Canonizing Thugs or Playing Golf?

If Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai fails to show up at the next burial, especially for comrades in the mold of Chinotimba whose graves have already been reserved at the national shrine, then Zimbabwe will be on fire again! The first fire was recently pledged by Jonathan Moyo warning against the swearing in of Roy Bennett. Drawing parallels from last weekend’s events, one can only speculate this to be the conclusion from Zanu PF militants who have publicly chided the PM for deliberately disrespecting the shrine in preference for a round of golf.

In addition to the removal of sanctions, going forward, MDC must make sure that His Excellency’s revoked honoraries and accolades are restored by the imperialists if the unity government is ever going to work. All three honorary law degrees from the Michigan State Univeristy (revoked 2008), University of Edinburg (revoked 2007) and University of Massachusetts – Amherst (revoked 2008) must be unconditionally restituted by the MDC. (At least Comrade Gono’s honorary doctorate being indigenous is irrevocable as long as his Excellency – the Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe, is alive).

And of course the restoration of the prestigious Knighthood – The Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Bath, initially bestowed by Queen Elizabeth in 1994 (revoked 2008) must be a priority for the MDC. Never mind the fact that the revokers consistently cited “a pattern of human rights abuses” as the motivating factor. MDC never ceases to take blame for everything especially these days.

In that case, if the Prime Minister had unwittingly not chosen to play golf in Ruwa instead of availing himself at the Heroes Acre, there would be rule of law in Zimbabwe. Reserve Bank Governor Gono and Attorney General Tomana would never have been appointed in violation of GPA terms while the inclusive government would be stronger than it is today. More so, Comrade Chando would never have died in the first place. So goes the dumb logic!

That just demonstrates how shallow the national discourse has deteriorated in Zimbabwe. Of course Zanu PF has never taken responsibility for anything but conveniently shifts blame. As cholera ravaged the country resulting in several thousand deaths (over 4500) in 2008, they said “Cholera is a calculated racist attack on Zimbabwe by the former colonial power so that they can invade the country. Gordon Brown must be taken to the United Nations Security Council for being a threat to world peace and planting cholera and anthrax to invade Zimbabwe – our peaceful Zimbabwe, “ according to a disingenuous Government spokesperson – former  Minister of Information Sikhanyiso Ndhlovu.

But of course he never mentioned burst sewerage pipes pouring algae into Zimbabwe’s lakes or lack of water purification chemicals. I am sure the British are still at the ZESA switch that has systematically denied Zimbabweans their sovereign rights to lights.

Just like the revocations of Mugabe’s degrees, MDC had no influence whatsoever on sanctions. Didn’t Mugabe say “we don’t mind having sanctions banning us from Europe. We are not Europeans.” And of course Look East Policy had promised them billions of dollars from the Chinese, Russians and Malaysians. All of a sudden it’s now a national anthem that sanctions have caused economic ruin regardless of the fact that they needed international isolation to lawlessly pillage national resources such as minerals and land.

 Once the international community was deliberately put on sanctions by Zanu PF (“Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans” as preached by Mugabe), it became easier to torture and kill opposition members. Isn’t it a shame that they now own ten farms each and yet apologists are selling neo-imperialism as the cause of Zimbabwe’s woes. No reference to corruption or mismanagement is ever mentioned. It is Zanu PF which must remove sanctions now that Look East was a clear hoax just like the self-inflicted misery from “hondo yeminda” sponsored by Jonathan Moyo to incite thugs who seized the opportunity to wreak havoc in Zimbabwe’s defenseless rural and farming communities.

The PM played golf, so what? After all who is this Misheck Chando ‘hero-guy-senator’ who never made it to the real political limelight? How come he remained obscure and never benefited from Mugabe’s patronage politics in 29 years? In the past there were a lot of undeserving heroes but they were hardly any surprises as to whether or not they were going to make the cut for the Heroes’ Acre. But this one came as a real shocker! As per trademark, maybe His Excellency had something urgent to address the nation. So this death came at an opportune time.

It is a don’t-ask don’t- tell policy when it comes to the declaration of heroes. Even though there is now an inclusive government, MDC is not included in making such national decisions considered a prerogative of the President and his Zanu PF men and women. And they had the audacity to tell the people of Zimbabwe that MDC (led by Tsvangirai) snubbed a national hero. For PM, going to the Heroes Acre would have been a tacit approval of the escalating lawlessness and politically motivated violence most of which has been spearheaded by dubious heroes like Chando and Chinotimba.

We have heard names like Joyce Mujuru before which came complete with a nom de guerre “Teurai Ropa” but surely not Chando. Zanu PF must have repackaged their hero by sneaking in the “Makasha” nom de guerre. Apart from a tangential reference made at the Heroes Acre about his closeness to Mugabe during the war, very little is known about his role in liberating Zimbabwe. For some reason his role is intimately known by Mugabe alone. A private hero is not a national hero. Plain and simple: in the majority of times, their heroes are not our heroes and they cannot force them on us.

In spite of what appears to be a very thin resume probably made up in the final hours before burial. The most unsettling aspect about the ‘hero’  Chando is that he fought ‘heroically’ in Matebeleland during the Gukurahundi massacres to protect our ‘sovereignty.’ Deciphering the death of a sociopath like Chando who took part in the murder of 20 000 is a national shame. Even more disturbing is that in the twilight of his life he was causing pandemonium to ordinary Zimbabweans in that cursed constituency of Shamva-Bindura notorious for killing MDC supporters. The late Border Gezi and Elliot Manyika were his predecessors whose deaths were seen as revenge by the heavens. 

The PM played golf while Zanu PF was burying its own. So what’s the fuss? I am surprised by people who say the Prime Minister should have gone to the Heroes Acre. To do what? Bury an ‘unknown soldier’ and bear the brunt of being belittled by a tired dictator spewing unconstructive, tedious and vile rant? Risking Mugabe’s capricious impulse to use the national shrine as a venue for excoriating opposition or perceived enemies of state? PM left that to limelight-seeking sycophants like Mutambara. Certainly he did not disappoint. Zanu PF got an expected boost by the presence of Mutambara (who is harrowingly Mugabesque).

Do you ever wonder why Mutambara and Mugabe are ‘so cool’ with each other all the time even as Mutambara goes on national television calling Mugabe a “dictator”. Reacting to MDC disengagement last week, Mutambara called him an “illegitimate leader” and “we are going to go there to condemn the Attorney General and Robert Mugabe in his face.” At first I thought Mutambara was going to get his Zanu PF card revoked and never returned to him for chiding His Excellency like that.  But at the shrine, the atmosphere was surprisingly convivial, acting like newlyweds as they sat next to each other. But for MDC-T, opposition to Mugabe is tantamount to treason.

It was befitting that the PM chose golf (and he must continue to play Golf) instead of conspiring to sanitize thugs. If Mugabe had a life outside of State House, he would be sane. We must cherish a national leader who remains human, not this compulsive preoccupation with power and politics. There is life outside of politics. Besides, golf has always been revered as a gentlemen’s (or ‘gentlewomen’s’) sport. There are rules of engagement and civility to live by if you are a golfer. People take turns to play and to win. If the PM retires, I am sure he would like to continue playing golf. If Mugabe retires what does he do? Continue plotting to eliminate perceived enemies? Probably so.

Furthermore, wasn’t the PM already humiliated enough when they turned away the UN torture investigator knowing fully well how much they were going to be exposed for human rights abuses? For some reason Mugabe hid his head when a servile junior in government had the audacity to ridicule the PM in public. “The invitation by the Prime Minister was a nullity,’ said Mugabe’s Foreign Affairs Minister (Mumbengegwi). Imagine telling your boss, or supposed boss, such contemptuous nonsense. You will be fired on the spot. But welcome to Zimbabwe! We know it was all planned with the Big man’s seal of approval.

The occasion was fully accessorized with expensive stupid banners. Looking at the footage, the inescapable conclusion was that the banner-bearers resembled typical green bombers who preside over militia camps scattered throughout the country.  Some of the gigantic banners read: “DISENGAGEMENT IS AN EXTENTION OF ILLEGAL SANCTIONS,” and “PIRATE RADIO STATIONS VIOLATE OUR SOVEREIGNTY.” (What?) I bet up to today they do not understand what the messages meant. (I don’t too!) Surely this hero-circus was staged to give His Excellency the platform to go off (again). What has that message to do with the burial of a ‘gallant’ freedom fighter?

Tsvangirai’s ‘stay-away’ from attending the ‘fanfare’ had a moral grounding despite what his relentless critics at ZBC and Herald had to say. Just like many Zimbabweans, heroes are being imposed by Zanu PF. We saw him wailing for MDC’s own version of heroes who were abducted and murdered in broad daylight by Zanu PF such as Tonderai Ndira, Beta Chokururama, Joshua Bakacheza, Irene  Ruzerai, Anna Maria Maedza and many others . He was there. Where was Mugabe when those MDC heroes were buried? For all his contributions especially in Zambia, Patrick Kombayi was politically maligned by Zanu PF and never featured in their radar of potential heroes much against the will of many Zimbabweans.

Mugabe and his men must also remember that the issue of liberators has become a lightning rod to the majority of Zimbabweans especially considering the notion that what we have in Zimbabwe today is a case of liberators-turned-oppressors. Given all the oppression, human rights abuses, abductions, murder and torture, what freedom did they bring anyway? The people ask. Just because someone was a hero over three decades ago does not make them a hero today. Zanu PF mentality is that heroism is permanent even if one murdered, raped, tortured or pillaged national resources later in life.

I will say it again. Instead of adhering to outmoded vestiges of heroism forced upon them, the present generation’s definition of hero is someone relevant to their struggles such as providing them with jobs, giving them their freedoms, providing clean water and making sure health delivery is working again so that mom and dad can get the care they need. Herald and ZBC can canonize Chando all they want but it is remains “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” (to quote Shakespeare)

There is no doubt that Mugabe is highly obsessed with this ‘heroism’ mentality. The reality of him fading into political sunset must be a source of personal anguish being one of Africa’s remaining “Big man.” To him  being declared a hero is fait accompli. I hope not. If ever that happens after free and fair elections, then we will have the greatest privilege of canonizing the canonizer. Tinomuviga kumbudzi -, waterfalls-  chaiko. But why doesn’t the government make those records of potential heroes publicly accessible instead of making last minute partisan hagiographic portrayals of heroes, all of whom have come from Zanu PF? They might as well rename it the Zanu PF Heroes Acre. No one will have problems with that.

In the final analysis, patriotism is not demonstrated by showing up at the national shrine or by being a member of Zanu PF but by taking responsibilities critical to the country’s urgent needs. So, let there be no cognitive dissonance Mr Prime Minister, your round of golf was well-deserved, instead of celebrating a rogue. You can also have another round to celebrate the acquittal of Minister, Mahlangu, given all the harassment and humiliation he suffered (like many) under the hands of State-sponsored thugs like Chinotimba

Zimbabwe Trapped Again – Mugabe and Moyo’s Genocidal Incitements

Zimbabwe Trapped Again – Mugabe and Moyo’s Genocidal Incitements

Important lies were told this week while it is increasingly becoming more difficult to be optimistic about Zimbabwe again. Especially when you hear that armed police, under military supervision, raided MDC residence over the weekend.  Subsequently, Jonathan Moyo’s dire warning that war veterans will set Zimbabwe ‘on fire’ if Bennett is sworn was another shocker. Instead of recanting such contemptible incitements, Mugabe was quick to vow that Bennett will never be sworn. He obtusely told MDC and SADC that Zanu PF has ‘fulfilled’ every obligation stipulated under GPA terms.

Even more debilitating was yet another lie from Jonathan Moyo. He recently told the nation that only Zanu PF can win free elections.  “MDC cannot win a free and fair election as was shown in March 2008,” he said. What an oxymoron! Moyo is doing exactly what he does best – spin. On his website he admits that “the dictator” has been stealing elections.

“The voters rejected Mugabe on March 29”, wrote Moyo on his website  - http://prof-jonathan-moyo.com/?itemid=55 . In another article entitled “Reject Mugabe’s ploy to rule forever” – http://prof-jonathan-moyo.com/?itemid=32, Moyo called for massive resitance against Mugabe. Similarly, last year Mugabe showed his total contempt for democracy declaring that he will “never allow an event like an election to reverse our independence…only God who appointed me will remove me.”

Just last week Moyo said, “Given that the late three Vice-Presidents (Nkomo, Msika, Mzenda) all died in office… why should the only remaining founding father, that is President Mugabe, be treated differently from the three who have left us while in office and with the dignity of the office even when they were no longer discharging the responsibilities of their office?”

 Call him schizophrenic, delusional or suffering from selective amnesia, but what we have here is a case of a political deceiver and trickster. Moyo is always ready to disown his entire legacy for political expediency. As his application for readmission to Zanu PF was still pending, Moyo conveniently apologized. He recently pleaded for clemency saying, “I regret some of the things I have said”. Never mind that the statements he made were statements of fact and not speculation. Zimbabweans must prepare for the unknown and be aware of old political manipulations by Jonathan Moyo in the pursuit of damnable personal ambitions.

Moyo wrote “Mugabe is a fatal danger to the public interest of Zimbabweans at home and in the diaspora that each day that goes by with him in office leaves the nation’s survival at great risk while seriously compromising national sovereignty”- (Full article available at http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/sky90.12869.html). But now the people of Zimbabwe know that Moyo and Mugabe are both fatal dangers!

Moyo knows pretty well that what is called the Government of Zimbabwe is a real illusion. At face value, it looks like a well-organized and robust criminal entity. But intrinsically it is Mugabe and a few evil men strategically placed to do his dirty work. Moyo knows how state machinery works. There is a huge political price to be paid for not heeding such doomsday ‘prophecies’ from Moyo.

After all, it was Moyo who breathed life into an otherwise imploding dictatorship beginning the year 2000 with a botched constitutional re-writing exercise which he presided over. Following that he animated the land-grab exercise. He literally composed lousy jingoistic anthems pandering to chauvinistic patriotism. He played them non-stop on state television and radio having successfully created a state monopoly of press after muscling his way to upper echelons of power in Government.

War veterans and Zanu PF thugs (also masquerading as war veterans) overwhelmingly responded to Moyo’s incitement causing cold-blooded deaths and destruction on the farms throughout Zimbabwe even to this present day.

Moyo is the sole architect of draconian laws that gagged free press. He essentially ordered the bombing of the independent Daily News and the nation will never forget how its printing press was bombed military-style on January 28, 2001. 48 hours before the Daily news was bombed, Moyo had gone on a frenzied verbal assault of the paper on national state television describing it as a “threat to national security” that needed to be dealt with “once and for all”

 Moyo went on to mastermind the sham election of 2002 which was stolen by Mugabe.  That violent presidential campaign of 2002 left hundreds of MDC supporters murdered.

The political calculus of Moyo rejoining Zanu PF is already taking shape. He is back, thrusting himself at the top, even though most of his former comrades in Zanu PF publicly expressed their desire to see Moyo organically growing in the party. “He will have to start at cell level and rise through the ranks like everyone else. He is not going to start at the top; that is for sure,” said party insiders.

They were wrong. Little did they know that in less than a month Moyo would have taken over, as he has done before. Moyo has skillfully mastered the concept that power is not given but taken. “Zanu PF must rise from the dead if it is to remain in power”, he said.  We know fully well that Zanu PF can only rise through political deviousness.

In spite of his evil intentions and animalistic callousness, I think there are few important lessons to be learnt from this man especially the courage, the unapologetic approach to politics, hard work and his zealousness.  Regrettably, these are some of the qualities that make him a very dangerous person. If MDC had many men and women with that kind of passion, political gravitas and stamina fighting for the people, things would be different today.

With the power of the media on his side, he warned MDC that “they haven’t seen anything yet” as he made his grant re-entry into Zanu PF having invented a great lie that MDC is being funded by USA and EU to effect regime change. He has taken over the Herald bombarding MDC left, right and center, writing as himself and using several pseudonyms. Moyo is Joseph Goebbels (Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda) reincarnated who during the Nazi era once said “A lie, repeated often enough, will end up as truth.”

Turning to the Roy Bennett debacle, it does not only make a mockery of national healing and reconciliation but raises questions about Zanu PF’s selective application of racism. David Coltart served alongside Roy Bennett in the British South African Police. But he was sworn-in. Was it because he belongs to a friendlier (dubious at best) opposition party (MDC-M) led by Mutambara?  In 1980 didn’t Mugabe say to the whites “stay with us, please remain in this country and constitute a nation based on national unity.” 

What message are they sending people like Nick Price who have served Zimbabwe with so much pride and honor, carrying the Zimbabwe flag and unashamedly proclaiming that Zimbabwe is their motherland given all the shame surrounding Zimbabwe? He bore the burden of carrying a stinking Zimbabwe brand. Will Moyo and Mugabe disown him because he once served in the Rhodesian Army? What about Mugabe’s own crimes which killed 20 000 people including Moyo’s father?

Just for intellectual curiosity, here are some miscellaneous questions never asked before: Is Moyo therefore seeking revenge for his late father by inciting Mugabe into genocide? How genuine is Jonathan Moyo this time around? What is really behind the Moyo facade? What is Moyo’s real agenda? What are the unintended consequences of re-admitting Moyo? How does burning Zimbabwe benefit Moyo? Why is Moyo so close to Chinamasa -a former Zapu die-hard,  a Tsholotsho co-conspirator and a ruthless Zanu PF hardliner? Apart from jostling for his power, is Moyo working hard to incite Mugabe to ‘Gukurahundi’ the Shonas? Mugabe ‘don’t’ care, he can kill as long as it benefits his throne!

Zimbabweans must wake up to the political realities of the country. Moyo and Chinamasa alongside the military and so called security apparatus know very well that Mugabe’s days are numbered.  They are fighting for a post-Mugabe era. “I worked well with him (Moyo), as you know, and he made an immense contribution to our fight against imperialism and neocolonialism. He ranks among the patriots in the party,” said Chinamasa. Of course as minister of (in)Justice, Chinamasa wants Roy Bennett dead just like Jonathan Moyo. Remember that Chinamasa-Roy Bennett fist-fight in Parliament?

In a series of articles written last year, Moyo succinctly reveals his anger towards Mugabe’s “crude tribal bigotry and the evils of Gukurahundi”, as he described it. He wrote, “Mugabe’s Bantustan ideology bred the Gukurahundi atrocities between 1980 and 1987 and the Murambatsvina atrocities in 2005… These atrocities were a product of hallucinations of ethnic challenges to Mugabe’s power.

“ In the case of Gukurahundi, Mugabe’s tribal hallucination led to the massacre of over 20,000 people in the Midlands and Matabeleland provinces and the destruction of homes and livelihood of many more” – http://prof-jonathan-moyo.com/?itemid=15  In another article he wrote: ”Robert Mugabe is an ethnic bigot masquerading as a nationalist” Isn’t it fascinating that all of a sudden, Moyo sees a noble leader in Mugabe?

In the meantime, our leadership ‘disengaged’ or  ‘withdrew’ or ‘boycotted’ (whatever they ended up calling it) and wasted no time escalating the sticking issues back to SADC and AU, the very embodiments and conduits of Mugabe’s dictatorial entrenchment. Some of us – the loyal opposition of the opposition (MDC), were quick to provide reality checks in form of self-criticism arguing that the strategy which our party was pursuing had not been carefully thought out.

Of course in MDC, there exists the civility of respectful disagreement and accommodation of opposing views as we believe that no-one possesses monopoly of political thought. To my followers on facebook, tweeter and elsewhere in the blogosphere, I described the strategy as an antithesis of a political masterstroke, devoid of wisdom, contrary to how others in the party viewed it.

Given Mugabe’s scorched earth politics, it’s almost as if MDC will have to renegotiate its way back into the inclusive agreement no matter how one looks at it (with or without spin)especially considering the fact that MDC has been in office but not in power all along.

 Some of us believed that the strategy would open doors for all kinds of distractions and vitriolic attacks, humiliation and ridicule at a time when some progress is being made on the economic front and somewhat political. In the process, it depleted MDC’s political capital, to a certain extent. In retrospect, some might argue that it was a necessary public relations offensive to show the world the kind of animals we are dealing with in Zanu PF.

But again who doesn’t know that and how does it benefit the nation at this stage given the fact that the outcome (of nothing) was almost guaranteed? We took our eyes off the ball and provided breathing space for Zanu PF to the extent that they are threatening to appoint acting ministers to replace MDC ministers. Sounds vain, but that is Zanu PF game plan!

Just like his predecessor Mbeki, Zuma dithered and so did that useless Mozambican chap, what’s his name? PM went to Angola but Angola is a waste of time. When that Chinese ship suffocating with weapons to kill Zimbabwean opposition members, was barricaded from entering South Africa, didn’t Dos Santos volunteer to sneak them in? In spite of the tokenism, going to DRC was the ultimate joke. It’s like going to seek help from Afghanistan. DRC is burning!

Outside of our brothers Ian Khama and Raila Odinga, MDC is alone on the continent. Even though SADC and AU are the guarantors of the GPA, their profound lack of urgency and compassion for the Zimbabwean crisis has always been consistent. But it is gratifying to note that the people of Zimbabwe are solidly behind us, that’s what really matters at the end of the day. The rule of thumb therefore is for MDC to consult the people especially before making such huge decisions of destiny even though the leadership is entrusted with the authority to lead the people.

Disengagement played to Mugabe’s strategy of trying to frustrate us until we cut and run. Mugabe mockingly said “”I do not read that they would want to leave the inclusive government. I think they will come back to it soon”. As previously stated, the solution lies within Zimbabwe. The political reality is to fight for change from within: taking media wars head-on, pushing unyieldingly for a new constitution, influencing SADC and AU in a strong way, and pressing for economic and political reform day by day no matter how painstakingly slow the process might be as well planning for new elections and rebuilding alliances with other civic bodies.

At the same time Zanu PF is manipulating a basic fallacy that sanctions were indirectly imposed by the MDC. There is a fundamental disconnect in this argument because sanctions were a response to daylight murders, abductions and torture of ordinary citizens. It is absurd to lump it as MDC’s responsibility. Not to mention that violence is on the increase in Zimbabwe. After all, the sanctions are targeted at those responsible for violence. Somewhere in Zimbabwe a rapist or a murderer is laughing instead of languishing in prison for crimes against humanity.

If Zimbabwe’s justice system had not been successfully privatized, Mugabe and his men would be answering for crimes against humanity. Instead they continue to use violence to silence the people of Zimbabwe. In any case didn’t they say Zimbabwe is for Zimbabweans and bombarded us with the gospel of their version of newfound friends in the East. Now they realize that their policies represented a dangerous lack of knowledge of the rudiments of the international economy.

By now I sound as if I am really fawning for Mr Biti, but ‘give it up to’ the Minister. He is doing a terrific job under the most trying of circumstances. As they raided the MDC residence Mr Biti delivered this:, “”We will look the dictatorship in the eyes (and) we will not blink. We want to see who will blink first and it will not be us, I tell you,” Thank you Tendai!

Mr Biti’s most recent courage and candor are stupendous, especially considering last week’s inconvenient truth where he revealed that Jongwe was indeed murdered by Mugabe and his thugs. Zimbabweans already knew that but someone with real political clout like Biti had to say it (on our behalf). Even though I previously ridiculed Mr Biti for calling the late Msika a true hero”untainted by corruption”  the very same week he (Biti) got a bullet in the mail, I have since seen the best of him so far.

My central argument in the article, probably one of my best, “Msika’s Botched Legacy” (www.nationalvisiom.wordpress.com) was that how can Msika be a national hero given the fact that he co-authored Zimbabwe’s miseries especially the violence against many MDC supporters who were murdered by the regime. While at a rally in Zaka last year, Msika declared: “Voting for the MDC in the runoff will be like voting for Rhodesia and the British and that means voting for war”.

As a direct beneficiary of Mugabe’s overstay in power and rape on democracy, Msika’s infamous statement that “there was someone who wanted to bring up that issue (of succession) here, we were going to deal with him. Mugabe cannot go”, lingers on. His sole pre-occupation since becoming Vice President in 1999 was all about promoting the selfish interests of Zanu PF hegemony.

Likewise, Mutsekwa needed to be told that he is an incompetent especially considering how he bungled the Meikles saga. Similarly as our co-Home Affairs Minister he needs to explain what he knows about the recent raid of MDC residence by the police or at least get an apology from Mohadi and demand a thorough investigation of such lawlessness. There is no vendetta against the Minister, it’s just that life or death issues are at the doorstep of many Zimbabweans!

There are ominous signs that Zimbabwe is inching closer to yet another dark episode of mass torture and mass murders. The word ‘genocide’ is no longer a remote possibility especially considering that militia camps have been sprouting across Zimbabwe against a backdrop of growing incitements by Mugabe and his newly rehired propaganda chief, Jonathan Moyo.

Janjaweed militias were a bunch of rented thugs on government payroll hired to systematically exterminate and butcher innocent civilians as ordered by the Islamic government of Sudan. In 2008, Zimbabwe’s militia tortured, raped and murdered hundreds of opposition supporters, real or perceived, with the government’s unconcealed approval  and guaranteed immunity from prosecution.

MDC cannot afford to mismatch Jonathan Moyo’s negative energy. If necessary let every Ministry be a battleground for change and not just maintaining the status quo. We have got to weather these troubling times. For every Kasukuwere who is corrupting our youths, there must be deliberate campaigns by MDC Ministers to engage youths in entrepreneurship programs and human rights fundamentals, for example.

At the same time I am also sensitive to the difficulties faced by MDC leadership in the homeland especially our Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who is steadfastly seeking to improve livelihoods of fellow Zimbabweans. At a time millions of Zimbabweans are haunted by the regime, we appreciate the Prime Minister’s efforts and courage. It is never easy dealing with geriatric dictators in the mold of Mugabe.

But all hope is not lost, it’s time to gather ourselves with the people of Zimbabwe who gave us the mandate to lead and build a united front, reaching across the isles even to an iota of progressive Zanu PF men and women. That’s not conceding defeat but seeking to build a nation. The people of Zimbabwe must devote to end the crisis before aspiring dictators, virulent polarizers and rabid opportunists like Jonathan Moyo entrap Zimbabwe again to recede to the perils of yesteryear as they pursue selfish agenda.

MDC Must Quit Unity Government – Are You Serious?

So, Roy Bennett is back in prison having been indicted on ‘terrorism charges’ (whatever that means). Following the recent seizure of a private company (Meikles Group) and not to be outdone in idiocy, the re-incarceration of Roy Bennett is a brutal reminder that all is not well in Zimbabwe once again!

What is wrong with Mugabe? Does he even care about the national consequences of his actions? Many people incensed by these developments are calling for MDC’s withdrawal from the inclusive government. But then what?

There is no doubt that MDC has become a highly visible casualty of this compromise government. However the people of Zimbabwe should not be delusional about the political realities of Zimbabwe. Pragmatism must prevail over our emotions. If MDC quits, the country risks degenerating into another Rwandan or Somali tragedy.

Arguably, before the GNU, Zimbabwe was already a failed state because by definition a failed state is a country that can no longer provide basic functions such as health delivery, education, social amenities or governance. After all, Africa is home to many failed states such as Somalia, DRC and Sudan.

From the onset, some of us held no illusions that the GNU was going to be on autopilot considering that it involves a highly successful dictator. It was clear that every turn and every juncture would be characterized by fault-lines and impediments as that has been the defining trend world over.

As soon as GNU was first announced in September 2008, I wrote an article entitled “Houston we’ve got a Problem – Called Mugabe” (www.nationalvision.wordpress.com) which succinctly pointed out the extraordinary slipperiness of the negotiated government given Mugabe’s time-tested political stratagem and megalomania.

On the international scene, it looks like GNU’s are becoming fashionable. The ongoing Afghan political quagmire emanating from discredited elections tainted by irrefutable evidence of rigging and irregularities (allegedly by President Hamid Karzai) is apparently solved! It’s official that shortly, governments of national unity (GNU) will be instituted in Afghanistan and Honduras (where a military coup recently took place) sanctioned by the express authority of the US and the European Union.

These latest entrants into compromise governments will join the ranks of Zimbabwe (2009), Kenya (2008), Palestine (2007), Lebanon (2008), Burundi (2001) and Northern Ireland (2007), among others. Elsewhere like Burundi unity governments have been successful in solving highly problematic political crises, like Zimbabwe.

There are strong arguments against compromise governments primarily that they set a bad precedent for democracy and that they promote human rights abuses. But if anyone lived through the Zimbabwean experience, then one would understand why I argued in favor of unity government back in September 2008 stating that “it is better to light a candle than to continue cursing darkness”

If it was not fear, Zimbabweans would never have chosen to continue to suffer peacefully. Fear of soldiers, fear of CIOs, fear of militias, fear of police, fear of Mugabe, Fear of Zanu PF men and fear of fear itself have traumatized the people of Zimbabwe. There is a pandemic of paranoia, an implacable assault of the brain which has swept across the nation making virtually most Zimbabweans political prisoners for nearly 30 years. That psyche coupled with wretched socio-economic circumstances caused them to resign from effective political engagement.

 Even as we undergo this difficult time of intense speculation about the well-being of a fearless modern-day freedom fighter, Roy Bennett, we should not lose sight of the fact that the GNU is Zimbabwe’s best alternative at present. Zimbabweans must not allow this unity government to slip away because an apocalyptic cataclysm might very well be brewing especially bearing in mind that over 20 000 people perished in Matebeleland.

The extent of peril facing Zimbabwe is unimaginable if MDC quits. That might very well be part of the grand scheme crafted by Mugabe and his Joint Operations Command.  Who knows what Mugabe’s murderous impulses are up to this time around?

