Zimbabwe’s Members of Parliament have threatened to hold demonstrations after the minister of Finance refused to review their allowances upwards. “Kenyan MPs earn $13,500, Somalia MPs earn $700, our MPs are earning US$350, they are starving, they have not been getting their sitting allowances,” complained Mr. Simba Mudarikwa, an MP from President Mugabe’s Zanu PF party. Zimbabwe’s teachers, nurses and many other civil servants who are earning even less than the MPs at USA$ 200 for the top paid and threatening to go on strike because the Minister too failed to award them a pay increase.
The Minister of Finance has a simple reason why he can not give any one a pay increase – the Zimbabwe government is broke. The country was hoping to get foreign aid to finance its $2.2 billion budget but has since got very little.
It is perfectly understandable that civil servants should go on strike on the low pay. MPs demonstrations; that is a sick joke! The former have to pressure the country’s MPs to get off their back sides and rein in Mugabe, JOC and all his cronies who continue to disrupt the nation’s efforts to put the nation’s economy back on a recovery path. Mugabe cronies continue to disrupt farming by carrying on with fresh farm invasions and hanging on to thousands of farms although they have clearly failed to keep up them productive, for example. If the MPs do not have the power or see it as their responsibility to force the Police to act against these thugs; then who does?
The very fact that MPs are complaining about their low pay underlines the fundamental weakness in Zimbabwe today – we have leaders who are in position of power for personal gain and nothing else. They view public funds as a bottomless source of money. You would think that of all the people they would know by now that the thirty years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption by Mugabe and his tyrannical regime have bankrupted the nation. There is no money! They clearly have neither common sense, sense of public duty nor the vision thing. What the nation is dying for is leaders who will guide it out of this mess not more thugs to rob it clean.
Sunday 25 July 2010
Tuesday 20 July 2010
50 kg Bags full of diamonds will spur Mugabe to spend recklessly not wisely!
@Petina"Diamonds became closely associated with the tapinda tapinda culture of dealers who, as the expression went, "burned" their money on flashy cars and other goods." Well those boys learned from the best, Mugabe and his ruling elite are the embodiment of the tapinda tapinda culture. Whilst schools and hospitals closed down for lack of funds Mugabe and his cronies were "burning" public money on flashy cars and other luxuries.
When the KP allowed Zimbabwe to sell its diamonds people in Borrowdale, one kilometre away, were kept awake for a week by the loud singing from State House. The dictator and his cronies were doing their best to sing "The Good Times are Here Again"; it is near impossible to harmonise when one is drunk! Needless to say they were drinking the best, nothing but the best, wines, Vodka, etc.
The Commonwealth did the right thing in kicking Zimbabwe out of the group. Look what Mugabe is doing in SADC; he is showing the finger to the organisation by refusing to respect its court ruling. No organisation can function when members are allowed to disregard the rules governing its contact. And no organisation worth its name can run without rules.
Zimbabwe should have been kicked out of UN and slapped with sanctions. How can the country remain a member and yet continue to violate the word and spirit of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This has not happened because China and South Africa vetoed all attempted to punish the Zimbabwe regime.
The diamond sell have come at the most opportune time for Mugabe; he needed to fill his empty war chest ready for the coming elections. One has to be really naïve to think Mugabe will forego this opportunity to get money for his thugs and henchmen in favour of jump starting the Zimbabwe economy. It was Mugabe's tapinda tapinda culture that caused the economic melt down. Surely 50 kg bags full of diamonds will only spur him to spend even more recklessly, not wisely!?
When the KP allowed Zimbabwe to sell its diamonds people in Borrowdale, one kilometre away, were kept awake for a week by the loud singing from State House. The dictator and his cronies were doing their best to sing "The Good Times are Here Again"; it is near impossible to harmonise when one is drunk! Needless to say they were drinking the best, nothing but the best, wines, Vodka, etc.
The Commonwealth did the right thing in kicking Zimbabwe out of the group. Look what Mugabe is doing in SADC; he is showing the finger to the organisation by refusing to respect its court ruling. No organisation can function when members are allowed to disregard the rules governing its contact. And no organisation worth its name can run without rules.
Zimbabwe should have been kicked out of UN and slapped with sanctions. How can the country remain a member and yet continue to violate the word and spirit of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This has not happened because China and South Africa vetoed all attempted to punish the Zimbabwe regime.
The diamond sell have come at the most opportune time for Mugabe; he needed to fill his empty war chest ready for the coming elections. One has to be really naïve to think Mugabe will forego this opportunity to get money for his thugs and henchmen in favour of jump starting the Zimbabwe economy. It was Mugabe's tapinda tapinda culture that caused the economic melt down. Surely 50 kg bags full of diamonds will only spur him to spend even more recklessly, not wisely!?
Sunday 18 July 2010
BITI'S DIAMOND ACT WILL NOT STOP MUGABE FILLING HIS WAR CHEST: PROVERBIAL FROG'S FART!
@Carle Wille and Les Will
“As Africans, we simply must raise the bar and put leaders in place with ability, vision and strength of character,” you said. And I agree with you there Carle. I believe we have not done well so far because we have tended to close the stable when the horse has bolted.
For years before and after independence Mugabe could do no wrong; it was simply unthinkable to question anything he did. He exploited this weakness to undermine and corrupt the Police, Media, Judiciary and all other the other institutions necessary for a functioning democracy and turned Zimbabwe into a de facto one party state. At the critical formative stage of Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF, we placed him on a pedestal fit for a God. We are doing exactly the same now with Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti and MDC.
MDC have been totally ineffective in facing up to Mugabe’s land debacle. Indeed Tsvangirai even had the chic to dismiss the whole thing as an “exaggeration” – there is strength of character for you.
When the Kimberley Process (KP) relented and allowed Mugabe to sale the Marange diamonds; they allowed the dictator to fill his war chests. Of course he will now use the money to pay his thugs and State Security Operatives to ensure the Zimbabwe electorate are once again denied a meaningful vote in the coming elections. Of course, without free and fair elections there will be not real change in Zimbabwe. One had expected even the placid MDC to see just how important this was and act accordingly.
All the MDC Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti, had to say about the KP sell-out was that parliament will pass a “Diamond Act” to stop Mugabe and his cronies misappropriating the diamond revenue. It was not the lack or weakness of existing parliamentary legislations that has allowed Mugabe to misappropriate the nation’s wealth and resources, including land, to intimidate and even murder his critics and political opponents all these year. Mugabe and his ruling elite have no regard for the rule of law; they are a law onto themselves.
In Zimbabwe parliament has no real power. The Joint Operations Command (JOC) composed of the heads of the State Security Organs, a selected few like Minister Mnangagwa and Gideon Gono and chaired by Mugabe himself has all the power.
