of more than half of the Zimbabwean electorate that voted for the party in the last election.

The ZCTU said the ANC leadership must rein-in on this loose cannon before it is too late. Zimbabweans deserve better advice from the same people who understand the situation in Zimbabwe better rather than the childish outburst of Malema, said Chibebe. Addressing the media on his recent visit to Zimbabwe where he met Zimbabwean strongman President Robert Mugabe, Malema continued his attack on Tsvangirais MDC which he has referred to as stooges. These popcorn and mushrooming political parties in Zimbabwe, they will never find friendship in us, Malema told reporters in Johannesburg. They can insult us here from air conditioned offices of Sandton, we are unshaken. They must stop shouting at us. They must go and fight for their battle in Zimbabwe and win. If they got ground and they are formed on the basis of solid ground in Zim, why are they speaking in Sandton and not Mashonaland or Matabeleland? There is nothing Sandton in Zimbabwe. There is everything about the Zimbabwean. Let them go back and fight there.

Meanwhile the ANC on Friday said that the ANC Youth League’s expression of support for ZANU PF undermines South Africa’s mediation efforts in Zimbabwe. The party is seeking an “urgent meeting” with its youth movement to discuss the matter. “The ANC would also like to strongly disagree and distance itself from utterances by the ANCYL at its press conference yesterday ([Thursday) that it will support President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF to win the forthcoming general elections in Zimbabwe,” ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement. “The ANC, together with its government, would like to see all political parties in Zimbabwe implementing the spirit and the letter of the global political agreement. It is therefore our view that the ANCYL’s expression of support for one party in Zimbabwe goes against our country and President Zuma’s mediation efforts in that country.”