Johannesburg – A chilling revelation has emerged from former South African President Thabo Mbeki, casting a new and sinister light on the deadly 2008 xenophobic attacks in Alexandra.
Mbeki was speaking during a conversation with students at the University of South Africa in Pretoria when he revealed that the violence was not a spontaneous outburst but a carefully orchestrated operation aimed at forcing Zimbabweans back home to vote against Robert Mugabe.
"There is an intelligence report that I had access to as president at the time that names the people and the motives behind the attacks," Mbeki revealed.
The attacks, which erupted in Alexandra in May 2008 and spread to other parts of the country, and coincided with the run-off election in Zimbabwe. Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, had failed to secure a 50% majority in the March 2008 general elections, forcing a second round of voting in June.
Mbeki was deeply involved in mediating the Zimbabwean political crisis and believes the attacks were a deliberate attempt to influence the outcome of the election.
"An intelligence report with names, dates and venues where people met and planned this and so on… It's presented as a xenophobic attack by the people of Alexandra – it was wrong… it was organised, systematic, for a political purpose. I'm seeing the mistake we made, we should've declassified that intelligence report," he said.
The 2008 Zimbabwean elections were marred by violence and allegations of voter intimidation, raising concerns about the legitimacy of the process. The international community, including the United Nations, expressed concern about the situation and called for a credible and peaceful election.
However, Mbeki, who was appointed as the mediator for the Zimbabwean crisis, advocated for an African solution to the problem. In an interview with Al Jazeera in May 2008, he expressed his opposition to the deployment of UN monitors as election observers, stating, "I don't like the idea that suggests that as Africans we cannot do the job."
The negotiations between the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were protracted and fraught with tension. Despite the violence and the international pressure, a power-sharing agreement was eventually reached in September 2008, with Mugabe remaining as President and Tsvangirai becoming Prime Minister.
Mbeki's revelation about the orchestrated nature of the 2008 xenophobic attacks raises serious questions about the role of political forces in instigating violence. The intelligence report, which Mbeki claims contains names, dates, and locations of meetings, could provide crucial insights into the planning and execution of the attacks.
Mbeki's comments have reignited a debate about the role of foreign nationals in South Africa and the need for effective border management. While acknowledging that the country's economic challenges are not solely caused by foreigners, he stressed the importance of strengthening border control measures.
The Intelligence Report: A Key to Understanding
The intelligence report, which Mbeki claims to have seen, is at the heart of this revelation. It allegedly contains names, dates, and venues of meetings where the attacks were planned. This information could shed light on the individuals and groups involved, their motivations, and the extent of the planning. The report could also reveal the role of any political forces that may have been involved in orchestrating the violence.