Even if one was to give Minister Bit the benefit of the doubt and assume the Diamond Act will wrestle the diamond revenue from Mugabe’s clutch; the diamonds are being sold NOW. By the time the Act finally become law Mugabe’s war chests will be full to the brim!
Minister Biti’s Diamond Act is nothing more than the proverbial frog who claimed he could put out the forest fire with his fart!
If we are to give ourselves a fighting chance of ever getting competent leaders in Africa we must not be transfixed by the public enemy number one of the day that we forget to access the competency of those offering to lead us tomorrow. Before independence we were concerned about ending the racist regime of Ian Smith we allowed Robert Mugabe, a ruthless tyrant, to take over. Now its all eyes on Mugabe we voted on-mass for one of the most incompetent African leaders of all time – Morgan Richard Tsvangirai. If it was not for Tsvangirai and MDC’s blundering; Mugabe would not be in State House, the madness of the farm invasions would have been stopped and the looters kicked off the farms, etc.!
I agree with Les Wil “I don't think there is anybody listening to you. Particularly the African leaders. They all benefit from disorder. So why would they want to change?” I think it is a waste of time to think that Mugabe will ever change; he is not only drunk from absolute power but is completed addicted to it. As for people like Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti if we failed – not that we even tried – to hold them accountable to us before 2008 when they were just opposition MPs what chance now they are ministers?
Real change will only come if we the people have finally learnt that it takes more than empty rhetoric against the public enemy number one of the day to make a visionary leader with strength of character.
“As Africans, we simply must raise the bar and put leaders in place with ability, vision and strength of character,” you said. And I agree with you there Carle. I believe we have not done well so far because we have tended to close the stable when the horse has bolted.
For years before and after independence Mugabe could do no wrong; it was simply unthinkable to question anything he did. He exploited this weakness to undermine and corrupt the Police, Media, Judiciary and all other the other institutions necessary for a functioning democracy and turned Zimbabwe into a de facto one party state. At the critical formative stage of Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF, we placed him on a pedestal fit for a God. We are doing exactly the same now with Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti and MDC.
MDC have been totally ineffective in facing up to Mugabe’s land debacle. Indeed Tsvangirai even had the chic to dismiss the whole thing as an “exaggeration” – there is strength of character for you.
When the Kimberley Process (KP) relented and allowed Mugabe to sale the Marange diamonds; they allowed the dictator to fill his war chests. Of course he will now use the money to pay his thugs and State Security Operatives to ensure the Zimbabwe electorate are once again denied a meaningful vote in the coming elections. Of course, without free and fair elections there will be not real change in Zimbabwe. One had expected even the placid MDC to see just how important this was and act accordingly.
All the MDC Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti, had to say about the KP sell-out was that parliament will pass a “Diamond Act” to stop Mugabe and his cronies misappropriating the diamond revenue. It was not the lack or weakness of existing parliamentary legislations that has allowed Mugabe to misappropriate the nation’s wealth and resources, including land, to intimidate and even murder his critics and political opponents all these year. Mugabe and his ruling elite have no regard for the rule of law; they are a law onto themselves.
In Zimbabwe parliament has no real power. The Joint Operations Command (JOC) composed of the heads of the State Security Organs, a selected few like Minister Mnangagwa and Gideon Gono and chaired by Mugabe himself has all the power.
Even if one was to give Minister Bit the benefit of the doubt and assume the Diamond Act will wrestle the diamond revenue from Mugabe’s clutch; the diamonds are being sold NOW. By the time the Act finally become law Mugabe’s war chests will be full to the brim!
Minister Biti’s Diamond Act is nothing more than the proverbial frog who claimed he could put out the forest fire with his fart!
If we are to give ourselves a fighting chance of ever getting competent leaders in Africa we must not be transfixed by the public enemy number one of the day that we forget to access the competency of those offering to lead us tomorrow. Before independence we were concerned about ending the racist regime of Ian Smith we allowed Robert Mugabe, a ruthless tyrant, to take over. Now its all eyes on Mugabe we voted on-mass for one of the most incompetent African leaders of all time – Morgan Richard Tsvangirai. If it was not for Tsvangirai and MDC’s blundering; Mugabe would not be in State House, the madness of the farm invasions would have been stopped and the looters kicked off the farms, etc.!
I agree with Les Wil “I don't think there is anybody listening to you. Particularly the African leaders. They all benefit from disorder. So why would they want to change?” I think it is a waste of time to think that Mugabe will ever change; he is not only drunk from absolute power but is completed addicted to it. As for people like Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti if we failed – not that we even tried – to hold them accountable to us before 2008 when they were just opposition MPs what chance now they are ministers?
Real change will only come if we the people have finally learnt that it takes more than empty rhetoric against the public enemy number one of the day to make a visionary leader with strength of character.
Monday 12 July 2010
Absolute power corrupts absolutely: the dictator Mugabe is devoid of any humanity!
@Fungayi, Dread Dread6 and Mariko
Mariko, congratulations you managed to get Fungayi and Dread Dread6 to address the issue of Zimbabwe’s sham 2008 June election. They gave wishy-washy answers; still it was a start. Let’s see if we can squeeze a drop of blood from these stones.
Fungayi, Mariko did NOT say Tsvangirai won 50% plus one after the March 2008. MDC shot themselves in the foot – not for the first time nor, alas, was it the last time – after the 28 March vote by announcing that Tsvangirai had won 61% of the vote only to revise that figure downward a few days later. Still, five weeks was an inordinately long time for ZEC have taken just to add up figures from 300 or so centres, particularly when three months later they took less than a day to do the same job. It certainly raised the spectra of ZEC “cooking up” the results.
Dread Dread6, yes there were delays in announcing US presidential election results a few years ago; but the public were informed of the reasons for the delay and the legal teams of the contesting parties were involved every step of the way in the resolution of the matter. The same did not happen in Zimbabwe; it was Mugabe and Zanu PF who dictated to ZEC and MDC were completely left out. One ZEC member reportedly refused to toe the line and he “disappeared” and his dead body was later discovered. Needless to say there was no Police investigation and no one has ever been arrested for his murder.
Fungayi, we are not talking about just any Election Observer teams, we are talking of the SADC team and other teams countries Mugabe considered “friendly” and known for giving clean bill of health to dodgy elections in the past in Zimbabwe and other countries. After Zimbabwe’s sham June 2008 elections not even one of these carefully screened teams would say the elections were free and fair. The violence was just too widespread, vicious and malicious for anyone to ignore. If you do not want to accept outsiders judging the elections, then you should listen to the Zimbabwean themselves.
