Howard calls on Africa to oust Mugabe

Zimbabwe’s African neighbours must pressure President Robert Mugabe to resign, says Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Mr Howard said he had lost patience with arguments put forward by countries such as South Africa that Zimbabwe’s problems should be resolved by internal debate.

“That’s a nice theory; I think it’s time that the neighbouring African countries, particularly South Africa, exerted political pressure on Mugabe to go,” Mr Howard told Melbourne radio 3AW.

“We pussyfoot around far too much using diplomatic language – this man is a disaster; his country is just a total heap of misery,” he added.

Howard blamed Mugabe for his country having among the world’s lowest standards of living, lowest life expectancy, hyperinflation and for attacks on opposition politicians by police.

“He was a brother-in-arms against apartheid, I know that, but that was a long time ago,” Howard said, referring to the racially discriminatory system that subjugated black South Africans for 46 years until 1994.

“He’s been a disaster as a leader of his country and I think there is a very special responsibility on his neighbouring African colleagues to do things,” he added.

Zimbabwe has come in for increasing international condemnation over a recent upsurge in state-orchestrated violence, but southern African leaders, except for Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, have been muted in their criticism of Mugabe.