Let's hear it for the South African Dockworkers

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

It would appear that in South Africa and Southern Africa the only people willing to stand up against the tyrant Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe are the “little” people in that region, in this case ordinary dockworkers and, it would appear also, the police of the port of Durban. The former for refusing to unload the Chinese vessel with a cargo of weapons bound for the security forces of Zimbabwe and sending the vessel packing again and the latter for not enforcing the unloading of said ship.

The vessel is now, so it would appear, headed for the port of the Angolan capital. Let us just hope that dockworkers and other there have the same courage to refuse to unload the ship.

If the rest of the dockers in the area where the ship could dock to unload and police would do the same, that is to say, refuse to let the cargo be unloaded then sooner or later the ship will have no option as to return with its cargo as undelivered come undeliverable.

While food and other “humanitarian” shipments should not be boycotted, anything that could aid the dictator and his clique in Zimbabwe should be blocked from ever reaching the country. It cannot be that difficult.

It is rather a shame and a shame on them that the politicians in that region just do not have the same courage and the same ethics as do “ordinary” workers and even police officers and their commanders. The politicians of SADEC and the other African political bodies and especially the leaders in the neighboring countries, with President Tabo Mbeke in the forefront, should be ashamed and should go and do penance.

So, let's hear it for the dockers of the port of Durban and their Union and also for the police that did not interfere in the name of “free commerce”.

© M Smith (Veshengro)