There were heartbreaking accounts of the violence and murders from the Zimbabweans themselves. To this day hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwean men, women and children have the scars or lost limbs to bear witness to their hellish stories. There are over two hundred graves all over Zimbabwe of those murdered in cold blood, for you to see. What else do you want to see so you can finally admit the three months of terror, rape and murder from April to June 2008 did take place? And the violence was to deny the Zimbabwe electorate their democratic right to a free and meaningful vote?
Yes no one would dispute that when Polling Stations in the 2010 UK elections closed all the voters who were still in the queue to vote were certainly denied their right to vote. But to put the case of 2010 UK voters on par with that of the 2008 Zimbabwean voters shows the high regard you have for the British as contrast to total contempt you have for Zimbabweans.
I can understand why some one like Dread Dread6 would not be touched by the outrage of the June 2008 election sham and can show such total indifference to the human tragedy in Zimbabwe in general. Dread is not a Zimbabwean; the black to black bond in his case is clearly very weak and empathy one would have for a fellow human is even more tenuous. But you, Fungayi, you are a black Zimbabwean; these are your own kith and kin, your own flesh and blood, what have they ever done to you that you should be so contemptuous to the point of glorifying those who torment and murder Zimbabweans?
I know, I know; power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Still, I never realised that “absolutely powers corrupts absolutely” meant it dehumanises you.
The GNU has failed to end the misery of our people because it was founded on one big lie; that Mugabe could change; that a ruthless dictator could be turned into a caring democrat. Appealing to Mugabe, his cronies and their acolytes’ senses of common justice, fair play and respect for the sanctity of life itself is a waste of time because thirty years of absolute power have killed off all their human emotions. The only way to end the suffering and despair in Zimbabwe is by bringing about regime change. We must end Mugabe’s absolutism now before it destroys the little humanity the nation still has left!
Mariko, congratulations you managed to get Fungayi and Dread Dread6 to address the issue of Zimbabwe’s sham 2008 June election. They gave wishy-washy answers; still it was a start. Let’s see if we can squeeze a drop of blood from these stones.
Fungayi, Mariko did NOT say Tsvangirai won 50% plus one after the March 2008. MDC shot themselves in the foot – not for the first time nor, alas, was it the last time – after the 28 March vote by announcing that Tsvangirai had won 61% of the vote only to revise that figure downward a few days later. Still, five weeks was an inordinately long time for ZEC have taken just to add up figures from 300 or so centres, particularly when three months later they took less than a day to do the same job. It certainly raised the spectra of ZEC “cooking up” the results.
Dread Dread6, yes there were delays in announcing US presidential election results a few years ago; but the public were informed of the reasons for the delay and the legal teams of the contesting parties were involved every step of the way in the resolution of the matter. The same did not happen in Zimbabwe; it was Mugabe and Zanu PF who dictated to ZEC and MDC were completely left out. One ZEC member reportedly refused to toe the line and he “disappeared” and his dead body was later discovered. Needless to say there was no Police investigation and no one has ever been arrested for his murder.
Fungayi, we are not talking about just any Election Observer teams, we are talking of the SADC team and other teams countries Mugabe considered “friendly” and known for giving clean bill of health to dodgy elections in the past in Zimbabwe and other countries. After Zimbabwe’s sham June 2008 elections not even one of these carefully screened teams would say the elections were free and fair. The violence was just too widespread, vicious and malicious for anyone to ignore. If you do not want to accept outsiders judging the elections, then you should listen to the Zimbabwean themselves.
There were heartbreaking accounts of the violence and murders from the Zimbabweans themselves. To this day hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwean men, women and children have the scars or lost limbs to bear witness to their hellish stories. There are over two hundred graves all over Zimbabwe of those murdered in cold blood, for you to see. What else do you want to see so you can finally admit the three months of terror, rape and murder from April to June 2008 did take place? And the violence was to deny the Zimbabwe electorate their democratic right to a free and meaningful vote?
Yes no one would dispute that when Polling Stations in the 2010 UK elections closed all the voters who were still in the queue to vote were certainly denied their right to vote. But to put the case of 2010 UK voters on par with that of the 2008 Zimbabwean voters shows the high regard you have for the British as contrast to total contempt you have for Zimbabweans.
I can understand why some one like Dread Dread6 would not be touched by the outrage of the June 2008 election sham and can show such total indifference to the human tragedy in Zimbabwe in general. Dread is not a Zimbabwean; the black to black bond in his case is clearly very weak and empathy one would have for a fellow human is even more tenuous. But you, Fungayi, you are a black Zimbabwean; these are your own kith and kin, your own flesh and blood, what have they ever done to you that you should be so contemptuous to the point of glorifying those who torment and murder Zimbabweans?
I know, I know; power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Still, I never realised that “absolutely powers corrupts absolutely” meant it dehumanises you.
The GNU has failed to end the misery of our people because it was founded on one big lie; that Mugabe could change; that a ruthless dictator could be turned into a caring democrat. Appealing to Mugabe, his cronies and their acolytes’ senses of common justice, fair play and respect for the sanctity of life itself is a waste of time because thirty years of absolute power have killed off all their human emotions. The only way to end the suffering and despair in Zimbabwe is by bringing about regime change. We must end Mugabe’s absolutism now before it destroys the little humanity the nation still has left!
Sunday 11 July 2010
BOOTLICKERS LIKE PROF MAKUMBE ARE AS MUCH A THREAT TO DEMOCRATIC CHANGE AS MUGABE OR TSVANGIRAI
@Mariko
Professor John Makumbe has accursed other people of being Mugabe’s bootlickers; he must be Morgan Tsvangirai’s chief bootlicker!
Professor Makumbe has taken it upon himself to sing MDC’s praises. For the last years he has been going on about how Zimbabweans should be thankful to MDC for the full shops and financial stability. What nonsense! To start with, it was the abolition of the Z$ that ended Zimbabwe’s runaway inflation and thus allowed financial sanity to prevail allowing shops to fill up with goods once again. For the record, it was Chinamasa who abolished the Z$. But more significantly, was the full shops the sum total of the democratic change the nation had been fighting for? Of course not! Just to underline that; Mugabe has already said he will reintroduce the Z$ and there is nothing to stop him.
As things stand; if Mugabe does not get a significant flow of money for his war-chest from selling the Marange diamonds, he will reintroduce the Z$ very soon. He can not print the US$ or SA Rand but can print as much Z$ as he please. If MDC had delivered on their promise of democratic change then nation will not be at the mercy of a dictator like Mugabe any more.
The GPA was a stupid move by MDC but people like Professor Makumbe have never tired of praising it. He started bleating “Two legs bad! Four legs good!” and would not shut up.
