[Barbara Simpson rocks. She’s an awesome woman. Jan]

Fabulous news, wasn’t it?

Then again, maybe not. Stay with me.

The presidents of three southern African countries were together last week to officially open a new border crossing. It’s another step in the development of what’s touted as the ‘world’s largest animal kingdom.’ When completed, it will be a huge, wildlife preserve, spanning three countries: South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Yes, that Zimbabwe “ but more about that later.

The three men, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Armando Guebuza of Mozambique, and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, presided over the formal opening of the Giriyondo border-crossing road.

President Mugabe was an hour and a half late “ no reason reported “ keeping the 500 varied dignitaries cooling their heels waiting for the dedication to begin.

The preserve plan has been in the works for years and is finally reaching a semblance of fruition. Officially, it’s called the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. At 13,500 square miles, it’s larger than Switzerland.

The land, which is to be protected from hunting (and, it’s hoped, poaching too) will allow the free movement of wildlife along natural migration routes, enabling threatened species to thrive.

The park is also seen as a means to develop ecologically sound tourist destinations, raising money for park maintenance and providing jobs for local people. This is especially important since many villages and residents are being moved out of wildlife migration routes.

South Africa’s Kruger National Park, home to a greater number of wildlife species than any other African game sanctuary, is part of this new park. It’s hoped the additional land will enable the relocation of Kruger’s overpopulation of elephants “ 10,000 of them. Inasmuch as South Africa is seriously considering the culling of those elephants “ read that ‘killing’ “ because of their growing numbers and danger to people, the idea of the animals being able to migrate to new territory pleases conservationists.

The new Great Limpopo Park will include Kruger as well as Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park and the Coutada Park in Mozambique. However, it will take years to complete and to remove the fences and barriers that have marked not only the borders of the three countries but varied land uses within the acreage.

President Mbeki said, ‘Today our wild animals “ the elephants, rhino, antelope and many others “ are once again beginning to roam freely.’

He noted that it’s the ‘beginning of a new era when we will bring down the colonial fences, which divided our nations over several centuries.’

Maybe. Follow the money.

South Africa reportedly spent $5.8 million improving Kruger, Mozambique received $25 million for its park from a German company, but not a penny in donations for Zimbabwe.

I wonder why? Do you think it might be related to the fact that Robert Mugabe, a heartless dictator and a communist at that, has persistently destroyed his country? Once the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe’s agriculture is gone.

In 2000, Mugabe instituted a policy of ‘land reform’ which really was the forcible seizure of 4,000 commercial farms from white owners, the beating, raping and killing of many of them, the theft of their property, the beating and killing of blacks who worked for them and the wanton destruction of farm animals.

The stolen land was parceled out to Mugabe’s political cronies and to poor blacks, who had no idea how to farm. Land went fallow and the entire agricultural economy was ruined.

Now, more than 4 million people are starving, the infrastructure is in shambles, and inflation rampant, over 1,000 percent. People literally need wheelbarrows to carry enough money to buy bread or eggs “ if they can find any. Unemployment is more than 80 percent.

Mugabe insists his people are happy.

This same man, who praised the new wildlife sanctuary last week, was responsible for the wholesale slaughter of big game in his country over the last two years, ordering the military to wantonly kill, using military weapons. Most of the animals were left to rot.

Maybe he’s hoping those new migration routes will provide him with more targets.

Speaking of targets, Zimbabwe earned some $1.5 million last year selling rights to foreigners to shoot big game for trophies. Bids came from across the world. There’s also big business in poaching and an ivory-smuggling syndicate is being investigated that involves South Africa.

Remember all those South African elephants?

Let’s take this a step further. Throughout all of the chaos in Zimbabwe over the last 6 years, South Africa has been conspicuous in its silence about the atrocities.

Maybe now we know why.

It’s been simmering under the radar for the last few years, but South Africa has been quietly instituting its own land restitution program. They want white farmers to sell their land to the government so it can be given to blacks.

There are more than 50,000 white farmers. So far, only about 4 percent have agreed to ‘sell.’ That wasn’t fast enough, so on the same day the new animal park was announced last week, the South African government announced a deadline. White farmers will ‘agree’ to sell within 6 months, or their land will be seized and they will face ‘compulsory eviction.’

Zimbabwe redux, although President Mbeki has repeatedly said he would not copy the Mugabe land reforms that ruined Zimbabwe.

However, Lulu Xingwana, South Africa’s new agriculture minister takes a hard line: ‘We will no longer waste time negotiating with people who are not committed to transformation,’ ‘ not committed to the empowerment of black people.’

Her department already has a list of properties that will be seized first.

It’s a tragedy in the making and ultimately will be the destruction of another prosperous African country. The once thriving Zimbabwe is lost and now South Africa is going down the same path.

As those governments self-destruct, Islam is making strong inroads there in terms of pure numbers and influence.

The world ignores this at its own peril.

And it is being ignored. When did you see any of this in the news?