South Africa’s diplomacy admits contact with Mozambique opposition

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South Africa’s diplomacy admits contact with Mozambique opposition

2:31 CAT | 22 Feb 2016

The South African ambassador in Maputo admitted on Friday that the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs is aware of the request from Renamo to President Zuma to mediate the political crisis in Mozambique.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa [Maite Nkoana Mashabane] knew about the correspondence between the South African Government and Renamo [Mozambique National Resistance], but this correspondence was private and not in the public domain,” Mandis Mpahlwa said at a press conference in Maputo.

On a working visit to Maputo on February 10, Mashabane said that there had been no invitation “either on the part of the Mozambican government or Renamo”, a Renamo spokesman presented a letter from the office of South African president responding to the request for mediation.

“If the minister neither answered, nor spoke of the existence of this letter it was because it was still a private matter,” Mpahlwa said, regretting the use of “strong and unfortunate” language by Renamo.

Mpahlwa explained the minister’s denial of the existence of the request as referring to any official communication which was the result of a discussion between the parties.

“With the existing bilateral relationship among the two states, the South African Government would expect to receive a formal communication, and so far, that position has not been taken,” he claimed.

Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama said on 22 January in an interview with Lusa that he was in possession of a positive response in writing from the South African president, Jacob Zuma, and the Catholic Church, to his request to them to mediate the political crisis in Mozambique.

In Friday’s press conference, the South African High Commissioner in Mozambique invited journalists to re-read the contents of the cabinet response of the South African presidency, which insists that the matter must first be agreed between the two Mozambican parties.

“The answer we gave Renamo makes no mention of accepting this role,” said Mpahlwa, adding that, while he was not in a position to speak for President Zuma, he knew that the South African president was always open to giving Mozambicans all possible help.

Source: Lusa