The sad truth that needed to be said is that Tsvangirai is a simpleton who was promoted far above his level of competence – of herding goats. If this had been told, MDC would have hopefully replaced him a long, long time ago and the nation would have hopefully ended the Zanu PF dictatorship and will have a democratic and competent government by now.
Mariko, Zimbabwe is in this mess because Mugabe’s bootlickers have lied about what the dictator has been doing. If there is going to be real democratic change in Zimbabwe then we must deal not only with the dictators and the goat herders but their army of bootlickers. Professor Makumbe probably has his eyes on the UZ vice chancellorship; well he should earn it some other way and not by bootlicking!
My blog is “blogs.news24.com/ZimbabweLight”. Your contributions were soulfully missed!
@Mariko
The likes of Fungayi and company will talk about everything else under the sun but the one thing they will not talk about how Mugabe has down trodden the ordinary people of Zimbabwe. If the M&G was a Zimbabwean publication the regime would have bombed the newspaper out of existence a long time ago. The only other option open to the regime is to have Fungayi bombard the site with rubbish and stifle meaningful debate. But this has its limitations; no one believes their nonsense, particularly when again and again their fallacy is challenged and exposed.
As long as they remain on this site; it is right that Fungayi, Dora, etc. should not be allowed to get away with nonsense.
Professor John Makumbe has accursed other people of being Mugabe’s bootlickers; he must be Morgan Tsvangirai’s chief bootlicker!
Professor Makumbe has taken it upon himself to sing MDC’s praises. For the last years he has been going on about how Zimbabweans should be thankful to MDC for the full shops and financial stability. What nonsense! To start with, it was the abolition of the Z$ that ended Zimbabwe’s runaway inflation and thus allowed financial sanity to prevail allowing shops to fill up with goods once again. For the record, it was Chinamasa who abolished the Z$. But more significantly, was the full shops the sum total of the democratic change the nation had been fighting for? Of course not! Just to underline that; Mugabe has already said he will reintroduce the Z$ and there is nothing to stop him.
As things stand; if Mugabe does not get a significant flow of money for his war-chest from selling the Marange diamonds, he will reintroduce the Z$ very soon. He can not print the US$ or SA Rand but can print as much Z$ as he please. If MDC had delivered on their promise of democratic change then nation will not be at the mercy of a dictator like Mugabe any more.
The GPA was a stupid move by MDC but people like Professor Makumbe have never tired of praising it. He started bleating “Two legs bad! Four legs good!” and would not shut up.
The sad truth that needed to be said is that Tsvangirai is a simpleton who was promoted far above his level of competence – of herding goats. If this had been told, MDC would have hopefully replaced him a long, long time ago and the nation would have hopefully ended the Zanu PF dictatorship and will have a democratic and competent government by now.
Mariko, Zimbabwe is in this mess because Mugabe’s bootlickers have lied about what the dictator has been doing. If there is going to be real democratic change in Zimbabwe then we must deal not only with the dictators and the goat herders but their army of bootlickers. Professor Makumbe probably has his eyes on the UZ vice chancellorship; well he should earn it some other way and not by bootlicking!
My blog is “blogs.news24.com/ZimbabweLight”. Your contributions were soulfully missed!
@Mariko
The likes of Fungayi and company will talk about everything else under the sun but the one thing they will not talk about how Mugabe has down trodden the ordinary people of Zimbabwe. If the M&G was a Zimbabwean publication the regime would have bombed the newspaper out of existence a long time ago. The only other option open to the regime is to have Fungayi bombard the site with rubbish and stifle meaningful debate. But this has its limitations; no one believes their nonsense, particularly when again and again their fallacy is challenged and exposed.
As long as they remain on this site; it is right that Fungayi, Dora, etc. should not be allowed to get away with nonsense.
Friday 9 July 2010
WEST WILL STOP MUGABE DESTABILISING DIAMOND TRADE: THEY HAVE THE DICTATOR BY THE BALLS!
KP warns of Zimbabwe’s Marange diamonds destabilising the industry if Mugabe is allowed to sell on the black market.
When Mugabe said he would sell the Marange diamonds with or without the KP certificate he really thought he had the final word on the subject. The threat of the Marange diamonds destabilising the diamond market will clearly force the main parties in this industry to seat up and take note. If they are forced to act, and they clearly will, the black market price for diamonds will fall through the floor. There will be nothing for Mugabe to use to bribe his ever demanding and wasteful cronies and nothing in his war-chest!
Well, well, the dictator used to having the final say now learns not only that there are others whose say count for a lot more than him but more significantly that they have HIM by the balls!
@ Jason
I think the KP will be making a big mistake if they allowed Mugabe to trade. Mugabe is desperate for money he will flood the diamond market pushing the prices down. He is not going to accept an form of regulation from anybody
@Brian
No my friend Mugabe, his cronies and all these hangers-on are the losers; the smarter ones know it as for the rest, they are the suckers who will be left holding the bag.
What Mugabe has been doing in the last few years is allow as many small fish to be involved in the looting although there is really nothing worth looting. He is also encouraging these upstarts to commit serious human rights violations. In 2008 the regime paid the equivalent of US$10 for beating its opponent and US$20 for killing.
I will bet you Martin Mutasa has at least one farm and the farm is in ruins and so he is hunting for more loot. It is the ruling elite who are getting the farms; do not believe the nonsense that the bushman would be allocated farms in Zimbabwe; the Marange people have been rounded up like cattle and damped in overcrowded areas. A few days in prison should make Martin finally realise that he is not special and will bleed and have a rash from the bite flees just like everyone else. For the first time in his life he will have to do an honest day’s work to survive. Given the mess Zimbabwe is in it is going to be really tough for spoilt people like Martin.
There are those with blood on their hands; for them it will be a few months in prison and then the short drop and a quick stop!
Do not worry about Fungayi, Dora and company; they will not bother anyone on this site. Their hope then is to disappear in the wood work and enjoy their loot. They will be flashed out like rats! They have cheered and applauded when innocent and decent people like Justin Mukoko and Farai Maguwu are tormented by the repressive regime; they can do so again with first hand knowledge of prison life. In Shona we say “Chawakadya chamuka!”
@Dora
I have never “glorified the West”. I have just told you it is the ordinary Zimbabweans themselves who are dying for regime change. Mugabe terrorised and murdered many of them to deny them a free vote and voice. But true to your oppressor mentality, you ignore what your victims are saying. You are much more comfortable fighting an imaginary war against the West to take attention away from the human tragic the dictatorship has visited upon the nation. You can accurse me of being an Uncle Tom, not being as clever as you, etc.; that will not change the facts on the ground, that the dictatorship has failed and change is coming! And it is coming and you know you will have nowhere to hid!