MDC has successfully facilitated the release of a $512 million loan by the IMF. Could that be the reason Zanu PF wants MDC out because it has raised enough money to fund its violent operations? Now that they got the money, they want to rupture the GNU and run MDC out of town. The ease with which Mugabe is willing and ready to set a date for next elections smacks of a setup considering that in the meantime, he is constipating constitutional reform process.

The struggle for reform must be fought from within. Instead of quitting, MDC must continue to engage in intense political dialogue with the help of bordering neighbors such as Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique. Taking moderate stances is not the solution of dealing with Zanu PF. The dauntlessness of Mr Biti’s defiance in battling the illegal Reserve Bank Governor Gono comforts MDC skeptics. The hope is to have all MDC Ministers taking a leaf out of Biti’s rules of engagement (with Zanu PF)

 Zimbabwe does not have a crisis of leadership but a crisis of courage. MDC ministers have to stand up to Zanu PF’s evil ways of doing business. Avoidance of confrontation is what makes MDC Zanu PF’s prey!

The ongoing Mutsekwa imbroglio has taken another twist. I recently took a lot of heat, even from a few individuals from my own party (MDC) for calling Mutsekwa an incompetent acting in bad faith. (nationalvision.wordpress.com). In the article,  I recommended that he must be retired (at best) or reassigned having ‘nicodemusly’ sanctioned government seizure of Meikles in secret partnership with Zanu PF.  That has scared away potential investors.

Shoprite (SA), which had spent several months working on a deal to invest in OK supermarkets immediately announced that “Due to the current socio-economic and political uncertainty in Zimbabwe, Shoprite has decided not to engage in further investment opportunities in that country in the short to medium term,” according to a Shoprite statement, thanks to Mr Mutsekwa.

In case you missed it, while in Singapore this week, Mutsekwa’s delivered a very disturbing speech: “It is without doubt that the organization (ZRP) has steadfastly maintained its integrity in the ferocity of machinations of the detractors determined to collapse the country. .. where the illegal sanctions have decimated the organization’s capacity to fulfill its constitutional obligation of maintaining law and order.”  Mr Mutsekwa cannot continue to be a drag to the MDC especially considering that Zanu PF operates with single-minded viciousness.

It’s stupefying to hear fellow Africans particularly those in Zanu PF blaming colonialism for Zimbabwe’s ills without any specific mention of their economic mismanagement and corruption. We are used to their choreographed emotional rage, oddly hawking patriotic gibberish that does not bring any food to the people’s table.

In any case, Ethiopia and Liberia were never colonized but are squirming in poverty and primitivism. Zimbabwe went from first to last, from breadbasket to basket case and becoming a net importer of practically everything. Zimbabweans are dying in horrible conditions while Mugabe and his phalanx of sycophants continue to obstruct and to sour diplomatic relations.

There is a devastating Aids crisis; water crisis; energy crisis; health delivery crisis; hunger, poverty and disease since farm-looting began. But they somehow ‘feel’ Roy Bennett is the greatest threat to Zimbabwe. Mugabe is the stumbling block to reform and therefore the gravest threat. The country needs international assistance to implement quick impact projects (QIP’s) to alleviate suffering.

Tell me again why there is a National Healing and Reconciliation Ministry? What a contemptuous political tokenism. But where is the much needed national apology from Mugabe and his lieutenants for all the torture, the unrelenting orgy of well-orchestrated deaths and suffering they caused to millions of Zimbabweans for so long. Instead, they want to destroy the people’s man – Roy Bennett. What a shame!

While it is imperative for MDC to strongly defend its own (Roy Bennett), Zimbabweans must take a moment to protest this travesty of justice. To the extent that Zimbabwe had become an authoritarian and a failed state, it is largely because of the judiciary that was successfully privatized by Mugabe to further his totalitarian agenda.

A statement of condemnation alone is not enough. Where is the outrage? Where are solidarity demonstrations to show disapproval, at home and throughout the Diaspora? If it can happen to Bennett, it can happen to anyone.

I have nothing but absolute respect and admiration for Zimbabweans who are working tirelessly to make the GNU a success story. People should not buy into the conspiracy theories propagated by Jonathan Moyo (and others) as well as the state media that MDC is seeking to overthrow the government (which includes MDC itself). It is also a smokescreen which they are using to justify rupturing the GNU.

We have all seen enough evidence for ourselves how Zimbabwe is already back on the path to economic prosperity and social progress within a short space of time. Zimbabwe’s trajectory towards economic reconstruction is squarely accredited to the MDC.

Where is the common-ground? Where is the inclusive grandiose vision? The mind is easily blown by the incongruity. The GNU is about advancing national interest. The bottom-line is that we will always sink or swim together. For the sake of posterity, peace and prosperity as well as respect for human dignity, dear God please give him a new heart (You know his name!)

Mutsekwa’s Incompetence: Resignation or Reassignment?

Among all people of conscience deeply concerned about the future of Zimbabwe, nothing has riled them more than the recent Mutsekwa-sanctioned seizure of Meikles group of companies, one of nation’s foremost corporate brands listed on both Harare and London stock exchanges. To the MDC, Giles Mutsekwa has become a conspicuous embarrassment, possibly the biggest embarrassment ever. Even worse, Mutsekwa has shown no signs of public contrition. He must therefore resign from his job or least be demoted and reassigned for bringing his office and the MDC to such levels of unprecedented shame.

 

For ‘unpaid’ ambassadors of Zimbabwe like those of us in the Diaspora, we grudgingly, yet unavoidably resumed our mildly interesting responsibility of explaining to citizens of host countries what this recent ‘Mugabe madness’ is all about. What made our jobs more complicated this time around is that one of our own (for those in MDC), the co-Minister of Home Affairs – Mutsekwa, presided over the debacle by irresponsibly cooperating with Kembo Mohadi in authorizing this criminal act.

 

What perennially irks ordinary Zimbabweans is the elusive definition of ‘government’. In recent past, similar mendacious statements were made by state media that the ‘government’ had taken over company X or Y or Z, because of externalization charges or dealing in prohibited foreign currency. But it was irrefutable that Mugabe’s coterie of handpicked sycophants like Gono were always the very looters of companies the same way they gobbled productive farms and divided them equally (among themselves).

 

SW Radio Africa, a highly credible news organization, recently (September 28 2009) reported that Zimbabwe’s advanced-age dictator and his wife own at least 12 farms most of which are in dilapidated state. However, shamelessly, they are still able to sneak supplies of fresh milk into Switzerland through Nestle, while the people of Zimbabwe are starving. How hypocritical is it that there is never any mention corruption as one of the key factors that brought Zimbabwe to its knees?

 

Heck, didn’t Chiwewe remind us recently the extent of the loot when he recently said he knows several Ministers with at least ten farms? Zimbabweans were duped with this land ‘redistribution exercise’. In addition to be ing a politically expedient gimmick, it’s also a fraudulent hype!

 

Before the dollarization of the economy earlier this year, not even one organization, (even the most religious, such as Church organizations) could operate without foreign currency obtained from the black market. It is a fact that Gono incessantly printed money on his behalf and on behalf of the ‘government’ and mopped up foreign currency from the black market.

 

Just like today, every Zimbabwean knows that there is always a political and a malicious reason for taking over companies such as Meikles. Didn’t Gono raid foreign currency accounts of private companies and NGO’s under the guise of funding ‘government’ activities which turned out to be ‘blood money’ that funded the violent presidential campaign of 2008?

 

Using dislocated and clumsy statements Mutsekwa arrogantly defended his actions as motivated to pursue “a noble cause”. It begs the question: Since when did Mugabe’s causes become noble? How will a government that has consistently failed to run its own affairs ever manage to run a blue-chip like Meikles? How many parastatals did the ‘government’ fail to run down? Since Zanu PF began its interference with Meikles, its flagship brand -Meikles Hotel, has seen its standards plummeting.

 

Mutsekwa has become a real joke. In April 2009, at the height of abductions and murders of activists as well as prolonged unjustifiable incarcerations of Roy Bennett and Jestina Mukoko, I protested Mutsekwa’s incompetence as tantamount to a ‘wasted appointment’. (see archived article at www.nationalvision.wordpress.com). If Biti had presided over that Ministry, Zimbabwe would be different today. But again we need him in Finance to fight Gono, another Mugabe clone just like Mohadi. Suggestion: Biti goes to Home Affairs while someone with a spine replaces him at the Ministry of Finance. Then there will be the much-needed bloodbath in that horrendous Ministry of Home Affairs.

 

Instead of fighting to bring change and sanity to the murderous Kembo Mohadi and his ministry, Mutsekwa is conniving and working subserviently as an employee of Mohadi. Mutsekwa must be reminded that hundreds of people perished under the hands of Mohadi since he took over as Mugabe’s Home Affairs Minister in August 2002.

 

No one was ever brought to book for those daylight murders. Some MDC activists rotted in filthy prisons characterized by sub-human conditions, while others disappeared without a trace. Mugabe’s militias committed heinous crimes and brutalization of defenseless citizens which Mohadi aided and abetted. Rights group Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) this week made the stunning revelation that the 7 missing MDC activists abducted last year by state agents and and the military have not yet been found.

 

If Mutsekwa is not the one ordering the arrest of MDC MP’s, then surely Mohadi is. It is thus saddening to hear that these two men are reportedly having a cozy working relationship. While Mohadi’s track record proves beyond reasonable doubt that he is kept and paid to harm Zimbabweans and their properties, the people of Zimbabwe expect nothing less than total revulsion if Mutsekwa is really working to sabotage people’s rights and freedoms.

 

The overarching charge is not about the damage and distraction he is causing to the MDC. But is about his utter incompetence and chronic under-performance as someone holding such a critical ministry. It is scandalous for Mutsekwa to continue clandestinely running such a high-visibility ministry as if he is a Minister without portfolio.

 

All this is happening at a critical time when Zimbabwe’s future is increasingly becoming uncertain once again as Zanu PF invokes old tricks to entrench its parallel government alongside GNU. Our patience must be running out now. Mutsekwa has failed the people of Zimbabwe and must resign or be demoted to a less influential position for condoning violence and for passively working for Mohadi.

 

This is a litmus test for the Prime Minister Tsvangirai as it goes down to the core of how people will define him as a leader. In addition, the ethical dimension and moral bankruptcy of this fiasco requires his immediate intervention. Mugabe recycled and rehabilitated incompetent Ministers for nearly three decades. What will Tsvangirai do differently? It remains to be seen whether he willing to flex his muscle in order to send a clear message that MDC is a democracy-driven party which does not tolerate lawlessness but is fully committed to the rights of individuals and companies.

 

This is coming at a time when the court of public opinion has issued its own verdicts. One such an inescapable verdict is that Mutsekwa, like many other new ministers from across political spectrum have now resigned to their newfound lifestyle which the GNU ushered in. For those in power such as Ministers and other ‘chefs’, life is good and ‘power is sweet’ just as Paul Mangwana recently put it. Mutsekwa is no exception. The luxury includes numerous perks that include new Mercedes Benz and ‘cash allowances’.

 

It is an insult for Mutsekwa to be seen hanging on piously to his job pandering to Zimbabweans as a martyr and also bragging ad nauseam that“I am the best qualified” yet he co-engineered the seizure. The last time we checked, those jobs did not go to tender, let alone opened to all the capable people of Zimbabwe. It was a political appointment. Period. Now the people of Zimbabwe are taking an audit of his performance. The results are in. Predictably, there is overwhelming incriminatory evidence of ineptitude!

 

We, the ‘undersigned’ people of Zimbabwe, condemn the Home Affairs Minister for engaging in acts of violence and then defending his actions in a contradicting,disingenuous and nebulous manner. On one hand Mutsekwa says “I appreciate “the repercussions where this big company, which is on the stock market, is specified” but he also admits that the process was not done transparently.

 

In a recent interview with the terrific Violet Gonda of SW Radio Africa, in his opening statement Mutsekwa apologized for making the mistake of “ listening to only one person who is an aggrieved character, and we took it for granted, being a Christian, everybody thought he was up to his word”. How then did Mutsekwa arrive at the conclusion that the company committed a crime before all the facts were in? Why did Mutsekwa find it expedient to employ junta tactics to short-circuit legal and due process to ’settle’ a corporate problem in the first place? Mutsekwa concluded by saying that the move will be reversed soon, yet the damage has been done already.

 

When the story is finally retold, I personally (and sincerely) hope that Mr Chanakira will be completely absolved from swirling allegations that he indeed unleashed ‘his’ Zanu PF comrades to seize Meikles’ assets. It would really be a disgrace for Zimbabweans to realize that respectable and celebrated entrepreneurs like Nigel Chanakira were after all playing dirty politics all along to be where they are today.

 

 

MDC must therefore understand the people’s frustrations concerning this issue specifically and the wobbling GNU in general. People want a break and at the same time public opinion should not shift to portray MDC as mere adventurers who signed up for a rabid experiment. They don’t want a relive Mugabe era which rewarded ministers for their destructive tendencies and worthlessness or where political elite and ‘chefs’ committed crimes against individuals and businesses with impunity. 

 

Mohadi and Mutsekwa severely undercut the Prime Minister’s efforts of wooing international investors and global reintegration for the much needed economic recovery. Mutsekwa has less than succeeded (failed) and must be relieved of his duties without further delay. Mutsekwa is not just a Minister. He is an MDC minister who took an oath to uphold the law and should consequently be held at a higher standard than Zanu PF Ministers.

 

Dr Paul Mutuzu,

MDC- USA Secretary, www.mdc-usa.org, Email: nvinstitute@aol.com Archives: www.nationalvision.wordpress.com

The Real Parallel Government – Debunking Myths of a Conflicted Double Agent

After spending several months working tirelessly in the shadows as a Zanu PF operative, Jonathan Moyo finally declared publicly that after all, he was on Zanu PF’s payroll championing Mugabe’s cause. His latest charges and scattered accusations about MDC running a parallel government and working in cahoots with the World Bank to effect regime change undermine efforts of rebuilding Zimbabwe, whose ruin he aided.

In a recent confusing article enmeshed and distorted with the usual sovereignty and imperialism demagoguery, Jonathan Moyo accused the MDC of running a parallel government “in the hope of effecting yet another Final Push and regime change”. Other than the ‘regime change’ he invented and promoted by Jonathan Moyo himself, MDC remains unwaveringly committed to the principles of democracy and rule of law.

In an attempt to leverage his recent desperate application for rehabilitation and re-admission into Zanu PF, and with the help of the state media, Moyo found it necessary to use patently false information.  Without any evidence to support his claims, Moyo further alleged that the Prime Minister is paying directors in his office salaries in the region of $7000 per month clandestinely funded by the World Bank.

The alleged US$7000 is an unconvincing fictitious figure being used by Jonathan Moyo as a smokescreen designed to sow seeds of discontent in order to incite mistrust and to undermine confidence in the Prime Minister. For the sake of responsible journalism, Jonathan Moyo and the rest of the state media must be challenged to prove the claims as no government officer affiliated to the Prime Minister’s office is being paid that kind of money.  After all the World Bank is also a phone call away for verification. But again reporting objectively does not further their causes.

Contrary to the malicious rumours treated as fact by Jonathan and State Media, the PM’s office is staffed by twelve professionals who have satisfactorily driven policy implementation. There is an obvious sense that these eleven people have performed mightily in an environment of very limited resources where some of them are barely paid. Of the twelve officers, the Mighty Dozen in the Prime Minister’s office, only three have been confirmed by the Public Service Commission this far.

According to readily available information, it must also be noted that there is a staff compliment of 500 directors in the Office of the President and Cabinet and elsewhere in public service. If over the years, those hundreds of directors had performed or were allowed to perform just as professionally, efficiently and effectively as the twelve in the Prime Minister’s office, Zimbabwe would be a success story today.

While we understand Moyo’s frantic efforts to regain favour with Mugabe, this latest stunt is laughable. Never mind the fact that there is already deep-seated mistrust of Moyo wherever he goes and whatever he does especially by Mugabe himself. Mugabe once described him as state enemy “number one” as he precipitously fired him from Zanu PF in 2005 Moyo was fired under the most humiliating circumstances that came complete with immediate eviction from his residence provided by state.

By engaging in this latest form of mischief and inspired by his delusions of grandeur, Moyo proves once again that he is still dangerous. Zimbabwe cannot afford to have this man on the loose again. For whatever reason, if Zanu PF immediately rehires and parachutes him to his former job as Mugabe’s chief propagandist and spinmeister extraordinaire, in the minds of many Zimbabweans, Jonathan Moyo is still on political probation. His is a special purgatory for someone who still personifies yesteryear’s violence against independent press and freedom of expression.

The people of Zimbabwe know better to give any credence to Jonathan Moyo’s recent scaremongering and hallucinatory predictions of his newfound version of a political apocalypse being brought about by the MDC. As demonstrated by a new lease of life it has already ushered, to Zimbabweans, MDC does not have any other agenda except serving the people of Zimbabwe, with their interests as priority.

Contrary to State media reports, MDC does not have a parallel government. The Prime Minister is the head of government under whose jurisdiction supervision of all ministries lie (see GPA Article 20.1.4 to 20.1.6). Just as Zanu PF has violated many terms of the GPA, this latest effort is an attempt at redrawing new ‘terms’ of the GPA. Zanu PF and its top brass are the ones running a parallel government.

What better way to prove the existence of a parallel government than with Chinamasa’s recent misconduct of withdrawing the country from the SADC tribunal without cabinet approval. The SADC Tribunal which recently ruled Zimbabwe’s state sanctioned land invasions as illegal apparently infuriated Chinamasa, a multiple farm owner himself (according to Chiwewe), just like many of his colleagues in Zanu PF. Who then is behind the continuing farm invasions? It is the parallel government of Mugabe!

The glaring intransigence of the ultra-partisan security chiefs who constitute the National Security Council came under scrutiny again recently when they refused to meet with Prime Minister as stipulated under the terms of the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The last time we checked, all the security chiefs report directly to the Commander of the Defence Forces- non other than Robert Mugabe himself.

More progress has been recorded in the past seven months since MDC joined government than an entire decade of extreme suffering and record hyperinflation brought about by ”Mugabe’s unwanted rule’, as accurately stated by Jonathan Moyo. It comes as a disappointment to Zanu PF that MDC has not betrayed the people of Zimbabwe. They are desperate to find an excuse to derail the unity government as MDC stands with its head high given the overwhelming approval by people of Zimbabwe.

Moyo’s application to rejoin the ‘reshuffled and recycled deadwood in Zanu PF”, as he recently described them; he has done so much for Mugabe and the Zanu PF establishment. The people of Zimbabwe will never forget his aiding and abetting violent farm invasions. The Zimbabwe Times of July 18, 2008 confirmed that it was Jonathan Moyo who engineered the stolen election of 2002 as well as acting recently as chief adviser to the Joint Operations Command chaired by his long-time ally and co-conspirator of the Tsholotsho failed ‘coup’, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Zanu PF is in disarray and it comes as no surprise that it is using these allegations against MDC as a scapegoat. The targeted sanctions they are clamouring about were not imposed by MDC and as such it is up to the imposers of the sanctions to remove them. But again how do they remove those sanctions when underlying conditions for imposing them have not been met. Farm invasions are still being ordered by Zanu PF top brass. Lawlessness and human rights abuses are still rampant. Zanu PF does not want to see a new constitution in place. For targeted sanctions to be removed the message is quite simple, it starts and ends with restoring the people’s freedoms and rights (individual and property rights).

In a short space of time since the inception of inclusive government, Zimbabwe has already been transformed.  People are reclaiming the future once again. As a result schools and hospitals have reopened while more opportunities abound.  As the Prime Minister recently stated, the new political dispensation “brought life into our economy and hope to the people”

In the face of MDC’s opposition -, Zanu PF, this is tantamount to political victory which must be stopped at all costs. Fortunately the people of Zimbabwe know where the credit belongs –to them, for having elected new and trustworthy leadership.

Jonathan Moyo must remember that it was his hate language that caused violent farm seizures. It was hate language against the West and international lending institutions that also contributed to Zimbabwe being a pariah state. Like Mugabe, Moyo continues to tread in that path of vicious verbal assaults and hate language on the very international community whose help we desperately need.

By his own admission and when it was convenient Moyo wrote: “But most compelling reasons for Mugabe to resign now have to with his own fallen standing in and outside the country. That Mugabe must go now is thus no longer an dismissible opposition slogan but a strategic necessity… One does not need to be a malcontent to see that, after 25 years of controversial rule the economy has melted down as a direct result of that rule.

“Mugabe’s continued stay in office has become such an excessive burden to the welfare of the state and such a fatal danger to the public interest of Zimbabweans at home and in the Diaspora that each day that goes by with him in office leaves the nation’s survival at great risk while seriously compromising national sovereignty.”

Contrary to misinformation published in State media that the disbursement of the IMF’s recent loan to Zimbabwe signifies the international community’s confidence in Dr Gono’s as a competent and credible Reserve Bank Governor, it is in actual fact the confidence expressed in Minister Tendai Biti who is in charge of the public purse.

 As central bank governor, Gono continues to be a stumbling block to the smooth running of inclusive government and reform. It is therefore absurd to accolade someone who has not yet been absolved (and will not be absolved) from his culpability in the gross mismanagement and collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy. Alongside with Attorney General Johannes Tomana, Mugabe’s team of meddlers is complete. Zanu PF finds it very difficult that all of a sudden there is need for accountability having spent the past 29 years plundering national resources unchecked.  

In his article entitled “Reject Mugabe’s ploy to rule forever” available on his website www.prof-jonathan-moyo.com, and also published by the Zimbabwe Independent as recent as February 9, 2007 Jonathan Moyo boldly and eloquently called for regime change. Calling Mugabe ’stupid’ Jonathan Moyo further states, “Zimbabwe urgently needs a new competent government with national and international goodwill under a new leader, not a reshuffled cabinet led by a failed and discredited sunset president who wants to cling onto power through mendacious means when he should be leaving office.”

“The mind of the electorate is now so fixed against Mugabe that if he were to contest against a donkey in the run-off, the donkey would win by a landslide not because anyone would vote for it but simply because people would vote against Mugabe and thus benefit the donkey” wrote  Moyo on June3, 2008

The new leader which Jonathan Moyo prophetically wrote about finally came into existence, democratically chosen by people of Zimbabwe. Even though the very partners to the new government short-changed him by stealing an election which was otherwise a landslide victory, by joining the unity government, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai chose the path of national interest so as to afford Zimbabweans a new a beginning.

On May 3 2008 two months after the stolen election, Moyo  warned that“the mind of the electorate is now so fixed against Mugabe that if he were to contest against a donkey in the run-off, the donkey would win by a landslide” adding that “there is no doubt that Tsvangirai would win the run”

From a political standpoint, Jonathan Moyo is going to be a monstrous liability to those who are going to rescue him from political oblivion. As reported in the Daily Mirror of January 15 2005, Zanu PF National Chairman John Nkomo stated: “He is not just silly, confused, but stupid.” After all he still has some unfinished business given the Tsholotsho debacle. For someone getting ready to exploit Mugabe’s advanced age and Zanu PF’s internal fissures, the timing of Moyo’s application is impeccable. But Mugabe must be very afraid.

At a time the MDC is successfully restoring prosperity and deeply engaged in rebuilding burnt bridges with the international community especially lending institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, Moyo’s attacks are not only counterproductive but selfish, primitive and economically suicidal. To all progressive Zimbabweans, it is an insult for a fringe politician like Moyo to devise such dangerous, hateful and divisive tricks in this day and age. Jonathan Moyo is officially the Great Satan.

Zanu PF – Zimbabwe’s Own Republican Party (Of Lies and Fears)

It is incredibly puzzling that the very same political parties which brought economic ruin to Zimbabwe and the US are now unashamedly in the forefront of stifling progress through obstruction, misinformation and fear-mongering. The irony is that these countries are in dire need of sweeping reforms in order to stop further haemorrhaging.

 

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Obama both took office in 2009 inheriting gargantuan mess created by Robert Mugabe and George Bush respectively. The US annual Census Bureau report of 2009 showed that George Bush’s “economic legacy is failure on every statistic”. Similarly, Mugabe caused Zimbabwe to become the world’s worst economy ever, whose inflation (of over 500 million percent) set world record.

 

With striking similarities, the litany of failures of George Bush and Robert Mugabe are mind-boggling. Never mind the enduring debate of illegitimacy emanating from stolen elections of 2000 (for Bush) and 2002/2008 (for Mugabe). Their obsession with power coupled with unthinking boldness plunged the two countries into severe economic and political crisis causing untold hardships to ordinary citizens. With the approval of their Republican and Zanu PF stooges in Congress and Government, both men engaged in wars of choice in Iraq and Democratic Republic of Congo respectively, contemptuous of world opinion.

 

For that reason, the two nations ended up paying dearly to this present day. US did not get the international support required, causing tremendous strain and pain. To date over 4300 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq with a corresponding cost of nearly $1 trillion. Zimbabwe’s death toll in the DRC adventure remains an official secret. The cost of the war caused a precipitous decline of the economy in 2000 while Mugabe’s ill-conceived policies that followed rendered Zimbabwe a pariah state. There is also the irrefutable evidence of war profiteering by the Military Industrial Complex as one of the driving forces in both cases.

 

During his six-year tenure as governor of Texas, Bush (once dubbed a serial executor) approved 152 executions, the most in recent history. Some of the inmates on death row are being freed now as DNA evidence continues to exonerate them. Mugabe’s executions never needed any guise of law as he is the law himself. Towards the build-up to the falsified Iraq war President Nelson Mandela described Bush as a “president who has no foresight — who cannot think properly — is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust” Likewise he described Mugabe’s rule as a “tragic failure of leadership.”

 

Beyond measure, in the US, misinformation is propagated by an irresponsible corporatist media and senior Republican Party officials bent on blowing away Obama’s political capital by any means. Rush Limbaugh, America’s most listened talk-radio host and Fox News’ Glenn Beck are considered defacto leaders of the Republican Party. American politics is largely influenced by the power of the media.

 

This year alone Limbaugh and Beck called Obama a ‘Nazi’ and also labeled the Obama White House a “Nazi organization.” They have successfully made Obama an object of ridicule 24/7. They have helped organize massive Tea Parties to protest Obama’s reform efforts on healthcare and the economy. The biggest casualty has been public discourse which has suffered immensely as partisan politics ratcheted up.

 

They have been highly successful. Day by day Obama’s poll numbers are plummeting while the people’s confidence in him is waning. But it is quite paradoxical that the same people who are protesting Obama’s reform agenda accusing him of socialism and big spending were totally invisible during the Bush years as he deregulated Wall Street and racked up $1 trillion worth of debt pursuing a war of aggression against a country that had nothing to do with 9-11 attacks.

 

President Obama partly has himself to blame for taking media wars for granted especially knowing fully well that US media is a corporatist monopoly with vested interests in the issues of the day. He dragged his feet in taking the media head on. For instance the Australian-born global media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News (Cable), The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Weekly Standard among many others, is heavily criticized for being the power-base behind the Republican Party. He supported the Iraq War describing Bush as acting ‘very morally, very correctly”.

 

President Obama has done such a shoddy job of containing misinformation. As he celebrated Obama’s recent misery, Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post, one of leading critics, described President Obama as a mere mortal coming back to earth. “What has occurred, irreversibly, is this: He (Obama) has become ordinary. The spell is broken. The charismatic conjurer of 2008 has shed his magic.”

 

Similarly, Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who survived brutal beatings and treason charges has always been under severe attack from State media and its surrogates. Zanu PF has wantonly frustrated hopes of instituting a fully-functioning inclusive government. Mugabe and his minions favor the status quo. They have well-founded fear that a democratic Zimbabwe will expose their crimes against humanity, in addition to being a threat to their ill-gotten economic privileges.

 

Likewise, in Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has been exceptionally indulgent with Zanu PF even as the party continues to violate key terms of the inclusive government’s GPA. PM Tsvangirai was hoping that the regional body, SADC, was going to call Mugabe to order. So far SADC and the African Union have proved to be deceivers bent on entrenching Mugabe. Some people have erroneously concluded that to be an act of political cowardice by the MDC. MDC has proved beyond reasonable doubt that it has the interests of the people at heart, hence the unprecedented efforts to stay the course in spite of Zanu PF’s bullying tactics, selfishness and unequivocal intransigence.

Just last week, President Obama summoned a joint session of Congress to finally confront the rumors and lies especially as they related to the contentious efforts to reform the healthcare system. “Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics.” Hoping to firmly dispel the myths, President Obama stated that “Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise. Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge. And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned.” Insurance and big pharmaceutical companies are sponsoring the resistance through the Republican Party. Essentially, ordinary people are fighting against their own interests!

 

Realizing that he was squandering his chances to lead, Obama has gone on a strong offensive dismissing ‘death panel’ rumors that his healthcare plan sought to kill seniors. President Obama dismissed them as “A lie, plain and simple”. The media fanned the rumors just like many other delusional conspiracy theories which portrayed Obama as a Muslim and someone who was not born in the US. With the help of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, the Birther Movement is hysterical about the falsehoods. They are searching for false birth certificates to prove that Obama is not a US citizen.

 

Just as the Republican Party accuses President Obama for pushing a socialist agenda, Zanu PF has continued with its unfounded allegations that Prime Minister Tsvangirai is an imperialist agent seeking to undo ’sovereignty’ – whatever that means.They have improvised labels and lies which seek to paint Obama as unpatriotic, unfit to lead, weak, unAmerican and a Nazi. True to Goebbels’ playbook they have mastered the art of slandering. “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”

Those familiar with Republican Party’s Karl Rove, dubbed George Bush’s brain, from his days as Governor of Texas right through to the White House, will testify to Rove’s slash and burn politics. He is best known for planting fictitious stories that slandered political opponents. Rove’s operation successfully decimated John McCain, a formidable opponent of George Bush in 2000 whom he accused of fathering a black child. Karl Rove was the invisible hand that ripped John Kerry to shreds by ’swiftboating’ and painting him as a dishonest and dishonorable Vietnam Vet ‘unfit to be president’ thereby securing a fresh presidential term for George Bush.

