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19-04-08, 06:09
Chinese ship reportedly snubbed
* Story Highlights
* Ship had arms, says South African government spokesman
* Dockworkers are against the Mugabe regime, union leader says
* Ship sailed away away from Durban, union leader says
* Next Article in World »
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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- A Chinese ship loaded with arms and ammunition bound for Zimbabwe has turned away from a South African port after dockworkers refused to handle the cargo, their representative said.
art.durban.ap.jpg
The An Yue Jiang sat anchored outside Durban's harbor in South Africa on Thursday.
The ship was "probably going to the nearest port, which is Maputo, Mozambique, from where it could also be transshipped to Zimbabwe," David Cockroft, general secretary of the International Transport Workers Federation, told CNN International on Friday.
"This was a normal transaction, but it's intended to be used against the people of Zimbabwe," Cockroft said. "(The dockworkers) have colleagues in Zimbabwe against whom they do not want those 3.5 million rounds to be used."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement in a fax to the Reuters news agency saying that China and Zimbabwe have normal trade relations, that the Chinese government takes a "prudent and responsible" position on arms deals and that it does not involve itself in the internal affairs of other countries.
CNN could not immediately confirm with the South African government that the China-flagged An Yue Jiang had sailed away from Durban.
Cockroft said that the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, which belongs to his group, had notified him of the movement.
Zimbabwe is in turmoil after elections last month. The opposition Movement for Change party won a majority of seats in the parliament, but Mugabe's ZANU-PF party contested 16 seats, claiming the MDC had cheated.
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* Judge orders Zimbabwe recount
Further adding to concerns were the presidential election. The government of President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since Zimbabwe won its independence in 1980, has refused to release results of that vote before a recount.
The MDC says its candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the election, but ZANU-PF has claimed the MDC engaged in election tampering. The delay in releasing the vote sparked violence and a government crackdown on opposition members.
"This union has a proud history of taking action against regimes which it disapproves of in the past, but this is certainly the first time it has gotten involved in an African regime like Zimbabwe," Cockroft said.
"I don't think there's much doubt that the (dock) workers ... are very strongly against the Mugabe regime," he said.
Cockroft said that arms had almost certainly been shipped to Zimbabwe through Durban in the past, but the size of this shipment -- "more than a million pounds" and 3.5 million rounds of rifles, small arms, mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades -- was noteworthy.
Earlier, South African Revenue Service spokesman Adrian Lackay told CNN "that it is commonplace for landlocked neighboring states in southern Africa to use South African ports of entry for the transshipment of goods."
Lackay indicated the ship had complied with South African regulations requiring it to disclose the contents of the cargo it is carrying.
* Story Highlights
* Ship had arms, says South African government spokesman
* Dockworkers are against the Mugabe regime, union leader says
* Ship sailed away away from Durban, union leader says
* Next Article in World »
Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- A Chinese ship loaded with arms and ammunition bound for Zimbabwe has turned away from a South African port after dockworkers refused to handle the cargo, their representative said.
art.durban.ap.jpg
The An Yue Jiang sat anchored outside Durban's harbor in South Africa on Thursday.
The ship was "probably going to the nearest port, which is Maputo, Mozambique, from where it could also be transshipped to Zimbabwe," David Cockroft, general secretary of the International Transport Workers Federation, told CNN International on Friday.
"This was a normal transaction, but it's intended to be used against the people of Zimbabwe," Cockroft said. "(The dockworkers) have colleagues in Zimbabwe against whom they do not want those 3.5 million rounds to be used."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement in a fax to the Reuters news agency saying that China and Zimbabwe have normal trade relations, that the Chinese government takes a "prudent and responsible" position on arms deals and that it does not involve itself in the internal affairs of other countries.
CNN could not immediately confirm with the South African government that the China-flagged An Yue Jiang had sailed away from Durban.
Cockroft said that the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, which belongs to his group, had notified him of the movement.
Zimbabwe is in turmoil after elections last month. The opposition Movement for Change party won a majority of seats in the parliament, but Mugabe's ZANU-PF party contested 16 seats, claiming the MDC had cheated.
Don't Miss
* Judge orders Zimbabwe recount
Further adding to concerns were the presidential election. The government of President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since Zimbabwe won its independence in 1980, has refused to release results of that vote before a recount.
The MDC says its candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the election, but ZANU-PF has claimed the MDC engaged in election tampering. The delay in releasing the vote sparked violence and a government crackdown on opposition members.
"This union has a proud history of taking action against regimes which it disapproves of in the past, but this is certainly the first time it has gotten involved in an African regime like Zimbabwe," Cockroft said.
"I don't think there's much doubt that the (dock) workers ... are very strongly against the Mugabe regime," he said.
Cockroft said that arms had almost certainly been shipped to Zimbabwe through Durban in the past, but the size of this shipment -- "more than a million pounds" and 3.5 million rounds of rifles, small arms, mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades -- was noteworthy.
Earlier, South African Revenue Service spokesman Adrian Lackay told CNN "that it is commonplace for landlocked neighboring states in southern Africa to use South African ports of entry for the transshipment of goods."
Lackay indicated the ship had complied with South African regulations requiring it to disclose the contents of the cargo it is carrying.