When Mugabe said he would sell the Marange diamonds with or without the KP certificate he really thought he had the final word on the subject. The threat of the Marange diamonds destabilising the diamond market will clearly force the main parties in this industry to seat up and take note. If they are forced to act, and they clearly will, the black market price for diamonds will fall through the floor. There will be nothing for Mugabe to use to bribe his ever demanding and wasteful cronies and nothing in his war-chest!
Well, well, the dictator used to having the final say now learns not only that there are others whose say count for a lot more than him but more significantly that they have HIM by the balls!
@ Jason
I think the KP will be making a big mistake if they allowed Mugabe to trade. Mugabe is desperate for money he will flood the diamond market pushing the prices down. He is not going to accept an form of regulation from anybody
@Brian
No my friend Mugabe, his cronies and all these hangers-on are the losers; the smarter ones know it as for the rest, they are the suckers who will be left holding the bag.
What Mugabe has been doing in the last few years is allow as many small fish to be involved in the looting although there is really nothing worth looting. He is also encouraging these upstarts to commit serious human rights violations. In 2008 the regime paid the equivalent of US$10 for beating its opponent and US$20 for killing.
I will bet you Martin Mutasa has at least one farm and the farm is in ruins and so he is hunting for more loot. It is the ruling elite who are getting the farms; do not believe the nonsense that the bushman would be allocated farms in Zimbabwe; the Marange people have been rounded up like cattle and damped in overcrowded areas. A few days in prison should make Martin finally realise that he is not special and will bleed and have a rash from the bite flees just like everyone else. For the first time in his life he will have to do an honest day’s work to survive. Given the mess Zimbabwe is in it is going to be really tough for spoilt people like Martin.
There are those with blood on their hands; for them it will be a few months in prison and then the short drop and a quick stop!
Do not worry about Fungayi, Dora and company; they will not bother anyone on this site. Their hope then is to disappear in the wood work and enjoy their loot. They will be flashed out like rats! They have cheered and applauded when innocent and decent people like Justin Mukoko and Farai Maguwu are tormented by the repressive regime; they can do so again with first hand knowledge of prison life. In Shona we say “Chawakadya chamuka!”
@Dora
I have never “glorified the West”. I have just told you it is the ordinary Zimbabweans themselves who are dying for regime change. Mugabe terrorised and murdered many of them to deny them a free vote and voice. But true to your oppressor mentality, you ignore what your victims are saying. You are much more comfortable fighting an imaginary war against the West to take attention away from the human tragic the dictatorship has visited upon the nation. You can accurse me of being an Uncle Tom, not being as clever as you, etc.; that will not change the facts on the ground, that the dictatorship has failed and change is coming! And it is coming and you know you will have nowhere to hid!
Wednesday 7 July 2010
MUGABE WILL USE MONEY FROM SELLING DIAMONDS TO BUILD HIS ELECTION WAR-CHEST: HOW WILL THAT HELP THE POOR?
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti, calls on Kimberley Process to allow Zimbabwe to sell the Marange diamonds for the good on the poor.
If people like Tendai Biti, Morgan Tsvangirai and all the other clowns in MDC had not sort to appease Mugabe by entering into the power sharing agreement which has turned to anything but; Zimbabwe will have a democratic and accountable government today. Instead we are still in this ridiculous mess. Here we go again, MDC playing its usual role of appeasing the dictator.
"The Kimberley Process must allow us to sell our diamonds, but must then come to Zimbabwe to help resolve these issues," said Minister Biti.
Well the Minister at least acknowledged that there are problems relating to the mining of these bloody diamonds which is exactly why the KP would not allow Zimbabwe to sell the diamonds in the first place. There are four issues here:
1) The mining concessions were illegally taken away from recognised mining operators and awarded to unusual operators like the Army, Police and those with Zanu PF connections. The Army and Police have moved into the area and are denying independent monitors to investigate what is going on.
2) There are reports that civilians are being forced to mine the diamonds.
3) Minister Biti acknowledged that the Zanu PF authorities “will still sell diamonds outside the KP at the expense of the poor." The sad reality is even if the diamonds are sold with a KP certificate it is naïve to even think the poor will benefit. The main reason why millions of Zimbabweans are living in abject poverty today is because Mugabe and his cronies have commandeered the nation’s wealth and resources for their own selfish use. They have been looting and the people have been totally helpless to stop them.
4) Since 2008 the pickings have been thin for Mugabe and his cronies to loot and some the Marange diamonds have been “God-sent!” as far as they are concerned. Mugabe is facing an election next year and he needs a war-chest for that. Mugabe has pointed refused to normalise the mining of the Marange diamonds because he and his cronies are looting the diamonds.
Next year Mugabe will use his war-chest from the Marange diamonds to fund another campaign of violence and murder. Please Minister Biti, educate me: how will that help the poor?
5555
@John Berry“Those that control the economy of a society control the politics of a society. Those that control the politics of a society control the education of a society--thus, controlling the thinking of a society”. You were stating the obvious but coming from you that was a bolt of inspiration. But true to form you quickly returned to your usual nonsense. Mugabe declared war on the people of Zimbabwe in 2008 and murdered over 200 to ensure he retained political power and control over the economy, the politics, etc. How you can claim that it is the West who control Zimbabwe’s economy beggared belief!
If people like Tendai Biti, Morgan Tsvangirai and all the other clowns in MDC had not sort to appease Mugabe by entering into the power sharing agreement which has turned to anything but; Zimbabwe will have a democratic and accountable government today. Instead we are still in this ridiculous mess. Here we go again, MDC playing its usual role of appeasing the dictator.
"The Kimberley Process must allow us to sell our diamonds, but must then come to Zimbabwe to help resolve these issues," said Minister Biti.
Well the Minister at least acknowledged that there are problems relating to the mining of these bloody diamonds which is exactly why the KP would not allow Zimbabwe to sell the diamonds in the first place. There are four issues here:
1) The mining concessions were illegally taken away from recognised mining operators and awarded to unusual operators like the Army, Police and those with Zanu PF connections. The Army and Police have moved into the area and are denying independent monitors to investigate what is going on.
2) There are reports that civilians are being forced to mine the diamonds.
3) Minister Biti acknowledged that the Zanu PF authorities “will still sell diamonds outside the KP at the expense of the poor." The sad reality is even if the diamonds are sold with a KP certificate it is naïve to even think the poor will benefit. The main reason why millions of Zimbabweans are living in abject poverty today is because Mugabe and his cronies have commandeered the nation’s wealth and resources for their own selfish use. They have been looting and the people have been totally helpless to stop them.
4) Since 2008 the pickings have been thin for Mugabe and his cronies to loot and some the Marange diamonds have been “God-sent!” as far as they are concerned. Mugabe is facing an election next year and he needs a war-chest for that. Mugabe has pointed refused to normalise the mining of the Marange diamonds because he and his cronies are looting the diamonds.