Didn’t we see the same dirty tricks employed by Zanu PF? As Zanu PF gets ready to re-embrace it’s own Karl Rove/Joseph Goebbels, Jonathan Moyo, his colleagues in Zanu PF were quick to exalt him. “He has done so much for the party. I hope that his application would be favourable. I worked well with him, as you know. He made immense contribution to our fight against imperialism and neo-colonialism. He ranks among the patriots.” said Chinamasa referring to Jonathan Moyo, a conveniently enthusiastic admirer of Mugabe.

He is an evil schemer, who calculated exactly how to fool Zanu PF once again. For that he deserves being rescued from oblivion, he campaigned hard for it. However he has satisfied the curiosity of the public. But this is a rude awakening for MDC. It’s a perfect political storm that is brewing. Jonathan Moyo’s recent diatribe exposed the hollowness of Zanu PF. Over the years he has barely disguised his personal resentment for Prime Minister Tsvangirai.

 

But of course, the people of Zimbabwe are scornful of the ‘evil professor’ who in essence has always been a Zanu PF operative in the shadows. Jonathan Moyo, Mugabe’s former propaganda minister and attack dog, wielded unprecedented power over TV, Radio and Press. He helped secure the ‘Emperor’s throne by spewing hatred and vitriol, telling half-truths and outright lies, through misinformation and disinformation, all disguised as national enlightenment, just like Goebbels did to the Germans.

 

Joseph Goebbels must feel flattered in his grave to learn that there is an African political party (Zanu PF) which continues to emulate his German Nazi Party decades after he is long gone. MDC must be on high alert to counter Moyo’s deceptions. Could it be a coincidence that H-Metro is a Jonathan Moyo project and that Moyo is rejoining Zanu PF?

 

Fascist demagoguery permeates the entire Zanu PF establishment. It is not uncommon to hear Mugabe mimicking Goebbels with the slogan “Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans” similar to “German for Germans”. Zanu PF continues to use political myths and borrowed terms like ‘imperialism’, ’sovereignty’ and ‘neocolonialism’ to label MDC so as to divert attention from its colossal failures of leadership. Zanu PF stooges have given him all the support he needs in part because the fear the consequences of falling out of favor with Mugabe.

 

Similarly, the Republican Party leadership is steadfast in its efforts to ‘break’ Obama. Jim DeMint, a Senior Republican Senator from South Carolina eloquently summed it up recently when he stated, “If we’re able to stop Obama on this (healthcare), it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.” Rush Limbaugh was unambiguous from the onset when told the nation that he “wants Obama to fail.” Similar attacks are being directed towards Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. Steve Anderson, a pastor and sympathizer of the Republican party openly prayed for Obama’s death recently.

 

The US Republican Party provides many sobering lessons that help us debunk Zimbabwe’s Zanu PF party. Just like the Zimbabwean scenario, Republicans refuse to be part of any meaningful reform initiative championed by Obama’s Democratic Party because passage of such reforms is tantamount to aiding re-election of Obama in 2012.

Paul Mangwana delivered a ‘class act’ that revealed more about Zanu PF mentality and its determination to obstruct constitutional reform and many other national obligations. Against a backdrop of a series of tricks, contrivances and stratagems continuously employed by Zanu PF, and in spite of MDC’s unwavering commitment and good intentions, Prime Minister Tsvangirai has finally consoled many of us when he issued an ultimatum which sent an unambiguous message that the GNU is after all reversible!

Professor Arthur Mutambara – The Accidental Leader & Stuntman

There is something conspicuously shady about Arthur Mutambara, the beleaguered and deserted leader of an increasingly irrelevant fringe political party which in essence, is closing shop. His splinter party, MDC-M, is notorious for ungraciously entering Zimbabwe’s politics through the back door. But how the inclusive government incidentally ended up rewarding Mutambara as Deputy Prime Minister for representing a microscopic constituency remains a mystery.

 

At a recent retreat in Nyanga which brought together the bellicose parties to the inclusive government together, Mutambara engaged in feigned and belated outrage about Zimbabwe’s 2008 presidential elections, months after he was politically rehabilitated. He apparently infuriated Zanu PF, the rigging party, when he described the elections as ‘fraudulent and a nullity’.

 

It is saddening to note that Mutambara’s latest stunt has been particularly misunderstood by many as sincere. For starters, we all know the election was stolen. Fair enough. But the election was surely not stolen from Mutambara. We also know that Mutambara does not speak for the original MDC. Zanu PF is aware of that fact. So for Zanu PF ministers to be seen boycotting such a meeting of national consequence because a stuntman like Mutambara enraged them is pure theatrics!

 

Notwithstanding that nonsensical posturing, Zanu PF must not forget that it was the taxpayer’s money which funded such an excursion in the first place. Zanu PF ministers knew very well that they had nothing to offer and preempted. So, they would rather punish the whole nation because of Mutambara’s so called provocation? Since the inclusive government came into existence, Zimbabwe has dragged because it is still constipated by Mugabe and his men, as expected.

 

It is political suicide for Zanu PF to continue to treat MDC as a nuisance rather a partner at a time Zimbabweans are fully behind MDC’s efforts to help clean up the mess Mugabe and colleagues created. MDC must remain resolute in pushing the reform agenda as Mutambara’s cloned party continues to self-destruct.

 

If anything, this latest debacle gives Zimbabweans every reason to believe that Mutambara is indeed a plant. Intriguingly, Mugabe has always acted graciously towards this restless and clumsy meddler, whom he previously described as a ‘good’ man. Upon Zuma’s first state visit to Zimbabwe, a week after the incident, Mugabe was quick to single out Mutambara as the progressive force of the inclusive government. How ironical!

 

It is not in Mugabe’s nature to treat those who disagree with him kindly. Any slightest provocation is guaranteed to invite scornful vilification. In recent past, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Condoleeza Rice, Jendai Frazer and US Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson were rebuked as ’saboteur’, ’slave’, ‘prostitute’ and ‘an idiot’, respectively.

 

Mutambara’s positions mirror those of Mugabe, the man behind his political fortunes. For instance, on land policy, Mutambara recently stated that there is ‘no going back on our revolution’ even though it is clear that the vast majority of the confiscated land now constitutes multiple farm ownership by Mugabe, his cronies and their offspring. Land grab immensely profited Mugabe’s minions and sycophants. Land was used as a bounty for those who commanded brutalization of innocent civilians such as Joseph Chinotimba.

 

Also worrisome is the fact that Mutambara seems to wield so much political power (real or imaginary) to the extent that he has acted as GNU spokesperson on numerous occasions. The most evident and disturbing ‘press release’ reflected his desire to hang on to power through the GNU for an additional five years, unelected. For someone who cannot survive outside of political patronage, it’s understandable.

 

‘After the constitutional review process, the principals would then meet to decide if there is need to go for elections but I do not see us going for elections in the next five years as long as things are going well for the country,’ said Mutambara, never mind his comprehension of democracy. The scariest thing is that behind Mutambara looms the specter of dictatorship, the very cause of Zimbabwe’s misery.

 

‘I am going to remove Mugabe, I promise you, with every tool available’, said Mutambara, in 2006. No one knows what happened to those assurances neither has Mutambara swallowed them back considering that he now calls Mugabe a hero. ‘I was asking President Mugabe, where is your biography, when are you finishing your book. What is wrong with you?’ said Mutambara, recently.

 

It is not surprising that new dictionaries will have the face of Mutambara’s hero (Mugabe) next to the word ‘dictator’. Questions about mass-murders, be it Chiadzwa or Gukurahundi, have been ruthlessly muzzled. Calling Mugabe a hero is as ridiculous as calling George Bush a hero given his Katrina and Iraqi legacy. Mugabe’s record is further tainted by criminally negligent homicide that caused over 4000 cholera deaths. In addition the body count of soldiers who perished during the secretive DRC war of choice and plunder remains unknown.

 

For now, the people of Zimbabwe are wise enough to detect Mutambara and Mugabe’s simulated animosities. The Mutambara-led split from the original MDC had all the fingerprints of Mugabe whose hallmark has been the politics of infiltration or elimination. Zimbabwe would have paid a dear price if Morgan Tsvangirai had not stood firm to unify the people’s party.

 

MDC saved Zimbabwe from total collapse even though the trauma and scars of the Mugabe tragedy remain indelibly visible economically, socially and politically. If Mugabe had vanished when the people resoundingly rejected him a long time ago, Zimbabwe would never have suffered such crises. A sustained campaign of violence powered by an everlasting supply of recruits breathed life into the dictatorship. It’s almost as if unemployment was deliberately designed to create a reservoir of militias, both young and old. The long suffering people still voted him out even as militias were pointing guns to their heads.

 

Recently, things got very interesting when Mutambara and Moyo, the ‘nutty’ professors , who both fumbled their way into Zimbabwe’s politics were at each other’s throat. Somewhere, their godfather Mugabe, must have been laughing. Only Mugabe can resurrect Mutambara from current opprobrium and well-deserved withering of his ill-gotten political fortunes.

 

Mutambara’s ineptness does not appear to be the only motivation for his MP’s discontent. He remains a self-deluding neophyte who exudes political incompetence and immaturity. Even the unstable Job Sikhala, in spite of his volcanic temperament and crazy boisterousness, still scores more political points than Mutambara. How Mutambara is handling the ongoing crisis in his party amplifies poor leadership and political naivete. Maybe its time Mutambara rents some thinkers who know political strategy.

 

By-elections are likely going to be held soon for his three deposed MP’s and in many other constituencies. But it is a fait accompli that the seats will go to the original MDC as long as the elections are free and fair. Even as Mutambara unscrupulously works in cahoots with Mugabe to help create a Zanu PF majority in parliament by crook, it remains a perilous political strategy for Mutambara.

 

This isn’t just suspicion. It smacks as yet another ploy by Mugabe to expand MP base for a majority in parliament so as to ”nuke’ or rape the constitutional rewriting process. The increased wanton incarcerations of MDC MP’s help debunk the plot.

 

In all this, the hard reality is that at a national level, Mutambara and Moyo will forever grapple with unpopularity and rejection. In a democratic environment, their existence is very complicated. No matter how much Arthur Mutambara and Jonathan Moyo attempt to socially reconstruct their political relevance in Zimbabwe, public opinion will take light-years to shift in their favor.

 

Msika’s Botched Legacy – Zuma, Mugabe & Biti Misleading the Public

Contrary to misleading claims and clumsy moralization of Msika’s death by South African President Jacob Zuma, Finance Minister Biti and Robert Mugabe, the death of Msika represents a botched legacy. Since his appointment in 1999 as Vice-President, he became a co-author of a series of man-made disasters. As one of the leading figures of the monastic establishment, he presided over one of the most ignominious and darkest chapters of Zimbabwe’s history. By the time of his death, he had become an irrelevant hero and a real danger to the very people he helped liberate, just like Mugabe.

 

The death of Msika has ignited a moral outrage. In the court of public opinion,a verdict has already been reached (quite easily). Msika was a civil servant who, for 29 years, was sustained by public funds. It is only justifiable for his true masters – the taxpayers, to undertake a moral critique and to take an audit of his performance during his painfully protracted tenure in office.

 

If the people of Zimbabwe were to arrive at the unlikely conclusion that Msika was simply incompetent, then that would be a mildly acceptable and forgivable excuse. However his record shows that he was not a dim-witted Vice-President nor one who slept at the wheel. He actively facilitated Mugabe’s overstay in power and in the process he was a direct beneficiary of power himself. He became a senior member of the plutocracy worth millions of dollars. He never acknowledged the people’s misery, With all the suffering he has left behind, his legacy is that of emptiness.

 

Consider his demeaning statement made in December 2003 that, “All those who talk of succession are bloody sell-outs. There was someone who wanted to bring up the issue here at the conference. We were going to deal with him if he had brought up the issue, Mugabe cannot go …” He fiercely silenced any succession debates. There is no doubt that Msika was a polarizing figure even in his own party.

 

At a time Zimbabwe was desperate for change, Msika shortchanged the people of Zimbabwe. During a rally in Zaka last year (2008) he said, “Voting for the MDC in the run-off will be like voting for Rhodesia and the British which means voting for war. I will never accept to be ruled by an MDC government that is keen to sell the country’s birthright. I would rather die fighting.’’

 

Even Msika himself knew that he was lying and was deeply buried in denial. Less than a year later, the unthinkable happened as the very MDC he humiliated for a decade became the trusted government of the day. And the winds of change continue to blow to this present day.

 

Such dubious characterizations, show that he was referring to a war against the MDC as had previously done because no British forces or foreign armies had invaded Zimbabwe. It was a war that Zimbabweans are well too familiar with – deadly violence against unarmed citizens. They experienced that war during the 2002 presidential elections which left over five hundred Zimbabweans (mostly MDC supporters) dead while thousands were injured, tortured or abused. Six years later (2008) hundreds of Zimbabweans perished under similar lies and incitements. After all, that violence was state-sponsored.

 

 

 

In spite of isolated incidents and piecemeal efforts to sanitize his name, which clearly contradicted what he conspicuously advocated for, Msika described the land reform ‘chaotic’. Other than that, where was the Vice President when the tsunami of green bombers and rented thugs unleashed violence, death and destruction on the defenseless people of Zimbabwe?

 

If Msika was a well-intentioned man, why didn’t he resign in protest of Mugabe’s misrule? Men of virtue like Joshua Nkomo offered to resign when Mugabe denied entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa the license and the right to operate a wireless network. He stood up for justice throughout his life and he will forever be remembered as a true hero.

 

As someone who was up there in the chain of command, clearly Msika was a veteran demagogue, the magnitude of Mugabe, his boss who in 2005 declared, “let me be a Hitler ten-fold.” Msika relentlessly participated in the regime’s heinous activities which deprived the people of Zimbabwe their basic freedoms and rights.

 

Msika’s record clearly demonstrates that he did not have the independence of mind to follow his own conscience, no wonder he couldn’t resign even as geriatric disorders took their toll on him. He surrendered his life to Mugabe’s whims and bought the notion that they were irreplaceable. Msika’s lust for power impaired his moral judgment.

 

When Mugabe says “This is not death, Msika cannot die”, that sounds quite disturbing. If he literally meant that, then we might very well be dealing with a mental case here. Does he think he is immortal. What else can explain his determination to die in office or coercing his Vice President to die office? But seriously, if these people are concerned about Zimbabwe’s posterity and their own their legacies, then they must do the honorable thing now – pack their bags and go, for they have outlived their usefulness.

 

No one, in his/her right frame of mind needs the current crop of Zanu PF politicians. To the overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans, they have become a perennial liability. Most of Zanu PF men and women will regrettably retire to their deathbeds squirming in shame and rejection.

 

As Zimbabweans try to quickly forget about Msika’s legacy, Mr Biti volunteered himself to be the harbinger of the depressing news that the Vice President was “untainted by corruption” and that “his name stayed away from scandal.” How emotionally troubling!

 

But for someone who just got a bullet in the mail, it’s understandable. ‘Mugabephobia’ has taken its grip on Mr Biti. However, the irony of Mr Biti’s cosmetic eulogy is that Msika was the co-author of this violence which is hounding the rest of the Zimbabwean populace, Mr Biti included.

 

For a decade, Msika oversaw the barbaric torture and killing of Zimbabweans but still intentionally hid his head from the horror that terrorized a nation in broad daylight. He goes to his grave with so many unanswered questions yet no one will ever be able to bear testimony better than him. His record is replete with prosecutable human rights violations such as aiding and abetting torture in contravention of Geneva Convention.

 

It is insulting to the people of Zimbabwe to call such a human being a ‘ true hero’. In any case as Minister of Finance, Mr Biti has no business pontificating about such controversial issues which have nothing to do with the fiscus. These politicians must learn to speak for themselves. It’s not fun. What a shame of a statement purporting to represent all men and women of the MDC!

 

As if to out-compete each other, from across the Limpopo entered Zuma, calling it a ‘painful loss’. What ‘painful loss?’ Zuma is the president of a country which has become a symbol of Zimbabweans’ desperation caused by the failed leadership of Mugabe and Msika. No-one will ever forget the burnt corpses of Zimbabweans who perished in xenophobic attacks in Zuma’s backyard. Just last week, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai toured the ‘humanitarian crisis-ridden’ camps holding Zimbabweans in South Africa. It’s despicable.

 

Zuma must quickly disengage himself from doublespeak and equivocation about Zimbabwe’s desperate situation, Instead of helping Zimbabwe to quickly democratize Zuma is busy wailing over one member of the plutocracy who plundered the nation unabated for as long as he wanted. Is he following the same failed ‘quiet diplomacy’ set by Thabo Mbeki? He must condemn violations of GPA terms such as appointment of Gono and Tomana. He must condemn the wanton arrest of MDC MP’s by Mugabe and his men. He must condemn lawlessness in Zimbabwe. He must condemn ongoing murders on the farms. Now that is painful!

 

Mugabe and Msika have an intricately shared legacy. The two are inseparable. The same way no one can talk about the colossal failures of Bush Administration on Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and the economy without bringing up the names Bush and Cheney together as architects of the disaster. Likewise Bill Clinton and Al Gore are responsible for ‘good ol’ days in America. According to the most revered book of all time, the Bible, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked bears rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2). What an incontestable truth about Zimbabwe.

 

The people’s definition of heroes has changed. Anybody who is working towards bringing peace, creating jobs, bringing clean water, feeding the hungry, providing for aids patients, eradicating poverty, improving the filthy prisons, fixing schools, universities and hospitals, protecting the environment is the people’s hero in Zimbabwe. No one should impose heroes on them. Zimbabwe’s liberation war heroes have not guaranteed and safeguarded the real virtues of independence such as peace and prosperity, democracy and the rule of law. In that regard, people like Tonderai Ndira’s stature as national heroes easily dwarf Msika.

 

Msika and fellow geriatrics like Mugabe, represent a self-imposed leadership utterly disconnected with the present generation and fiercely out of touch with reality. Msika leaves behind a total nightmare for millions of Zimbabweans. Can you imagine the millions scattered across nations who are waiting to go back home as soon as Mugabe is no longer in power? Many Zimbabweans have publicly wished that this Msika tragedy must have happened to the ‘big fish’ himself. That shows extreme desperation when people cross traditionally designated taboo lines to express their anger. (Even though its a ’state’ crime to express that anger)

 

To many Zimbabweans, the conclusion that Mr Msika is yet another relic of a bygone era is inescapable. No matter how much ’spin the spin doctors spin’ between now and Aug 10, the day marked for Msika’s burial to coincide with Heroes Day, the people will not be convinced. The only prevalent popular sentiment is that there are no more heroes left in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Judiciary – the Fraud Behind the Fraud

Zimbabwe Judiciary – the Fraud Behind the Fraud

 

To the extent that Zimbabwe had become an authoritarian and a failed state, it is largely because of the judiciary that was successfully privatized by Mugabe. To this present day, the fraud of the judiciary continues to infringe upon the very fundamental principles of democracy. Judicial activism has been the chief enabler of Mugabe’s dictatorship. Other than Mugabe himself, Zimbabwe’s judiciary is the biggest fraud of our time.

 

There really is a war going on in Zimbabwe right now. The flimsy parliamentary majority currently enjoyed by MDC is fast shrinking. It is a product of a deliberately orchestrated plan by Mugabe and his lieutenants to regain control of Parliament by incarcerating and harassing MDC parliamentarians. At least for now, the strategy seems to be paying huge dividends.

 

At the latest count, a total of eight MDC parliamentarians are facing trumped up charges while five of them have already been convicted and suspended from Parliament. They are accused of crimes ranging from as ridiculous as misappropriating farm inputs to rape.

 

Deputy Minister of Youth Mr Thamsanqa Mahlangu is the latest entrant into this infernal cauldron of political machination aimed at emasculating the MDC. Recently, in bizarre circumstances smacking of a setup, Mr Mahlangu allegedly stole a cellphone belonging to Joseph Chinotimba, a well known psychopath, political fraud and unrepentant thug who personifies lawlessness.

 

Everyone has at some stage confused cellphones given the fact that they overwhelmingly look alike. For a minute, let’s assume that Mr Mahlangu, God forbid, is indeed a cellphone thief (preposterous as it may sound) and is subsequently convicted accordingly. But how does that compare to several looters and serial killers in Zanu PF (Parliamentarians, politicians and security apparatus alike). For all their crimes they never set foot in a courthouse or jail to face justice?

 

Their egregious transgressions ranging from crimes of economic mismanagement to gross human rights violations, dwarf any of those imaginary crimes leveled against MDC parliamentarians. Never mind the fact that they were unrestrained by law for the past 29 years of Mugabe’s misrule. Somewhere in Zimbabwe today, a murderer or a rapist is laughing. What a mockery of Zimbabwe’s judicial system!

 

In yet another outrageous development last week, we learnt that the Finance Minister received a bullet in the mail. We also know that with perfect impunity, Minister of Youth, Saviour (what?) Kasukuwere rented a group of thugs who terrorized government officials and ordinary people at the Constitutional Conference in broad daylight. In all civility, is it conceivable to anybody with an ounce of intelligence that such things can happen without the ‘blessing’ of law enforcement and judiciary? How else is terrorism defined?

 

It therefore comes as no surprise that the Deputy Minister of Youth will continue to languish in jail for weeks in conformity with Mugabe’s ‘gotcha politics’. Only in a banana republic of Zimbabwe where the justice system is dangerously comprised can such things happen.

 

All these are politically motivated threats and detentions which will only escalate. It’s all part and parcel of Zanu PF’s organized chaos in its desperation to subvert political reform such as constitutional re-writing process. For the judiciary it’s partly in aid of Mugabe’s constitutional limbo. Zanu PF knows that its influence is withering and time is also running out.

 

Mr Mahlangu’s accuser, Joseph Chinotimba, directed and deployed state-sponsored thugs who violently raided and looted private property especially farms. The same thugs unleashed a wave of terror throughout the country. In the process several people were killed, both black and white. In addition, as recent as 2008, Chinotimba lost a bid for Buhera Parliamentary seat whose desperate campaign was marred by death and destruction.

 

The grisly murder of Chokuse Mupango, MDC Chairman of Buhera’s Ward 26 directly implicated Chinotimba. As confirmed by witnesses and also according to Pishai Muchauraya, the current MP for Makoni South, “the sad thing is what they said after they realized he was dead. Chinotimba started calling him a pig, raving to the crowd that the pig had died before he had even started on him,” said Muchauraya. He also stated that“His body was loaded onto Chinotimba’s vehicle and was dropped off at the Birchenough Bridge Hospital mortuary.”

 

During the same time and within the same locality, many more defenseless Zimbabweans succumbed to Chinotimba’s terror. Chinotimba must be very familiar with names such as Beta Chokururuma, Godfrey Kauzani and Cain Nyeve, some of the victims who died painfully under his cult of bloodshed.

 

His notoriety for terrorizing and hounding judges particularly former Supreme Court Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay with the help of the then Attorney General Patrick Chinamasa is well documented.

 

“I have told him in no uncertain terms that he is putting his life at risk by remaining in office when we have made it clear we no longer want him. I told him to vacate his office today. If he does not go, we will declare war, “ warned Chinotimba.

 

In 2001 Justice Gubbay was ordered by Chinamasa to vacate his offices because he had become a ‘racist’ employed by the British intelligence “to overthrow the government.” Never mind his record of defending black nationalists during Ian Smith’s era. Was that not one of the most compelling reasons Mugabe appointed him to be the top judge in the first place?

 

The removal of Justice Gubbay was such an impeccable timing to coincide with the 2002 presidential elections widely anticipated to remove Mugabe through the ballot. It paved way for the political appointment of Chidyausiku, a long-time ally of Mugabe. There is no way Chief Justice Gubbay would have allowed such judicial decadence if he was still in charge. He was the same Chief Justice who berated government on farm invasions, helped Masiyiwa’s Econet Wireless to get a license and successfully argued in favor of abolishing government monopoly of telecommunications.

 

Judicial coup is at the epicenter of Zimbabwe’s misery today. What would Zimbabwe be like today if the courts agreed to set aside the fraudulent presidential election results of March 2002 and 2008?. Mugabe would have long gone together with his henchmen. Instead, Mugabe colluded with the judges to advance himself.

 

Zimbabwe would have brought to justice all those who raped and murdered, saving many lives in the process. It is this persistent failure by Zimbabwe’s judicial system to take stands in defense of rights and rule of law principles that continues to irk all the progressive people of Zimbabwe.

Where are the Iftikhar Chaudhrys, the Justice Gubbays and the Wilson Sanduras of our time Zimbabwe is yearning for?

 

To gain a perspective, Iftikhar Chaudhry is a national hero who challenged Pakistan’s government for all its wrongdoing and firmly stood up against human rights abuses as the country’s Supreme Court Chief Justice. He symbolizes resistance to the dictatorship of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. Mr Chaudhry was recently reinstated having been sacked by in March 2007 by Musharraf.

 

Mr Chaudhry fiercely prevented Musharraf from overstaying in office at a time when he was desperate to ’stay put’ in violation of constitutional provisions. He is also famously known for his unambiguous warning to rogue nations that “nations and states which are based on dictatorship instead of the supremacy of the constitution, the rule of law and protection of basic rights get destroyed,”

 

Zimbabwe’s own Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku is the exact opposite of Mr Chaudhry. A strong ally of Mugabe, Chidyausiku became Chief of the Supreme Court in 2001 having served previously as Attorney General. In 2004, at the height of Jonathan Moyo’s madness as the Minister of (mis)Information, the nation’s top judge shamelessly endorsed AIPPA and MIC which called for compulsory accreditation and wanton punishment of journalists. On numerous occasions the judicial system in Zimbabwe has served to facilitate human rights violations.

 

However, Zimbabwe finds its solace and hope in Justice Sandura, an illustrious judge also famed for the no-nonsense Sandura Commission (named after him) of the 80’s. The Sandura Commission set up by Mugabe himself to investigate uncontrollable massive corruption in Government, shamed Mugabe and his cronies when it turned out to be apolitical. Later known as the Willowgate scandal, it exposed massive graft that financially prejudiced the nation. Five of Mugabe’s senior ministers were forced to resign while Minister Maurice Nyagumbo committed suicide (as the story goes).

 

Justice Wilson Sandura is one of the few judges in Zimbabwe who have steadfastly committed himself to discharge his “duties in accordance with judicial laws and to well and truly serve Zimbabwe as a judge without fear or favour.

 

“That is what I have done for the past 26 years and that is what I intend to continue to do until I retire.” These were his words upon receiving the prestigious Professor Walter Kamba Rule of Law Award recently.

 

 

In 2004, Justice Sandura, once branded “Gubbay residue” by the government clearly opposed Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku on AIPPA and MIC. Freedom of expression is “a cornerstone upon which the very existence of a democratic society rests,” said Sandura.

 

The majority of Zimbabwe’s judges sold out in exchange for Mugabe’s regular ‘free’ handouts that include Mercedez Benz and four-wheel drives, plasma TVs, cash and many other similar ‘politically motivated goodies’ dished out by Mugabe. More profoundly these judges have conveniently allowed Mugabe to strong-arm them. Oddly enough, these are unelected judges who are mere political appointees subject to removal by the same politicians who put them in office. So there are no problems of ethics there!

 

If Pakistan’s enduring protests are anything to learn from, for Zimbabwe, protesting this judicial scandal of our time is a national obligation. The democratic struggle against judicial activism must begin if the people are ever going to untangle their country from the clutches of Zanu PF’s totalitarian agenda.

 

The modern day Zimbabwe bears little resemblance to that which gallant freedom fighters like Herbert Chitepo and Josiah Tongogara died for, nor the one Kaguvi and Nehanda were publicly hanged for. The system is all about entrenching his “Majesty” at the expense of protecting individual rights of citizens.

 

The recent national healing and reconciliation ‘ceremony’ has turned out to be such a contemptuous political tokenism and a real joke. How is national healing possible amid such disturbing developments? True healing must also start with a national apology from Mugabe and his lieutenants for all the deaths, torture and suffering they caused for millions of Zimbabweans for so long.

 

Mugabe should be genuinely celebrating the inclusive government deal which has afforded him a safe escape route from answering charges of his crimes against humanity just like Charles Taylor. Who ever thought strongman like Charles Taylor would one day be sitting at the Hague (as he did this week) answering charges of eating human flesh at the height of his dictatorial madness as ‘emperor’ of Liberia?

 

Contrary to Abraham Lincoln’s famous quote about the need for a people-driven government, the contemporary Zimbabwe has a government of the judiciary, by the judiciary and for the judiciary. Even after Mugabe is long gone Zimbabweans will still grapple with the after-effects of his judicial muddling.

 

As the country is now at war with itself again, the domino effect of this miscarriage of justice could be cataclysmic starting with outright destabilization. The people of Zimbabwe cannot afford a return to brutality and dictatorship. Nothing short of confronting this judicial coup should be acceptable.

 

While it it imperative for MDC to strongly defend its own, this is also time for mass revulsion in opposition to a rotten system. Zimbabwe’s judiciary epitomizes a complete travesty of justice being perpetrated by cold-hearted politicians aided by incredibly mischievous judges on Mugabe’s payroll.

In Defense of Mr Biti’s Budget

Zimbabwe Finance Minister Tendai Biti’s recent budget contains important measures capable of wooing entrepreneurs,small businesses and the Diaspora for sustained economic recovery. With unemployment rate over 90%, Zimbabwe desperately needs triggers for driving the economy forward.

