South African Foreign Minister Plays Down Unfolding Zimbabwe crisis

The South African government has played down what is widely regarded as a growing crisis in Zimbabwe, noting that country’s government has claimed it has the situation ”under control”.

Maite Nkoana-Mashaban, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation  was reportedly asked at a press conference in Pretoria on Tuesday whether her government was concerned about the security situation in Zimbabwe and the social and economic implications for South Africa.

She replied by noting that she had watched Zimbabwe’s High Commissioner (ambassador) to South Africa being interviewed on a South African TV channel recently.

”He presented a picture which doesn’t talk to the crisis you are alluding to and [said] that all is under control,” Nkoana-Mashabane said, with apparent approval.

But she then implied that the South African government was in fact consulting the Zimbabwe government about the situation there, noting that there were regular interactions among us about the working of countries in the region, including Zimbabwe, said Maite.”