BULAWAYO – Irate Harare officials branded South Africa’s labour movement a terrorist and uncivilised body after it announced it would mobilise workers in the region to refuse to handle goods destined for Zimbabwe in protest against President Robert Mugabe’s rule.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), which also plans to hold a “massive march” against Mugabe during this weekend’s Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Midrand near Johannesburg, on Wednesday said it was pushing for a week-long protest in September during which all workers will refuse to handle goods destined for Zimbabwe. 

Deputy information minister Bright Matonga dismissed COSATU’s protest against Mugabe as an uncivilised act that smacks of terrorism.

“The protest by COSATU is uncivilised and a criminal way of behaving with all the hallmarks of terrorism. They are saboteurs and they should move away from the slavery mentality of trying to please whites,” Matonga said in an interview.

COSATU – a longtime vocal opponent of Mugabe’s controversial rule – said the veteran Zimbabwean leader was illegitimately in power after his re-election in a June presidential run-off election boycotted by the opposition because of political violence.

The run-off election was held because opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party leader Morgan Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in the first round voting on March 29 but failed to secure the margin required to takeover power.

COSATU’s boycott action was one of the resolutions taken at the Zimbabwe and Swaziland “Solidarity Conference” which ended in South Africa on Monday.  

The labour body also called for an end to political violence and for the lifting of a restriction aid on groups and civil society organisations that has paralysed delivery of much needed relief to needy communities mostly in far-flung rural areas of the country.

Information minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu also dismissed COSATU as a grouping led by brainless and misdirected people.

“COSATU is led by brainless and misdirected people who should instead focus on poverty and xenophobic attacks in South Africa,” said Ndlovu. “It has never happened in the history of politics that a labour body can organise such a criminal act.”

Mugabe’s controversial re-election on June-27 courted international criticism and worsened the country’s dire economic situation with the cost of basics and other services spiraling beyond reach as the worthless currency continued plummeting to new lows daily.

Analysts see no edn to Zimbabwe's woes until Mugabe cedes power to the MDC under a power sharing deal, a demand that stalled the crisis talks last week after the 84-year old leader refused to let go his grip on power.

The talks between MDC and ZANU PF began last month under the facilitation of South African President Thabo Mbeki.they wiil continue on the sidelines of the SADC summit. – ZimOnline