Next year Mugabe will use his war-chest from the Marange diamonds to fund another campaign of violence and murder. Please Minister Biti, educate me: how will that help the poor?
5555
@John Berry“Those that control the economy of a society control the politics of a society. Those that control the politics of a society control the education of a society--thus, controlling the thinking of a society”. You were stating the obvious but coming from you that was a bolt of inspiration. But true to form you quickly returned to your usual nonsense. Mugabe declared war on the people of Zimbabwe in 2008 and murdered over 200 to ensure he retained political power and control over the economy, the politics, etc. How you can claim that it is the West who control Zimbabwe’s economy beggared belief!
Tuesday 6 July 2010
30 years of absolute power allowed Mugabe and his cronies to climb to nauseating heights: their downfall will not be pretty!
@Dread Dread6
Selebi is an ANC member guilty of corruption, if he was a Zanu PF member in Zimbabwe the case would have never seen the light of day. That is why corruption is rampant in Zimbabwe. Many Zanu PF members are guilty of a lot worse crimes. As you know, in April to June 2008 over 200 innocent Zimbabweans were murdered in Mugabe's Operation "Where did put your vote!" No one has ever been arrested. Indeed individuals like Air Marshall Perence Shiri were promoted for the murder of 20 000 Zimbabweans by the Fifth Brigade of which he was the commander.
I told you before you are not smart but you never seize to surprise me at just how shallow and slow you are. How could Bennett and Maguwu cases prove that “democratic institutes in Zimbabwe are equally strong”? These are individuals who are being prosecuted by the regime using the highly politicised Police and Judiciary to do its dirty biding!
The conviction of Selebi confirms that in SA the Police and the Judiciary are free to carry out their duties without fear or favour and that NO ONE is above the law. Just as well you are small fish in SA with no power and therefore little opportunity to commit some corrupt act. Still if you should have the opportunity then be warned, you will be punished. If the Court can convict someone as powerful as Selebi they will do the same with you too Dread Dread6.
For years now, your corrupt friends across the Limpopo River thought they were above the law. They are now learning that they are not and hence the panic; the brutality of 2008 was a manifestation of their effort to stay in power at all cost! In a few months time Mugabe has to face the electorate once again. I do not see him getting away with murder again! The fall from grace for Mugabe and his cronies will not be pretty – after thirty years of unrestrained power they had climbed to nauseating heights and now it is a long, long way to fall. The lesson for you Dread Dread6 from across the Limpopo will be that even you seem to be getting away with corruption, murder, etc. because you corrupted the country’s democratic institution to put yourself above the law. Some day, your reign of terror will end and then you will be subject to the rule of law.
Selebi is an ANC member guilty of corruption, if he was a Zanu PF member in Zimbabwe the case would have never seen the light of day. That is why corruption is rampant in Zimbabwe. Many Zanu PF members are guilty of a lot worse crimes. As you know, in April to June 2008 over 200 innocent Zimbabweans were murdered in Mugabe's Operation "Where did put your vote!" No one has ever been arrested. Indeed individuals like Air Marshall Perence Shiri were promoted for the murder of 20 000 Zimbabweans by the Fifth Brigade of which he was the commander.
I told you before you are not smart but you never seize to surprise me at just how shallow and slow you are. How could Bennett and Maguwu cases prove that “democratic institutes in Zimbabwe are equally strong”? These are individuals who are being prosecuted by the regime using the highly politicised Police and Judiciary to do its dirty biding!
The conviction of Selebi confirms that in SA the Police and the Judiciary are free to carry out their duties without fear or favour and that NO ONE is above the law. Just as well you are small fish in SA with no power and therefore little opportunity to commit some corrupt act. Still if you should have the opportunity then be warned, you will be punished. If the Court can convict someone as powerful as Selebi they will do the same with you too Dread Dread6.
For years now, your corrupt friends across the Limpopo River thought they were above the law. They are now learning that they are not and hence the panic; the brutality of 2008 was a manifestation of their effort to stay in power at all cost! In a few months time Mugabe has to face the electorate once again. I do not see him getting away with murder again! The fall from grace for Mugabe and his cronies will not be pretty – after thirty years of unrestrained power they had climbed to nauseating heights and now it is a long, long way to fall. The lesson for you Dread Dread6 from across the Limpopo will be that even you seem to be getting away with corruption, murder, etc. because you corrupted the country’s democratic institution to put yourself above the law. Some day, your reign of terror will end and then you will be subject to the rule of law.
Monday 5 July 2010
THERE IS BATTLE IN ZIMBABWE BETWEEN DARKNESS AND LIGHT, RHETORIC AGAINST REASON: LIGHT AND REASON ARE BEGINNING TO PREVAILING!
@SD
“Mugabe's values and ethos rubbed off me and within 30yrs, I managed to sail through O-Levels, A-Levels, 3 University degrees, am a professional Chartered Accountant and as we speak I am finishing off my PhD.” Yes I can see Mugabe’s values and ethos have definitely rubbed of on you. For a start it is said Mugabe has seven University Degrees, and has received countless honorary ones. You two will have plenty to boost about! I am talking about the dehumanising suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans here and see nothing for Mugabe to boost about.
SD did you know that the education system in Zimbabwe has all but collapsed following years of poor funding? Mugabe had no money for the country’s education, health, prisons and all the other essential public services but had money to buy luxuries for the country’s ruling elite. There was a story in the Zimbabwe Times in 2008 announcing the closure of the Medical School at Parerenyatwa Hospital; the next story was of Mercedes Benz, new Villa furnished new Plasma TV, etc the regime had bought/built for Zimbabwe’s Judges.
The same year students in government institutions across the country had spent a total of 23 days in school! No doubt, you, SD, would have “sailed” through O-Levels, etc. regardless; but you should also consider those who are not as clever as you. Taking out a whole academic year has caused serious harm to the education of a whole generation. If it was not for outside donors – mainly from the former colonial countries you hate with such a consuming passion - our school and hospitals will still be closed.
Life expectancy, the universally accepted acid test of how well a nation is doing, in 1980 was 65 years compared to 34 years in 2005. Again, if it was not for the foreign donors looking after AIDS victims, prisoners, etc. things would be even worse in Zimbabwe today.
I am a black Zimbabwean and I felt the white discrimination and oppression just as keenly as every other black person. I was very proud to see Zimbabwe gain its independence and proudly acknowledge the heroic contributions of leaders like Mugabe. What people like you SD, Sullivan, all the other Mugabe cronies and, above all, Mugabe himself want the world to see the struggle against colonialism and NOTHING ELSE. Important as the heroic struggle to end colonial rule was, it was not ALL the people wanted.
