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Media Release- 26 January 2009

Pretoria.

Media Statement by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI, President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference.

STARTS

Zimbabwe: From Crisis to Disaster to Genocide – Does SADC want to be complicit in Genocide?

The appalling tragedy in Zimbabwe means that the time of talking is over. Six months of talks have resulted only in a stalemate. It is clear that the present mediation and negotiations have failed the people of Zimbabwe yet again.


Ten (10) months after the harmonised elections in March 2008, widely regarded as expressing the will of the people of Zimbabwe, President Mugabe and his Cabal cling to power illegitimately.

SADC must stop supporting and giving credibility to the illegitimate Mugabe regime with immediate effect. Failing this, SADC Leaders accept complicity in creating the conditions that have resulted in starvation, displacement, disease and death for ordinary Zimbabweans. This is nothing short of passive genocide.

We, the Catholic Bishops of Southern Africa, call on Mugabe to step down immediately. We call for the formation of a coalition interim government of National Recovery and the preparation for internationally supervised and credible presidential elections as soon as possible.

Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI, President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Bishops of Botswana, South Africa and Swaziland, meeting in Pretoria.

ENDS.

Released on behalf of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference by Fr Chris Townsend, Information Officer of the SACBC. Mobile: +27 (0) 82 783 4729 email: townsend@sacbc.org.za.

People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877Nairobi00800, WestlandsKenyaE-Mail ppa@africaonline.co.keTel 254-20-4441372 Website : www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org

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