 

“What this budget simply means is that it’s time to ship my ‘gonyet’, my tractor, my F250 and the rest of the equipment lying idle in my garage for all this time. According to Mr Biti’s budget, I only have to worry about shipping costs.” said an excited Norman Phiri, who has been in the Diaspora for close to a decade. Mr Biti’s budget succinctly makes the case for Diaspora returnees to seriously consider investing in the homeland.

 

Measures contained in the budget such as abolishing import duties on capital investment equipment and technology-related products, for instance, computer hardware represent massive opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses who are responsible for creating new jobs. Numerous downstream industries will also be created in the process. The effects on the national economy will be felt immediately.

 

While some have selfishly argued that removing or reducing import duties on computers, cellular handsets, telephone sets and printers, will hurt local industries, such thinking wildly assumes that local industry was functional. When was the last time Zimbabwe produced computers or components for computer manufacturing? Mr Biti has simply created more opportunities for more people. The recently announced budget promotes the much needed entrepreneurship, one of the key engines for economic growth.

 

In the USA, small businesses form the backbone of the economy as they create most of the new employment (over 90% of all new jobs) and represent more than 50% of all private workforce. According to the US Small Business Administration, small businesses represent 99.7% of all firms. US small businesses constitute the world’s second largest economy, trailing only the US.

 

In that regard, the government of Zimbabwe has to do more to promote small businesses. With an ‘over-banked’ economy for its size, Zimbabwe must encourage the emergence of a bank specifically focusing on lending to small businesses and individual entrepreneurs. There is need for a fully-fledged agency that focuses specifically on entrepreneurship and small businesses.

 

Amid a backdrop of a mildly improving business environment (a direct product of lukewarm political progress), there is guarded optimism from many Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who are feeling the urge to play a meaningful role in redeveloping the homeland. While Mr Biti has set the right tone, one would expect that by now the government of Zimbabwe has already put in place a robust mechanism to mobilize Diaspora to leverage on its human and financial capital. Zimbabwe’s devastating brain drain has to be counteracted by a deliberate brain gain campaign.

 

Some of the practical steps to raise the much needed cash include issuing government securities with attractive yields specifically targeting Diaspora. There was a similar program in Sri Lanka where government managed to raise more than US500 million from its Diaspora by way of government securities.

 

Another route is the equivalent of India’s Persons of Indian Origin card (PIO) which offers preferential deals that attract Indians in the Diasporans back to India. Upon purchase of a $1000 card, members get preferential deals for instance, import duty exemptions for a long period, discounts, employment opportunities, as well as VIP treatment at Customs Boarder Posts. Finally the government has to swiftly communicate the admissibility of dual citizenships as these offer practical advantages to Diasporans who are still skeptical about Zimbabwe’s political stability.

 

Mr Biti’s budget is perhaps the most compassionate in history. He has budgeted US$32 million to take care of ‘vulnerable groups’ such as child-headed families.

 

In a country where its poor (seven million according to UN estimates) are largely surviving on donations for food from international aid agencies, allowing food imports duty-free is the humane thing to do. Isn’t it weird that the farm grabs has caused more misery and starvation since they were officially started back in 2000? All the same, Biti allocated US$146 million to help with inputs for small scale farmers. However the future of Zimbabwe’s agriculture lies in mechanization, not subsistence farming.

 

As expected the fiercest bashing of this noble budget had to come from our ‘knowledgeable friend’ – Jonathan Moyo, an ultra-partisan Zanu PF operative plotting in the shadows. Mr Moyo, who derives a lot of satisfaction from hectoring, undermining and condescending anything coming from MDC -T, did not miss the opportunity to do what he does best – gibbering! But these rants cannot go unchallenged.

 

In a thinly veiled endorsement of Mugabe’s recent calls for reviving the condemned Zimbabwe dollar, Mr Moyo echoed his ‘king’, regurgitating the same mindless talking points. Moyo said that the poor and the unemployed “have no chance of accessing any of the circulating multi-currencies”. For Zimbabwe’s economy to be where it is today, it is because of the likes of Mugabe and Moyo’s naivete, coupled with moronic printing of Zimbabwe dollar (by Gono) which consequently set world records of hyperinflation.

 

It was this sobering experience of hyperinflation which finally reconciled Zimbabwe’s politicians about the urgent need to address the economic cataclysm whose genesis was political paralysis hence the birth of an inclusive government. Unfortunately Mr Moyo is enemy number one of Zimbabwe’s inclusive government.

 

Every sane Zimbabwean knows that Zanu PF politics is monkey business. In 2005 Mugabe fired Moyo from his ministerial post of information having branded him“enemy number one.” Moyo was abruptly ordered to vacate the villa from where he spewed most of his stressful propaganda, forcibly fed to the nation. However Moyo pleaded with the High Court to delay the eviction, pitifully squirming, “I have no place to which I can relocate my family at such short notice.”

 

Moyo plotted the most dreadful and repressive laws in the country. He muzzled free press and freedom of expression. Some of his best known indelible footprints include his scary verbal attacks on the Daily News which culminated in a military-style attack of the paper. His leadership in architecting AIPA and POSA is ineradicable as it is still causing untold misery to media practitioners and journalists. This man should not be worthy of our attention given his dark recent past.

 

Does Mr Moyo’s recent lament that the budget opens “floodgates for hostile foreign information into Zimbabwe by eliminating all customs duty on newspapers?” surprise anybody? It is the shallowest of assumption for Mr Moyo to say that this is meant “to specifically advantage the foreign printing and publication of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s newsletter,” as if it in not in the best interests of Zimbabweans who overwhelmingly voted him (MT) as their genuine leader. If Moyo had his way no foreign paper would ever circulate in Zimbabwe.

The people of Zimbabwe have long rejected propaganda from State-controlled media outlets like the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and the Herald. Removing import duty of 40% on foreign newspapers was quite daring. The mere thought of Zimbabwe finally having free press is disconcerting to those who have enjoyed monopoly of the press for so long.

But again what does he know about business? For the sake of moving the nation forward, let’s ask him to present an alternative budget or at least offer constructive ideas.

 

Reduction of excise duty on diesel will immensely benefit industry particularly the transport industry which heavily relies on diesel.

 

At this point the only criticism for Mr Biti’s budget is its apparent lack of imagination on measures of how to spur growth of the export sector. But overall Mr Biti’s economic growth trajectory of 3.7% is feasible.

 

Contrary to Mr Moyo, Mr Biti’s efforts are meant to reverse the impact of economic meltdown and to promote more economic activity that will see more currencies circulating. At the same time, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is fastidiously working to build a coalition of nations that will rally around the cause of Zimbabwe’s economic revival. Reconstruction money is on its way as long as political saboteurs like Mr Moyo are not allowed to prevail.

 

All that is required in Zimbabwe at the moment is the emergence of a steadfast political will. It is our sincere hope that men and women of Zanu PF will for the first time, desist from flirting with the politics of self-destruction.

Political Thuggery & Compromises – Zimbabwe’s Tragedies

For the most part, the inclusive government was a pragmatic solution to Zimbabwe’s political quagmire. We all know that the formation of the inclusive government was inexplicably shrouded in secrecy. But there was no reason why the inclusive government’s Global Political Agreement brazenly omitted even an addendum on how to seriously deal with human rights violations, the most disturbing aspect of Zimbabwe’s contemporary politics.

Concerns that bringing to justice those who committed atrocities would deplete political capital and spirit of inclusive government are outrageous. It is the height of insensitivity to those aggrieved.

Unfortunately the atrocities did not end by instituting the inclusive government. Instead they are continuing to this present day. The unpleasant reality is that, more likely than not, they will escalate come election time. The whole point of bringing this to light (to justice If I had my way) is to cause those abductors, murderers, torturers, asset grabbers and rapists to completely surrender. Doing so also prevents any future recurrence of such heinous crimes on innocent civilians.

Talk of the Ministry of National Healing, better call it Ministry of National Concealing, the starting point should be to reveal the terrible crimes against humanity that were committed by the Zimbabwe’s politicians. As it stands, the Ministry smacks of a national healing among politicians seeking to rehabilitate one another at the expense of bringing true relief to those who suffered terribly from various crimes ranging from rape, murder, torture, maim, injury, for instance.

The main reason Nuremberg trials were immediately carried out soon after World War II was to clean the system of residual Nazis and to make sure that no such crimes would ever be committed against innocent citizens ever again. The process would later on be dubbed ‘Denazification’. As a result perpetrators were properly tried and those found guilty were punished according to the crimes they committed.

The road to destruction started when the Fuehrer Adolf Hitler convinced the German public that the problems of the German nation were to be squarely blamed on the Jews. Is that not an all-too-familiar Zimbabwean / African escapism? Blame the white men and his ‘West’ for all your problems. It’s not about your corruption, mismanagement or looting of national resources. Not even about an unpopular President getting ready to rule eternally while Zanu PF is still boasting of a monopoly of incompetence.

While the Nuremberg-type trials are a remote possibility in Zimbabwe at the moment, some movement towards Dezanufication is long overdue. Recent disturbances by Zimbabwe’s own residual ‘Nazis’ at the All-Stakeholder Constitutional Conference remind us of that history will repeat itself if no remedial steps are put in place as a matter of urgency.

Like Denazification, Dezanufication is a political imperative necessary to remove active lawlessness and those who subscribe to torture doctrine from Zimbabwe’s peace-loving communities. There are people out there who believe that they are still above the law the same way they broke the laws yesteryear with impunity. We all saw how the recent Constitutional Conference in Zimbabwe was called off having been run over by the same ‘war vets’ who previously brutalized defenseless citizens while unrestrained by (immune to) law enforcement.

Isn’t it ironic that all the members of the regime who committed atrocities were rewarded by the inclusive government? But one would think that they at least have a sense of collective guilt as to be ashamed of their horrible recent past. Wouldn’t this be the opportune time for them to withdraw into some form of personal purgatory and begin to work and lead for a better Zimbabwe free from violence given the Gehenna that they created for the people of Zimbabwe?

For a fact we know that thousands of people succumbed to political violence, economic failure, hunger and poverty as well as unnecessary and preventable diseases. The net result was a plundered civilization and a return to the medieval times. For instance, we witnessed a country without functioning hospitals and schools.

This week, Zimbabwe was again beamed internationally for the wrong reasons, just a laughing stock. Recently the Prime Minister was on a critical international mission to woo investors, against backdrop of a fragile coalition which he tried hard to conceal. Wasn’t that the same undercutting by Zanu PF he suffered  he was promoting Zimbabwe as a safe investment destination only to coincide with news of escalating violence and political thuggery? Where does one get the motivation to invest in a lawless society? What guarantees one’s security of his/her investments given Zimbabwe’s notoriety for asset-grabbing in the name of reversing colonial injustices (whatever that means)? What about the state of property rights?

The lesson that we are also getting here is that for those of us who believe in the MDC change agenda, we need to learn patience as it was never going to be easy dealing with people who have ruled for three decades uninterrupted. However our politicians should also listen to those who are criticizing the inclusive government, who hold different views about how to move forward. It is true that some of the greatest patriots are those who criticize the government of the day because they care deeply about their country and they want the best for its citizens.

The inclusive government should be fully supported so that a stable and legitimate government can soon be put in place, born out of free and fair elections. A new constitution means everything to all Zimbabweans and to the International community. Any decision by MDC to pull out of the inclusive government will certainly play into Zanu PF’s hands as naturally preferred by many of Mugabe’s compatriots belonging to his kleptocratic camp.

 I have no doubt that the Prime Minister ‘plays dumb’ on many occasions even though it appears as if he is sycophantically appeasing Mugabe. He knows that in the grand scheme of things, getting a new constitution acceptable to the people of Zimbabwe will probably be one of his the biggest achievements.

However in my previous article (available on www.nationalvision.wordpress.com) I warned against the perfidious game of political correctness. Simply summarized, we have a Prime Minister who has a tough and delicate balancing act: being careful not to rattle Mugabe while at the same time not losing his mojo as a leader of an opposition that has been hardwired to hearing anti-Mugabe rhetoric (justifiably so, especially before the inclusive government). The third factor is that the man himself has also morphed into a co-leader of a nation.

People have to understand that Mugabe joined the inclusive government much against the will of many powerful politicians and security chiefs who populate the corridors of power. They know that their power privileges are slipping away very fast hence the attempts to subvert the process of re-writing of the new constitution. At least for that reason I give Mugabe credit.

For now, Ignore Arthur Mutambara, the Mugabesque Deputy Prime Minister, who is trying to buy more time for the inclusive government, the same way he bought his way into Zimbabwean politics. It’s understandable for him to call for five more years because his political future without the inclusive government is as clear as mud.

However engaging in unnecessary compromises has the potential to raze the party to the ground. For instance, there is nothing to compromise on unilateral Tomana and Gono appointments. There is nothing to compromise on the continuing malicious arrests of your MP’s facing concocted charges. There is nothing to compromise on continued farm invasions. There is nothing to compromise on the rule of law, free press and illegal detentions. Our outrage and condemnation of rule of thuggery must be unequivocal. There is nothing to compromise on a people-driven Constitution. The inclusive government cannot unilaterally decide to run for five years.

With Attorney General Johannes Tomana in charge, dockets have conveniently vanished and many more are disappearing each extra day he stays in office. Only in Zimbabwe can that happen! Tomana is the same AG at the center of a firestorm of criticism having been unilaterally appointed by Mugabe in direct violation of GPA terms, the basis of the inclusive government.   Retention of Mr Gono and Mr Tomana undermine the mission to bring change in Zimbabwe. Insisting on retaining these two hardliners proves a point that there is a deep-seated insidious agenda.

We should all think about how Zimbabwe came to be what it is today – A banana republic. As an advocate of the inclusive government myself, we cannot expect the Prime Minister Tsvangirai to undo overnight what we all allowed to happen for three decades.  Obviously there will be missteps along the way and we should be able to point at them loudly. With the same measure, it is every progressive Zimbabwean’s responsibility to educate fellow brothers and sisters who are enslaved as agents of political thuggery that they are in actual fact fighting against their own interests. They are simply being used by cold-hearted politicians for personal gain.

It will be a tremendous achievement if one day, our politicians on both ends of the political spectrum lay down their political differences to fight for a better Zimbabwe, a better Africa. It is unconscionable that a nation with such abundant wealth and skills base is the World’s leading case of economic destitution.

Political Contradictions- The Last Thing MDC needs

Recent contradictions within MDC-T pitting its Finance Minister Tendai Biti against Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai are particularly intriguing. As if exposing the underlying schisms, a subject frequently visited by anarchists, the developments seem to suggest that all is not well between the two men. Inadvertently, many political pundits fell short of calling it a power struggle.

At a time when the country’s political and socio-economic systems have virtually crumbled, the last thing the people of Zimbabwe expect to hear from their politicians are inconsistencies, half-truths, exaggerations, or outright lies. The stakes of political contradictions are distinctly higher for MDC which is considered to be the party for change and progressivism than for Zanu PF, which has proven to be a patently deceptive party that has outlived its usefulness.

For those who happen to be supporters or sympathizers of MDC, such fears are not totally unfounded. Like everyone else, they followed the ‘back and forth’ between Mr Biti and Mr Tsvangirai in response to the US$950 million and the US$5 billion that China allegedly ‘promised’ Zimbabwe. It grandly roused unintended emotions across the political divide.

“While I was away, government through Finance Minister Tendai Biti also secured lines of credit from China totalling US$950 million,” said Mr Tsvangirai upon his return from a tour of Western countries.

 ”There’s no foundation at all in reports that we have received US$950 million from China,” bluntly refuted Mr Biti adding that “”Zimbabwe government has not signed or executed any agreement with
China in relation to a disposal of any asset or platinum in Zimbabwe.”

To gain a perspective, this is not the first time that Mr Biti and Mr Tsvangirai publicly contradicted. The heated exchanges concerning reconvening of Parliament in August 2008 immediately comes to mind.

“Any decision to convene Parliament will be a clear repudiation of the Memorandum of Understanding, and an indication beyond reasonable doubt of Zanu-PF’s unwillingness to continue to be part of the talks,” Mr Biti quibbled.

“It will have no effect. As far as we are concerned we don’t see anything wrong with that. Let Parliament be reconvened,” said Mr Tsvangirai in response to Mr Biti..

While the decision to join the inclusive government was undoubtedly contentious, fortunately there was no credible threat of a major faction developing as we saw with the opportunistic MDC-Mutambara.

In the midst of that confusion, comes a gibbering Mugabe spinning out of control to get the credit once and for all on behalf of himself or Zanu PF (or both).

Regardless of their (stories) factuality, supporters and sympathizers saw an MDC entangled in a public relations fiasco. They also fear that such publicly bungled communication has quite significant political ramifications.

 First of all it has the potential of eroding confidence in the office of the Prime Minister. There is no doubt that the office of the Prime Minister was clearly discredited, trivialized and unnecessarily humiliated.  The PM was put on the defensive by Mr Biti who seemed to imply that Mr Tsvangirai was concocting a fictional story.  It is still not clear what his (Mr Biti) motivations were, if any.

Secondly, any MDC contractions and divisions (real or imaginary) play into the hands of Zanu PF. Mr Tsvangirai and Mr Biti cannot afford to get carried away by this transitional government. Their controversies embolden Zanu PF. They still need to be voted back into power, probably in eighteen months if the constitution re-writing process is duly concluded. It is still a long way to go but this is the time to consolidate.

As it has emerged this week, Mr Mugabe repeated the same story stating that the US$950 million was part of the US$5billion deal settled well before the inclusive government was put in place. Mr Biti has not yet responded to Mr Mugabe. For now we will be inundated with spin and counter-spin as the belligerent political parties wrestle for credit.

“Well, it’s a fund that was negotiated long ago, and all that nonsense that it’s the MDC and so on is just politicking, it’s a fund also that is targeted, it will come variously,” said Mugabe who has already started pouring scorn on MDC.

A clear lesson for the MDC here is that ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand.’ Politics 101: You do not publicly distance yourself from what your boss is communicating, if you so wish you can do so in private. For almost 30 years, Zanu PF has been spinning with hardly any noticeable inconsistencies or contradictions among its ministers.

In the final analysis, contemporary politics is largely spin-driven, regrettable as that might be. There is nothing unusual about this claim for credit by Mugabe and his ministers, however bizarre they are. They thrive on spin. In fact they have spin doctors extraordinaire while MDC is still grappling with political realities of today. As a matter of fact, campaigning is intricately interwoven with spinning.

Since 2005, the Ministry of Finance failed to secure Chinese money in spite of physical evidence and several attempts made to convince China that Zimbabwe was in dire need of financial assistance.

So, does Zanu PF spin? Isn’t that the same as asking the question: Is the Pope Catholic? Zanu PF is a sickening sanctimonious party that lied through its teeth for nearly three decades and unashamedly continues to do so. Assuming Zanu PF leadership was to experience an epiphany and begin to tell the truth for once, improbable as that sounds, no one will even notice or believe them.

Mugabe’s spin has to be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. For starters, Mugabe got help from China when he needed teargas and guns to suppress and murder the people of Zimbabwe during elections.

But why didn’t Mugabe get help from China when Zimbabwe needed money to purify its water system? Why didn’t Mugabe get money from China that could have saved 4000 Zimbabwean lives from cholera deaths? Why didn’t Mugabe convince the Chinese to help avert a health crisis when all hospitals shut down? Why didn’t Mugabe secure help from China at a time Zimbabwe needed to feed its starving population? Why didn’t Mugabe get a stimulus package when the economy was hemorrhaging, the same way US received a stimulus package of US$150 billion in early 2008?

Zimbabwe reaped the benefits of being a pariah state which Mugabe advocated for. The only reason Mugabe agreed to ‘share’ power is that Zimbabwe had become ungovernable due to economic implosion. No country was willing to come to Zimbabwe’s aid under the circumstances of a fully-fledged dictatorship.  MDC is rebuilding burnt bridges and that is the sole reason we are beginning to see nations coming forward and progress being experienced. If not careful, MDC’s thunder will continue to be stolen by Zanu PF.

When you hear Zanu PF’s geriatric leader violating basic courtesies of international relations, no one is surprised because that is his trademark, a perennial problem. This week, using rhetorically inflammatory accusations, Mugabe insulted the most senior US diplomat assigned to Africa, Mr Johnnie Carson calling him ‘an idiot”.

It is a declaration by Mugabe and his men that they would rather maintain a pariah of a state. In the recent past such ‘jokes’ were used by Mugabe to entertain the rest of the kleptocracy left back home. It also helped to create a false impression to the rest of the world that Mugabe knew what he was doing and that Zimbabwe had no problems. In the process his loose lips sank the Zimbabwe ship in Deep Ocean.

MDC has its bar raised so high with people’s expectations that it becomes quite disturbing to observe that the leadership is not speaking with one voice. The issue is also compounded by the fact that MDC is in the midst of a media blitz and hostile press coverage home and away. Yet, for the party communication means everything.

Before any MDC official goes to the press podium, it is imperative that MDC communications team ‘huddle together’ so that they can exchange some talking points. After all, are they not only a phone call or a click away from each other?

In many interviews it is not uncommon to hear responses like ‘I will get back to you on that,’ or ‘negotiations are still under way’ or simply ‘no comment for now.’ This is done to give more time for fact –verification so that the public domain gets accurate information before going to the press at full-throttle.

Maybe we are judging Mr Biti too harshly by seemingly overstating the schism. But again Mr Tsvangirai is the man of the moment. We do not think that Mr Biti suffers any delusions that he is the power behind the throne. Technically, Mr Biti reports to Mr Tsvangirai the same way Zanu PF Ministers report to Mugabe.

This is yet another wake up call for MDC to better manage its communications as it is primarily in the best interests of its members and for its own political survival.

Reviving Zimbabwe Dollar Suicidal

Against a backdrop of a visibly wobbling Inclusive Government, there are serious political and economic ramifications associated with the premature de-dollarization of the Zimbabwean economy. An impromptu return to the recently-condemned Zimbabwe dollar can only be politically-motivated especially considering that its ardent protagonist, President Robert Mugabe, is suddenly clamoring for its return only five months after its official adoption.

Simply defined, de-dollarization is the reversal of dollarization, implying the return to use of a country’s local currency. In the case of Zimbabwe, it means abandoning the official use of the US dollar in favor of the once-condemned Zimbabwe dollar.

Instead of dealing with the underlying problems facing the economy, Zimbabwe’s politicians in favor of de-dollarization seem to be implying that dollarization is the issue. The people of Zimbabwe also know that their local currency was a constant source of pain and stress given its worthlessness and inaccessibility. Remember the winding queues that existed everywhere. Zimbabwe’s politicians never shied away from telling the suffering ordinary men and women that keeping the Zimbabwe dollar was the ‘sovereign’ thing to do.

At the same time Zimbabwe became a tale of two cities: those enmeshed in royalty and those condemned to abject poverty while the middle-class was completely wiped out. I have no doubt that Zimbabwe has one of the highest ‘Per Capita Benz” in the world because of the past regime’s policies. To the discerning, there was obviously a short-circuit somewhere. Wait a minute, the politicians and the connected became richer because of their ‘hard work’, so they told us, yet the poor became poorer because of sanctions. How hypocritical!

It is abundantly evident that Mugabe is trying to push a dubious agenda that has nothing to do with any economic reality. For instance, Mugabe deliberately has it exactly the opposite when he recently said, “Yes, prices may have gone down but the people should have the money,” and that “If they don’t have the money, how will they buy the goods? We can’t run a country like that. We are considering changing that and reverting to our own currency.”

In other words he is saying let’s print the money and figure out what to do with it. Doesn’t it start with production and then consumption? (Pardon my elementary economics here). Mugabe’s obsession with consumerism is worrisome. The underlying economic fundamentals have to be addressed first, Mr President!

De-dollarization of the Zimbabwean economy could be a slap in the face of reformists as it is the last thing the country needs at the moment. Could that be the reason Mugabe and his men are so vehemently opposed to Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono’s removal as his appointment was done in violation of the terms of the Global Political Agreement? Who else can satisfy the job requirements for a vacancy that ‘has arisen’ requiring a “dedicated Reserve Bank Governor with several years of experience directing operations and management of printing money at a national level?”

It is therefore not unthinkable that the return of the Zimbabwe dollar is certainly politically expedient. The overarching strategic objective is to enable themselves (Mugabe and his men) to print money that will be used to fund ‘military’ and other clandestine operations by dreaded state agents that will ‘condition’ citizens into voting for Zanu PF given the impending new elections under a ‘new constitution’.

The dollarization that occurred in January 2009 in Zimbabwe means that Gideon Gono, a not-so-credible policymaker,  is as good as unemployed at the moment because the traditional roles of a central bank chief to administer monetary policy and any form of exchange rate regime are relinquished. I can understand Mugabe and Gono’s frustrations and consequent political belligerence.

As noted in my previous articles, chaos means everything to Mugabe and his men. Economic and political instability allow for profiteering, torture, intimidation and obliteration of perceived enemies of Mugabe. No one is accountable for those heinous crimes as we saw in 2008 when hundreds of Zimbabweans perished under the ‘capable’ hands of the dictatorship especially during the period surrounding the stolen elections. Money printed by Gono funded previous violent campaigns. What will be the exception this time around if they are allowed to revive the dollar? It is no coincidence that Mugabe is calling for the revival of the Zimbabwe dollar.

For that to happen, Mugabe and his Zanu PF ‘comrades’ have to immediately enflame political tensions so that their differences will become irreconcilable and then pronounce the current marriage of convenience with MDC unsalvageable. If elections are going to be held in eighteen months, an oft-floated time frame as per GPA terms, it is clear that Zanu PF’s plot must begin to thicken otherwise they are behind schedule. It works for them if Zimbabwe slips into becoming a lawlessness nation once again.

What research or studies have they conducted which show that the people of Zimbabwe would rather prefer a return of the Zimbabwe dollar? It is all about them and not the people of Zimbabwe. Dollarization has caused Zimbabwe to experience negative inflation and an abundant supply of the once-scarce basic commodities (notwithstanding the academic debate surrounding deflation). Stores and supermarkets are overflowing with all sorts of products at the consumer’s disposal, a rare phenomenon for so many years under the ever-mutating Zimbabwe dollar’s protracted existence.

If it were not for extenuating political circumstances that Zimbabwe finds itself in, I would have advocated for partial dollarization where simultaneously, foreign currency is legal tender alongside the Zimbabwe dollar. I would also prefer a dollarization that uses South African Rand instead of the US dollar for obvious reasons such as easy accessibility of the Rand. In any case, for close to a decade, Zimbabwe has always been the unofficial Province of South Africa, highly integrated into it. One wonders why Zimbabwe has not pushed hard to be part of rand monetary union.

Dollarization of the Zimbabwe is a necessary confidence-building stimulus to the international community of investors who were leery of investing in a hyperinflationary economy of Zimbabwe, whose inflation record secured Zimbabwe’s entry into the Guinness Book of Records.  Dollarization has already paved way for easier integration of the Zimbabwean economy into the global marketplace as more countries are opening lines of credit for Zimbabwe while investors are lining up to cease business opportunities in Zimbabwe.

In 2007, Guinness Book of Records had Zimbabwe listed in ‘every category’  including being the country with  the “most worthless currency, world’s highest inflation, Mugabe voted into top three Dictators… stunning, see how he wiped out an entire commercial farming system in SIX years, now the place is a basket case instead of a bread basket. It goes on and on”, noted Lord Pint, press secretary of Guinness Book of Records.

Outside of dollarization there is no viable alternative for Zimbabwe to accelerate its economic regeneration and sustained economic growth. The return of the Zimbabwe dollar, an anathema to the reform agenda, will certainly signify a return to economic and political instability much to the benefit of yesteryear’s plunderers. The people of Zimbabwe have been taken for a ride for too long! Again we call upon Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his camp of progressives to proactively lead in stirring popular anger and resistance against Mugabe’s machinations.

“Zimbabwe PM Tsvangirai Catching a Falling Knife”

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s world tour that sought to financially reintegrate Zimbabwe into the international community finally came to a close last week. Whether the mission was successful or not depends on your political persuasion per se. While the Prime Minister carefully nuanced positions on the status of the Inclusive Government in Zimbabwe and what the future might (positively) hold, the facts on the ground indicate a disturbing pattern. To the informed, there is no disagreement that the perfidious game of political correctness which is now threatening to diminish the PM’s political capital has just begun. For the new PM, this is not the most enviable of times ‘to be king’.

Contrary to many critics, it must be noted that it was indeed a successful trip. It could have been more successful if Zanu PF had stopped undercutting the PM’s mission by inciting more farm invasions, wanton arrest of lawyers and journalists as well as engaging in all sorts of vituperation of the West. Those who celebrate the booing of PM Tsvangirai also forgot to tell us that the “Mugabe Must Go” sloganeering was even more rapturous and enduring at that venue.

Inside Zanu PF there is an embittered lunatic fringe that is eternally opposed to the inclusive government and all forms of progressiveness. These die-hards are hard-wired to think that whatever US or UK says is tantamount to imperial hubris. They will never learn that it is not ‘cool’ to spit into the wind  or to lie to your doctor.

More conspicuously, Zanu PF’s handyman, Jonathan Moyo again opened a new chapter speaking contemptuously of the Prime Minister branding him a ‘slave’ because President Obama had graciously welcomed him at the White House. To this present day, no other man is as skilled as Jonathan Moyo at doing Zanu PF’s odd jobs. Remember his first odd job as the architect and director of the “Yes Campaign” of a fraudulently re-written Constitution of 2000, resoundingly defeated by the people of Zimbabwe. For some reason that got him promoted to the Ministry of Information.

