Zim: Mugabe plunders on regardless

Original Post Date: 2004-02-18  Posted By: Jan

From the News Archives of: WWW.AfricanCrisis.Org
Date & Time Posted: 2/18/2004 6:24:45 AM
Zim: Mugabe plunders on regardless

[He’s the man! Just doing what he wants, and nobody stops him. Of course, I must add that the black people of Zimbabwe are a bunch of spineless cowards. Its one thing being outnumbered and outgunned – but in their case, they outnumber the pro-Mugabe supporters by about 4:1 – and they are just too spineless, wussy, lazy and cowardly to dare to even try anything. We should buy dresses and send them to black Zimbabwean males because there’s not a man among them – they’re such a nation of cowards!!! Jan]

Robert Mugabe has just about wrestled everybody to the ground. His critics have run out of gas. They’re giving up out of sheer exhaustion. There’s an air of unreality about Mugabe and Zimbabwe, just as there’s something surreal about our government’s Aids policy. People are hurting and dying and yet it’s business as usual. Things don’t make sense. People tell barefaced lies and get away with it. It makes you want to weep. Everything bar the kitchen sink has been thrown at Mugabe, and he’s still standing. All logic or argument is simply like water off a duck’s back. He’s unmoved by either threats or tears. Maybe George Orwell had Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, and not Stalin’s Soviet Union, in mind when he wrote Animal Farm. Some animals are more equal than others, indeed. Mugabe is almost winning by default. For him winning is to be left alone to plunder and maim at will. People are simply giving up. It’s no use arguing with someone who is deaf to cries of despair.

But he is not standing alone. He’s jeering at his critics from the comfortable embrace of our president. Thabo Mbeki may be doing a good job by his own reckoning as Mugabe’s nanny, but that support wreaks havoc with his international standing. Mbeki was always going to have a bit of an uphill struggle putting his own stamp on the country, coming as he did after the charismatic Nelson Mandela. He had a marvellous start as president, though, exploiting South Africa’s reputation for punching above its weight in international affairs. Part of that reputation which got even more powerful countries to take us seriously is as a result of our miraculous transition and a constitution that is firmly anchored on social justice. South Africa is a skunk that became a beacon in the world. That goodwill is now unfortunately being eroded by Mbeki’s inexplicable stance on Zimbabwe.

Mbeki had an acquaintance with most Western leaders by the time he came to office. Tony Blair and the Labour Party have always been ideological soulmates of the ANC even in the dark days of apartheid. And four years ago, when George Bush was running for president against Al Gore, Mbeki made a point of flying to Texas to meet him. Bush has never forgotten that gesture, and it has paid off handsomely for Mbeki. So when Mbeki conceived his masterplan to tackle poverty in Africa, especially the South, he found a Western world willing to listen. For the first time the G8 Summit allowed themselves to be addressed by leaders from outside the club. But Zimbabwe has muddied the waters for Mbeki. First to be seen off were the British. Nkosazana Zuma was sent out to bite off Peter Hain’s head for leading the charge against Mugabe. The Brits, frightened by charges of racism, backed off. Blair, after facilitating Mbeki’s entry into the G8’s inner sanctums, was hoping for a quid pro quo from Mbeki on Zimbabwe. Instead, he had Mugabe let loose on him at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg a year ago, lambasting him with a worldwide television audience watching. It was prime-time lynching. Blair, though, was to extract his revenge at the Commonwealth Summit in Abuja, where he effectively lobbied against Zimbabwe’s re-admission – a stinging rebuke that had Mbeki roiling with anger.

Bush continued to lambaste Mugabe as someone who stole an election. But Bush’s sharp tongue was soon to be blunted. On the lawns of the Union Buildings on his state visit, Bush recoiled at confronting Mbeki on Zimbabwe. On Zimbabwe, he said, he would take a lead from his host. Of course Bush did not buy the Mbeki line. He was simply being polite to a host. Besides, there were much bigger issues on the table than Zimbabwe. There isn’t any oil across the Limpopo. So Zimbabwe is not Bush’s problem. It is Mbeki’s. Along with Aids, it will unfortunately define the Mbeki presidency. It is an albatross that will ruin what would otherwise have been an excellent tenure in office. Last year when it became obvious that Britain and the US were intent on invading Iraq, Mbeki met Blair to argue passionately that the war would lay waste to poor African economies. He was right, although that gloomy scenario thankfully did not eventuate. However, Mbeki refuses to entertain that economic argument when it comes to Zimbabwe. There’s no doubt the shambles in Zimbabwe have had a debilitating effect on our economy, far more than we care to admit.

The whole Zimbabwe scenario – the arguments for and against Mugabe – has corrupted and poisoned our politics. Zimbabwe has become the political context for the entire region. We’re tarred with the same brush. Mbeki’s support for Mugabe has swayed the bulk of black opinion in this country in Mugabe’s favour. It has been helped in large measure by the impression that the US and the UK are vociferous in their criticism of Mugabe simply because it is white farmers who are suffering. Add to that the argument as to whether Britain had kept its Lancaster House obligations, and you have an “Amen” chorus behind Mugabe. It may be white farmers who are making the headlines, but the majority of Mugabe’s victims are black. They are at the mercy of unnecessary starvation, and that is if they survive Zanu PF thuggery. But we would be compelled to speak up even if the majority of those suffering were white. The ethos enshrined in our constitution speaks of democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights where every citizen is equally protected by law. These are the values we stand for at home and should be reflected in our foreign policy. After all, foreign policy is nothing but an extension of your domestic policy. It is not about supporting your buddies. It is about protecting and advancing your country’s interests.

Right now Mugabe is a complete anti-thesis of what this country should be standing for. Supporting Mugabe is tantamount to betraying the interests of this country. What is asked of Mbeki is not much. He is not asked to send troops across the Limpopo. What people want is for him to express his and this country’s displeasure at what is happening in Zimbabwe. Mugabe does not appear grateful for the support. He has sought to sabotage every attempt Mbeki has made to appease international opinion. Last year Mbeki told the world Mugabe would scrap the new press restrictions. Instead Mugabe has seen to it that they are tightened and the Daily News is out of business – to the delight of our foreign minister. But Nkosazana Zuma – like Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on Aids – is merely doing as she is told, and in the process making an ass of herself. Those in the inside track say she’s being groomed to succeed Mbeki. God help us. But in the end it’s Zimbabweans themselves who will have to slay the monster in their midst. Their fate is in their own hands. Outsiders can only lend a hand. They cannot lead their revolution for them. Zimbabweans must overcome their fear – the most effective weapon in Mugabe’s arsenal. It is a weapon used by repressive regimes with great effect down the ages.

Source:Star (SA)
By Barney Mthombothi
URL: http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID…br>

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