Frazer says Africa ignoring Zimbabwe crisis

By Lance Guma
18 October 2005

American Assistant Secretary of state Jendayi Frazer, has criticized African leaders for ‘looking away’ from the crisis engulfing Zimbabwe. Frazer, a former United States ambassador to South Africa, said this when she met South African Foreign Affairs minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Monday. Traveling to Africa for the first time since taking on her new post two months ago, Frazer assured journalists she would discuss Zimbabwe with her South African colleagues, amongst other African topics.

She acknowledged that although South Africa was not openly ignoring the crisis in the country they were not openly saying there is a crisis, in much the same way they labeled problems in Togo. The African Union’s Peace and Security Council, alongside the international community and the United Nations, should be taking up the Zimbabwean problem as the situation could easily descend into violence.

Frazer said the US is broadening its selective travel and financial sanctions against Zanu PF leaders and is now bringing those targeted sanctions to bear on their children and spouses. Specific farms taken over in Zimbabwe's land grab were also being added to the target list. She is of the view sanctions have not failed because its impossible to tell whether a government had been weakened or not until it eventually cracked.

While conceding Zimbabweans could solve their own problems she said they should not be left to do this in isolation. The international community should do its best to create the right environment for Zimbabweans to solve their problems. On South Africa’s skepticism about outside help she said: ‘It is ironic that the ANC should take that stance, since the ANC itself built a strategy which included both inside and outside forces for change here. It's not either-or. It can't be."

Frazer made it clear the US would not abandon the Movement for Democratic Change and start considering other options, as some are advising. She said it intends to stick to its long-term strategy of supporting all elements of civil society in Zimbabwe.