ANC won’t make noise about Zim

Here’s a prediction for free: there won’t be a strongly worded protest letter delivered to the Zimbabwean high commissioner in Pretoria by the SA government. Nor will President Cyril Ramaphosa make a statement.

In the Union Buildings and offices of our department of international relations and cooperation, there will only be the sounds of silence about the detentions earlier this week of a prominent and outspoken Zimbabwean journalist and leader of an opposition party.

Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono (“Big Daddy Hope”, as he styles himself) was picked up by Zimbabwe cops on Monday at his house in Harare, after they smashed their way in. He is currently being held in the cells at the city’s central police station, along with Jacob Ngarivhume, president of the small opposition party, Transform Zimbabwe.

The ANC government has a long and awful history of looking the other way when it comes to politics in our northern neighbour. Inaction by President Thabo Mbeki and his administration, particularly, allowed dictator Robert Mugabe to steal elections, deepening the agony of ordinary Zimbabweans and triggering a massive exodus to South Africa.

Perhaps the ANC approves of strong-arm control over dissent. If so, then we should be worried. Very worried.

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