ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe yesterday barred South African trade union leaders who tried to enter the country on a pre-election fact-finding mission, saying they were visitors with a hostile agenda.
The delegation from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) - allied to South African president Thabo Mbeki's ruling ANC - returned home vowing to step up pressure for political change in Zimbabwe.
President Robert Mugabe's government has been accused of rigging past elections and opposition leaders said limited reforms ahead of March 31st polls favour the ruling ZANU-PF.
"The Zimbabwean government's action confirms reports that it is contemptuous of human rights and civil liberties," COSATU said in a statement issued in Johannesburg. "We will not abandon our colleagues in Zimbabwe in their hour of need."
Mr Mugabe's government had first threatened to jail the COSATU delegation, but officials said it had opted to deport them from the airport to avoid embarrassing Mr Mbeki, who has resisted calls for a tough line over allegations of political repression by Mr Mugabe.
The move nevertheless highlighted tensions between Harare and South Africa ahead of Zimbabwe's elections, which regional leaders have described as an important test of Harare's commitment to democratic reforms.
Both Mr Mugabe and Mr Mbeki were in Mozambique yesterday for the inauguration of president Armando Guebuza, following peaceful elections in December.
In Harare, Zimbabwean labour leaders waved at their South African counterparts who responded with waves and victory signs from behind the immigration barrier.
"Where do you think you are? This is not Africa, this is not Zimbabwe, this is North Korea," Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) secretary general Mr Wellington Chibebe shouted jokingly at the visitors. ZCTU president Mr Lovemore Matombo said the expulsions showed hopes for democratic change in Zimbabwe were remote. "No one needs an explanation of what repression we are facing and what repression we are fighting."
Zimbabwe's labour minister Mr Paul Mangwana said the group was denied entry because it had not followed procedure for gaining approval for such a visit.
"We do not understand why they did not want to follow protocol, unless they had a hostile agenda," Mr Mangwana said.
COSATU, an official alliance partner of Mr Mbeki's ruling African National Congress, has taken a much tougher line on Zimbabwe than the South African government.
Zimbabwe's main opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change has accused Mr Mugabe of stealing earlier elections and has yet to decide whether to contest next month's polls.