South African opposition party leader Herman Mashaba has fired a salvo again at Zanu PF saying his party will push for Zimbabwe’s ruling party officials to be barred from the neighbouring country if his party gets parliamentary seats in 2024.
The former Johannesburg mayor has been on a verbal warpath with Zanu PF. He recently called for maintenance of economic sanctions against Zimbabwe.
Speaking at a conference in South Africa recently Mashaba said his party will push to ban Zanu PF senior officials from coming to South Africa and also called for freezing of their assets in the neighbouring country.
“Come 2024 ActionSA will be in parliament and we can mobilise enough support to ensure that no Zanu PF person will set foot in this country of South Africa. And all the money they have stolen and stashed here in South Africa must be,” said Mashaba.
With elections beckoning in South Africa next year, political parties are desperate to appease locals with ending immigration crisis.
South Africa has become a destination of Zimbabweans escaping economic meltdown.
He appears to have changed tune regarding foreigners saying his party will welcome Zimbabweans.
Mashaba, then mayor of Johannesburg, torched a storm in 2017 when he called for foreigners to be driven out of South Africa sparking xenophobia.
“The people of Zimbabwe will have freedom to come here. I will never have diplomatic relations with Zanu PF,” he said.
Mashaba added that Zimbabwe should have free and fair elections this year that will be open to international observers.
“I will be part of working with the international community to have free and fair elections in Zimbabwe supervised by international observers. Without that I will never have diplomatic ties with Zimbabwe,” said Mashaba.