The new Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, the Reverend Thabo Makgoba, Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe.
“It is distressing to South Africans that our rulers, whom we know to be compassionate people, currently appear to many beyond our borders as heartless and unmoved by the suffering of Zimbabweans. I appeal to President Thabo Mbeki urgently to seek creative ways of reaching out to our neighbours to reassure them that we care about them deeply,” the Archbishop said.
Makgoba, who said the plight of the people of Zimbabwe was heart-breaking, warned “Already bruised, broken and crushed by oppression and economic hardship before the elections, they are now even more divided, despondent and, in many cases, hopeless than they were before.
“At a time of growing global hunger, their situation is particularly acute as millions of Zimbabweans depend on food aid and the NGOs are reporting that in some areas, political violence is making it difficult to supply food.”
He commended the successful efforts of the Bishop of Natal, Reverend Rubin Phillip, and the Diakonia Council of Churches who prevented a consignment of weapons meant for Zimbabwe from being offloaded in Durban.
He said he would consult with my brother bishops in Namibia and Angola on ecumenical action to prevent the shipment from being transported through their countries.
“On the basis that a heavily-armed Zimbabwe would threaten peace, security and stability in southern Africa, we call upon the Security Council of the United Nations to impose an arms embargo on its government.,” Makgoba said.
“We appeal to the South African Government to support such an embargo. We will a sk our sister churches in countries which are also members of the Security Council to urge their governments to do likewise,” he said.
