The saga continues...The Zimbabwe issue in South Africa’s foreign policy

Abstract

This paper will attempt to analyse South Africa’s foreign policy towards Zimbabwe since February 2000. The objective is to gain an understanding of Thabo Mbeki’s efforts in defining, addressing and resolving this foreign challenge amidst his efforts to position South Africa in the region, Africa and further abroad. The contribution argues that South Africa initially artfully dodged the reality of Zimbabwe’s domestic affairs. Moving away from “quiet diplomacy” to a more constructive engagement via bilateral and multilateral efforts (within Southern Africa, the continent and other international institutions), the paper attempts to assess South Africa’s as well as that of other actors’ efforts to resolve the impasse. Michael Lund provides a useful list of policies and instruments such as military, non-military, development and governance approaches that can be applied to resolve an international crisis such as this. Some of these are coercive and non-coercive diplomatic measures as well as the promotion of national and social development, human rights and civil society groups