Court bars unloading of Chinese cargo

Well, miracles of miracles, Mugabe is not getting his shipload of Chinese arms after all.

First, the dockers union in South Africa refused to unload the arsenal and then African Litigation Centre went to court to argue that, under South African law, it was illegal to supply arms to "governments that systematically violate, or oppress ... human rights and fundamental freedoms"; an opinion with which the court concurred. So it is now impossible for the weapons to be transferred over land to Zimbabwe.

The director of the centre, Nicole Fritz, said: "It is hard to imagine clearer circumstances in which South African authorities were obliged to refuse to grant any conveyance permit."

Helen Zille, the leader of South Africa's opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, warned that the shipment could result in carnage of "genocidal proportions".

Pointing out that a consignment of Chinese machetes had prefaced the genocide in Rwanda, she said: "The mind boggles when one considers the damage that could be done with the consignment of arms sitting in Durban harbour."

The Congress of South African Trade Unions said the vessel "must return to China with the arms on board, as South Africa cannot be seen to be facilitating the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe at a time where there is a political dispute and a volatile situation".

And so back to China they go. It's a small victory, but it is to be savoured nevertheless.

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Tags: Zimbabwe, Mugabe, China, arms exports, South Africa, Mbeki