South Africa siding with dictatorship says opposition leader after Ramaphosa calls for lifting of Zim sanctions

By Darlington Gatsi

SOUTH Africa is bearing the brunt of leadership ineptitude of Zimbabwe’s ruling party Zanu PF which has led to migration chaos overburdening the country’s social services.

These are the sentiments of South Africa’s opposition leader Mmusi Maimane who castigated President Cyril Ramaphosa’s stance against Zimbabwe’s sanctions at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) recently.

Maimane accused Ramaphosa and the ruling party African National Congress (ANC) “siding with dictatorship”

“You are on the wrong side of history and are hurting both South Africans and Zimbabweans by supporting this dictator. You have chosen to stand with the oppressor.

“South Africa pays the price for the dictatorship in Zimbabwe. We pay in healthcare, in housing and social services,” said Maimane.

South Africa is home to an estimated 700 000 Zimbabweans with many undocumented trekking down south in search of greener pastures.

Some Zimbabweans in South Africa are living in dire straits with many resorting to find shelter in abandoned buildings as they run away from economic malaise up north.

On Monday Ramaphosa while addressing at UNGA said his country has been overwhelmed with Zimbabweans as a result of illegal sanctions imposed on the Southern African country by the West.

“The sanctions that are also being applied against South Africa’s neighbour, Zimbabwe, should also be lifted as they are imposing untold suffering on ordinary Zimbabweans, but also have a collateral negative impact on neighbouring countries as well such as my own country, South Africa,” said Ramaphosa.