It was the same Jonathan Moyo, who told a pack of lies profusely and shamelessly when he was Mugabe’s Minister of (mis)information. He publicly told the nation that he considered the  Daily News to be a national security threat that needed to be dealt with “once and for all” a day before the newspaper’s printing press was savagely bombed  on January 28, 2001.

On one hand Mugabe is begging while on the other he is brazenly promoting violence and lawlessness as his lieutenants wantonly locked up innocents, mainly from the opposition MDC and harassing journalists. While the PM is working hard to rebuild burnt bridges and alliances, Mugabe is busy wining and dining with dictators such as Omar al Bashir who massacred hundreds of thousands of black Africans in Sudan. There is a disconnect between begging and arrogance. Then they complain that PM Tsvangirai’s mission was a disaster. It is an uphill task for PM Tsvangirai especially given Mugabe’s double standards.

What is there to contest when the PM says “”We have a real chance to turn Zimbabwe into a success story in partnership with the international community”? The tribal thinking purveyed by Mugabe and his ideologues that Zimbabwe was somehow going to survive as a pariah state, was primitive, destructive and became the quickest road to economic hell. Jonathan Moyo underscored that mentality when he recently said “We are entitled to elect nincompoops and suffer them for the duration of their tenure.” Zanu PF nincompoops were never elected, they imposed themselves on us!

In addition, the so-called war veterans are still on the rampage, roving and raiding in search of plunder mostly sponsored by Mugabe and his men. Most of those “war veterans,” are nothing more than a bunch of rented thugs, unemployed (unemployable, to be precise!) and too young to have fought in the liberation war that ended nearly 30 years ago, most of them were not even born! In any case who cares about useless war credentials, even though most of them are concocted.  We are for democracy and economic prosperity. 

What we are seeing in Zimbabwe at the moment is the epitome of chaos theory of politics. We hear Gono must go by MDC vs Gono ain’t going nowhere by Mugabe, Mugabe for Kariba Draft  Constitution vs Tsvangirai rejects Kariba Draft Constitution, no more farm invasions vs more farm invasions, US dollar here to stay by Tsvangirai vs Mugabe urges return of Zimbabwe dollar, rule of law restored vs journalists and activists arrested , Attorney General to formally charge Biti with treason (again), MDC Director General still locked up, Tsvangirai is Mugabe’s puppet vs I am not Mugabe’s puppet, by Tsvangirai,  the litany of dichotomies goes on and on. The rhetoric has also been ratcheting up week after week.

At the same time, buyer’s remorse for the Inclusive Government has already kicked in. Ordinary Zimbabweans are worried about Zanu PF’s wanton violations of Global Political Agreement (GPA) terms while MDC appears to be unperturbed. The base is becoming increasingly anxious about the fate of the Inclusive Government. The dream for hope and change seems to be slipping away by the day.

The same is happening here in the US with the Obama administration. President Obama has capitulated on a number of campaign promises: whether it relates to prosecuting war crimes allegedly committed by Bush and company, habeas corpus with regard to Obama’s restoration of Bush’s military tribunals for Guantanamo prisoners indefinitely held there, cosmetic Wall Street reforms, disenchantment with the way the wars are going particularly in Afghanistan as well as frustrations with a fast dwindling economy are some of the pertinent issues.

The major source of my personal misgivings and current buyer’s remorse has been the bloated size of the bankrupt Zimbabwe government which is chockfull of redundant ministries.  For instance, it is retarded to have a Minister of Education, Minister of AND Higher Education; Minister of Agriculture, Minister of AND Lands, Minister of AND Water; Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of AND Home Affairs (two of them) and of course there are several ministers of State in the Ministers of state’s offices (sic).

In Zimbabwean politics Zanu PF feeds and burgeons on organized chaos while the MDC continues to play ‘the nice guy’. To gain a perspective, Mugabe thrives when things are fractious with a prevailing war-like situation that breeds animosity and paranoia. To this present day Mugabe has created for himself extremely messy situations that even saw hundreds of people dying yet for him it served a sinister purpose as he is always the progenitor of such chaos. Some of the situations seemed to indicate that the dictator was cornered and finally going but only to see him emerging more viciously entrenched than before. There is no better definition of a dictator than someone who has been in power by hook and crook for 29 years and still counting,

Mugabe and his Zanu PF party know fully well that they will never win any free and fair election in Zimbabwe. For that reason, their political machinations are light years ahead of the MDC, no wonder they are already talking about the Kariba Draft which they are gearing to exploit in order to circumvent the constitutional reform process. Mugabe believes that Zimbabwe’s politics is in his possession and under his dominion. MDC politicians have to be strong enough to stand up to Zanu PF’s cunning schemes.

When Prime Minister Tsvangirai says Mugabe is part of the and solution, he ‘ain’t kiddin’. For the faint-hearted, like me, I pray for the Prime Minister’s safety occasionally as he is surrounded by brigands. The problem is that the Inclusive Government has ensured safety for thugs, murderers and rapists whose atrocious human rights records are a ‘public secret’. As a result they have been given tacit approval to continue with those crimes against humanity with impunity.

If more MDC-affiliated ministers were as fearless and tenacious as Tendai Biti, half the GNU’s problems would have been solved by now. Their docility has huge political consequences for the people of Zimbabwe and for the PM himself. Take the Home Affairs Minister, Giles Mutsekwa for instance, wherever he has been hibernating all these months is quite a mystery. What a waste of an appointment!  

In what seemed like a brewing class warfare, we also learnt that the Zimbabwean Diaspora community in the UK was extremely hostile to the Prime Minister because he had appealed to them about the need to return home arguing that Zimbabwe has become more stable than before the inclusive government was instituted.

The notion that the Prime Minister was deliberately attempting to mislead Zimbabweans in the Diaspora is political naiveté at its worst. We met him in Washington DC and he said exactly the same words that he repeated in the UK. We found no offense in his remarks, instead we saw a patriot whose sole objective ( at least for now) is to ensure that the Diaspora urgently re-engages with the homeland. If the people in the Diaspora want to hear a false diagnosis of what Zimbabwe needs in order for it to move forward, then the PM was certainly not the harbinger of such falsehoods. He was forthright on that issue. What the brothers and sisters in the UK might have missed is that the economic realities of the Zimbabwe situation require a massive brain gain to reverse the brain drain that occurred.

On the other hand, it would be unfair to entirely blame the Diaspora for not cordially welcoming the Prime Minister. Relations between Zimbabwean politicians and those in the Diaspora have always been rocky.  Mugabe himself started the animosity with his regular diatribes that ridiculed and demeaned the people in the Diaspora.

I can understand the Zimbabwean Diaspora’s frustrations. As reported in the Herald of September 4, 2004 Mugabe’s chronic bellicose rhetoric took him to another level when he castigated the Diaspora saying: “Vanoenda kunaBlair (Tony, British Prime Minister) vosvika ikoko basa ravanopiwa nderekuchengeta tuchembere vachitukwenya misana. Aiwaka regai kutinyadzisa kudaro,” (scoffing at the trashy jobs that the Diasporans sometimes settle for, such as working in nursing homes)

Ironically, Mugabe’s money-printing economy was literally sustained by Diaspora remittances.  According to his own admission, the Minister of Economic Planning Elton Mangoma, admitted recently that the Diaspora remits up to US$1 billion a year to Zimbabwe. Surprisingly, there is no deliberate strategy to harness this tremendous financial resource.

The mere fact that PM Tsvangirai teamed up with Mugabe and his ilk, the very embodiments of violence, cruelty and moral ugliness is a source of convulsions to many in the Diaspora. However there was no other way out of this political quagmire except through the inclusive government. In any case the Diaspora takes portion of the blame for deserting the struggle and leaving it to MDC alone. Whoever mentioned that the people of Zimbabwe were experiencing ‘struggle fatigue’ was right. It was not the first time Mugabe had stolen an election yet nothing was done about that.

The general populace that the Diaspora left in Zimbabwe after the mass exodus was incapable of waging a formidable civil disobedience (the magnitude of recent Iranian uprising or Ukraine’s Orange Revolution) that was needed to topple Mugabe. The international community had given up on Zimbabwe only to resurface last year with an inclusive government-type deal. Probably if Zimbabwe and Sudan had weapons of mass destruction, that would have been a different story as more and appropriate international attention would have been invested in both countries.

In that regard, the Diaspora has not been included in the leadership of the inclusive government regardless of the role it played (and continues to play) in the Zimbabwean economy. Understandably so, previously the Diaspora was not allowed to vote hence it was politically insignificant. Politicians want power and votes. There is no doubt that the impending new constitution will include the Diaspora vote hence resurrecting its role. Going forward, who does not want part of the ‘four million people’ cake which is almost half the entire electorate?

The Diaspora is suddenly becoming a strong force to reckon with even though its true role continues to be bastardized by paranoid politicians. As a way of illustration, let’s do some fuzzy math here: There is no disagreement that the four million people who left Zimbabwe are economically active. Assuming that the inclusive government embarks on a ‘US$100 per Diasporan’ fund raising campaign in exchange of stock ownership in a stable publicly traded company, total revenue will be $400 million easily. Compare that with the current pathetic monthly national revenues of US$6 million.

This donor/aid syndrome has blinded the Biti’s and the Mangoma’s of our time who are responsible for economic recovery strategy. Home-grown solutions work, but it starts by proactively engaging and appreciating the role that the Diaspora can play. Things have to be done differently this time around. It is sad to note that the Diaspora has been taken for granted yet it has the potential to kick-start the economy in an enormous way.

Let us also remember that the battle to clean up Zimbabwe requires all of us, each one playing his or her part and not just the MDC. Who said it is safe out there (in Zimbabwe) for the PM and the MDC?  Dr. Martin L. King once said: “Cowardice asks the question: is it safe? Expediency asks the question: is it political? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience asks the question: is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular – but one must take it simply because it is right.”

In the contemporary context, for the PM, it was also a question of a flawed communication strategy. The Diaspora in various parts of the world has developed its own cultures, norms and sensitivities over the past decade. There has to be a deliberate effort to politically and economically engage the Diaspora. In all his speeches and interviews, the PM has at least five competing audiences that have to be addressed, unfortunately simultaneously most of the time: the international/donor community, the Diaspora, Zanu PF machinery, MDC followers and the general Zimbabwean populace.

At this point the PM needs wordsmiths. His communications department should be more than a mere spinning apparatus but a robust team that engages these audiences on a regular basis churning out intelligent stuff. When we hear that the PM has embarked on a newsletter it comes as no surprise. The question still remains as to how far the MDC has taken issue with the Herald. The MDC must demand its fair share of airtime as well as a complete reform of the Herald to include firing partisan journalists. There has to be a revolt because Zanu PF is getting away with too many crimes.

However that is not to say the PM must be allowed to manipulate people into a tacit acceptance of many of the policies that he campaigned against and that the MDC stands for. For instance it was inappropriate for him to say that there is no violence in Zimbabwe (if reports are authenticated). For those of us in MDC, we know fully well that there has to be strong loyal opposition and self-criticism for our leadership, lack of which will be self-destructive.  Zanu PF regime successfully produced the Mugabe monster. By now Mugabe should have been comfortably and fully retired as an elderly patriarch like Nelson Mandela.

In the world of stock market investments, it is a taboo to attempt to catch a falling knife. It is considered suicidal to try and invest in a freefalling stock like Zimbabwe, not until it bottoms out. For the PM, trying to rescue Zimbabwe is like attempting to catch a falling knife. It is lethal. It is this heroic dedication that should see men and women rallying around the cause for reform and change in Zimbabwe. The journey is full of several obstacles and treacheries.

 In carrying out his duties of helping to rebuild Zimbabwe, we have to remember that Mr Morgan Tsvangirai has also morphed from being a mere leader of an opposition party to a leader of a country.  It is also very easy to judge the Prime Minister against a resume of five months yet we have a failed Mugabe with a useless resume of nearly 30 years.

PM has a difficult task of trying to plug holes that were created by the Mugabe’s regime for so long. At the same time no one quite knows what exactly the future holds. PM is in a battle to win for “hearts and minds” of the international community. The Jonathan Moyo notion that somehow USA and UK will just pour money into Zimbabwe is delusional. They are frustrated and envious of the fact that the PM is proving to be a nimble politician, surprisingly to them, contrary to many warped and preconceived notions such as the one which Mugabe desperately  promoted when he occasionally branded Tsvangirai as an ‘ignoramus’ that will ‘never ever rule Zimbabwe!’

Mr Gono is nobody’s genius: Mr Bloch Please

In a space of two years, Gono successfully slashed a total of 25 zeroes. The name Gono, arguably one of the most corrupt public officials during Mugabe’s regime, cannot feature in the same sentence with the word genius. Given his supreme arrogance, it might very well be that the embattled Governor bribed Mr Bloch to publicly endorse him by bizarrely painting him as a ‘genius’. Remember Mr Gono vainly tried to rehabilitate his already-withered reputation in his pathetically written and self-aggrandizing book entitled ‘Casino Economy.’ (What a waste of money!)

Mr Erich Bloch’s recent attempts to characterize the failed Reserve Bank Governor of Zimbabwe Gideon Gono as a genius are testament to how political patronage has taken precedence over economic sense in Zimbabwe. Even though Mr Bloch was already rapidly becoming irrelevant, what really compels intelligent people like him to volunteer themselves to insult an already hurting general populace of Zimbabwe is beyond us. The people of Zimbabwe deserve nothing less than a complete national apology from Mr Bloch.

There is no disagreement that the world’s highest inflation rate ever recorded in history occurred under Mr Gono’s tenure which was marked by complete financial chaos. Mr Gono’s culpability as an accomplice of President Robert Mugabe in destroying the once thriving economy of Zimbabwe is incontestable. What kind of advice was Mr Bloch giving Mr Gono given this colossal economic failure?

Fortunately, Mr Bloch’s opinions do not reflect those of the rest of the Zimbabwean people. Zimcitizen.com has written to the internationally renowned Gallup Organization requesting them to conduct a survey  to find out what people really think about Mr Bloch’s assertions that Mr Gono is a ‘genius’as well as his (un)favorability ratings. In August 2008, before the cholera outbreak and a spike in politically-motivated violence, it was the same leading barometer of public opinion, Gallup Poll, which revealed Mr Mugabe’s approval rating among Zimbabweans domiciled in Zimbabwe as 17%.

To better debug Mr Bloch’s myth that Mr Gono is a ‘genius’ there is need to look at his entire role during the Mugabe regime. Mr Gono’s name is synonymous with Mr Mugabe for a variety of reasons but chiefly because he has long been known as Mugabe’s personal banker and one of his closest allies. As a senior civil servant, Mr Gono was privatized,  in turn, he agreed to sacrifice his public responsibilities for private good.  Recently, as Mr Mugabe declared that “Gono will not go” his military brass declared that “we can take up arms if they try to dethrone the Governor.”

Mr Gono sponsored Mr Mugabe’s violent and bloody attacks on perceived enemies of the State who were overwhelmingly defenseless citizens – members of the opposition, MDC. Most notoriously, as an executive member of the much-dreaded Joint Operations Command, his hands are dripping with blood of hundreds of innocent civilians who never lived to see this so-called new Zimbabwe. Mr Gono and Mr Mugabe have legacies that are strangely alike.

Mr Gono is increasingly refusing to go in spite of conventional wisdom that Zimbabwe is now at a stage where new blood is needed. In line with terms laid out in the Global Political Agreement, there is an urgent need to heed calls by the well-meaning Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Finance Minister, Tendai Biti that Mr Gono’s  departure  “is important so that we restore the legitimacy, credibility and integrity of the Reserve Bank.”

To gain a perspective of his governorship of the Reserve Bank, Mr Gono assumed office in December 2003 when inflation was 600%. A year later, Mr Gono made erroneous but upbeat assurances that “in 2005, the inflation rate is projected to continue to decline steadily through the year to end between 20 and 35 percent,” even though all economic indicators suggested that the economy was headed for the intensive care unit. Obviously his projection was drunk. In fact it became a pattern of his leadership style throughout: inspired by fortune-telling instead of sound economics and ethical practices.

Statistics from the Government of Zimbabwe’s Central Statistical Office (CSO) showed that by October 2008, official inflation rate was 231 million% even though projections by many economists were well-over 5 sextillion percent, according to The Times, February 4, 2009. According to Professor Steve Hanke, renowned economist of Johns Hopkins University and Cato Institute Senior Fellow, who developed the Hanke Hyperinflation Index for Zimbabwe (HHIZ), by September 2009 Zimbabwe’s inflation was as high as 89.7 sextillion percent.

If removing zeroes from the national currency, a not-so-rare-occurrence under Mr Gono’s tenure, is tantamount to acts of genius, then Mr Bloch is not being disingenuous. The man (Mr Gono), has  no shame for such pathetic performance. He bragged about anything. Early this year (February 2, 2009), during one of his unpopular zero-removing ceremonies, he had the audacity to say “This Monetary Policy Statement unveils yet another necessary program of revaluing our local currency, through the removal of 12 zeroes, with immediate effect.” The highest currency (dollar bill) at that time (February 2, 2009) was 100 trillion which was equivalent to 30 US cents.

Prior to that, six months earlier (July 30 2008), he had slashed ten zeroes from the local currency. Mr Gono announced that “the Zimbabwe dollar will be redenominated by a factor of one to 10, which means we are removing 10 zeros from our monetary value. Ten billion dollars today will be reduced to one dollar with effective from August 1, (2008)”. Even the bearer checks introduced 3 years earlier were cosmetic solutions to deep-seated economic problems. There was no mention of how the Governor was going to address the hyperinflationary environment. In a space of two years, Gono successfully slashed a total of 25 zeroes.

The name Mr Gono, arguably one of the most corrupt public officials during Mugabe’s regime, cannot feature in the same sentence with the word genius. Given his supreme arrogance, it might very well be that the embattled Governor bribed Mr Bloch to publicly endorse him by bizarrely painting him as a ‘genius’. Remember Mr Gono vainly tried to rehabilitate his already-withered reputation in his pathetically written and self-aggrandizing book entitled ‘Casino Economy.’ (What a waste of money!)

 At first we were tempted to call Mr Bloch’s behavior the equivalent of what the former US Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan referred to as an instance of ‘irrational exuberance’. But again Mr Bloch is not that economically naïve as to be blind to the damage that Mr Gono’s policies have caused. (But alas, he never had any!) Upon further reflection we concluded that this did not come as a coincidence but a well-orchestrated attempt that coerced Mr Bloch to sanitize Mr Gono.

Mr Bloch is not alone, he is not the first intellectual to surprise the nation by displaying such weird public behavior. Professor Jonathan Moyo fits in that category perfectly, even though he is still prostituting and switching sides whenever it becomes convenient for him to do so.

Shortages of everything defined Mr Gono’s tenure. They ranged from shortages of local currency, foreign currency,  food, fuel, water, medical supplies, educational supplies, toilet paper and everything imaginable.  Life in Zimbabwe was characterized by long queues. When the cholera outbreak (caused by shortages in sewer treatment chemicals, hence contaminated water) finally hit last year, over three thousand people died. Another argument for Mr Gono’s culpability! To this present day, the disease is still ‘alive and well’ having infected over 100 000 people.

In essence Mr Gono became a co-CEO of one of the world’s leading money printing companies, Giesecke & Devrient based in Germany which had the monopoly of supplying planeloads of Zimbabwe’s quintillion bank notes. Even though they told us that they were under targeted sanctions, that did not stop them from shipping their flowers to Europe,  importing the bank notes from Germany or getting Chinese ships full of tear gas and police equipment to use them against defenseless citizens.

In October 2008, speaking to the government owned Herald, Mr Gono said, “I must reiterate that I am going to print and print and sign the money until sanctions are removed and there is balance-of-payments support. It’s a commitment I am ready to be fired for because we need money for infrastructural development.” Doesn’t economics 101 teach that printing money is a recipe for inflation?

By his own admission, Mr Gono stated that the Reserve Bank confiscated multi-million dollars in private and personal foreign currency accounts, junta-style. According to Mr Bloch, only a genius could do that. The international aid agency Global Fund, a victim of such malpractices threatened to pull out of Zimbabwe unless Mr Gono returned its US$7.3 million that was arbitrarily raided by Mr Gono.

As the country’s coffers intermittently ran dry, Zimbabwe saw the resurgence of barter trade, one of the oldest forms of commerce, which dates back to the beginning of civilization. Many companies were prompted to use barter trade. In August 2008, auctioneers Hammer and Tongues wasted no time announcing their newest innovation called “auction by barter” where dozens of cars and other goods became readily available for bidding payable by gas coupons. Against a backdrop of financial hardships, the company announced that it was time for “homegrown solutions for Zimbabweans. Now we are selling in liters not in dollars.”

We fully understand that Mr Bloch has spent so many years in the comfortable company of an irresponsible Reserve Bank Governor who with the help of his master, plunged Zimbabwe into a tumultuous vortex of this economic whirlwind but eulogizing Mr Gono for his gargantuan failures is a shame.

If this is what Mr Eric Bloch calls ‘genius,’ then we have one request, in his second life may he come back as a reptile!

Dealing with Zimbabwe’s own shameful Guantanamo’s, Blagojevich’s and Toxic Zanu PF Waste

“The  recent arrest of Roy Bennet comes as no surprise given the fact that Zimbabwe’s military junta is desperately working to derail the unity government in pursuit of selfish agendas. Even more intriguing and worrisome is President Robert Mugabe’s silence. The people of Zimbabwe expect him to take full responsibility for this prevailing chaotic situation that has the potential to throw the country back into the past. This is an opportunity for President Mugabe to tell the world that for the first time, the new Zimbabwe that we have all cautiously celebrated does not condone torture or promote lawlessness. This is not the time to play the same old tired politics when the country desperately needs to stimulate confidence in the global village. This development presents an enormous cost to the whole nation as Zimbabwe begins to battle re-entrance into the global community. This is the moment to capitalise on the goodwill that the new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai brings to the table. We demand the immediate release of Roy Bennet and Zimbabwe must move forward.”

As Mr Obama finally ascended to the US presidency, George W Bush wasted no time crawling into a well-deserved oblivion while his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe, continues to precariously cling to power in a tight race against time. Last week, the prospect of instituting a government of national unity in Zimbabwe was finally realized after SADC intensified diplomatic efforts following several months of political paralysis which emanated from a deceptively written ‘unity’ document. With an economy that is in intensive care unit and a spiraling cholera crisis that killed over 1000 people in the last 15 days of January 2009, according to the World Health Organization, the massive challenges facing Zimbabwe are tragically mounting. If the country is ever going to regain normalcy, a number of things have to happen. Nevertheless, congratulations Prime Minister Tsvangirai!
 
First of all let us gain a perspective on why the government of national unity (GNU) is a necessary evil. We have already heard enough from populist commentaries and academic arguments coming from career politicians and activists devoid of pragmatism. While some of those cryptic predictions are not without merit, the people of Zimbabwe also want to hear more from those  scribes who hold positive opinion and contributions on how to make the unity government a success. It is sad that many continue to fantasize in the comfort of their homes, mostly in the diaspora, while Zimbabwe is burning.
 
As a proponent of the government of national unity even before the elections were held, I wrote a piece back in February 2008 entitled “The myth of a smooth transition” arguing that Mugabe’s grip on power was carved in stone in spite of democratic voices that did not recognize him any longer. As soon as GNU was first announced in September 2008, I wrote “Houston we’ve got a Problem called Mugabe” which succinctly pointed out the extraordinary slipperiness of the deal given Mugabe’s time-tested trickery and megalomania. However, I still reminded Zimbabweans that “it is better to light a candle than to continue to curse darkness” (See article www.nationalvision.wordpress.com).
 
A few months later, as the deal teetered on the brink of collapse, cholera became an epidemic representing a ‘man-made’ disaster of cataclysmic proportions. It is continuing to decimate thousands while Mugabe’s bankrupt government watches haplessly. Whoever called the carnage ‘passive genocide” got it right!
 
Many Zimbabweans are fully cognizant of the fragility of the unity government announced recently (one more time) and it is their right to be suspicious of politicians. In spite of the disillusionment, I think it is in every Zimbabwean’s interest to work towards its success. Unity government is the only solution that will help Zimbabwe to confront the challenges facing the country.
 
Call them peace-loving, oppressed or outright pusill animous, the people of Zimbabwe have successfully demonstrated that they are incapable of mounting a formidable civil disobedience campaign to topple the regime. Their desperate socio-economic circumstances have caused them to resign from political engagement having seen the futility of their efforts, most notably after Mugabe stole the 2002 and 2008 election. The people of Zimbabwe now belong to a failed state or at least a failing state. By definition, a failed state is a country that can no longer perform basic functions such as health delivery, education, social amenities or governance. After all Africa is home to many failed states such as Somalia, DRC and Sudan. Zimbabwe is arguably another one or at least fast teetering into becoming one.
 
The notion that maintaining the status quo will somehow lead to change is tantamount to fighting a utopian agenda. Mugabe refused to go at least twice but no activism (outside of MDC) yielded anything. If Mugabe was going to be left with his ‘power’ intact with the MDC continuing to ‘pressure’ from the sidelines (assuming power-sharing failed), his departure would inevitably create an irredeemable power vacuum that could only be filled by the vicious military and the more radical elements of his Zanu PF party.
 
 
It is no secret that beyond the Zanu PF façade, real political power lies within the military and the deadly spy organization, the CIO. There is a defacto military rule in Zimbabwe. Morgan Tsvangirai has to come in now, the people of Zimbabwe elected him as their leader and they desperately need him, it is their right to be led by him. While the GNU is a temporary reprieve, it must be exploited quickly and to the fullest.
 
As the unity government gathers momentum, Zimbabweans expect the new government to do away with the Guantanamo’s that Mugabe and his cronies built. These Guantanamo’s come in three forms: Firstly, they are unknown locations holding political prisoners of war, where perceived enemies of Mugabe are being tortured endlessly. It is a war declared by Mugabe on the citizens of Zimbabwe.
 
Secondly Zimbabwe’s Guantamos are dangerous dysfunctional prisons where ‘inmates’ go to die. Many activists such as Jestina Mukoko, continue to suffer behind bars fa cing trumped-up charges. If the new government decides to keep these Guantanamo’s open, then they must be occupied by qualified residents who happen to be Mugabe and his Zanu PF thugs who for decades shamelessly killed, looted and raped Zimbabwe. They can begin to have a test of their own medicine. They can also tell us what it feels like to take a vacation in their filthy and lice-infested prisons where food barely exists.
 
The third Guantanamo is Zimbabwe’s security apparatus (which I prefer to call security insurgents). These are men and women who carried out unprecedented wave of violence and spectacular attacks against defenseless citizens causing hundreds of deaths. The nation still mourns them, especially the likes of Tonderai Ndira, Joshua Bakacheza, Tichaona Chiminya, Tapiwa Mbwada, etc. We should never rest until closure is brought to sweltering injustices and harrowing murders that robbed Zimbabwe of its great citizens. There is need to reform the police, military, police and the secret service (Central Intelligence Organization) starting with those in the hierarchy. If Zimbabweans had their way, disbanding the CIO and military leadership would be considered priority number one that would effectively end terror. To ordinary citizens, the CIO and military represent death and torture having infiltrated every aspect of their life. But the nation must ask: What is it that they are supposed to do in the first place?
 
Another hurdle to overcome is Zimbabwe’s own Blagojevich’s who largely caused Zimbabwe’s economic ruin.  These are ‘denialists’ and  obstructionists. They will continue to impede progress for personal gain. The bureaucracy of Zimbabwe is run by inept ‘denialists’ who will never admit that their failed policies created the economic catastrophe that exists today. Instead, the conventional excuse is to lay blame on the so-called meddling in internal affairs by Western imperialists.  
 
The  recent of arrest of Roy Bennet comes as no surprise given the fact that Zimbabwe’s military junta is desperately working to derail the unity government in pursuit of selfish agendas. Even more intriguing and worrisome is President Robert Mugabe’s silence. The people of Zimbabwe expect him to take full responsibility for this prevailing chaotic situation that has the potential to throw the country back into the past. This is an opportunity for President Mugabe to tell the world that for the first time, the new Zimbabwe that we have all cautiously celebrated does not condone torture or promote lawlessness. This is not the time to play the same old tired politics when the country desperately needs to stimulate confidence in the global village. This development presents an enormous cost to the whole nation as Zimbabwe begins to battle re-entrance into the global community. This is the moment to capitalise on the goodwill that the new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai brings to the table. We demand the immediate release of Roy Bennet and Zimbabwe must move forward.
 
For the  sake of the poverty-ravaged Zimbabweans, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Zimbabwe must take these distractions head on but never losing sight of the big issues. This is no the time for whining crybabies,  The fight and the struggle must be taken back to them. It is a phase that we all expect. We are witnessing the last kicks of a dying horse! When they say Roy Bennet wanted to assassinate Mugabe, doesn’t that sound quite familiar and boring? Tendai Biti and Morgan Tsvangirai went endured similar harrasment but it turned out that the charges were maliciousy concocted resulting in the contemptuous dismissal of the both cases.
 
The other Blagojevich’s also comes in form of inflated egos that represent serious liabilities to the people of Zimbabwe. We all saw the spectacular rise and fall of former (mis)Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, Mugabe’s apologist-in-chief and the man behind the engineering of draconian anti-media laws that breathed life into the dictatorship. Wait a minute! We just heard that he has been earmarked f or another rise again! Now, that is a fascinating development. Moyo is the architect of Zimbabwe’s Broadcasting Services Act that created TV monopoly and barred would-be-operators except ZBC. His Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act created the world’s harshest conditions for journalists operating in Zimbabwe. Even his former master, Robert Mugabe, sacked him at one time accusing him of plotting a coup. In February 2005, Mugabe chastised Moyo in public saying: “No, Jonathan, you are clever, but you lack wisdom. You are educated, but you do not have wisdom.”
 
