South Africa's rulers suffer from a "squeamish impotence" when it comes to acting against Zimbabwe despot Robert Mugabe, Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said on Tuesday.

Speaking at an IFP political candidates' launch in Durban, he said 2008 would be remembered as the year in which the African National Congress lost its ability to govern.

"I would like to cite the two events of 2008 that are definitive in the ANC losing its head.

"The first is the month of xenophobic attacks on black non-South Africans, where the South African government was totally incapable of declaring meaningful condemnation and taking speedy action.

"The second is the government's squeamish impotence to act against the tyranny of Robert Mugabe.

"Both are blights against the democratic tradition of this country that we all fought for. Both are blights against our national character of Ubuntu-Botho that will take years for the African community of nations to forgive and forget."

A copy of Buthelezi's speech was sent to Sapa.

The IFP head was also strongly critical of government's handling of the Aids pandemic.

"South Africa, in modern history, is home to two enormous and tragic lies. The first was apartheid. The second was that lie which resulted in the death of more than 300 000 Aids victims who were denied ARVs [antiretrovirals].

"For more than a decade, the people of South Africa were fed a deliberate lie about the cause and treatment of HIV," Buthelezi said.

Sapa