‘Zimbabwe Today’ by Robb WJ Ellis (18-04-2008)

Which I found unbelievable. And the South African government has said it will not block the movement of the cargo from the ship to Zimbabwean soil.

This is the Mbeki problem again. He and his government are forever sitting up and begging for Mugabe, and when the South Africans find themselves in a position where they can assist the people of Zimbabwe, they rush to ally themselves with Mugabe.

“A Chinese ship, whose cargo is believed to include arms for Zimbabwe, had been cleared to dock and offload its cargo at Durban’s port, Transnet said yesterday.

Transnet spokesperson John Dludlu said in a statement: “As for vessel An Yue Jiang, we wish to confirm that this vessel with its cargo destined for Zimbabwe is at anchorage outside the Port of Durban.

“As is procedure with all vessels, the vessel and its cargo have been cleared by the relevant authorities.“

In other words they wash their hands of the problem. Which is something they do with frightening regularity.

“Earlier Inspector Nicholas Gunther, of the police explosives unit in Durban, said the An Yue Juang was carrying weapons.

“There are arms on the vessel and the ship is on the outer anchorage of the port and it’s been docked here since April 14. We have not allowed it in because they have no clearance.

“There was a problem with documents they submitted and we have directed the matter to the chief inspector of explosives in Pretoria… and it may take days for them to get clearance.“

Another article tells of the South African’s reluctance to stop weapons of war being transported through their country.

“South Africa will not intervene to stop a shipment of Chinese-made weapons from reaching Zimbabwe, even though the political situation in the neighbouring nation is “dire,” a government spokesman said Thursday.

A Zimbabwean protests outside his country’s embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, on Wednesday.

Spokesman Themba Maseko said as long as administrative papers are in order, South Africa cannot intervene to prevent weapons being transported through its territory to its landlocked neighbour, despite concerns about mounting tensions in Zimbabwe.

But he issued the strongest comment on Zimbabwe so far by the South African government, saying: “When elections are held and results are not released two weeks after, it is obviously of great concern. The situation is dire.“

I am dumbstruck. Totally shocked and amazed. The South African government is all too aware of the effect of the Zimbabwean crisis (which Mbeki says doesn’t exist) as there are so many illegal Zimbabweans in that country, but they are in no way going to stop the importation of arms through their country to Zimbabwe.

The blood of Zimbabweans will be on their hands. We must ensure that they are never allowed to forget it either.

“The Beeld newspaper reported it is carrying nearly 3 million rounds of ammunition for small arms and AK-47s, about 3,500 mortars and mortar launchers, as well as 1,500 rockets for rocket-propelled grenades. The paper said it had a copy of the ship’s cargo documentation, finalized on April 1 – three days after Zimbabwe‘s election.A South African government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed that there were weapons on board but gave no further details. Durban port authorities and police explosives inspectors could not be reached for comment.“

There was a report on the news wires last evening that the union workers at the port of Durban had stated that they would not unload the ship of its deadly cargo.

Not long ago the MDC indicated that in the event of Mugabe losing the election, they would go easy on him as he had been the leader in the liberation struggle and the nation owed a debt of gratitude to him.

Almost three weeks after the election that gave the MDC a parliamentary majority and Morgan Tsvangirai is believed to beaten Mugabe in the Presidentials, Mugabe continues to hang on to power – and the election result.

This has tried the patience of the MDC, and they are no longer is a forgiving frame of mind.

“Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai called Thursday for a special UN tribunal to be set up to bring perpetrators of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe to justice.

Tsvangirai said while his party had opposed pursuing retribution against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his ruling ZANU PF regime, it now appeared to be the only way to deter them from committing abuse.

“I think the current wave of violence against the people must stop and the only way to stop is that those who are committing those crimes must know they will be answerable one day,” he told reporters in Johannesburg.

“In fact we are actually considering that the UN must actually consider setting up an international crimes court just like they set up one in Sierra Leone, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and others.“

I think that what the MDC is aiming for is correct. And they should ensure that Mugabe is on the list of people to be prosecuted. Along with all of his defence force chiefs and many other high ranking ZANU PF zealots. What they have done to the Zimbabwean people – never mind the country – is unforgivable. And to pathetically hang on to power to protect themselves from that prosecution is further evidence of their complicity.

“As I speak, our people are being murdered, homes burned, children molested, women raped,” said the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change.

Tsvangirai, who ended up with serious head injuries after being assaulted by the security forces in March last year, said the recent attacks followed a long pattern dating back to the early 1980s when up to 20,000 people were killed in clashes with soldiers in southern Matabeleland.

“There was violence against the opposition when we formed the party,” he said. “There is violence now against the people as we stand.

