Cosatu threatens Zimbabwe border blockade

Cosatu threatens Zimbabwe border blockade

• Mbeki's government embarassed by Cosatu deportation

• Cosatu leaders stuck in Zimbabwe

• Cosatu leaders deported from Zimbabwe

• Defiant Cosatu goes ahead with Zim mission

• Madhuku charged, released after 12 years

• Madhuku arrested in dawn raid

• Zim holds public hearing on NGO Bill

• Economic cost of NGO Bill

• NGOs set to march on Harare

• NCA demo thwarted, 41 held in NGO Bill protests

• Mugabe says NGOs plotting 'regime change'

• Zimbabwe labour union leaders released

• Majongwe arrested for 'addressing students'

By Agencies

SOUTH Africa's main labour federation is threatening to blockade a border crossing with Zimbabwe after President Robert Mugabe's Government deported a union fact-finding team accused of aiding his enemies.

Officials with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) say they would launch an international campaign of protest over Tuesday's expulsion.

In the incident, 13 South African unionists were hustled across the border in the dead of night.

"We will do everything, including blocking that bridge where they dumped our delegates," COSATU Secretary General Zwelinzima Vavi said.

Senior South African officials concede Zimbabwe's move against COSATU - a key ally of South African President Thabo Mbeki's ruling African National Congress (ANC) - may complicate Mr Mbeki's policy of "quiet diplomacy" toward his northern neighbour.

"Our diplomats are looking into the matter and we can only consider a reaction once we know what precipitated this drastic step," South African Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said.

"We still take the view that the matter could have been handled in a better way."

Mr Lekota adds that COSATU's expulsion is "clearly a bit embarrassing" for the ANC, which considers the union group an official political partner.

Zimbabwe ordered the COSATU team deported on Tuesday, one day after they arrived in Harare in defiance of a Government ban.

Police eventually bussed them across the northern border at Beitbridge early on Wednesday after they were unable to catch an airplane at Harare.

The night-time deportation came despite an order from Zimbabwe's High Court, which allowed them to stay until Wednesday in order to take a plane -- Reuters
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