Deputy President Jacob Zuma asked rhetorically why...

Deputy President Jacob Zuma asked rhetorically why Ethiopia would apply to South Africa for the extradition of its former president Mengistu Haile Mariam when it had not put such a request to Zimbabwe, the refuge of the ousted dictator. South Africa's Extradition Amendment Act of 1996 made it easier for government to extradite people to countries with which no extradition treaty has been signed. The only provisos should be clarity on the charges against him, and a commitment from Ethiopia not to impose the death penalty.