Repression in Zimbabwe exposes South Africa’s weakness
ROGER SOUTHALL, University of the Witwatersrand SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s despatch of envoys to Zimbabwe in a bid to defuse the latest crisis, in which the government has engaged in a vicious crackdown on opponents, journalists and the freedoms of speech, association and protest, has been widely welcomed. Such has been the brutality of the latest assault on human rights by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime that something had to be done. And, as the big brother neighbour next door, South Africa is the obvious actor to do it. It may be guaranteed that Ramaphosa’s envoys – Sydney Mufamadi, a…