South African religious leaders are set to become the leading voice against the escalating human rights abuses in Zimbabwe after a series of meetings and appeals from their Zimbabwean counterparts.
An "in-principle agreement" this week to take on a more pro-active role has been given impetus by an unprecedented cry for help from a Zimbabwean archbishop, who asked the churches to intervene urgently in the human rights situation and not to wait for approval to send a taskteam to their strife-torn neighbour.
The appeal came from the Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, who was in South Africa this week to garner support for increased pressure on Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to enter into talks with the opposition ahead of the proposed 2005 election.
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Ncube, who has won several international human rights awards, also wants more pressure put on the South African government to abandon quiet diplomacy and give Mugabe an ultimatum to enter into talks. "The international community must assist us to force these people," Ncube said.
'So far and not further!' "There is no other way of dealing with such a dictator. There must be pressure from a whole lot of sides. We can't solve this problem alone... He needs an ultimatum. So far and not further!"
Ncube met senior clergy this week, including the Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, and Dr Molefe Tshele, the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC). His visit coincided with an "in principle" resolution this week by the SACC, after a first-ever high-level meeting with Zimbabwean clergy, to send a taskteam to Zimbabwe as soon as the organisation received a green light from all its counterparts.
But the archbishop feared such a mandate might not be forthcoming.
"People are dying now," he said. "We can't wait for protocol.
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