Jonathan Moyo alongside Arthur Mutambara easily make it on the list of Zimbabwe’s ten most dangerous politicians as well as another list of the ‘most opportunistic opportunists.’ Whereas Arthur Mutambara is a grandstander and an overrated clown consumed with boosting his own ego, the foul-mouthed Jonathan Moyo has proven impure intentions to such an extent that many Zimbabweans regard him as the ‘evil professor.’
 
If anybody thinks that I am vilifying Moyo, then he/she needs to start profiling him. Here is a sneak preview, an extract of what he wrote on November 18, 2004 in an article entitled Why Mugabe should go now: “That Mugabe must now go is thus no longer a dismissible opposition slogan but a strategic necessity that desperately needs urgent legal and constitutional action by Mugabe himself well ahead of the presidential election scheduled for March 2008 in order to safeguard Zimbabwe’s national interest, security and sovereignty.” Mugabe is “a fatal danger to the public interest of Zimbabweans at home and in the diaspora that each day that goes by with him in office leaves the nation’s survival at great risk while seriously compromising national sovereignty” (Read full article available on http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/sky90.12869.html)
 
Why does Jonathan Moyo even warrant my attention or that of the nation for that matter? The answer is very simple: Jonathan Moyo is a dangerous man whose impending appointment for a post in the new government (for whatever portfolio) brings back stressful and horrible memories having previously played a role tantamount to that of Hitler’s mouth-piece, Dr Joseph Goebbels.
 
The nation will never forget how on January 28, 2001 the printing press of the independent Daily News was bombed military-style, yet five days earlier, Jonathan Moyo, the then Minister of Information and government’s chief propagandist, publicly stated that the independent daily would be silenced “once and for all” because it posed a ’serious risk’ to the nation. On denying the Daily News a license, in October 2003 after his sponsored new laws, Jonathan Moyo stated, “I have always had a nagging feeling that for all their propensity to liberal values and civilised norms, these people are dirty. In fact, they are filthy and recklessly uncouth and actually barbaric”. Back in June 2008, before he switched again I wrote an insightful piece entitled “weird Professors and Opportunism in Zimbabwe” available on www.nationalvision.wordpress.com
 
 Do Zimbabweans want these Zanu PF toxins like Moyo to be in charge of their future again? They constitute part of several blue-eyed expectant successors and power-freaks who have been groomed by the dictatorship of nearly three decades.
 
Zimbabwe needs to see more impeachments of stubborn yet failed politicians as we have seen in the former Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich who was recently unanimously voted out of office. They are forever shameless! When Blagojevich was giving his defense, he retorted: “How can you throw a governor out of office who was acting to protect the lives of senior citizens and infants and trying to find ways to be able to help families?”
 
Too often Mugabe and Gono have used the same line of defense masquerading as ‘givers of land’ and ‘protectors of sovereignties’ as well as appealing to Zimbabweans that they should continue to suffer peacefully yet Zimbabweans know very well that they are a bunch of hypocrites who live in extreme luxury at home a nd in Asia (remember the self-serving Look East policy?), while Zimbabwe’s schools and hospitals have all shut down. They will continue to lie until cows come home. C. J Lewis was right in saying that “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive” and that “those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” But again, the tyranny in Zimbabwe was not a fluke event.
 
Like most failed politicians in Zanu PF, Mugabe and Gono must be the first to seriously consider stepping aside in order to pave way for new leadership that Zimbabwe desperately needs. After all their loot is enough to feed all the starving Zimbabweans!
 
While a dangerous and somber precedent has already been set by Mugabe since the announcement of the first GNU deal that eventually collapsed, the people of Zimbabwe must be vigilant to rise up against Mugabe’s hidden agenda. Zanu PF is full of toxic waste that will only serve to derail peace and prosperity for ordinary Zimbabweans. For nearly three decades, its Members of Parliament and the whole establishment has always been complicit in crimes against the economy and humanity. Why should the people of Zimbabwe ever take Zanu PF seriously given the fact that it has always choked on its own vomit? Never mind the posturing that we are seeing these days. Thankfully Mugabe and Zanu PF’s days are numbered!
 
I do not doubt Prime Minister–designate Morgan Tsvangirai’s ability to govern. He has promised swift political reform starting with normalizing Zimbabwe’s self-serving constitution that created the Mugabe monster. Morgan Tsvangirai brings to the table confidence, authority and legitimacy to the new government thereby rebuilding the much-needed international alliances for economic restitution. I have no doubt there will be a maximum of two-term limits and that Tsvangirai will follow the Mandela model – that of never overstaying his welcome.
 
Even though Mugabe and his cronies have left Zimbabwe in smoldering economic ruins, now is the time for change! Undoing the damage done in Zimbabwe is not for the faint-hearted. However it is heartening to note that no matter what happens next, Tsvngairai’ s ‘entrance’ will mean that the worst is over.  Decades of national embarrassment will be over too. With Morgan Tsvangirai at the helm, Zimbabwe has a great opportunity to renew and Zimbabweans must rally behind the man with the people’s mandate.

18 Most Horrible Things of 2008: Why 2009 is Zimbabwe’s year of Change or Rebellion.

231 Million Percent Inflation

With an official rate of 231 million percent as of October 2008, the sky is the limit for Zimbabwe’s astronomical inflation. In Zimbabwe anything called official is a lie! It is the highest inflation rate ever recorded since recording began. As that figure became official coming from the government’s Central Statistical Office (CSO), many economic experts disputed it arguing that inflation was well over 5 quintillion percent. Regrettably there seems to be no end in sight to solve the nation’s economic crisis given the paralysis that characterizes contemporary Zimbabwean politics. It is an economy whose wheels have all come off.

 ‘Zimbabwe is Mine’(to wreck!)

In addition to being a catalyst for the ongoing conundrum, Robert Mugabe is the CEO and author of Zimbabwe’s tragedies. He brazenly claims that “Zimbabwe is mine”; therefore he can do whatever he wants (as he has done over the past 28 years) regardless of what the people of Zimbabwe want or vote for. Behaving weirdly did not start today; the nation is paying the price of an unchecked mental case. There is a pattern; Mugabe has always been a malicious schemer whose machinations do not serve the nation any good other than perpetuating self-serving interests. The UN experts who described Mugabe as a “mad dictator” are correct just as US Department spokesperson Sean McCormack succinctly rebutted: “Well, last time the world checked, Zimbabwe belonged to the people of Zimbabwe.” I could not agree more!

Cholera

As of December 31 2008, official reports from the World Health Organization put Zimbabwe’s Cholera’s death toll at 1 551 while new  infections have shot past 30 000. It is very difficult to determine the exact number of deaths and infections given the calamitous state of Zimbabwe’s health delivery system.  The bulk of the population also resides in rural communities where  most cases go unreported. Sadly, it is apparent that the cholera crisis has just started.

Chiadzwa Massacres

While barely reported, Chiadzwa massacres in late 2008 represented some of the most horrific scenes of the year. On a daily basis, Chiadzwa attracted thousands of impoverished yet enterprising Zimbabweans trying to eke out a living by panning diamonds. Their only crime was tampering with the wealth that ‘belongs’ to Mugabe and his kleptocrats. The military sprayed them with bullets from helicopters. Victims were dumped in mass graves. At one point the Deputy Mayor of Mutare, Admire Mukovera asked for “space for a mass grave for 78 people killed” in Chiadzwa. While the actual number of the Chiadzwa massacres is an official secret as the area was completely sealed by government troops to avoid public access, journalists estimate them to be as high as 500.

Victims of Political Violence

More than 600 died in cold-blooded murder yet their killers are out there, alive and well. Here are a few reminders of Mugabe’s victims: Tonderai Ndira (the hero of heroes) who was abducted by ten armed ‘Mugabe men’ and later bludgeoned to death (May 2008): Joshua Bakacheza, the MDC driver whose decomposed body was found abandoned near a Beatrice farm (July 2008). Tabitha Marume who was shot and killed by soldiers at Chiwetu Rest Camp (April 2008); Percy Muchiwa, a teacher in Guruve who was beaten to death (April 2008); Bigboy Zhuwawo and Tenos Manyimo died in Mashonaland Central  after being attacked by Zanu PF militants (April 2008); Clemence Dube, an MDC polling agent who was attacked in Poshai Village of Shurugwi; Sadly, the list is endless! In addition the 29 March nation-wide post election violence exacerbated  the situation as more women were raped while opposition members were tortured and killed.

Stolen Election

They were described as a ‘sham election’ by the US and the UK.  Having taken more than a month to announce own defeat, Mugabe and his men refused to concede defeat after the violent 29-March 2008 elections. Instead they called for another round of elections, presided over by the military junta’s Joint Operations Command. It was another bloody campaign that culminated in MDC pulling out resulting in a solo contest by Zanu (PF). To this day Mugabe is an illegitimate President who said that he was not going to give up “because of a mere X”.

Surge in State-Sponsored Abductions

While Justina Mukoko has come to personify the misery suffered by those who get clamped in the jaws of Mugabe’s terror, the story of many is still untold. Now we know that a total of 560 abductions took place in Zimbabwe since January 2008. Of that number only 220 cases were closed because the remains of the murdered Zimbabweans were identified. The rest have not been accounted for as their whereabouts are still unknown. Zimbabwe still resembles a typical war zone.

Ghost Hospitals

The closure of all state-run hospitals was the epitome of the death of Zimbabwe’s health delivery system. According to the World Health organization, medical staff stopped going to work because they were literally working for nothing as inflation rendered their meager salaries worthless. Just like supermarkets and shops with empty shelves in Zimbabwe, government bankruptcy did not spare hospitals which were left without any supplies, stuff, staff or materials. Recently, UN experts reported that “Zimbabwe’s health system has completely collapsed – it cannot control the cholera outbreak which is spreading throughout the country, with a daily increase in the death toll,”.

Ghost Schools

First it was political violence that led to nationwide school closures as Mugabe’s violent presidential  campaign of 2008 wantonly  targeted teachers and aid workers  accused of supporting the opposition MDC. Now that Zimbabwe is a basket case (as opposed to bread-basket country that it used to be), a severe shortage of maize has led to the closure of most schools in Zimbabwe as far back as September. It is all part and parcel of a nationwide food crisis that is also threatening to decimate half the population of Zimbabwe.

Banning of NGO’s

In June 2008, President Mugabe banned all aid agencies that were carrying out field operations in Zimbabwe at a time when the country was in dire need of humanitarian assistance. The aid agencies were accused of working in connivance with the opposition party to effect a ‘regime change.’ Operations of hundreds of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were paralyzed yet they played such a pivotal role in providing water, food, shelter, health care and education for millions of people in the midst of the country’s economic malaise. Over the years, aid agencies have done a remarkable job in place of a diminished government. They helped to rebuild and sustain the country’s health and education system. To this very day (after their reinstatement as the epidemic got out of control) the NGO’s are largely accredited for averting a large-scale humanitarian disaster in Zimbabwe, far greater than what has happened.

Revoked Knighthood and Honorary Degrees

On June 25 2008, Queen Elizabeth II wasted no time cancelling and revoking the 1994 Knighthood bestowed on Mugabe (never mind the reasons surrounding the decision to bestow that honour in the first place).  Likewise, University of Massachusetts at Amherst stripped him of a chain of honorary degrees, a similar move made by the University of Edinburgh the previous year.

Lies, lies, lies

It is no secret that lack of sanitation and hygiene caused Zimbabwe’s cholera epidemic contrary to the lies peddled by Mugabe’s regime that “Cholera is a calculated racist attack on Zimbabwe by the former colonial power so that they can invade the country,”  Mugabe’s Information Minister also  went on state television saying: “The cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe is a serious biological, chemical war force, a genocidal onslaught, on the people of Zimbabwe by the British.”  As far back as January 2007, the Associated Press reported about Zimbabwe’s National Water Authority (ZINWA) issuing a deadly water contamination warning that “a breakdown at a major sewage treatment plant had left it spewing 72 mega-liters of raw sewage per day into a river that feeds into Lake Chivero, Harare’s main source of drinking water.”On December 11 2008, Mugabe also shocked the world when he stated that “Cholera no longer exists”.  The death toll doubled three weeks later.

5.5 million urgently need food

According to UN, Zimbabwe is sitting on time bomb liable to explode anytime if nothing radical is done by the international community to immediately send food supplies into the country. In addition to erratic weather that causes droughts, gross mismanagement of the nation’s food supply by Zimbabwe’s Grain Marketing Board (GMB) caused the crisis. On one hand Mugabe and his men continue to deride the International community whose leaders are the US and the UK while on the other hand they desperately need their help.

Shortage and Queues

In 2007, they were used to shortages and queues of basic commodities such as milk, sugar, bread and meat as empty shelves became the order of the day. For the people of Zimbabwe 2008 was the peaking of a major economic crisis as they could not even access their worthless currency ‘sitting’ in the bank while losing value by the minute. Queuing and experiencing shortages is now a way of life while the unavailability of bank notes ushered in great misery. As the year drew to a close (November 2008), uniformed soldiers went on a rampage rioting over cash shortages.

Treacherous Border Jumping by Women and Children

Images of Zimbabwean women with infants on their backs jumping razor-wire fences were a sorry sight that disturbed anyone with a conscience, let alone those of pregnant women and school kids navigating crocodile-infested waters of the Limpopo to cross into South Africa. It is not about the survival of the fittest but about the survival of the needy, forced out of their beloved homeland by political violence, poverty and hunger. The problems only start after crossing the border!

Xenophobic Attacks

In March 2008, South Africa resembled a war zone as some of its citizens murdered over 60 immigrants after unleashing violent attacks on foreigners, predominantly Zimbabweans. It is estimated that over 2 million Zimbabweans have found refuge in South Africa having fled political violence. Others simply escaped the economic misery brought about by Mugabe and his men. While other foreign nationals had the luxury of voluntarily returning to their countries, Zimbabweans have no choice as long as Mugabe and his men continue to populate the corridors of usurped power in that country. Zimbabwe is not their usual home anymore; it is a place that smacks of death.

Concocted Treason charges

Sounds familiar? True. It is a tried and tested strategy to distract the people of Zimbabwe from real issues of solving the people’s problems. In 2008, the hapless Tendai Biti of the opposition MDC appeared in public for the first time extremely shackled (complete with leg irons) after a protracted incarceration facing treason charges. He still faces the concocted charges. In August 2005 Morgan Tsvangirai was finally acquitted of fabricated treason charges that dragged on forever. Representing the State, prosecutor Florence Ziyambi declared:  “The state is withdrawing charges before plea”

Two-year old boy in jail

As the illegal detentions and abductions were brought to light the last week of December 2008, another disturbing moment took center stage – an unfamiliar political detainee.  It is a two year old boy who is among the 23 ‘perceived enemies of state.’  Zimbabwean police shamelessly violated a ruling by High Court Judge Yunus Omarjee of December 27 which  “ordered an unconditional release of 23 opposition members — including a 2-year-old boy.”according to CNN. Several news organizations have reported that the baby was also beaten up. How low can Mugabe’s government sink?

4 Positive things

Mugabe is cornered

When his government finally delivered Morgan Tsvangirai’s passport and a letter of appointment as Prime Minister, it surely showed Mugabe’s desperation. Two weeks earlier, it was the same Mugabe who called Morgan Tsvangirai a “political prostitute”. 

Tightening of Screws by SADC

Neighboring countries such as South Africa and Botswana that are importing instability and cholera are increasingly becoming restless. They also want a GNU deal struck as soon as possible.  Pressure is up and a political deal is in the offing. The GNU deal is alive and well!

Break away of Zapu

The splitting of Zapu and Zanu is healthy for Zimbabwe’s democracy.  While it adds to political pluralism, it is imperative for Zapu to move beyond regrouping to merely grieve over Matebeleland  Holocaust of more than twenty years ago or to rekindle tribal diatribes. Zimbabwe has changed. You cannot have a party for a specific region or tribe and expect to lead a nation. Get me right, while the massacres of Matebeleland should not go unpunished,  Zapu must integrate itself into mainstream Zimbabwean politics and become nationally competitive. I do not want to think that the goal is to position itself for political opportunism.  Zimbabwean politics is replete with episodes of opportunism, just ask Arthur Mutambara or Jonathan Moyo . ( I wrote a piece on that on my blog www.nationalvision.wordpress.com archives)

You and Me

We care deeply about the plight of the suffering people of Zimbabwe and we will make a difference as we continue to press for change.

Mugabe must be focusing his energies on redoing the government of national unity agreement which he deceptively authored so that Zimbabwe can move forward. With continued abductions, Zanu PF’s unflinching insistence on retaining control of Home Affairs (that ‘own’ the police) is worrisome. Most of those abductions are masterminded and spearheaded by the police. What will stop them when Morgan Tsvangirai is a titular Prime Minister? Already Zanu PF has Defence Ministry and the deadly partisan spies fall under its ministerial portfolios. People have to understand where Morgan Tsvangirai is coming from.  As for me, I will not set foot in Zimbabwe until my President is President (sic)! Vangandiita kanyama kanyama (‘BBQ me’).

The need to extend Zimbabwe’s begging bowls internationally is increasing given the gargantuan problems facing the country in 2009. The poverty in Zimbabwe is dehumanizing! Mr President please do not continue to fart in public as that scares away would-be helpers. Your flatulence problem is not terminal. Eating less of that meal of pork and beans can solve it.  In 2009, please spare us that perennial vitriol.

Zimbabwe’s mounting problems will never be solved by you and your Zanu (PF). Your diatribes serve Zimbabwe no good, but only aggravate the situation. Be reminded that at this stage, Zimbabwe requires more than just a mere political settlement. A comprehensive development strategy is required in order to solve problems bedeviling an imploded economy.

The way 2008 ended is quite ominous. Although 2009 is agog with expectations of a better life, new problems will dwarf existing ones if the government of national unity fails to succeed because of Mugabe. Simultaneously, Mugabe’s political fate is being sealed as the odds against him continue to mount while the social time bomb ticks even faster. Be reminded that continued political paralysis is a zero-sum game.

It is in the best interests of all citizens of Zimbabwe to demand change in 2009, if not, Mugabe will continue to sleepwalk the nation to its grave. It is the people of Zimbabwean who are bearing the agony and brunt of a failed leadership, ‘a tragic failure of leadership’ as stated by Nelson Mandela (who happens to be Africa’s best politician ever!)

However it is comforting to note that for now Morgan Tsvangirai is Zimbabwe’s last and best hope to get Zimbabwe back on the path of sanity. He has already treaded the treacherous politics of Zimbabwe with great honor, selflessness, grace and humility defying all appeasement attempts by Mugabe.

Dear God, for 2009 I have one request on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe:  Please increase Robert Gabriel Mugabe’s sensitivity to the plight of the suffering poor people of Zimbabwe. If possible, sneak in psychedelics into that State House in order to reduce the amount of cruelty and violence within him. Transform his declaration that “we have degrees in violence” into “we have degrees in peace,” for we know fully-well that Mugabe and his men do not want peace or political progress, “kubvongodza muto kuseva kweakaguta.” The status quo benefits them.

The people of Zimbabwe cannot afford another year of the same with Mugabe at the helm of Zimbabwean politics.  For 2009 the choices for the people of Zimbabwe are very simple:  Change, Riot or Rot!

Zimbabwe’s Grief: Cholera and Strange Things

Witches: “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble”.

 

The witches’ incantations in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” certainly resonate with the tragedy that the contemporary Zimbabwe has become. For quite some time, the country has been a cracked house. The only difference between now and then is that the house is uncontrollably leaking from all corners. There is pandemonium everywhere!

 

As Zimbabwe shrinks further into horror in form of cholera deaths, political assassinations and abductions, raging poverty and disease as well as impending mass starvation, it is imperative upon Mugabe to prove to Zimbabweans and the world that his conscience is not dead and that he is indeed still sane. Doe he not feel the emptiness of his thrown? In Zimbabwe, even kids in kindergarten can hurl shoes at him shouting despicable things as the Iraqi journalist did to George Bush. Turning in his grave, Shakespeare must be giggling in his grave pointing to the prophetic passage in Macbeth that reads: “Now does he (Mugabe) feel his title hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe upon a dwarfish thief.”

 

The cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe has become such a national catastrophe that is wiping out mostly the poor people. First of all there is need to expose the brazen and ridiculous lies peddled by Mugabe and his men that “the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe is a serious biological, chemical war force, a genocidal onslaught, on the people of Zimbabwe by the British,” as stated on the state-controlled national television by Mugabe’s Minister of (Mis)Information , Sikhanyiso Ndhlovu. Sadly it is the only television network in Zimbabwe.

 

The shameless remarks above have to be exposed for what they are, with some quick fact-check:

 

On February 20 2006, World Health Organization (WHO ZIMBABWE) released a report stating that cholera outbreak started in Chikomba on November 28 2005. Harare outbreak was reported in Glen View on December 28 2005. Many other parts of Zimbabwe began to experience the same problem. The cause was stated as contaminated water as government financially struggled to chlorinate its water supplies.  It is no secret that public services have ceased to exist in Zimbabwe as epitomized by hospital closures and a crumbled water services department.

 

In January 2007, the state-run water authority, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) issued a stark warning:

 

 “A breakdown at a major sewage treatment plant had left it spewing 72 mega-liters of raw sewage per day into a river that feeds into Lake Chivero, Harare’s main source of drinking water.” (Associated Press)

 

On February 2, 2007, almost two years ago, Associated Press also reported that “Nineteen people have contracted cholera in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, in the first outbreak of the often-deadly disease in the city in a year, Zimbabwe state radio reported Friday. The 19 are from the impoverished eastern townships of Mabvuku and Tafara, where residents have gone without clean running water for days and have been using unprotected wells, the report said.”

 

The problems related to water supplies, did not start yesterday as the Mugabe regime wants the world to believe. Associated Press (Feb 2, 2007) also reported that “Health officials have been sent to the area to hand out water purification tablets. Zimbabwean Health and Child Welfare Minister David Parirenyatwa said the situation was ‘under control,’ the report added”. A similar reckless and misleading conclusion was made by Mugabe last week (December 11, 2008) stating, “so now that there is no cholera, there is no cause for war anymore.” We have just learnt from UN that the cholera death toll has gone past 1000 and the number of infected has more than doubled to over 18 000.

 

The Associated Press also stated that “Harare once was known as the Sunshine City because of its cleanliness, but six years of economic decline have taken their toll. In many suburbs, garbage goes uncollected for weeks because the authorities have no fuel to power waste collection, while sewage flows freely from broken pipes authorities say they have no money to fix.”

 

As usual, Mugabe and his men proved again that they are forever stuck in a state of self-deception and denial. We all know that this is about an illegitimate and failed leadership presiding over a pariah of a state.They chastised “maBritish” with the same old tired rants charging that “Gordon Brown must be taken to the United Nations Security Council for being a threat to world peace and planting cholera and anthrax to invade Zimbabwe – our peaceful Zimbabwe,”

 

 How dare they call Zimbabwe peaceful when hundreds have been butchered mercilessly under the hands of Mugabe and his men just in 2008 alone? What is peaceful about Zimbabwe when political violence and several abductions are on the increase? What is peaceful about Zimbabwe when millions face starvation? Where are the twelve MDC activists whom they abducted? Where is Jestina Mukoko?

 

In any country other than Zimbabwe, such negligence and dereliction of duty that has caused  a death toll of over 1000 (and mounting) would have been met with great public outrage, several lawsuits, multiple resignations, imprisonments and impeachments. I have a message for Robert Mugabe: For the sake of the people of Zimbabwe, please go away,  to hell if possible (and don’t come back)! Cholera is not a neo-imperialistic chicanery; it is an indictment of your disregard for the dignity and sanctity of human life.

 

Fast forwarding to other issues that also constitute a litany of Zimbabwe’s turmoil, there have been a lot of strange things happening in the land lately. Since the soldiers went on a rampage demanding access to their ‘hyper-inflation –bartered’ money as well as the Manyika debacle, conspiracy theorists have mushroomed. As many have argued that the rampage was indeed staged, I had to quickly resume my mildly interesting ‘job’ of blogging.

 

The bottom-line  of my argument was also encapsulated in my previous article “Mugabe’s Self-inflicted Miserable Quandary (www.nationalvision.wordpress.com) .Simply put, what we are seeing in Zimbabwe is a case of ‘chickens coming home to roost’, it is a spontaneous implosion. I argued that people must not continue to elevate Mugabe to some kind of a political genius. He is a tired and paranoid 84-year old geriatric, devoid of any solution about how to get Zimbabwe out of the mess he created.  

 

Given Mugabe’s own mounting sense of doom and waning conviction of indomitability, there is no doubt these are the last days of the dictatorship. With a usurped presidency and a crumbling crown to secure, only violence is his last resort as he has done throughout his tenure. That same violence is being used indiscriminately on foes and friends alike. No one is safe anymore, not even his so called closest allies.

 

When Mugabe declared that he was President after losing the elections, he did not anticipate all these problems that have developed in such a short space of time. Not even Lady Macduff (Grace Mugabe) herself. Things will only get worse the longer he hangs on.

 

The recent death of his top ‘general’ Elliot Manyika, though overwhelmingly welcomed by Zimbabweans, should see his epitaph reading: “To Whom It May Concern: Be Very Afraid”. Coincidentally there has been a surge in ‘state accidents and incidents’. In the meantime, there will be blood (within Mugabe’s ruling Zanu PF) as the vicious internal power struggles and the plots for customary rituals thicken.

 

Could it be a ploy to declare a state of emergency? No. If so, then what? The problems facing Zimbabwe are too ghastly to contemplate while no one in Mugabe’s government has a clue on how to solve them. However, while Zimbabwe is already a near-failed state replete with the necessary prerequsites, it is less likely to reach the levels of Somalia or Sudan.

 

The underlying political dynamics have to be changed if progress is ever going to be made in Zimbabwe. Opposition leader President Morgan Tsvangirai has the people’s mandate to restore Zimbabwe’s pride. It will happen! Unfortunately, for now, Mugabe is choosing a path that will leave Zimbabwe in greater grief than that which already exists. As argued earlier, seizing the opportunity to settle for a bona fide government of national unity will afford him a quasi-graceful exit from Zimbabwe’s political arena that is long overdue.

Memo to SADC Heads of States: Act Now or Forever be Silent!

 

As you have seen and heard, body bags of cholera victims mostly women and children, continue to pile up at dysfunctional and abandoned hospitals in Zimbabwe while 13 000 people are already infected with the disease, according to the most recent United Nations Report. The crisis also comes at a time when more than half of Zimbabwe’s population is facing an imminent threat of hunger and starvation. Where is the Southern Africa Development Community as this preventable horror continues to unfold in Zimbabwe? As SADC heads of states, you have once again betrayed the people of Zimbabwe as you have done throughout your existence.

 

What is happening in Zimbabwe is a shame to all Africans, particularly you who wield political power in the neighboring Southern African bloc (SADC). It is a mockery to the African’s quest for independence. Looking at the governance crisis that has plagued Zimbabwe for so long, one might argue that when Ian Smith, former Prime Minister of the Rhodesia, declared unilateral independence from Britain in 1965 stating that he would not allow black majority rule in a thousand years, he probably knew what he was talking about.

 

Smith, a controversial colonialist, probably worked with the assumption that by doing so, it would be disastrous as black people were incapable of ruling themselves. In spite of his racial misgivings, he made sure that the people did not starve, the hospitals never shut down, diseases were under control, social amenities were functioning while jobs were abundantly available. It is also important to remember that this happened at a time when Rhodesia was under international sanctions, for reasons stated above. But again there are indubitable and clear cases of success stories that SADC boasts. Nelson Mandela, Festus Mogae and Khama epitomize statesmanship, grace and class.

 

While the rest of you were intoxicated with promoting Thabo Mbeki’s fantasies of an open-ended quiet diplomacy which was overflowing with implausible remedies, you were sufficiently warned on several occasions that such a scheme was unworkable. Even though Mbeki was eventually made to squirm with embarrassment after his ANC party ousted him through a no-confidence vote, his ghost as a coconspirator in nurturing Robert Mugabe’s rule lingers on.

 

Four months ago soon after his ouster, I wrote an article entitled “Indictment of Thabo Mbeki” (www.nationalvision.wordpress.com) arguing that “Mbeki has left office at a time when Zimbabwe is at the crossroads and in a complete mess, a mess he helped to create by his collusion with Mugabe in entrenching the Zimbabwean dictatorship.” While Mbeki’s influence in Zimbabwean politics has long fizzled out, Zimbabweans will forever remember him as the chief enabler of the dictatorship across the Limpopo.

 

Mugabe’s slow response (or lack thereof) in dealing with the cholera crisis is two-pronged. The main reason is that his government has been bankrupt for quite some time now given the 231 million percent inflation inter alia, a product of egregious economic mismanagement hence Zimbabwe’s health delivery system has been brought to its knees. Secondly it comes as no surprise given his government’s disdain for the poor communities in the suburbs which he previously punished for overwhelmingly supporting the opposition party.

 

You will recall that in 2005 Mugabe caused a humanitarian crisis after he unleashed armed police who went on a rampage called ‘Operation Murambatsvina’ destroying homes in the suburbs which left about 700 000 people homeless, according to the International Crisis Group and the UN-sanctioned Tibaijuka Report. Ironically, his exclusionary policies have always isolated the poor such that he has created more poverty in Zimbabwe.

