Political Reporter

The newly elected African National Congress (ANC) leadership has thrown its weight behind the ruling ZANU PF party and said that it didn’t subscribe to the idea of regime change in Zimbabwe.

Addressing the media yesterday, ANC secretary general, Fikile Mbalula said that South Africa was concerned by the continued imposition of illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe by Britain and the United States.

“We must be very much concerned about what is happening in Zimbabwe, and what role we need to play. We do not subscribe to the idea of regime change in Zimbabwe. We need to campaign very hard to get things right because Zimbabweans are coming to our country in their numbers,” said Mbalula

Mbalula added that without the illegal sanctions, there would be no Zimbabwean flocking to South Africa in search of greener pastures as the country’s economy would improve.

“Something is not right in their own country and we must support them. Once that country becomes what it was, there will be no Zimbabwean here. So, the British must think very hard about what they have done, and the Americans. They must uplift the sanctions so that Zimbabwe can grow,” added Mbalula.

The ANC secretary general further said that the Western nations should not use sanctions “to deepen the pain and the impoverishment” in Zimbabwe. He added that the British government should honour their pledge during the Lancaster House conference instead of using the country’s noble land reform programme as a scapegoat to effect regime change in the country.

“The British know what they agreed in Lancaster. They must come to the party, and invest in the compensation of Zimbabwe in the programme of land redistribution. The 40 or something billion pounds they promised (Robert)Mugabe and Zanu-PF, they must come to the party and not use the land reform programme of Zanu-PF as a scapegoat and run away,” said Mbalula.

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected as leader of the ruling ANC party despite being mired in scandal and facing calls to step down as president.

Ramaphosa’s victory paves way for him to run for a second term as president in 2024.