Hon Speaker, hon Meshoe, hon members, as you are all aware, the three main political parties in Zimbabwe - Zanu-PF and the two parts of the MDC - signed the Global Political Agreement, GPA, on 15 September last year as a way to resolve the political impasse that had beset that country. This agreement led to the establishment of an inclusive government in Zimbabwe, which is considerably broader than just President Mugabe's government, to which the hon Meshoe refers in his question.
Article 4 of the Global Political Agreement contains the following, and I quote:
That all forms of measures and sanctions against Zimbabwe be lifted in order to facilitate a sustainable solution to the challenges that are currently facing Zimbabwe, and ... that the parties commit themselves to working together in re-engaging the international community with a view to bringing to an end the country's international isolation.
The agreement also provides for the support of SADC and the AU "in mobilising the international community to support the new government's economic recovery plans and programmes, together with the lifting of sanctions taken against Zimbabwe and some of its leaders". That is why the 29th Summit of heads of state and Government, which ended yesterday, again called on the international community to remove all forms of sanctions against Zimbabwe.
The answer to your question, hon Meshoe, is therefore in the affirmative. Yes, our government has also added its voice in calling for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe.
Our government, together with SADC and the African Union, supports the implementation of the Global Political Agreement which includes the lifting of sanctions. It is our belief and that of SADC that the continued imposition of sanctions against Zimbabwe, as well as its isolation, weakens its ability to put itself on a path of economic recovery and political stability. To cite just two instances, as a response to calls for the lifting of sanctions, we are pleased that the British government will be injecting US$100 million into education, health, water and sanitation in Zimbabwe, and that the International Monetary Fund has sanctioned a US$510 million loan for Zimbabwe.
Therefore, as South Africa, we remain committed to assisting the Zimbabwean government to implement all provisions of the Global Political Agreement, including all outstanding matters in respect of which some difficulties still remain. Thank you. [Applause.]
Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Deputy President, for your reply. The ACDP is surprised by calls from African leaders, including our own President, for an end to the West's sanctions against Zimbabwe. The fact is that the sanctions are not against the ordinary people of Zimbabwe, but against President Robert Mugabe, his inner circle and companies that are connected to top government leaders who are accused of serious human rights abuses against innocent people, whose main crime is to support the