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Independent Newspapers 21/4/2008

Zim arms ship 'not in Namibia'

April 21 2008 at 07:55PM

There has been no request by a Chinese ship carrying arms and ammunition destined for Zimbabwe to dock in either of Namibia's two ports, Namibian port authorities said on Monday.

Wessels Feris, acting manager for marketing and strategic business development at Namport, which operates both the ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, said: "We have not had any request and there is no indication that she will come here."

The An Yue Jiang lifted its anchor off Durban on Friday night moments after the Durban High Court ordered it to dock in Durban and offload its controversial cargo into the custody of the sheriff of Durban.

On Monday afternoon, South African defence ministry spokesman Themba Gadebe said: "The SA National Defence Force is updated on regular basis with regard to the ship's movement through its maritime intelligence sources, and we will follow the best legal course of action should we be requested to act against the ship."

He would not say where the ship was located, except to say that earlier on Monday it was situated off the west coast of South Africa.

Wang Kun Hu, the managing director of Cosren, said he did not know where the vessel was headed and told Sapa: "The ship has left Durban. We are checking with the owner on the next port of call. We are waiting for the information right now."

Cosren is a subsidiary of the China Ocean Shipping Group Company (Cosco), which owns the An Yue Jiang.

An official at Cosco Africa (Pty) Ltd in Johannesburg said the managing director, only identified as Mr Lin, was in China at a shareholder's meeting.

In Johannesburg the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) called for an international boycott of the vessel.

"Cosatu is doing everything possible to alert the international trade union movement to the danger to the workers of Zimbabwe if the cargo is allowed to be unloaded and delivered to Mugabe's forces.

"The federation is writing to its comrades in other federations, including those of Angola and China, to enlist their support for the international workers' boycott," the union federation said in a statement.

SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) secretary general, Randall Howard, also called on trade unions and employers in all African countries to prevent the vessel from docking and to refuse to handle or transport its "lethal cargo".

"We have a moral obligation to provide solidarity that does not allow the Mugabe regime to continue to undermine human and trade union rights with impunity.

"We are not puppets of any imperialist forces as we equally deplore imperialism that undermines the sovereignty of African nation states to determine their own destinies," he said.

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), to which Satawu was affiliated, had already prevented the vessel from docking in Maputo after

making an urgent request to the Mozambican government not to allow it to enter the port.

"Satawu wishes to commend the Mozambican government for the correct moral stance they had taken to advance the possibilities of genuine democracy, peace and economic development," the union said.

Satawu had learned that the vessel was en route to Angola to offload the cargo and transport the weapons over land.

"We shall not rest until the weapons destined for Zimbabwe are returned to Beijing. We shall not become an accomplice to the repression and brutality of the Zimbabwean masses who only yearn for peace and genuine democracy," Howard said.

"In the Zimbabwean context, we are happy to be accused of being puppets of genuine democracy underpinned by a culture of respect for human and trade union rights which we continue to struggle for in Africa and beyond, " said Howard.

Satawu called on Cosatu, the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), the ITF and the ITUC to "mobilise" their organisations and their affiliates to ensure that the vessel returned to Beijing. - Sapa

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'Lethal cargo' strike gaining momentum

April 21 2008 at 06:18PM
A campaign to prevent arms - currently aboard a Chinese ship - from reaching Zimbabwe, gained momentum on Monday with trade unions calling on their counterparts not to allow the vessel to dock at any African port.

The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) called for an international boycott of the vessel.

"Cosatu is doing everything possible to alert the international trade union movement to the danger to the workers of Zimbabwe if the cargo is allowed to be unloaded and delivered to Mugabe's forces.

"The federation is writing to its comrades in other federations, including those of Angola and China to enlist their support for the international workers' boycott," the union said in a statement.

SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) secretary general, Randall Howard, also called on trade unions and employers in all African countries to prevent the vessel from docking and to refuse to handle or transport its "lethal cargo".

"We have a moral obligation to provide solidarity that does not allow the Mugabe regime to continue to undermine human and trade union rights with impunity.

"We are not puppets of any imperialist forces as we equally deplore imperialism that undermines the sovereignty of African nation states to determine their own destinies," he said.

The ship, the An Yue Jiang, carrying three million rounds of 7.62mm bullets (used in the AK47 assault rifle), 69 Rocket Propelled Grenades as well as mortar bombs and tubes docked in Durban on April 14.

It, however, left on April 18 after the Durban High Court ordered that its controversial cargo could not be transported across South Africa to Zimbabwe. Satawu members also refused to offload the cargo from the ship.

Anglican bishop Rubin Phillips with Patrick Kearney, a former activist and executive of the Diakonia Council of Churches, applied to the court to prevent the weapons from reaching Zimbabwe.

The tense political situation in Zimbabwe has been described as a "crisis" since its March 29 election results have yet to be released, a ploy, the Zimbabwean opposition claims, by President Robert Mugabe to hang onto power and resist a change in government.

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), to which Satawu is affiliated had already prevented the vessel from docking in Maputo after making an urgent request to the Mozambican government not to allow it to enter the port there.

"Satawu wishes to commend the Mozambican government for the correct moral stance they had taken to advance the possibilities of genuine democracy, peace and economic development," the union said.

It said it had learned that the vessel was on route to Angola to offload the cargo and transport the weapons over land.

"We shall not rest until the weapons destined for Zimbabwe are returned to Beijing. We shall not become an accomplice to the repression and brutality of the Zimbabwean masses who only yearn for peace and genuine democracy," Howard said.

"In the Zimbabwean context, we are happy to be accused of being puppets of genuine democracy underpinned by a culture of respect for human and trade union rights which we continue to struggle for in Africa and beyond, " said Howard.

The international campaign to prevent the arms from landing on Zimbabwean soil was themed: "Workers of the World Unite in Solidarity with the workers and people of Zimbabwe for Democracy, Peace and Food! Not Lethal Weapons to Kill and Repress! Return to Beijing Now!".

Satawu called on Cosatu, the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), ITF and ITUC to "mobilise" their organisations and their affiliates to ensure that the vessel returned to Beijing.

It also called on all African governments and their port authorities not to allow entry of the vessel into any ports. - Sapa