“We did not say Zim elections were fair” – Zuma’s Minister

South Africa’s Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation has contradicted President Jacob Zuma’s position on the Zimbabwean elections.

05.08.13  by Chris Ncube | The Zimbabwean

“We did not say that the Zimbabwean election was fair, we said it was free…we did not use ‘fair’ or ‘credible,’” Ebrahim Ebrahim said in a radio interview on Monday. The interview came a day after Zuma endorsed Robert Mugabe’s controversial re-election.

“This profoundly contradicts President Jacob Zuma’s position on the elections. In a press statement yesterday, the President congratulated Zimbabwe on “successful harmonised elections,” Ian Davidson, the Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, said on Monday.

“It seems that given his own cabinet minister’s position, President Zuma has opted to put politics ahead of the numerous legitimate concerns that have been raised. In doing so, he has let the people of Zimbabwe down,” Davidson added.

Observers and civil society noted serious irregularities with the voters’ roll and voting process.

via “We did not say Zim elections were fair”—Zuma’s Minister | The Zimbabwean.