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South Africa Churches to Help Zimbabweans

The president of South Africa has thrown his support to church efforts to provide relief to people made homeless after shantytown demolitions by Zimbabwe's government, according to church leaders who met with him on Saturday.

The president of South Africa is supporting church relief effort to people made homeless after shantytown demolitions by Zimbabwe's government, according to church leaders who met with him.

President Thabo Mbeki met with leaders from the South African Council of Churches on Saturday. The group had visited various urban locations during a one day fact-finding trip to see for themselves what had took place and to speak with the affected people.

Zimbabwe's government, led by President Robert Mugabe, has insisted the demolition of homes is part of an urban renewal project meant to rid the affected areas of crime, illegal trading in foreign currencies and trade in other scarce items as well, in addtion to removing illegally built structures.

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The group was co-led by Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, who said that the scenes he witnessed were "shocking, horrendous and heart-rending," according to the Independent.

SACC President Russel Botman said victims were in a "desperate state." He added that President Mbeki would chart out a course for what to do about the matter after receiving a report from a U.N. envoy from Zimbabwe in one week.

The SACC for its part, said it would launch a relief effort for to help the destitute Zimbabweans.

Botman, who also indicated that the president would support such efforts, said that people were forced out of their homes in the middle of winter with only one set of clothes, babies, and no blankets.

Botman added that the meeting with the president was only to inform the political leader, not to ask for intervention. The SACC president felt that Zimbabwe's political parties could find a political answer for the problem on their own.

On Friday, the state of Zimbabwe had criticized the church group, alleging that it had been bankrolled by British Intelligence, according government sources who spoke with the official Herald newspaper.

The sources alleged that the church group's focus was part of "the large campaign by Zimbabwe's detractors pushing for a regime change agenda in the country." They said the trip had been planned by a British spy based in the capital, Harare, according to Reuters.

The British embassy in Harare denied any links to the church group. SACC officials were not immediately available for comment on the Herald report.

In recent years, Zimbabwe and its former colonial ruler Britain, have had increasingly tense relations following the seizure of white-owned farms meant for redistribution to blacks.

Mugabe has been critical of the UK, accusing the European nation of trying to overthrow his government through the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party.

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