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SAFRICA-ZIMBABWE Apr-21-2008 (370 words) xxxi
Catholics urge South Africa to refuse shipments of arms from Zimbabwe
By Bronwen Dachs
Catholic News Service
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- Catholic bishops in southern Africa have urged the South African government to stop all shipments of armaments to Zimbabwe, which is in political and economic crisis.
A Chinese ship carrying arms to Zimbabwe was turned away from the South African port of Durban April 18 after the South African High Court refused to allow the weapons to be transported across the country.
"On behalf of the Catholic community in southern Africa, I call on the South Africa government not to allow any more arms and munitions to enter Zimbabwe through South Africa until an acceptable solution is found to the present situation," Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban said April 18 in a statement issued on behalf of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference.
Zimbabwe's parliamentary and presidential elections, held March 31, have racked up tensions between the government and opposition in Zimbabwe. While Zimbabwe's electoral commission has failed to issue final results, Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he won the presidential poll and his party took a majority of parliamentary seats.
President Robert Mugabe, 84, and his supporters are preparing for a runoff as well as challenging some of the parliamentary results.
South African members of a powerful trade union refused to unload the weapons from a ship docked in Durban April 18 because of concerns that Mugabe's government might use them against its opponents.
South African Anglican Archbishop Rubin Phillip of Kwazulu-Natal took the matter to the court, which agreed that the weapons would likely be used against government opponents, and the ship was ordered to leave Durban's harbor.
"The deepening crisis and escalating violence in Zimbabwe compels us to repeat our call for immediate international intervention by a competent and objective mediator such as Kofi Annan (former secretary-general of the United Nations)," Cardinal Napier said.
"Failure of the international community to act immediately condemns the Zimbabwean people to ongoing insecurity and suffering," he said.
Zimbabwe has the world's highest inflation rate -- more than 100,000 percent -- an unemployment rate of more than 80 percent and severe shortages of basic foods and fuel.
END
Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
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