The people dreamt of freedom, life with dignity and economic prosperity. Today, millions of our people are living in abject poverty because of the economic melt down following years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption. Our people have been denied the same freedoms and rights that the whites denied blacks before independence. These are the issues Africa should be talking about and will!
Mugabe and his cronies are riding rough shod over the people’s dreams, hopes and their very lives; we can not pretend this is not happening. It is not me who is in denial but all those who trying to blame colonialism for Africa’s woes. This is a fight pitting darkness against light, rhetoric against reason; be rest assured the tide has turned light and reason are definitely beginning to prevail!
7777
@Neville Sullivan
I do not know which village “outside of the Colonial HQ in the capital had nothing, no running water, no electricity, nothing” you are talking about. But I do know that in 1980 almost all the suburbs in all the cities and towns in Zimbabwe had electricity and running water. That is not so today. You must have heard of Zimbabwe’s erratic electricity and water supply. In the last ten years it has become the norm for consumers, domestic as well as industrial, right in the heart of Harare and Bulawayo to have power supply for two hours or less a day!
Two years ago over 4 000 Zimbabweans died of Cholera because there was no clean running water for people. If outside donors had not stepped in the death toll would have been a lot higher.
“Mugabe's values and ethos rubbed off me and within 30yrs, I managed to sail through O-Levels, A-Levels, 3 University degrees, am a professional Chartered Accountant and as we speak I am finishing off my PhD.” Yes I can see Mugabe’s values and ethos have definitely rubbed of on you. For a start it is said Mugabe has seven University Degrees, and has received countless honorary ones. You two will have plenty to boost about! I am talking about the dehumanising suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans here and see nothing for Mugabe to boost about.
SD did you know that the education system in Zimbabwe has all but collapsed following years of poor funding? Mugabe had no money for the country’s education, health, prisons and all the other essential public services but had money to buy luxuries for the country’s ruling elite. There was a story in the Zimbabwe Times in 2008 announcing the closure of the Medical School at Parerenyatwa Hospital; the next story was of Mercedes Benz, new Villa furnished new Plasma TV, etc the regime had bought/built for Zimbabwe’s Judges.
The same year students in government institutions across the country had spent a total of 23 days in school! No doubt, you, SD, would have “sailed” through O-Levels, etc. regardless; but you should also consider those who are not as clever as you. Taking out a whole academic year has caused serious harm to the education of a whole generation. If it was not for outside donors – mainly from the former colonial countries you hate with such a consuming passion - our school and hospitals will still be closed.
Life expectancy, the universally accepted acid test of how well a nation is doing, in 1980 was 65 years compared to 34 years in 2005. Again, if it was not for the foreign donors looking after AIDS victims, prisoners, etc. things would be even worse in Zimbabwe today.
I am a black Zimbabwean and I felt the white discrimination and oppression just as keenly as every other black person. I was very proud to see Zimbabwe gain its independence and proudly acknowledge the heroic contributions of leaders like Mugabe. What people like you SD, Sullivan, all the other Mugabe cronies and, above all, Mugabe himself want the world to see the struggle against colonialism and NOTHING ELSE. Important as the heroic struggle to end colonial rule was, it was not ALL the people wanted.
The people dreamt of freedom, life with dignity and economic prosperity. Today, millions of our people are living in abject poverty because of the economic melt down following years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption. Our people have been denied the same freedoms and rights that the whites denied blacks before independence. These are the issues Africa should be talking about and will!
Mugabe and his cronies are riding rough shod over the people’s dreams, hopes and their very lives; we can not pretend this is not happening. It is not me who is in denial but all those who trying to blame colonialism for Africa’s woes. This is a fight pitting darkness against light, rhetoric against reason; be rest assured the tide has turned light and reason are definitely beginning to prevail!
7777
@Neville Sullivan
I do not know which village “outside of the Colonial HQ in the capital had nothing, no running water, no electricity, nothing” you are talking about. But I do know that in 1980 almost all the suburbs in all the cities and towns in Zimbabwe had electricity and running water. That is not so today. You must have heard of Zimbabwe’s erratic electricity and water supply. In the last ten years it has become the norm for consumers, domestic as well as industrial, right in the heart of Harare and Bulawayo to have power supply for two hours or less a day!
Two years ago over 4 000 Zimbabweans died of Cholera because there was no clean running water for people. If outside donors had not stepped in the death toll would have been a lot higher.
Saturday 3 July 2010
GERMAN NATIONAL'S HIS FARM IS LOOTED: MUGABE'S WILL IS LAW!
Mugabe and his cronies must have fallen out of the chairs and cried with laughter when they first heard that Germany will cut humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe in response to the seizure and looting of Heinrich von Pezold’s farm. The move will not hurt the dictator and his cronies in any way; it will make their job of controlling the Zimbabwe voters that much easier!
The key to Mugabe and Zanu PF’s iron grip on power and his total controls every facet of human activity in Zimbabwe is that he be above the law. Mugabe is fetish about upholding the law when it suits him only to contemptuously disregard the same law when it does not. The right to own property, the right to a meaningful free vote and even the right to life itself; they are rights only if Mugabe says so. In other words, they are privileges that he can give and withhold as he sees fit. Mugabe and his cronies are not subject to any national or international laws, they are above the law. Mugabe’s will is THE supreme law in the land.
It was Mugabe’s will to seize and loot all white-owned farms in Zimbabwe – it suited him in that he needed the farms to buy the blind loyalty of his cronies and as a smoke screen to hide his ruthless political repression of the Zimbabweans. Heinrich von Pezold may be a German national and Zimbabwe and Germany may have signed an agreement protecting Pezold’s property rights, etc. All that count for nothing when weighed against Mugabe’s will!
Mugabe has left no stone unturned in his drive to ensure he and Zanu PF has totally control of every facet of Zimbabweans’ lives. Thus it is a well known fact that all NGOs, for example, must handover the aid to Zanu PF leaders or, at the very least, distribute using the party’s structure. In 2008 Mugabe stopped a lot of the humanitarian aid reaching the needy to remind the voters of his overwhelming power over them. By cutting it humanitarian aid to independent NGOs, Germany will only reducing the number of NGOs Zanu PF has to police.
It is Mugabe’s years of mismanagement and corruption that has left 80% of Zimbabweans destitute and dependent on aid. By tightly controlling who gets the aid, it is Mugabe who is “cashing” in on the economic melt down and the nation’s misery. And Germany is helping him in that.
If Germany really wanted to expresses its displeasure with Mugabe’s contempt for the rule of law then there are other more effective ways of doing so. Germany and the West can turn the screw on Mugabe by extending the targeted sanctions beyond Mugabe and the 203 of his cronies to include the next tier of the Zanu PF ruling elite and their families and by policing the sanctions closely. Many of those on the sanctions list have their children studying and living in the Europe and North America after a simple act of changing the name on their passport, for example.
