Hon Deputy President, noting that Zimbabwe comes from a period of extreme hostilities marked by human rights abuses and so on, these and other factors led to, amongst other things, the collapse of the economy and the country's democratic system of government. However, since then significant progress has been made, notably there is dialogue among Zimbabweans themselves and the Global Political Agreement is in place - of course, with outstanding issues - and there's a functional, inclusive government that is working very hard towards bringing about unity and normalcy in that country.
In spite of these developments, some still insist that sanctions must be maintained and/or intensified, and that South Africa in particular must use its so-called "economic muscle" to force President Mugabe into submission. Is there, indeed, any merit whatsoever in that argument? Thank you.