Former ambassador Gerrit Olivier accuses SA of "bend[ing] over backwards to please and sustain [Zimbabwean President Robert] Mugabe" (SA plays cheerleader as neighbour Mugabe sets his own house on fire, November 1). One of the many failures of SA’s engagements with Zimbabwe, according to Olivier, is International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane’s decision to grant diplomatic immunity to Grace Mugabe "at the drop of a hat". In fact, the minister derived the power from legislation and sought to strike a delicate balance between competing interests in making a very difficult decision. Olivier would like to see SA "disempower Mugabe and his clique" through a variety of ways that are "not too hard, not too soft", and include "support[ing] the many disaffected Zimbabweans everywhere". The former ambassador should be reminded of a few things. Firstly, post-’94, SA’s foreign policy took a deliberate departure from the foreign policy of the government under which h...
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