Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has angrily dismissed remarks by South Africa's deputy director-general of foreign affairs Welile Nhlapo that the MDC and the independent media in Zimbabwe were undermining their own standing by receiving foreign funding.
The MDC said on Monday it had long stopped receiving foreign funding after the government banned the foreign funding of opposition parties early this year.
The MDC also pointed out to Nhlapo that his own party, the African National Congress, had received extensive foreign funding in the past.
Nhlapo said at a weekend media briefing that by accepting money from Britain, the MDC and independent media had created the perception that they were acting as agents for foreigners with interests in the land question.
The Zimbabwean state media took full advantage of Nhlapo's remarks - or reported remarks.
"SA slams MDC", screamed a headline in the state-run daily, the Herald on Monday.
MDC secretary-general Welshman Ncube said Nhlapo was conveniently forgetting that the ANC had largely benefited from foreign funding before it became South Africa's ruling party.
"The ANC was a major beneficiary of foreign funding and that was never a crime - why should it be now?" asked Ncube in an interview.
Ncube said he had sought an audience with Nhlapo to get an explanation.
"At least he should have contacted us for our views before he made these remarks," said Ncube.
He pointed out that the ruling Zanu-PF party had, nonetheless, continued receiving support from countries like Libya and China.
Before the ban, Ncube said his party had received help from trade union movements and other labour-backed political parties, mainly from Scandinavian countries.
The editor of the privately owned Zimbabwe Independent newspaper, Iden Wetherell, said Nhlapo had misdirected his criticism.
"The Zimbabwe government is engaged in a campaign of violence and electoral coercion.
"Instead of deploring such behaviour or asking why the police have done nothing to apprehend those responsible for bomb attacks on independent newspapers, he instead criticises donors who support democratic diversity," said Wetherell.
"Zanu-PF has received millions of dollars from foreign well-wishers in recent years including Libya, China and the late British tycoon Tiny Rowland.
"We don't expect South African officials to blindly repeat what they are told by our ministers," Wetherell added.