MDC-T Vice President Obert Gutu has made a veiled dig at other opposition parties for castigating statements released by the Southern African Development (SADC) and the African Union (AU) supporting the government of Zimbabwe over the brutal crackdown on protestors and calling for the removal of sanctions. Said Gutu:
You may shout at and insult SADC and the AU all you want but the fact is puppets have got absolutely no traction whether it’s within Africa or beyond. Puppets never last the distance, do they? Do you remember a puppet called Jonas Savimbi of Angola?
Namibian President and Chairperson of SADC, Hage Geinghob issued a statement during the recent AU Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He said that NGOs and some internal groups wanted to destabilise the country with the support of external forces.
He added that SADC condemns in the strongest terms the violent demonstrations which occurred in the country in January. He reiterated his view that the protests were meant to destabilise the country.