JOHANNESBURG – A South African opposition leader on Tuesday said Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe should be taken to The Hague to answer questions on the humanitarian crisis in his country.

"Given the tragic situation in Zimbabwe I personally feel that if President Mugabe was taken to the international court . . . he would be given a chance to actually explain himself," said Mvume Dandala, who is presidential candidate of the Congress of the People (COPE) party in South Africa’s upcoming election.

"There must be ways by which the rest of humanity can ask questions. I believe the ICC (International Criminal Court) is one of those instruments that can be used," added Dandala, whose COPE party broke away from the ruling ANC party last year.

Although the COPE leader – a Methodist Bishop – said this was his personal opinion a high-ranking party official Lyndall Shope-Mafole later said Dandala's views on Mugabe were "consistent, in fact, with the policies of the Congress of the People".

COPE was formed on December 16 2008 after a fallout in the ANC following the ouster of former South African President Thabo Mbeki from state house when he was replaced by incumbent President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Zimbabwe is grappling with its worst ever economic crisis that is shown in the world’s highest inflation of more than 231 million percent, deepening poverty, unemployment, shortages of every basic survival commodity and a cholera outbreak that has killed over 4 000 people and affected 91 000 others since August.

Critics say Mugabe's land policies that saw experienced white farmers replaced by either incompetent or poorly funded black farmers, resulting in a massive drop in food production have ruined Zimbabwe's once prosperous economy.

But the veteran ruler denies the charges and instead says Zimbabwe’s economic problems are because of sanctions by Western governments opposed to his land reforms. – ZimOnline.