 

 

You are well aware that Zimbabwe’s problems are all centered on a political crisis created by Mugabe. Your failure to denounce and punish Mugabe’s actions continue to represent a scandalous travesty of democracy. When the international community particularly US, EU and Commonwealth (which eventually suspended Zimbabwe for that reason) denounced the 2002 presidential elections in Zimbabwe as “a stolen election” many in SADC endorsed the election as “free and fair”.

 

The current acting South African President Kgalema Motlanthe is a known ally of Mugabe who as head of the South Africa observer mission, shamelessly validated Zimbabwe’s rigged 2002 elections declaring them as ‘completely free and fair’, just like many (if not all) in SADC. Electoral fraud was repeated during the 2008 elections that were still won by the MDC, according to official results. With your approval, Mugabe refused to go saying “We are not going to give up” because “of a mere X. How can a ballpoint pen fight with a gun?” The US and the international community dismissed them as ‘a sham election’. As SADC you should have enabled Morgan Tsvangirai to become President and disabled Mugabe for stealing the election.

 

Only three voices have stood with the people of Zimbabwe in their time of need including that of the late Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa. The other two are President Khama of Botswana and Prime Minister Odinga of Kenya. The rest of you have profoundly betrayed the people of Zimbabwe

 

When the genocide of Rwanda was taking place, most African leaders professed ignorance about the existence of the crisis. Now the crisis has been brewing in your backyard with the threat spilling over tour countries. Will you continue to fold your arms or you will join the international chorus to rid Zimbabwe of a dictator whose so-called sovereignty revolution has come to devour its children? In this day and age, true sovereignty should be about conquering poverty, hunger, disease, fear and ignorance.

 

As I write to you, state-sponsored political violence is again on the increase in Zimbabwe. This also comes at a time when one of the butchers of the people of Zimbabwe, Elliot Manyika, died in a car crash over the weekend. He will be dearly missed (by The Hague). It is every peace-loving Zimbabwean’s hope that this man will be tried posthumously without delay because the heinous crimes he committed are all documented. I can guarantee you that most of the children of Zimbabwe are celebrating over the end of such a sad chapter that personified violence, death and destruction!

 

Barely a week ago, Jestina Mukoko, a high proile human rights monitor and activist was abducted and her whereabouts are still unknown. God forbid, the prospects of finding her alive are dim if what happened to several former abductees is anything to go by. Activists who suffered gruesome murder after abductions include Joshua Bakacheza and Edward Chikomba. Only Mugabe and his men know what happened. There is already an outrage as more than 1000 people have already signed up to a Facebook petition demanding that Robert Mugabe spares the life of this lady wherever his hangmen are holding her. In addition, 12 MDC activists who were abducted last month are still missing and feared dead. None of you spoke in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe.

 

When violent farm seizures sponsored by Mugabe and his men (most notably Elliot Manyika) led to brutal murders of white farmers together with their black farm-workers, no one spoke a word. We now hear that as you begin to import our cholera you finally contemplating putting diplomatic pressure on Mugabe. It is a case of too little too late but the people of Zimbabwe will appreciate whatever help they get to be unyoked from the grip of the tyrant, your ‘comrade’. I have personally written extensively about the need to rise against Mugabe by the people of Zimbabwe, but they need your moral support.

 

Zimbabwean people are pleading for your help. If you cannot convince Mugabe to agree on a fair power-sharing deal with the MDC then SADC must collectively put an end to his rule as correctly advocated by Botswana. A fortnight ago, Botswana called upon Zimbabwe’s neighbours to push for regime change by sealing all borders such that “If no petrol went in (Zimbabwe) for a week, he (Mugabe) can’t last”. South Africa alone has the capacity to embargo Zimbabwe effectively enough to bring about the necessary changes in the country. There is no doubt that Zimbabwe is operating as a province of South Africa, its lifeline, in order to sustain itself.

 

What is really stopping you from taking action against Mugabe? Is it pan-Africanism? Zimbabwe is not a private enterprise for Mugabe and his friends, it belongs to that mother displaced by poverty in Zimbabwe, crawling under the precarious barbed fence of South Africa in desperate search for food. The country also belongs to the unemployed youths swimming across the crocodile infested Limpopo River into South Africa. To the refugee or asylum seeker humiliated time and again in foreign lands. Zimbabwe also belonged to the hundreds who have died under the hands of a vicious dictator as well as those who died from xenophobic attacks in the streets of South Africa.

 

As SADC you have set a distasteful precedent for Zimbabwe by allowing losers to form a unity government. You have failed to see beyond Mugabe because behind him are aspiring dictators, capable of becoming more lethal than him. The very men who committed the most heinous crime against the people of Zimbabwe (in Matebeleland during 1980’s, in 2002 and 2008 presidential elections) are the ones playing the power game. That is why it is quite chilling to note that you have helped to create a monster that will continue to give our generation headaches, after you are long gone.

 

In the meantime, as the agony of the people of Zimbabwe intensifies who among you has a conscience? Now is the time to raise your moral threshold in light of the humanitarian crisis and the searing political turmoil. If you are serious about seeing the people of Zimbabwe experiencing change, we must see that change in you first. While it is a Herculean undertaking to convince Mugabe to step down, power-sharing is not an option. It is time to act!

Mugabe’s Self-Inflicted Miserable Quandary

 http://zimbabwesituation.com/dec3_2008.html

www.nationalvision.wordpress.com

Talk of civil disobedience, we saw it coming! For the first time in history,
Zimbabwe has started to experience up-close glimpses of a mutiny. The recent
scenes of rioting and looting soldiers running skirmishes with armed police
are a precursor of what is to come given the mounting crises. In spite of
having a political career replete with innumerable acts of brutality which
successfully subdued dissension and civil liberties, Mugabe is finally
seeing his chickens coming home to roost.

Here is a self-made President trapped by his own vices and obstinacies, who
ignored the people’s call for him to go when he was defeated in 2002. He was
again defeated in 2008 and refused to leave office stating that “a mere X”
(on a ballot) would not defeat him. “How can a ballpoint fight with a gun?”
Mugabe warned. He was also aided by an equally deluded wife, Grace, who in
early June 2008 after they lost the elections, publicly declared that
“Morgan Tsvangirai will never step foot in state house”.

Ironically Mugabe is now being haunted by his own men, who brutalised the
people of Zimbabwe protecting him against the wishes of the people over the
past 28 years. Mugabe’s political convictions to stay in power forever are
built on well-founded fear that he faces several criminally prosecutable and
impeachable offenses committed during all these years he has been in power.

Like every other suffering Zimbabwean, now these men have come to realise
that Mugabe is ’shull of fit’, bent on enriching himself together with his
henchmen at the expense of the ordinary man and woman who are paying dearly
for Mugabe’s tragic failures. The men and women in uniform now realise that
there is absolutely nothing in it for them. We are all victims! Assuming
that Gono and Mugabe are not willing to use their vast loot to pay those
starving soldiers, one would also naturally assume that the “Look East”
friends of Mugabe are ready to bail him out.

Mugabe’s only last chance lies in quickly seizing the opportunity to be a bo
na fide player in a government of national unity with Morgan Tsvangirai, in
spite of the visceral scorn poured on him (Tsvangirai). If anything the MDC
now knows that without it, Zimbabwe will eventually become ungovernable,
much to the demise of Mugabe and his men. On July 1, 2008, we wrote a
foretelling article entitled “GNU – It’s the Economy Stupid. Forget
sovereignty rhetoric!” where we stated that “Zimbabwe is inching closer to
being ungovernable due to the inextricable economic disaster it has been
plunged into.’ (www.nationalvision.wordpress.com)

Zimbabwe is already teetering on the brink of civil disobedience, to the
extent that no amount of gerrymandering attempts by Mugabe should be
acceptable to the MDC, deservedly so. Mugabe is running out of time and it
is incumbent upon him (and his men) to stop politicking and start focusing
on solving the spiralling crises before the people run them out of town.
Without re-integration into the international community (overwhelmingly with
the West), a unique asset that MDC possesses, Zimbabwe will forever be
doomed.

In the meantime our hearts continue to bleed for fellow Zimbabweans caught
up in the Mugabe-induced hemorrhage of our country on several fronts:
cholera epidemic that is worsening, starvation that is threatening half of
the population (5.5 million people), an economy that is no more, water
crisis, catastrophic collapse of health delivery system and the suffering of
millions from the scourge of Aids who cannot be cared for. The soldiers and
police must unite with the people to push for the much-needed change!

To Be, or Not To Be Mugabe’s Wives, A People Must Rise!

 

As Zimbabwe’s crisis deepens, what is more frightening is the usual indifference and puzzling calmness of the people of Zimbabwe. They are behaving like sheep waiting to be slaughtered at a time when they should be itchy, antsy and revolting. Since the election of 2002 we have witnessed a nation haplessly slipping through every grade of despondency. Today, it is sitting at the very abyss of gloom while Mugabe’s blatant disregard for the crisis he created continues. As I watched with utmost disgust and displeasure at the unfolding horror of hunger and cholera-associated deaths in Zimbabwe, I got very angry especially bearing in mind that this is a crisis that could (and can) be avoided.

 

The current situation in Zimbabwe only begs the questions: What is the solution? Could it be continuously engaging in endless unity talks? Do we push for another election? (even though the previous elections were won but rendered inconsequential)? Should we continue to sing ‘we shall overcome’ while the country regresses to Dark Ages and continues to burn? Or this is the time to rise up against a rabid dictator by taking matters into our own hands as citizens and co-heirs of the country we love?

 

Malcolm X rightfully stated that “nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man, you take it.” Although Zimbabwe’s civil society was systematically emasculated by ‘men of the sword’ through torture, intimidation and outright elimination, oftentimes in the form of cold-blooded murder, it has to be resurrected. The people of Zimbabwe remained silent for a decade even though Francis Bacon reminded us that “silence is the virtue of fools”. For time immemorial, we have heard the common expression that Zimbabweans are the nicest and peace-loving people on earth. We are certainly seeing where that peace-loving trait has led us.

 

Mugabe’s dismissal of The Elders group comprising former US President Jimmy Carter, Graca Machel and Kofi Annan should have caused a lot of outrage to Zimbabweans. How mean-spirited could he be to deny millions of Zimbabweans an opportunity to be helped by well-meaning world statesmen? After all it was the same Annan who successfully orchestrated a plan that redeemed a once-botched democracy in Kenya. Annan ended acts of barbarism sponsored by politicians where Kenyans were using machetes to slash each other’s throats. It took a death toll of over 1000 Kenyans to find a solution. How many more lives of Zimbabweans will the ongoing crisis claim before a solution is found?

 

The sole purpose of Elders group was to seek further enlightenment about the humanitarian condition in Zimbabwe in order to figure out how best to mobilize resources in aid of Zimbabwe. Being a paranoid regime, Zanu PF’s insensitivity to the suffering of masses culminated in politics taking precedence over people’s lives.

 

As Mugabe naturally approaches death, one would think that these last days should see him seeking redemption and forgiveness having lived such a loathsome life full avarice, vile and violence. It is bewildering to note that the man is not moved by all the deaths that he has caused. Cholera and hunger are only a tip of the iceberg falling in the same matrix of gross negligence and cruelty by Mugabe and his government. I guess it is no big deal for a man who has spent his entire career as ‘the’ captain of murderous thugs.

 

Particularly disturbing was the snubbing of Graca Machel by Mugabe given mutual history of political collaboration that the two share. In addition, one would have hoped that by now Mugabe had taken a page from Mandela’s persona and learn how to handle himself with grace and humility, the hallmark of true statesman.

 

Any sane person in Zanu PF (if any) should know that Mugabe has become the country’s biggest liability. As Zanu PF prepares to host its annual conference next month, one would also hope that Zanu PF momentum must be building to de-throne Mugabe just like the ANC did to Thabo Mbeki in South Africa. Once upon a time, a rebellious and former Member of Parliament, the courageous Margaret Dongo once shocked the nation when she stated that Zanu PF had become a party of “Mugabe’s wives”. Sadly the whole nation has nowo suffered the same fate.

 

All Zimbabweans at home and in the diaspora must unite and do their part. We need to join each other with great resolve to restore sanity. A united people can send those fools and despots in power packing. Zimbabwe needs leaders with good ideas on how to move the nation forward, rebuilding crumbling economy, reopening schools and restoring health delivery system.

 

It is sad that Mugabe and his fellow Social Darwinists have destroyed a once productive and truly altruistic society based on the time-tested African tradition of instinctive cooperation and selflessness. Unfortunately, Zimbabwe has become a jungle where survival of the fittest is the norm, much to the benefit of the kleptocrats in the corridors of power. As reports of deaths from cholera and hunger continue to spiral, people’s power must force Mugabe and his men to act or leave (or both). Let us also not forget that these are the same men whose crimes against humanity are piling up.

 

It is sad that Zimbabweans have become so afraid that they cannot dare to engage in a peaceful demonstration, at least. They cannot even stand the smell of teargas. I know as a past President of Student Representative Council how colleagues detested even the thought of running battles with the police in trying to get grievances of students’ welfare addressed, but they still did. However we are dealing with life or death issues right now, in Zimbabwe.

 

The police, CIO and the soldiers will die of cholera and hunger too if nothing is done urgently to address the political problem which start and end with Mugabe and his cronies. They must not stand in the way as people press for change. A reversal of the current environment is long overdue. There is no doubt that a democratic and prosperous Zimbabwe is good for everyone if a ‘government of the people, by the people and for the people’ is given a chance.’

 

The Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) is preoccupied with breaking the ‘talks’ deadlock, which is not a bad thing at all as their efforts are commendable. Critics can say what they want but the route taken by Morgan Tsvangirai is strategically ideal because it has the support of the international community. The problems faced by Zimbabwe require just that, an avalanche of international aid and reconstruction funds from multi-lateral institutions.

 

The biggest challenge is that such an engagement is presenting a huge leadership vacuum in the civil society. A push for return to normalcy by the civil society and a proactive diplomatic offensive by the MDC are not mutually exclusive. The complementarity between these two fronts has never been this imperative. ‘Unity government’ talks can take another two months or even forever yet the people continue to suffer unjustly. In any case I am one of those few people cautiously bullish about an MDC cracking whip at the impasse.

 

I always want to cite the example of the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine, which in spite of the heavy snow and freezing temperatures, saw the people defiantly undertaking political protest that changed their lives forever. It was over the same grievance, a stolen election by the ruling party. The only difference is that in Zimbabwe, the losers invite the winners to form a unity government.

 

Supporters of the opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko did not wait for him to lead them, they simply poured spontaneously into Independence Square in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. It is also important to note that they acted out of conviction, even before the elections were announced. It suddenly became a national resistance movement.

 

Only one instruction was the guiding principle, that they were ‘not going to leave this square until we secure victory’. Has that been done in Zimbabwe before? NO. Is that possible? At a time of such a crisis- YES. At this stage Zimbabwe also needs a different kind of political approach! People must rise against Mugabe and his men, whose only political convictions are to stay in power until kingdom come while a people perish.

 

People of Warren Park must rise at the crack of dawn to meet people of Mabvuku at Africa Unity Square. People of Highfields must rise up early in the morning and meet the people of Hatcliff at Africa Unity Square. People of Dzivarasekwa must rise up early in the morning and meet the people of Chitungwiza at Africa Unity Sqaure. People of Kambuzuma must rise up early in the morning and meet the people of Mabelreign, Mbare, Borrowdale, Mufakose, Glen Norah, Glen View, etc at Africa Unity Square. Suddenly there will be millions at Africa Unity Square. No amount of police force will deter a people with such a resolve. Let us also remember that the crisis has also disproportionately affected them (men in uniform).

 

Even if Zimbabweans choose to continue treading on the path of pusillanimity, much to their own detriment, the words of Mahatma Gandhi will one day come to haunt Mugabe and his men. Gandhi warned that “There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it, always.”- Mahatma Gandhi.

In the final analysis, the people of Zimbabwe are required to play their part as it is their obligation to defend their dignity and never to give up those basic rights. Dr Martin Luther King reminded us that “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”

Obama Presidency, a missed opportunity for Zimbabwe and most of Africa.

 

Mathematically an Obama presidency has increasingly become inevitable. All roads lead to Rome! While a few African nations are positioning themselves for a windfall from an Obama Presidency which was built on the promise of hope and change for the US and the World, Zimbabwe and other rogue African states are pulling in the opposite direction, fast retreating to the caves.

 

Those of us who have emotionally invested in the Obama presidency from the very beginning are finally heaving a sigh of relief now that the battle has been won (sic). Preparations for celebration parties lined for next week are at an advanced stage. With projected electoral votes of 318 for Barack Obama and 181 for McCain if elections were to be held today, September 2 2008 (270 electoral votes are required to secure the presidency)

 

Forget about the ugly and dishonorable campaign run by John McCain based on fear and hateful language that culminated in smearing Obama as “ally of terrorists”, “socialist”, not a “real American”. Some of his supporters even called him an “Arab” while others shouted “Kill him”. American voters of all backgrounds are rejecting archaic and divisive politics by embracing Obama’s message of unity, hope and change. It is not surprising that history is being made in the US (and it is a great thing to happen to the US to heal given its ugly racial past). More than 15 million voters, heavily leaning Obama, have already gone to the polls in early voting.

 

The world is desperately waiting for Obama’s leadership. An international Gallup Poll of October 21, 2008 that surveyed 70 countries shows an overwhelming preference for Obama of 80% over McCain’s has a paltry 20%. There is an aura of generational despair caused by huge discontentment and disconnect between the leaders and the led particularly in Africa. There is no doubt that the world is in dire need of renewed leadership that is able to address the challenges of the common man and woman. Obama is widely expected to fill in that gap and to set an example for the world to emulate.

 

Ablaze with political repression, alarming poverty, hunger and disease, Zimbabwe, Sudan, DRC and Somalia are Africa’s leading failed states that have largely come to define contemporary Africa as a troubled continent. Zimbabwean and Sudanese dictatorships have committed (and continue to commit) serious atrocities against their own defenseless citizens.

 

Rebuking Mugabe as recently as June 2008, US President Barack Obama (sic) could not hide his displeasure with the Zimbabwean dictatorship. He lambasted Mugabe stating that he was “ deeply disturbed by the recent events in Zimbabwe and condemn the actions of President Robert Mugabe in the strongest possible terms. The United States and the international community must be united, clear and unequivocal: the Government of Zimbabwe is illegitimate and lacks any credibility”.

 

Barack Obama further chastised Mugabe reminding the world that “The people of Zimbabwe have suffered far too long. They live in fear and struggle to survive, as opposition supporters and leaders, civil society activists, and ordinary citizens are subject to harassment, torture, and murder.

 

“The government-orchestrated economic catastrophe has wrought run-away inflation and food and fuel shortages. The regime’s deliberate disruption of humanitarian operations has left the Zimbabwean people in utter despair. This crisis is affecting the entire Southern African region and mars the vision of a more just, prosperous, and stable continent to which African leaders are committed.”

 

One would have hoped that Mugabe’s declaration (made in April 2005) that “we have turned east, where the sun rises and turned our back to the west, where the sun sets” should have paid dividends by now. Instead, Mugabe and his cronies conveniently transformed Zimbabwe into a barter economy that has seen massive plunder of the nation’s vast natural resources and mineral wealth. His close alignment to China and a few Asian countries (the main beneficiaries of the meltdown) has only resulted in sustained economic decline.

 

Mugabe, characteristically known for verbal diarrhea,disdain of the West and his love for diatribes, once castigated US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice as “that girl born out of slave ancestry’ and that ‘the white man is slave-master to her’ hence she only echoed ‘her master’s voice’. That happened after Rice and the Bush Administration had previously branded Zimbabwe as an outpost of tyranny. It will be very interesting to see how Obama fits into his torrential vituperation given the apparent reversal of roles with Obama as the ’slave-master to the white man’, echoing his own voice and not to mention that Obama himself is a son of the soil!

 

There is a grave and frustrating phenomena among Africa’s progressives that even countries like South Africa are currently sitting at the crossroads. Specifically, South Africa continues to nurture all the prerequisites necessary for it to recede into a failed state. With spiraling uncontrollable crime, soaring corruption in government, judicial malfeasance, growing economic and social disparities are some of the issues bedeviling South Africa. Such a disaster can be avoided if South Africa’s populace moves quickly to resist blindly following its politicians and stop giving them blank checks and starts holding them accountable. While South Africa is basking in glory as Africa’s biggest economy (and thriving), it must be reminded that Zimbabwe was once there, as the continent’s bread-basket.

 

Obama’s forthright criticism of African dictators and rogue regimes does not end there. Last week he gave an outline of what an Obama presidency will bring to Africa. Obama pledged to promote the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which was signed into law by President George Bush in 2004 to open the US market for African producers in the sub-Saharan region. AGOA also seeks to increase US investment into Africa. According to Schneidman, Obama will immediately resuscitate the United Nations’s Millenium Development Goals for Africa and make them “American goals”.

 

Furthermore, an Obama presidency will ‘enhance peace and security in African states as well as strengthening “relationships with those governments, institutions and civil society organizations committed to deepening democracy, accountability and reducing poverty in Africa” according to Witney Schneidman, an Obama adviser on Africa.

 

Given his humble background as a community activist, Obama cares deeply about improving the living standards of the poor. Africa has never been in such a desperate need of an anti-poverty crusader like Obama. It is true that he is a man thoroughly familiar with the toils, trials and tribulations of the ordinary peoples of Africa whose agonies closely resemble those of the communities that raised and inspired him.

Black America’s challenges are not different from what Africa has been going through. It is indisputable that the black community in the US is disproportionately affected by socioeconomic problems. Obama’s commonsensical approach to solving socioeconomic problems bedeviling the US as espoused by his policy positions and experience in working with communities should provide a template to solving Africa’s growing problems.

As succinctly summarized in the New York Times of March 6, 2007, an Obama administration would ensure “much greater emphasis on promoting education, health care and development in Africa and other poor regions — not just for humanitarian reasons, but also with an eye to national security”.

In line with such an approach, Obama undertakes to “work with Congress to increase our investment in foreign assistance.” He has tabled a new initiative that seeks to improve primary education for African countries called the Global Education Fund. Other urgent issues on top of Obama’s Africa agenda include tackling Aids and HIV, fighting malaria as well as working to end genocide in Darfur.

 

An Obama presidency will certainly reward functioning democracies that have demonstrable good governance and respect for human rights while failed states will continue to fail. Regrettably, for Africa, restoration of political and economic order rests squarely on the shoulders of citizens, unless some form of military intervention takes place, implausible as that might be. Being endowed with staggering unexploited resources is not enough unless those resources begin to benefit the ordinary citizens who have been cut off from oppornity.

It is in the best interests of Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa to position themselves for an Obama Presidency by putting house in order by as a matter of urgency in order to avoid missing a once in a life-time heaven-sent opportunity. The single most important goal for an Obama administration’s vision for Africa is to “accelerate African integration into the global economy”, something Zimbabwe desperately needs as its economy cannot afford to risk further isolation.

MDC Must Re-organize Or Risk Irrelevancy.

Threatening to proceed without MDC, Zanu PF is continuing to engage in counterfeit ultra-nationalistic rhetoric to disguise an authoritarian agenda of seizing power at all costs and perpetuating economic inequality. The usual tricks of pandering to the vague notion of national sovereignty and popular fears of neocolonialism, antiquated and tasteless as the may be, did not stop. Last week MDC survived another appeasement attempt. The question is, will MDC stay unappeasable as the political stalemate continues?

 

Events surrounding Morgan Tsvangirai’s boycott of last week’s aborted SADC summit in Swaziland in protest of the Zimbabwean government’s failure to issue his passport culminated in politics par excellence. The summit was intended to help broker a deal for Zimbabwe’s warring political parties entangled in a vicious power struggle over the allocation of cabinet positions. In protest, the MDC leader refused to attend the meeting using a hastily arranged travel document. It was such a political masterpiece coupled with prior week’s diplomatic offensive that saw the opposition leader addressing massive rallies to prove that he has the people’s mandate. We need to see more of that. MDC needs to stay on the offensive tactically, strategically and intellectually.

 

The people of Zimbabwe have high expectations of an MDC-’engaged’ government. The underlying assumption is that the party will stand up for the people’s interests. It is imperative that MDC puts in place a mechanism of progressive response to political challenges (even as the negotiations continue) in order to inspire confidence in the nation. In MDC we want to see a more planned evolution of events than a haphazard and reactionary approach.

 

When the details of the GNU finally came in stating that the belligerent parties had agreed to have among themselves 31 cabinet ministries and 5 kings (President, Prime Minister, Vice President 1, Vice President 2, Deputy Prime Minister1, Deputy Prime Minister 2), that signified failing the people.

 

Surprisingly there was no public opposition to this green light to daylight robbery. Where are the pragmatists? Such a cabinet is self-serving, implicitly pointing to a lack of seriousness in dealing with ongoing macroeconomic instability that has brought the country to its knees. The structure of the proposed cabinet pays lip service to economic issues. MDC needs to be sober about the kind of policies that will extricate Zimbabwe out of the Mugabe-created mess and convince critics that MDC’s rise to power is not a product of a protest vote (just a mere vote against Mugabe).

 

It is all about exercising our citizens’ right to demand honesty and transparency from our politicians because we are the very taxpayers responsible for footing that bill. We should therefore remain unimpressed that MDC nodded to a bloated government, for a bankrupt and diminished economy like Zimbabwe. In reality the following cabinet posts should suffice as opposed to the 30+ that are being forced down our throats :

 

1. Finance and Economic Development

2. Agriculture and Water.

3. Health.

4. Defence and Security

5. Foreign Affairs

6. Interior/Home Affairs

7. Education , Sports and Culture

8. Industry and Commerce

9. Mines

10. Labour, Public and Social Services

11. Local Government

12. Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs

13. Transport, Energy and Communication

14. Environment, Tourism and Natural Resources

15. If Appeasement is really necessary!

     

Certainly, this covers all ministries eliminating waste and duplication. Zimbabwe needs economic and business technocrats not a whole bunch of politicians to swell the useless bureaucracy. Both parties are silent about their grand plans to resuscitate the economy.

 

Settling for inferior cabinet positions is entirely MDC’s choice much to the betrayal of the people of Zimbabwe who have lived in abject fear, tremendous poverty and increasing political violence under Mugabe’s autocracy. If Zanu PF is left in charge of the Home Affairs, Defence and Finance portfolios, the deal will be best described as a mere political apparition that was meant to bribe the opposition into silence, the same way ZAPU was baited, infiltrated and obliterated from the face of Zimbabwean politics.

 

Morgan Tsvangirai needs to calm down and resist strongly all the temptations that Mugabe throws at him, fully cognizant of the fact that while Mugabe’s time is up his time has come. Mugabe is arm-twisting the MDC. It is not that Mugabe does not feel the pressure, all he expects is total compliance from the MDC for the deals he is ‘cutting’. In the meantime there is need to continuously mobilize the civil society through grassroots operations in case the deal collapses.

 

It is the same tactic that Mugabe has used to keep Zanu PF machinery oiled for loyalty purposes for the past 28 years. No wonder it is not uncommon to find the same Minister having been recycled several times presiding over different ministries regardless of qualifications. Some were temporarily put in purgatory by occasionally throwing them off the gravy train until they got back on patronage track.

 

By his own admission, Mugabe contended that his last cabinet was the worst in history. Surprisingly, you can be guaranteed that the same politicians will make up the ‘new’ and expanded government without the injection of any new blood. Retaining the two incompetent Vice Presidents as announced by Mugabe last week is an insult to all Zimbabweans. It is clear that they have been chosen out of political consideration even though they are unqualified to help resuscitate Zimbabwe’s economy. Literally Mugabe is rewarding his ‘comrades’ for criminal acts of economic mismanagement that has left Zimbabweans in this present calamity.

 

That leaves the people’s hopes in the hands of MDC alone. The quality of Morgan Tsvangiari’s picks for cabinet ministers (though shrouded in secrecy), will reflect a lot about his leadership and his dedication to move the country forward. There is already an apparent gap that many in the diaspora lament. It is a fact that some of Zimbabwe’s best and brightest minds slipped into the diaspora fleeing economic hardships joining the millions (3-4 million as estimated) already there. Such an ‘exile’ population far exceeds the population of Botswana. While South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Canada, UK, Australia and the US (among others) are bleeding with Zimbabwean talent, there is mention of their role in the ‘new Zimbabwe’.

 

In other words there is a whole nation displaced by Mugabe out here. It is the same diaspora that has helped Zimbabwe stay afloat as exiles send regularly their remittances back home to help loved ones. One would assume that if the politicians in Harare are serious about reconstruction, they may very well allocate at least one of the 31 stupid ministries to Diaspora Initiative to mobilize resources – human and financial. Zimbabwe’s politicians need a strategy that zeroes in heavily on home-grown solutions in conjunction with international assistance

 

The anticipated avalanche of donors who were lined up to help Zimbabwe once the impasse was fairly resolved will not happen as the global economic crisis continues to take a toll on the economies of developed countries. The world’s developed nations are facing the toughest economic challenges since the 1930’s Great Depression.

 

From time immemorial, politicians have proved that they will forever remain profoundly treacherous as their priorities are deeply entrenched in gaining more political power than serving their nations. More often than not, they become the enemies of the very citizens they swear to serve honorably. Last week I wrote an article entitled “Why civil disobedience will save Zimbabwe, Africa and the US” (http://nationalvision.wordpress.com). It details a compelling case for citizens to get involved in issues affecting their own destiny by rejecting failed leadership.

 

Throughout its existence, Zanu PF has never been this vulnerable. There are so many sources of that vulnerability which include an imploding Zanu PF whose power struggles and divisions can no longer be contained , ‘the economy stupid’, Mbeki’s ouster, an angry citizenry, a restless SADC, an energized South Africa and a fast aging dictator called Robert Mugabe. You can call it serendipity but for Morgan Tsvangirai, history and opportunity are colluding, adding insult to Zanu PF’s woes. Zanu PF is an organization that failed to reform, a victim of its own greed and malice. All these are reasons for MDC to be unrelenting by hanging in there with renewed steadfastness. They party is on the right side of history!