“It’s a record of human rights abuses… it would be very difficult to convince even the most forgiving to say let him (Mugabe) go scot-free.“

I have, in the past week or so, stated that the violence being launched against the people of Zimbabwe for voting against Robert Mugabe was very similar in nature to the atrocities in the 1980s, and I named this new wave of violence ‘Gukurahundi II’.

This article was headlined “Gukurahundi On The Way“…

Whilst the article itself did not reveal anything new, it did carry with it the unspoken threat presented by the armed forces – especially rearmed from a cargo such as this – and the manner in which Mugabe and his cronies may turn the threat into reality.

“According to a copy of the ship™s cargo documentation, it was finalised on April 1, three days after Zimbabwe™s election.

It was not known when the order for the weapons had been placed.

An inspection by the South African customs authority deemed this consignment “risky” and further shipment was halted for the moment.

According to the South African Revenue Service (SARS), who are responsible for customs control, the six containers in which the weapons had been packed would be inspected by SARS and police officials on Thursday to determine whether they were, indeed, suspect.

Guy Lamb of the Institute for Security Studies said: “It™s not a question of illegality, but rather of morality, in light of the tense situation in Zimbabwe, especially if it was to contribute to the situation exploding.”

The weapons were supposed to be transported by road from Durban to Harare.“

I find it reprehensible that South Africa, itself in the grips of a violent crime wave, deems it acceptable to allow these weapons to proceed to Harare…

I am disgusted.

“The development comes as reports have been confirmed that Chinese troops had been spotted in Mutare.

In October 1980 Robert Mugabe, then Prime Minister, signed an agreement with North Korean President Kim Il Sung to have the North Korean military train a brigade for the Zimbabwean army. This was soon after Mugabe had announced the need for a militia to “combat malcontents.” Mugabe announced the brigade would be called “Gukurahundi” (Shona: “the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains”).

The Zimbabwean Fifth Brigade, led by Perence Shiri, killed suspected members and supporters of the Zimbabwe African People™s Union in the Ndebele provinces of Matabeleland and the Midlands from 1982 to the late 1980s. Most reliable accounts believe that about 20000 civilians were killed.

Most of the dead were shot in public executions, often after being forced to dig their own graves in front of family and fellow villagers. The largest number of dead in a single killing involved the deliberate shooting of 62 young men and women on the banks of the Cewale River, Lupane, on 5 March 1983. Seven survived with gunshot wounds, the other 55 died. Another way 5 Brigade killed large groups of people was to burn them alive in huts. They did this in Tsholotsho and also in Lupane. They would routinely round up dozens, or even hundreds, of civilians and march them at gun point to a central place, like a school or bore-hole. There they would be forced to sing Shona songs praising ZANU PF, at the same time being beaten with sticks. These gatherings usually ended with public executions.

Those killed could be ex-ZIPRAs, ZAPU officials, or anybody chosen at random.When Prime Minister Robert Mugabe was directly asked the question if he knew what was going on in Matebeleland by British Investigative Journalist, Jeremy Paxman of ‘Panorama’ Programme fame. He vehemently denied it, and called it antique western sabotage tactics.“

A typical Mugabe-esque rebuttal…

And what better way to follow up a story of such threat than with one that details the terror that has already been unleashed by Mugabe and his followers…

“Gangs of ZANU PF youths, labelling themselves war veterans, have unleashed a reign of terror in Umguza on the outskirts of Bulawayo.

Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme told us the youths are believed to be loyal to Obert Mpofu, the ZANU PF MP for the area and they also attacked and seriously injured the MDC senatorial candidate there, Moses Sivalo.

“The so-called war vets visited the Umguza neighbourhood and unleashed a campaign of terror against the terrified villagers. They beat up anyone they came across, from the young to the elderly,” Saungweme said.

The ZANU PF supporters were chanting slogans telling the villagers they had come back to protect land which the MDC planned to return to the whites. Saungweme said the gangs were using the propaganda that a desperate ZANU PF is using to try to discredit the MDC.“

It sounds so familiar, doesn’t it? Very familiar…

“Whether they think this is true, I don™t know but people in the villagers believe these were rented crowds by the chefs, to cause havoc in the area and intimidate people before another election can be held,” Saungweme said.

Meanwhile a student leader from the National University of Science and Technology was tortured in police custody after being picked up after the student protests at the university on Thursday.“

Mugabe will talk the talk (which he does with sickening monotony) and will walk the walk – denying any accusations, whilst his party visits the most horrendous violence on the people. When I read these stories, I feel transported back to the activities of ZANU’s armed wing in Rhodesia in the 1970s.

A leopard doesn’t change its spots.

‘debvhu