In a telephonic interview with Radio 786 on Friday, Pandor said, “We respect the sovereignty of Zimbabwe but it is very important that we continue to engage. There is a reality. Go to our border post and see how many Zimbabweans wish to come into South Africa and mainly for economic reasons.
“We all know that Zimbabwe has various economic challenges and that their current situation impacts on South Africa because many Zimbabweans come to seek a livelihood in South Africa. We have to work with Zimbabwe in order to address that economic situation and find a way of helping to reverse the current situation so that the citizens of Zimbabwe can happily return to their country.”
Talking about envoys sent to Zimbabwe, Pandor said the delegation was supposed to meet other players including opposition leaders.
“If they feel we cannot help, we will hear that from them. But my understanding was that discussions were cordial and that indeed the desire of the president that there will be meetings with individuals and organisations other than the government was communicated by the envoys.
“So, it is in South Africa’s interests, given our current economic situation,that we do continue to have discussions, keep a very dynamic link with Zimbabwe and assure their government that we are not seeking to interfere in their internal matters but we would like to work with them to find a solution that works with their current context.”
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