Spy case a sign of historical tensions with Pretoria

The espionage case in which three Zimbabweans were jailed this week for selling state secrets to South Africa has underlined a historical tension between the two neighbours, according to analysts.

The three informants, convicted of breaching Zimbabwe's Official Secrets Act, were this week sentenced to between five and six years in prison by a regional magistrate in the capital, Harare.

Zimbabwe's ambassador-designate to Mozambique, Godfrey Dzvairo, was slapped with an effective six years behind bars, while ZANU-PF director for external affairs Itai Marchi and former Metropolitan Bank company secretary Tendai Matambanadzo were each jailed for five years. Philip Chiyangwa, a ZANU-PF legislator and President Robert Mugabe's nephew, is awaiting trial on similar charges.

Historical and ideological differences have characterised the relationship between South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) and ZANU-PF.

"Traditionally, ZANU has always been an ally of [South Africa's] Pan Africanist Congress, while the ANC had been an ally of PF-ZAPU [ZANU's uneasy partner during the liberation war]," former government minister and Matabeleland North governor, Welshman Mabhena, told IRIN.

As Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis unfolded in 2000, with controversial legislative elections and a violent land distribution programme, South Africa found itself with limited intelligence and influence.

"The ANC had to gather information through covert means to understand the developments within the ZANU-PF," said Chris Maroleng, an analyst with South Africa's Institute for Security Studies.

South Africa needed information to assess whether "progressive forces open to engagement" within the Zimbabwean ruling party were in the ascendant, which would help them in their talks to resolve the political standoff with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said Maroleng.

"This [espionage] trial [exposed] that the relationship between the two governments has never been as sound as portrayed," noted Mabhena. "The Zimbabwean government has obviously been misleading the South Africans about the so-called peace talks with the opposition and, in the process, leading the ANC leadership up the garden path."