Regional efforts to block Chinese arms from reaching Zimbabwe

By Tererai Karimakwenda
April 16, 2008

The revelation that there was a Chinese ship carrying small arms for the Mugabe regime has further confirmed that he has indeed declared war on his own people. The region has now been mobilising to block the shipment from reaching Zimbabwe.

The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa has said they are calling for urgent intervention by the United Nations, the African Union and SADC to stop the weapons being delivered. The International Transport Federation has also launched a campaign to ensure that the arms shipment is not off-loaded in any African country.

MP Sandra Botha, from South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance Party, said she had written a letter to the SADC chairperson Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, requesting that he use his influence to ensure that no SADC member state allows the Chinese cargo of arms “to be transported through their territory to Zimbabwe”.

Botha said that there is growing concern over the intended use of the Chinese weapons, given the ongoing violence against the opposition in Zimbabwe. She fears that the weapons are destined for use by the Zimbabwean security forces to suppress any post-election protests against Robert Mugabe’s goverment.

Botha praised the dock workers in South Africa for refusing to unload the ship. She also had words of praise for the Anglican church, for taking the matter to the courts successfully. She blasted President Mbeki for his “no crisis” in Zimbabwe attitude.

The Sunday Times UK newspaper reports that the arms ship sailed from Durban harbour on Friday, but it sailed with its transponder switched off so that it could not be traced. It was believed to be heading for Mozambique, but the UK Sunday Times said there had been no application by the ship’s owners or the Zimbabwean government to unload at Beira or Maputo.

It was also revealed that this Chinese shipment of arms was just one of several attempts by the Mugabe regime to buy arms recently. Most of the orders could not be filled because the Reserve Bank did not have enough foreign currency. They said that on March 20, military intelligence chiefs sent a full detachment of the presidential bodyguard to escort a small shipment of 70000 rifle bullets after it was mistakenly believed to have gone missing when the driver "went drinking", causing panic among Mugabe’s military intelligence chiefs, who believed the MDC had seized the shipment.