South African churches say Mugabe win was illegal
Churches in South Africa announced yesterday that Zimbabwe has no president because the run-off election featuring Robert Mugabe alone was a sham. "We call on African and other states of the world not to recognise the de facto presidency of former President Robert Mugabe," said Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, president of the South African Council of Churches. He called for more sanctions on Zimbabwe. "While we recognise that further sanctions will hurt the poor and suffering Zimbabweans, we have come to the conclusion that the people of Zimbabwe are already burdened with untold suffering. The time has come for all states to apply and intensify universal sanctions against Zimbabwe as part and parcel of the negotiations for power-sharing in Zimbabwe." The Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC) and the African Union (AU) should work harder to help set up a transitional government to bring together the opposition and Mugabe,s party, said SACC General Secretary Eddie Makue. "The run-off elections in which Mr Robert Mugabe ran alone were neither free nor fair, therefore this presidency is illegitimate." Makue said the transitional government should, amongst other things, bring an immediate end to the violence and human rights violations while it negotiates a more stable, long term socioeconomic and political situation. Source: CISA