COSATU statement on crisis in Zimbabwe

["Charles Brown" <CharlesB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

COSATU statement on crisis in Zimbabwe.

COSATU has been monitoring the events in Zimbabwe over the past few
weeks with growing concern. It is crucial, both for that country and
the
entire Southern African region, that stability and the rule of law is
installed in Zimbabwe.

We are once again distressed at the kind of coverage these events have

got in the South African media. It seems that our journalists and
editors
are bent on covering this issue as purely a race issue. White farmers
who
have been attacked and killed have had a lot of coverage in our media,

while we hear very little about black farm workers and black members of

the MDC who have also been attacked and killed. We are not convinced
this is purely a race issue. Do whites own all farms? Have any black
farmers been attacked? What does the unity of white farm owners and
black farm workers say about racism in that country?

Moreover, there has been little attempt to analyse why these events
have
started now, just before the Zimbabwe elections. Only a few journalists

have looked at class issues surrounding these events. For example, what

happens to the workers if farms are confiscated or occupied.  Has there

been any attempt to redress the land question and create tenure
security
for those who have lived and worked on these farms for a long time. Why

has the land redistribution programme not been implemented after all
these years?

We believe these are some of the crucial issues which should be raised

in the media. We hope that journalists investigate these crucial
topics,
and refrain from creating a red herring leading us to believe the issue
is
narrowly one of black people attacking white people in Zimbabwe.

In the meantime COSATU condemns any acts of violence and
unlawfullness. We call on the government of Zimbabwe to install peace
and the rule of law to that country. We hope the issue will be speedily

resolved.