 

It is the same thing that happened to Barack Obama. Add his intellectual prowess to unsettling events such as US economic crisis, botched Iraq war which he strongly denounced, and an increasingly irrelevant Republican Party that endorsed George Bush’s failed policies, we have a winner here! God forbid, ‘Force majeure’ such as sniper fire can only stop Obama’s White House bid come November the fourth. Don’t say it can’t happen because four US presidents were assassinated before (including notables such as the president who freed slaves, Abraham Lincoln as well as JF Kennedy, the president who declared “we will go to the moon.” (I think they did!)

 

I can understand why the Republicans and Zanu PF’ers are squirming in anger and convulsing in desperation. It is because of the power privileges they have enjoyed for decades which are now evaporating. These two parties are finished for now even though the ‘comrades’ in charge are putting up brave faces. For a long time these political parties embraced scorched earth politics, treading on phony ideological platforms. For instance the Republicans depended on cowboy diplomacy, attacks on patriotism, influencing politics by religion, voodoo economics and militarism which have succeeded in causing the largest bankruptcy in US history. Even George Bush stated that his invasion of Iraq was a mission from God. John McCain’s campaign slogan is “Country first” which can be interpreted to mean that Obama’s campaign is all about “Country last”.

 

After unsuccessfully soiling him as a terrorist (some Republican supporters even chanting ‘Kill the Terrorist’ at McCain rallies) and portraying him as un-American, the McCain campaign now calls Obama a socialist. It is almost as if Obama is the one who created the Wall Street mess and designed the bailout plan, even though the US$700 billion bail-out was a bi-partisan product championed by the White House Republicans led by George Bush. For a protracted period of time after the stolen 2002 election in Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai went on trial for concocted terrorism charges that he had plotted to kill Mugabe. Eventuallythey were dropped with the contempt they deserved.

 

We all know that the Republicans’ voodoo economics (based on trickle-down economics) and deregulation that cultivated Wall Street greed were the major drivers of the collapse.

 

Regrettably the Republicans forgot to embrace minorities who by 2042 will be the majority in the US. The Republican Party is the main loser in this US demographic revolution. In other words they did not embrace future majorities. Likewise Zanu PF catered for political elites and relegated the maority out of political and economic mainstream. Both are paying a heavy price today.

 

Again, the emergence of more political parties is important if Zimbabwe is to have a healthy democracy going forward. It is unclear whether Simba Makoni will be able to create a formidable opposition party given his dismal performance during the last presidential election. Whoever was advising him needs to have his/her head examined for letting him grope in political darkness without any trace of political strategy. Many Zimbabweans still think it was another Mugabe Project like the one led by Arthur Mutambara, an overrated clown who usurped powers from MDC by leading a breakaway faction winding up as deputy Prime Minister-designate. MDC almost collapsed as a result of Mutambara chicaneries. For now, Mutambara and Makoni constitute MDC-2 and a Zanu PF -2 respectively.

 

In case he forgets, Morgan Tsvangirai has to be reminded that he is the legitimate President of Zimbabwe therefore he must act like one. There is no doubt that the election was indeed stolen. A tactical boycott to force his opponent to accede is a smart move. However complete withdrawal will be a strategic blunder. As pointed out above, the situation on the ground shows that Mugabe cannot win this issue any longer but Tsvangirai can lose it if his makes silly moves. The ‘economy stupid’ has dislodged Zanu PF already.

 

It is no secret that the military backed by war veterans, want Mugabe to withdraw from the talks. Sadly, if MDC withdraws, it plays to their game plan. Zimbabwe will retreat into a dangerous pariah state fraught with increased repression and torture, the magnitude of what is happening in Sudan. It might very well happen, the viciousness of Mugabe and his men is on record. Zimbabwe already got a ’sneak preview’ of mass murder during the Gukurahundi (about 20 000 people were murdered) in the early 1980’s and as recently as 2008 when calculated political violence claimed the lies of many.

 

Zanu PF is in the midst of a heavy political upheaval. Mugabe has cut a safe exit strategy for himself by negotiatinganother form of ‘life-presidency’. At 84, and starting a new term, it is possible that Mugabe might not complete his term either through serious incapacitation or meeting the ultimate.

This is not a laughing matter but a frightening one. The grandpa is finished in spite of all the posturing and choreographed climbing of stairs into and out of the scary Air Zimbabwe. Now, that leaves the rest of his hangmen in the cold with nightmares of having to stand before ‘the Hague’ one day. Thabo Mbeki’s quiet diplomacy rewarded Mugabe handsomely even though the right diplomacy should have resulted in the ‘very’ old man successfully being persuaded by Mbeki to step aside and let the winner(Morgan Tsvangrai) prevail, in honor of the principles of democracy and for the good of Africa.

 

The fears of Mugabe’s hangmen’s are not unfounded. Zimbabweans need justice and they will not rest until the truth is told about who did what, when, why, how and under whose instructions (among other things). No one will brush that aside. Any deals cut for the hangmen will only be a short term expedient. We still have murderers and rapists on the loose out there in the country. Simply put, the issue is bigger than MDC or Zanu PF.

 

Over 600 Zimbabweans were murdered during the run-up to the 2002 presidential election while over 150 people were murdered this year alone. Most of these died in the name of MDC with a conviction that they were going to live long enough to see their country freed from tyranny. A lot of people are quick to avoid this subject yet tremendous sacrifices were made and the nations knows that they did not die in vain. This is a true story about innocent civilians murdered by heartless politicians.

 

It is imperative that MDC puts in place a mechanism of progressive response to political challenges (even as the negotiations continue) in order to inspire confidence in the people. This might sound simplistic but it is a necessary sine quanon. The economy needs to have the confidence of the people if progress is to be made. As an illustration, the US passed a bail-out plan of $700 billion to save financial institutions from going under and to breathe some life into the economy. At face value, by any measure, that is a tonne of money enough to solve the nation’s crisis. The reason Wall Street continues to crumble and the economy continues to teeter is that the people have no confidence in the politicians and the economy anymore. The people of Zimbabwe need to hear incessantly the message of hope, political renewal and change, prospects of peace and prosperity as well as justice and equality.

 

In the final analysis, MDC needs to redeem itself from the threat of insignificance. In spite of all the sympathy and goodwill that are behind the MDC brand, there is still an urgent need to craft a coherent long term strategy and contingency planning well in advance because hope alone is not a strategy especially when Zanu PF’s plot is thickening. MDC must convince the people that it is capable of delivering victory. As people continue to face life-threatening problems everyday, MDC has to demonstrate that it has the capacity to deal with the crisis.

 

 

 

 

 

Why Civil Disobedience will save Zimbabwe, Africa and the US

 “The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else can”, asserted John Gardner. I might as well add, if you think civil disobedience does not work, try a dictatorship.

Throughout human history, civil disobedience, has played a critical role in transforming societies and there are several cases all over the world which prove its successes. Some of the most renowned cases include Dr Martin Luther King -led Civil Rights Movement in USA, Viktor Yushchenko-led Orange Revolution in Ukraine, Mahatma Gandhi in India, Egyptian Revolution of 1919 against British occupation, etc.

 

To gain a perspective, civil disobedience is not necessarily what most people think. It is not an armed insurrection but it is, at least in my view, a serious undertaking by organized citizens to push for the restoration of political sanity using a strategy of nonviolence and forceful courage.

It was the same Martin Luther King who warned that “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” For that reason Rosa Parks spoke out refusing to give up a seat meant for the whites because blacks were required by law to sit at the back of the bus.

 

Zimbabwe has already shown a lack of seriousness in dealing with the world’s worst economic crisis ever. We have all seen how the politicians there are continuously jostling for their own positions and power privileges while the country is plunging deeper into socio-economic fissures. They are trying to drag the country in the same direction using the same tactics that have not worked for the past 28 years of Mugabe’s rule. Was it not Albert Einstein who defined insanity as doing the same thing expecting a different result? One thing is certain though, that the people can change the course of the country and the continent altogether by putting such purposelessness to an abrupt end.

 

Government of National Unity (GNU) announced in Zimbabwe recently has suddenly become a real joke especially when it comes to critical issues like restoring macroeconomic stability. Not to mention Mugabe’s bizarre demands for key and real ministries like Home Affairs, Defence, Finance and Foreign Affairs to fit perfectly well in his grand scheme to have a castrated MDC.

 

The awful structure of the proposed government seeks to perpetuate fiscal irresponsibility and an unwillingness to cut spending. How is a bankrupt government going to afford sustaining 31 ministries (and 31 ministers), 31 deputies, 2 Vice Presidents, 2 deputy Prime Ministers, a Prime Minister and a President, 66 Senators (never mind what they do) and 150 Members of Parliament (120 elected, 30 appointed by Mugabe, except House Speaker).

What a recipe for corruption! Where is the money going to come from enough to sustain such a bloated bureaucracy with characteristic lavishness in a society swamped with poverty, hunger and disease. Potential donors need to help the people of Zimbabwe by not bankrolling such madness. The sick and the starving can be provided for by a simple step into reality. Several hospitals and schools can be reconstructed and reopened by just trimming that swollen government in half. Where is the disapproval by the people? Where is the outrage?

 

It seems Zimbabwe never learns, considering that this is the same matrix of disaster that contributed to Zimbabwe’s catastrophic economic circumstances as the nation has come to live them today. It is now written on the wall that the nation is dealing with the same politicians seeking to sustain a life-style characterized by wanton profligacy that also contributed to the nation’s bankruptcy. The sad thing is that Zimbabwe is going to be stuck with that swollen government bent on looting the nation’s fiscus for another half decade (as stipulated in the GNU deal).

 

In the US, the Republican mismanagement has stretched over a period of 8 years unabated while in Zimbabwe, the Zanu PF’s nerve-wrecking fiasco has gone on for 28 years. For the US, the Bush Administration has not only produced the greatest foreign policy debacle in history but has also plunged the country into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

 

While the full impact of US’s economic meltdown is still unknown, many economic pundits are assertively describing its magnitude as far surpassing the Great Depression. Professor Paul Krugman of the New York Times describes the US as ‘a banana republic with nukes’ (September 29, 2008). Zimbabwe’s Mugabe-led kleptocracy has resulted in a totally plundered civilization. Two months ago, I wrote an interesting juxtapositional economic piece entitled “The Economies that Bush and Mugabe destroyed and why they did it” (http://nationalvision.wordpress.com).

When Fredrick Chiluba, the former President of Zambia, tried to remove a clause from Zambia’s constitution in order to sneak in a third term for himselfin 2002, public protests thwarted the move. Zambia’s parliamentarians could not stand in the way as public dissention intensified.

 

It is true that non-governmental organizations have always stayed ahead of governments, be it on issues to do with HIV and Aids, gender equality, environmental issues, fighting global poverty or feeding the hungry. The political systems in Africa have not been able to address the urgent problems bedeviling the continent. The people of Zimbabwe and Africa, being fearful and altogether pusillanimous, surrendered to their governments consequently bearing all the brunt associated with dictatorships.

 

In Zimbabwe, the civil society was systematically emasculated by ‘men of the sword’ through torture, intimidation and outright elimination, oftentimes in the form of cold-blooded murder. The people remained silent even though Francis Bacon reminded us that “silence is the virtue of fools”.

 

Zimbabwe’s degeneration into such a sorry sight should see the civil society taking the bulk of the blame having succumbed to the whims of the dictatorship. The public should never have surrendered and given up the struggle for a better Zimbabwe. What we have seen is that people are patient to stand in queues in their thousands every single day (because there is a shortage of everything) but they cannot convince each other to get out of the line and start demonstrating.

 

George Bernard Shaw contended that “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve” We , the people, deserve the government we have in Zimbabwe and in the US. We are the people who let the situation deteriorate to current dire situations. Can you imagine that there are still people out there who still support Mugabe inasmuch as there are people who still sincerely support George Bush?. Gallup Poll of August 2008 put Mugabe’s approval rating at 17% while Bush has the lowest in history at 27%. It is true that the percentage of their beneficiaries is not that high!

 

At the same time Mugabe wants the world to believe that Zimbabweans are suffering because he is fighting for them. C. S Lewis warned that “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

 

Ten years ago (1998), spontaneous nationwide food riots that occurred in Zimbabwe from January 19-22 were so strong that the government got a rude awakening. Regrettably there was no follow-through and as a result nothing was achieved. There was no oppostion at the time (MDC only came into existence towards the end of 1999). It was the last time the civil society ever staged a successful civil disobedience campaign.

 

It is interesting to note that the natiowide riots were triggered by rising inflation which at that time was only 23%. The source of rising inflation rested squarely on economic mismanagement by the government. Zimbabwe Government’s Central Statistical Office, just released, on Thursday, October 9 2008, the official inflation figures as 231 000 000% (231 million percent) up from the June figure of 11 200 000% (11.2 million percent).

 

Historically, and accuaretely so, the government’s figures have always been suppressed and many times much lower than the actual figures leading most economic experts such as Professor Steve Hanke of the US-based Cato Institute estimating the real inflation figures at 531 000 000 000% (531 billion) as of October 2008 . It makes sense given the rate of currency depreciation that has seen the central bank’s futile attempts of repeatedly slashing zeroes. It was less than 2 months ago that saw Zimbabwe slashing 10 zeroes from its currency. The world was mesmirized. Sadly the people are struggling on as if the situation is normal.

 

For Zimbabwe, the biggest problem with continuing with that path of endless negotiations is that Zanu PF will arm-twist MDC until the latter surrenders, only to settle for useless Ministries. MDC must continue to resist any pressures to settle for mediocrity. There is no reason for it to show signs of being persuadable.

 

The cause for that is still unknown though there are two possible explanations. Either MDC is too eager to join the gravy train at the expense of the masses that are behind that party or is genuinely being out-manouvered. If the latter is the reason then MDC must pull out and join hands with the civil society for a call to civil disobedience. If the reason is the former then the people need to confront both Zanu PF and MDC. However I think that the MDC to this present day largely remains relevant and ‘on top of the game. ‘

 

Even though MDC finds itself in a tight spot and has suddenly become a closely guarded organisation, there is a danger in alienating the people, the very base that gave MDC its current mandate. In 2002, more than 300 MDC activists and supporters were murdered and more than 150 again murdered in 2008. It will be a sad day when MDC chooses to disregard taking input from the very constituencies that created and died for it.

 

The liberation struggle in Zimbabwe was fought by the masses. Today those very masses that include the majority of war veterans have descented into pauperism while their leaders live in extreme luxury. Where is the rationale of propping up a regime that has left them distitute?

 

As a proponent of the government of national unity from the beginning, I have never held any illusions that the process was going to be a piece of cake. The biggest hurdle to overcome is the battle for the key ministries. A deal that will make Zanu PF in charge of Home Affairs, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Finance is a horrible deal. Zanu PF lacks the urgency and the moral responsibility to normalize life for ordinary Zimbabweans.

 

Realistically, if MDC pushes hard enough without budging, its demands will be met especially to have Ministries of Finance and Home Affairs. Forget Defence, Mugabe will never cede that Ministry, as they say ’simba rehove riri mumvura, (the power of the fish is in the water). In the meantime, ZCTU should continue to mobilise for national civil disobedience alongside other civic groups to bring about change.

 

MDC will get the people’s approval if it pulls out on the basis that ZanuPF refused to share key ministries. In any case why should any ministry be 100% ‘owned’ by a specific party. It would be proper for the minister and his/her deputy to come from different parties interchangeably. Why should Defence Ministry belong to Zanu PF 100%? MDC must insist that they share the positions as that will make a smart ‘infiltration’ strategy by MDC or Zanu PF, though the latter needs more infiltration.

 

The problems facing even the developed world stem from the fact that the people have abdicated their role to dissent and have allowed themselves to be manipulated by the ruling elite. During the build-up to the Iraq war, the Bush administration pandered to popular fears connecting the dictator of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, to the 9-11 atrocities. According to the Washington Post Poll of September 5, 2003, 70% of Americans believed that “Iraqi leader was personally involved in the attacks carried out by al-Qaeda.”

 

A fortnight ago, the former US Vice-President Al Gore made a passionate plea to all young people who care about environmental issues to rise up against the polluting coal companies. He did not mince his words clamoring, “If you’re a young person looking at the future of this planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration,”

 

The media went on a frenzy attacking the messenger (Al Gore) and not the message. I am also familiar with those kinds of attacks given the incessant threats and hate mail I receive from Zanu PF apologists and other ‘hate groups’. Likewise the voices of solidarity from men and women who share the same cause far outweigh the few idiotic threats but that is not to say criticism is unwarranted. The young adults, who form the bulk of the population have a lot to lose from this crisis. We are talking about a whole generation robbed of a future altogether.

 

It was Edward R Murrow who stated that “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.” H L Mencken added “The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naïve and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched”

 

In the US even though the crisis is largely a product of George Bush’s creation, the democrats and the republicans within two weeks managed to cast aside their bitter differences by coming together to pass an emegency rescue package for the good of the nation. Sadly the crisis is a rude-awakening for the rest of our American counterparts who blindly believed in their politicians to such an extent that they felt they were immune to such kinds of crisis meant for Africa.

 

Former President Jimmy Carter lashed out at the Bush administration stating “it’s because of the atrocious economic policies of the Bush administration” because “Eight years ago, the United States had a budget surplus, low inflation and a stable, strong economy” He also noted pointed out that “The economic situation is an entrenched problem. It is going to take years to correct what has been done economically…,” Reuters, October 10, 2008.

 

The US crisis is affecting the entire globe with reports showing a worlwide economic crisis. Friday October 10, 2008 has already been dubbed “The Black Friday in Europe” due to the historic tumble of the stockmarket while Japan exeperienced its worst stock market crash in 21 years.

 

It is going to be a long, arduous and exhausting journey to the restoration of the American economy and pride as we had come to know it. The news we are getting on a daily basis about the US is as depressing as that coming out of Zimbabwe. The problem is that the crisis did not start overnight. There were people in authority who knew exactly what was brewing in the horizons. I really feel sorry for the ordinary Americans who are exponentially losing their jobs, homes, savings, education, medical insurance, etc while the politicians and other architects of the Wall Street implosion continue to thrive.

 

Likewise Zimbabwe’s crisis affects Zanu PF and MDC supporters alike excerpt Mugabe and his few henchmen who have caused this man-made crisis and continue to be the biggest beneficiaries of the crisis. How can the country have 90% of its population living below the poverty datum line? By interpolation, less than 1% make up the evil ruling elite.

 

Jesse Jackson once said “In politics, an organized minority is a political majority.” In the US the Republican establishment does not represent the majority just like Zanu PF. Al Gore did not become president even though he overwhelmingly received more votes (popular votes) than George Bush. The contest was for Florida’s electoral votes that saw George Bush getting the Presidency backed by the Supreme Court. The US uses an outdated electoral college system that divides the country into red states and blue states where the former represent predominantly the Southern states that were once bleeding with slavery.

 

The origins of electoral votes dates back to slavery era where pro-slavery whites living in the Southern States were outnumbered by anti-slavery whites in the North. Such a discrepancy in population distribution meant that the South would inevitably suffer election losses in a popular vote hence the emergence of the archaic electoral system. Southern states went a step further and declared that slaves were to be counted as about 1/2 of a person (0.6 to be exact) even though they were not allowed to vote. It takes the civil society to challenge such a relic of a voting system.

Let us all remember, in conclusion, that ‘intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization. Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or stagnation’ as accurately summarized by Eugene V Debs. Zimbabwe and Africa’s growing challenges of economic crisis and political illegitimacy call for civil disobedience by both civil society and opposition political parties to demand progress, rule of law and respect for human rights (among other things).
Without these forces for good, governments are never transparent and accountable. Civil disobedience is complimentary to the democratic process and helps to stop corrupt and authoritarian politicians from plundering our civil liberties and destroying our communities while we watch from the sidelines

 

 

Indictment of Thabo Mbeki , the man Zimbabwe and Africa will not miss.

Indictment of Thabo Mbeki , the man Zimbabwe and Africa will not miss.

With a legacy of a presidency replete with episodes of controversy, sometimes utter buffoonery and lunacy, Thabo Mbeki’s collapse is well merited.  From his irritating brotherly solidarity with dictators of Zimbabwe and Sudan to deliberately misunderstanding Aids and HIV given its trail of horrors on the African continent, more so in South Africa, the people of Africa will not miss him.

Mbeki has left office at a time when Zimbabwe is at the crossroads and in a complete mess, a mess he helped to create by his collusion with Mugabe in entrenching the Zimbabwean dictatorship. Going forward, his role as mediator is completely diminished especially considering that the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC never trusted him in the first place.

His loyalty to Mugabe, who has caused untold suffering to his people, has been a huge source of depression and annoyance to many Zimbabweans. The true barometer of the success of his so-called ‘quiet diplomacy’ and “African solutions” should have resulted in the long-overdue departure of the octogenarian dictator.

Mbeki also shielded another mass murderer, al Bashir, the butcher of Khartoum, by fiercely calling for the suspension of al Bashir’s warrant of arrest by the International Criminal Court. Over 300 000 black Sudanese have been murdered by Sudan’s ruling Arabs and another 2.5 million displaced. I have my own misgivings about Arab racism dotted throughout history and more glaring during slavery era.

 I am rattled by the mere mention of Arab dictators like Libya’s Gaddafi getting involved in black Africa issues. Mbeki and Gaddafi, backed by veto-wielding Russia and China, successfully pushed for a U.N. Security council resolution to hold off for another year any efforts to get al-Bashir prosecuted. Now that Mbeki is out of the way, that leaves Gaddafi alone for now.

The advent of the Zuma/Motlanthe administration is what Zimbabwe really needs given Zuma’s uncompromising stance on Mugabe’s dictatorship. On several occasions, Zuma has gone on record denouncing Mugabe to the extent of branding Mugabe a ‘monster’.  Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph(November 28, 2006) Zuma assured critics asserting that “as a member and a leader of the ANC all I do is carry out ANC policies,” he said. “How could you have an individual who would become such a monster? The ANC system does not allow for that kind of thing.” 

Mbeki, dubbed an ‘Aids denialist’ notoriously burnt candles throughout the night surfing the internet for any obscure sources that buttressed his views that questioned aids orthodoxy and science of the disease. On April 3 2002, Mbeki ‘s Health Minister (a devout member of his inner circle), went to a constitutional court seeking to overturn a judge’s order that had ruled in favor of immediately providing anti-HIV drugs to pregnant women.

 As far as Aids and HIV is concerned, this is no time for apprentices to intellectualism like Thabo Mbeki, who have the luxury of behaving like retired philosophers sitting under a tree trying to figure out the meaning of life while people are dying. Sothern Africa has an emergency at hand and this is time for action.

Mbeki’s final years in power have all the footprints of political hooliganism exhibited by his troublesome compatriot up north of the Limpopo.  I have no doubt that Mugabe was Mbeki’s political brain. How  and when Mbeki was convinced to depart from the Mandela legacy remains a mystery. Mbeki could not resist acting in dictatorial solidarity and in unison with Mugabe. Remember last December, Mbeki futilely tried to sneak in a third term for himself at the ANC conference at Polokwane. What happened in South Africa should have happened in Zimbabwe if Zanu PF had not been privatized by Mugabe. No one in that party can dare say no to Mugabe, because the consequences are lethal.

We have also witnessed the glaring privatization of institutions meant to safeguard national interests such as th Central  Intelligence Organization in Zimbabwe and the National Intelligence Agency in South Africa. These organizations lost public trust and credibility after they were reduced to mere spying apparatus on opposition/opponents. At a time the country is reeling from gangsters and violent crime, Mbeki could not even use the security apparatus to bring the country to order. It seems Mbeki never wanted to address crime in South Africa for whatever reason.

The two men also share another disturbing characteristic, that of abusing criminal justice system to disable opposition or perceived threats to their thrones. After the 2002 elections in Zimbabwe, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai found himself facing concocted treason charges stemming from a carefully choreographed plot to kill Mugabe. Such an approach served its purpose as it distracted the opposition from fighting the outcome of the 2002 election and challenging Mugabe as an illegitimate ruler.

South Africa also finds itself in a political mess, largely a product of Mbeki’s creation, its architect. The same applies to Zimbabwe where the mess was carefully created by Mugabe. The philosophy is that you create a problem and then throw in the indispensability dimension. For instance you throw the party into chaos and then pretend to be the unifier, or that middle guy who can bring everybody together. It is loosely similar to the colonial divide and rule phenomenon. Mugabe considers himself to be the only man who can unite the country/party.

The two leaders’ excessive pre-occupation with power-schemes can help explain why the common man has been left unattended to. It is a fact that the average South African has been left worse-off since Mbeki assumed presidency in 1999 just like in Zimbabwe where the story cannot be hidden. Mass starvation is looming and has already started claiming lives in Zimbabwe. Instead a few of their henchmen and close allies have looted for themselves vast wealth aided by these leaders most notably through self-serving economic empowerment programs.

Going by Judge Chris Nicholson’s ruling that dismissed Mbeki’s sponsored charges on Zuma, it is clear that he (Mbeki) hoped to lock Zuma away in order to paralyze any chances of him ever becoming president despite the victory he had scored in Polokwane, which made him the de facto president of South Africa beginning next year. Maybe the ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe , the man taking over the reigns from Mbeki will unify the party in the meantime.

On June 26 2008, as the African Union Summit in Egypt was gathering momentum, Mugabe threatened African leaders to stay out of the Zimbabwe crisis stating that “I know some people are gearing themselves for an attack on Zimbabwe. I want to see any country which will raise its finger in the AU, our elections have been free.” But it was the same Mugabe who said that a ‘mere X’ was not significant to get him to accept the outcome of the election.

It is inconceivable folly to think that Mbeki could ever defy the orders of Mugabe. Mbeki simply acted as Mugabe’s mouth-piece on numerous occasions. It comes as no surprise that the GNU deal which Mbeki helped to create is heavily skewed towards Mugabe. Mugabe is chairing national security and cabinet. If Mbeki was a true leader, he should never have aligned himself with Mugabe who has tirelessly worked to undermine democratic values in Africa.

The government of national unity deal is drawing closer to a collapse each day that passes. I sense an awful hullabaloo in the air given the suspicion with which the two camps have for each other.  Mugabe could not fathom missing an opportunity to visit the West (under the auspices of attending a UN summit) which he has been denied over the years.

The UN summit comes at an opportune time for Mugabe, now that the GNU deal came out nearly as perfect as he wanted it to be. The man’s incorrigible vanity comes before country. His priorities are so misplaced that he would rather gallivant around the world shopping and pontificating on African democracy and renaissance instead of solving the country’s bleeding problems he created. I wish Zimbabweans had the spine to recall Mugabe just like what happened to Mbeki.

We also received news that the MDC National Chairman and recently elected Speaker of Parliament, Lovemore Moyo got a standing ovation and went on to thank British Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying, “You spoke for us…It is not easy to fight a dictatorship through democratic means. I dare to hope we have prevailed… We thank you for that.” My teacher taught me an important lesson: not to sing when you are still in the forest.

Whilst what he said is important, I do not think it was urgent. What is happening is a precursor to what we are about to see, a rupture of the deal culminating in a total pullout by the MDC from the unity government unless Zanu PF gets serious about solving the nation’s crisis. It will be very interesting to see how Mugabe and his men will receive this news going forward. In any case the daggers have drawn from day one starting with Mugabe’s perennial West-bashing followed by a deadlock over ministerial posts. As recent as June 26 2008, Mugabe scolded Brown as a ‘Demon’.

Zanu PF will not change its ways any time soon, given its traditional power-mongering. Its ridiculous demands to have Defense, Finance, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Ministry must be ignored. MDC must pull out if at least Finance and Home Affairs cannot come its way. The control of Home Affairs by MDC will partly restore our freedoms and inject accountability in the nation’s  financial transactions.

The crisis that has unfolded in Zimbabwe under Mbeki’s watchful eye has made Africans a laughing stock of the world. With a frightening catastrophic social and economic meltdown, there is no doubt that South Africa is importing instability, made in Zimbabwe. It is estimated that 3 million Zimbabweans have found refuge in South Africa having fled political violence unleashed on perceived enemies of Mugabe. Others simply escaped the economic misery brought about by Mugabe and his men. Consequently, xenophobia (resoundingly the hatred of Zimbabweans) is on the rise. A few months ago a spate of xenophobic attacks left more than 60 people dead in the streets of South Africa.

Mbeki ‘s resume is not completely hollow, he has some positives. For instance his grandiose vision of African Renaissance saw him championing NEPAD initiative. He is also credited for brokering peace deals in Rwanda, Burundi, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The South African economy has largely remained stable with evidence of economic growth, though ‘main street’ did not partake in those gains as indicated by high rates of poverty.

We should have no illusions that the Zuma presidency will come without its own set of problems given Zuma’s sometimes weird naivety. His infamous statement in court during his trial for allegedly raping a 31-year old HIV-positive aids activist left the world ’in stitches’. Zuma admitted that he took a shower in order to “minimize the risk of contracting the disease [HIV]“ and that ‘his cows were ready’ to marry the victim arguing that the so-called rape was in fact consensual unprotected sex. Both men (Mbeki and Zuma) have shown a lack of seriousness about the Aids menace. 

If Zuma can exploit his populism and ability to connect with the ordinary men and women for greater good, he might very well extricate South Africa from the precariously uncertain times that lie ahead. Now that Mugabe’s last standing minion has departed, for Zimbabwe, Mbeki’s well-deserved collapse is good riddance.