Thread: South Africa's Role in Our Region

This might sound quite blonde, but if they seize 'sabotaging' other countries for their own economic gain, they cud be a reliable source (and maybe one of the only strong African countries) to ward off the Asian countries who are clearly taking interest in Africa for their own games that are currently not really obvious to the Africans, but definately cannot hold much good for us in the long run....

South Africa's role in the Zimbabwe crisis has been dubious, to say the least. Assuring the world on the one hand that South Africa is mediating between the MDC and ZANU-PF, and then providing military, financial and political cover and support to the regime is very regrettable. South Africa's reputation has suffered tremendously. I think South African diplomacy simply cannot be trusted anymore to facilitate a peceafule resolution of the conflict in Zimbabwe. Providing cover for a regime that is spatently and obviously treating its own zitizens with contempt and inflicting violence on its own population, never mind rigging elections to suit its own ends and completely disregarding the will of the people, shows the true face of South Africa's government: Unable and uwilling to stand up for what is right, not what may be politically expedient. SADC would be wise to fire Mbeki as mediator and appoint a party that is truly neutral, independent, objective and - more importantly - progressive and not stuck in the liberation past.

if xenophobia attacks and people getting murdered for pennies in South Africa continues i think a delegation from Zimbabwe should be sent to aid South Africa.

Agreed, Comrade_007 - Mbeki has been far to supportive of the regime, and openly so. It si time for him to hang up his boots as mediator and let a truly neutral person take the process forward, someone who now has the trust of the MDC and thew international community. Mbekie has lost the trust of th e MDC, and he cannot and should not be expected to work as a mediator on that basis. No wonder his pal Mugabe heaped mountains of praise on him furing his sham inauguration ceremony today, for he knows who kept him in power: South Africa and Mbeki.

SA. BIG BROTHER.'nough said!

South Africa is clearly the best in Africa and a true leader for all Africa. No way in which one can compare Namibia with South Africa.

99% of all cars, trucks, boats, trains and planes in Namibia, comes from South Africa. 96% of all wine, whiskey, biscuits, tinned food products, movies, games, pc's, clothes, shoes and so many other stuff, are imported from "bad" South Africa.

Wake up people, South Africa still play a very much dominant role, like it or not ... just try to accept it.

Originally Posted by Omer

if xenophobia attacks and people getting murdered for pennies in South Africa continues i think a delegation from Zimbabwe should be sent to aid South Africa.

Namibian president openly support Robert Mugabe, what do you say on that or are you to "geel g a t" to commend. Charity begins at home.

Namibia with all its foreign aid should start watching who really help and supports them.

Here is the facts from Sapa.

Mbeki: G8 must implement Nepad

Johanesburg - President Thabo Mbeki called on G8 countries on Friday to follow through on promises of support for Africa's socio-economic rescue plan New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).

"The other G8 members have got to respond in the manner that Japan has," Mbeki said at the end of a three-day development conference in Yokohama, Japan. "(G8 countries) need to say, well here is this whole variety of decisions that we took regarding Nepad and there many, and good, decisions.

"The question is the follow-up on the practical measures, that will then be taken, to ensure that these decisions are implemented," Mbeki said in a statement issued by the foreign affairs ministry.

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development agreed that the continent should aim to double rice production in a decade and to expand irrigated land by 20% in five years with assistance from Japan.

"Not only Japan, but also other organisations like the World Bank, like the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Food and Agricultural Organisation, all of them committed themselves to providing additional funds to respond to increasing agricultural production as well as short-term measures to deal with the issue of the high food prices," said Mbeki.

"We need to encourage the other G8 members to follow this example, so that indeed we don't need any new Nepad programmes, what we need is practical action on the part of G8 to respond to the commitments they have made."

Mbeki welcomed a decision at the Japan conference to put in place a monitoring mechanism to "look at what actually practically is being done to implement these agreements."

"I think that it is a very important step forward so that you do not end up with good decisions but with no follow-up mechanism. Japan will be hosting the G8, and has undertaken that it will take the outcomes of this meeting to the G8, in order also to push the rest of the G8, to act in a practical manner.

"Given that you are dealing here with the second largest economy in the world (Japan), the decisions that have been arrived at, as provided for in the programme of action, are very important and very relevant to what the African continent is trying to do for instance through Nepad."

Nepad, a recovery plan for the African continent, was adopted in 2001 and sets out to reduce poverty levels and promises good governance in return for support from developed nations.

- Sapa

Where is the Namibian president or is his role just to walk with the stream that make decisions for him? Just a question, because we miss his contributions in world politics.

Originally Posted by pangkas

Namibian president openly support Robert Mugabe, what do you say on that or are you to "geel g a t" to commend. Charity begins at home.

Namibia with all its foreign aid should start watching who really help and supports them.

Mbeki and Pohamba both support the Mugabe because of fear of change , fear that people will start to realize that the old ways have served their purpose.

you have great countries and yet the powers that govern will never let you forget where you come from and keep you in the past, problem is do you keep your freedom fighters filthy rich and in power till they die or do you thank them by gently taking over and carrying on and prosper with new younger educated people. "non swapo youth of course"

we will never know what can be accomplished if the old guard will not allow such thinking.
Let's see what is in store for Namibia next election.