SOUTH African opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader has called on his government to bail-out stricken northern neighbour Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
He was however, quick to slam the Harare government\u2019s\u00a0heavy-handedness in dealing with dissent.<\/p>\n
Malema told a press briefing Wednesday that regional block SADC must set up a fund to help Zimbabwe turn around its economic fortunes, arguing the country\u2019s problems are a threat to regional stability.<\/p>\n
\u201cZimbabwe must be helped. Anyone who refuses Zimbabwe a bailout is dumb,\u201d said the fiery politician.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t help Zimbabweans, the border is going to be flooded by them. Anyone who is going to block them from coming into South Africa, we are going to fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are always complaining about the presence of Zimbabweans, the only way not to have them is by helping them in their country.<\/p>\n
\u201cSADC countries must give a conditional grant dedicated to developmental programs which must not end up in the hands of Zanu PF politicians.<\/p>\n
\u201cA weak Zimbabwe leads to a weak SADC. The little we have as Africans we need to share.\u201d<\/p>\n
Millions of Zimbabweans have fled the country\u2019s economic and political meltdown in the last two decades, many finding refuge in South Africa as well as other countries.<\/p>\n
Malema warned that, left alone, Zimbabwe would be at the mercy of international\u00a0multi-lateral\u00a0institutions as well as fast developing China.<\/p>\n
\u201cOtherwise we are setting up Zimbabwe for IMF and World Bank bailouts or even the hostile Chinese. You know what that means,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s\u00a0not put Zimbabwe under that situation. We are Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans are us. Their problem is our problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, while joining South African President Cyril Ramaphosa\u2019s recent call for sanctions removal,\u00a0Malema\u00a0said President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s decision to block the internet was unacceptable.<\/p>\n
\u201cMnangagwa shutting down the internet, not allowing people to protest is barbaric,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s backward. We don\u2019t care about Zanu PF and Mnangagwa must know it\u2019s unacceptable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to help Zimbabwe and we will ant the sanctions gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we will not support the tyranny and brutalization of our people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The EFF leader has been consistent in his call for stability in Zimbabwe as well as the removal of sanctions.<\/p>\n
He insists that his party does not buy into local opposition calls for foreign assistance to force Zanu PF out of power.<\/p>\n
SOUTH African opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader has called on his government to bail-out stricken northern neighbour Zimbabwe. He was however, quick to slam the Harare government\u2019s\u00a0heavy-handedness in dealing with dissent. Malema told a press briefing Wednesday that regional block SADC must set up a fund to help Zimbabwe turn around its economic fortunes, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":2412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[55,31,149],"class_list":{"0":"post-2409","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-policy","9":"tag-government","10":"tag-mnangagwa","11":"tag-president"},"yoast_head":"\n