AS WORLD leaders haggle over a deal to curb emissions at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, a hurry-up call comes from an unlikely source – Big Brother star Makosi Musambasi.
In an amazing rant on her blog, the busty Zimbabwean tells the leaders of the United States and Britain, in particular, to “get a grip”.
The sexy socialite says industrialised western countries “sit there and tell China and Africa to stop using coal, yet they got to where they are using coal”.
She adds: “Anyway, what do you know about climate change? They travel in private jets and have motorcades of a million SUVs ... carbon emissions HELLO?!”
Makosi’s outburst also contains an attack on the US and Britain for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe.
She says “the most important” thing to the two countries “is to see whether the queen of Denmark will shake Mugabe’s hand”, adding: “You have turned world politics, the lives of people, into your playground.
“If you want to call Mugabe evil, I guess he is a less evil because he dictates to his people, not to the world.”
The 28-year-old former cardiac nurse describes the sanctions on Zimbabwe as “illegal” and blames them for causing “suffering”.
She adds: “You say the sanctions are to drive a single man out; to liberate Zimbabwe. How do you think that is working? We all know the people of Zimbabwe are suffering.
“You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.”
A deal at the UN summit looked more likely on Thursday night following a frantic day of behind the scenes diplomacy.
China signalled concessions on monitoring of emission curbs, and the US said it would commit money for developing countries.
Leaders are likely to have big choices to make when they meet on Friday.
However, a leaked document from the UN climate convention indicates the best deal likely here will not keep the temperature rise below 2C (3.6F).
Even if countries implement their biggest pledges, a rise of 3C (5.4F) is indicated, it concluded.
Despite many expressions of concern about projections of climate change, finance has emerged as an issue more likely to make or break a deal than emission pledges.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said her administration was prepared to help establish funding of $100bn a year for developing countries if a deal emerges that meets US requirements.
The key demand is "transparency" from China, seen as a must if the US Senate is to pass legislation controlling emissions.
But the Beijing government has been hostile to this notion; and the issue had emerged as, in Clinton's words, a "deal-breaker".
Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei has said China was ready to engage in "dialogue and co-operation that is not intrusive, that does not infringe on China's sovereignty."