South Africa reaffirm support for Zimbabwe

Cricket South Africa will continue to be consistent in its stance regarding tours to and from Zimbabwe, Gerald Majola, their chief executive officer, said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We view tours to and from Zimbabwe as cricketing matters," said Majola, when asked to comment on reports that the New Zealand government was putting pressure on the ICC to suspend the Zimbabwe Cricket Union because its links to Robert Mugabe's regime. We will continue to meet our obligations to the ICC and the ZCU in this regard. We have always been consistent in this. I have just returned from a meeting of the ICC's chief executives, and the matter of any possible suspension was not even raised. In fact, all the countries, including New Zealand, who are due to tour Zimbabwe reaffirmed their commitments.

"Cricket South Africa is also at the forefront of developing Africa into a major cricketing continent," concluded Majola, "and this includes assisting in the progress of Zimbabwean cricket. We will continue on this path."

It is being reported that South Africa have agreed to play three ODIs in Zimbabwe on July 30, 31 and August 3.