The West has always had the option of cutting aid to those nations propping up Mugabe. They must do so now.
After the sham elections of 2008 the West had good reasons to view Zimbabwe’s GNU as a white-washed Zanu PF dictatorship. Still, the West did nothing to pressure Mugabe to change giving Tsvangirai the benefit of the doubt that the GNU would bring about democratic change in Zimbabwe. It is clear the dictator had no intention of sharing power with Tsvangirai or bringing about any meaningful change.
The wealth from the Marange diamonds has become the wind under Mugabe’s wings; he is it to buy his cronies’ continued blind loyalty and to build a war-chest in preparations for Zimbabwe’s next elections. The GNU’s failure to bring about any meaningful economic recovery will only mean Zimbabweans will redouble their efforts to end Mugabe’s tyrannical rule. To “win” Mugabe will resort to brutal repression, worse than that used in 2008; he has money to pay for it. The West has always handled Mugabe with kid gloves; it is high time Mugabe is acknowledged as a ruthless dictator he is and treated accordingly. The scene is set for Mugabe be commit one of the worst man-made human tragedy in modern history; the West can stop him if only they had the political will to do so!
The key to Mugabe and Zanu PF’s iron grip on power and his total controls every facet of human activity in Zimbabwe is that he be above the law. Mugabe is fetish about upholding the law when it suits him only to contemptuously disregard the same law when it does not. The right to own property, the right to a meaningful free vote and even the right to life itself; they are rights only if Mugabe says so. In other words, they are privileges that he can give and withhold as he sees fit. Mugabe and his cronies are not subject to any national or international laws, they are above the law. Mugabe’s will is THE supreme law in the land.
It was Mugabe’s will to seize and loot all white-owned farms in Zimbabwe – it suited him in that he needed the farms to buy the blind loyalty of his cronies and as a smoke screen to hide his ruthless political repression of the Zimbabweans. Heinrich von Pezold may be a German national and Zimbabwe and Germany may have signed an agreement protecting Pezold’s property rights, etc. All that count for nothing when weighed against Mugabe’s will!
Mugabe has left no stone unturned in his drive to ensure he and Zanu PF has totally control of every facet of Zimbabweans’ lives. Thus it is a well known fact that all NGOs, for example, must handover the aid to Zanu PF leaders or, at the very least, distribute using the party’s structure. In 2008 Mugabe stopped a lot of the humanitarian aid reaching the needy to remind the voters of his overwhelming power over them. By cutting it humanitarian aid to independent NGOs, Germany will only reducing the number of NGOs Zanu PF has to police.
It is Mugabe’s years of mismanagement and corruption that has left 80% of Zimbabweans destitute and dependent on aid. By tightly controlling who gets the aid, it is Mugabe who is “cashing” in on the economic melt down and the nation’s misery. And Germany is helping him in that.
If Germany really wanted to expresses its displeasure with Mugabe’s contempt for the rule of law then there are other more effective ways of doing so. Germany and the West can turn the screw on Mugabe by extending the targeted sanctions beyond Mugabe and the 203 of his cronies to include the next tier of the Zanu PF ruling elite and their families and by policing the sanctions closely. Many of those on the sanctions list have their children studying and living in the Europe and North America after a simple act of changing the name on their passport, for example.
The West has always had the option of cutting aid to those nations propping up Mugabe. They must do so now.
After the sham elections of 2008 the West had good reasons to view Zimbabwe’s GNU as a white-washed Zanu PF dictatorship. Still, the West did nothing to pressure Mugabe to change giving Tsvangirai the benefit of the doubt that the GNU would bring about democratic change in Zimbabwe. It is clear the dictator had no intention of sharing power with Tsvangirai or bringing about any meaningful change.
The wealth from the Marange diamonds has become the wind under Mugabe’s wings; he is it to buy his cronies’ continued blind loyalty and to build a war-chest in preparations for Zimbabwe’s next elections. The GNU’s failure to bring about any meaningful economic recovery will only mean Zimbabweans will redouble their efforts to end Mugabe’s tyrannical rule. To “win” Mugabe will resort to brutal repression, worse than that used in 2008; he has money to pay for it. The West has always handled Mugabe with kid gloves; it is high time Mugabe is acknowledged as a ruthless dictator he is and treated accordingly. The scene is set for Mugabe be commit one of the worst man-made human tragedy in modern history; the West can stop him if only they had the political will to do so!
Friday 2 July 2010
MUGABE THUGS INVADE A GERMANY NATIONAL'S FARM: WEST NEED A ROBUST RESPONSE TO END MUGABE'S LAWLESSNESS!
Germany is threatening to cancel all aid to Zimbabwe following the seizure of a white owned farm belonging to a Germany national by Mugabe thugs. Mugabe propagandists were quick to tell Germany, Zimbabwe does not need the aid.
It is all very well for Mugabe and his cronies to say that, they do not depend on aid. It is a different kettle of fish for the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans who are now totally dependent on it.
Only last month UNSEF stepped in to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwean children because the Zimbabwe government did not have the funds to carry out this important duty. Funny enough the same government had just spent US$10 million renovating the National Stadium and a few weeks later paid Brazil US$1.5 million to play football there.
Aid from the West has been used for basic necessities such as food and medicines. It is ironic that as many as 80% of Zimbabweans should be dependent on imported food aid when the country used to be the biggest exporter of food before the land redistribution programme, Mugabe thinks so highly of.
“Which country had its economy built on aid?” asked a Mugabe loyalist. I do know that aid constitute a significant part of many countries, especially in Africa. I also know that after Zimbabwe’s economic melt down; we will need aid to rebuild our economy. But I do not expect you to acknowledge these economic realities; you do not care about the ordinary people to whom aid means life and death.
6666
The West and the world at large have treated Mugabe with kid gloves for far too long. It is about time that the world put its foot down. What is happening in Zimbabwe is the machinations of the dictator riding rough shod over the white farmers, his political opponents and defenceless civilians for one purpose and one purpose only – to retain political power at all cost.
Mugabe has used the white farmers as a cover to hide his forced acquisition of their land and to give his cronies as a reward for their blind loyalty and support. Zimbabwe’s economic melt down was triggered by this reckless and selfish behaviour by Mugabe. Not even his cronies have benefited from this since they did not have the commitment or ability to make productive use of the farms. It is the ordinary people who have paid the highest price for this failed land redistribution programme.
There are but a few white farms left now, Mugabe is keeping up the pressure on this because it suits his anti-white rhetoric itself an important smokescreen for political repression. Mugabe has his beady eyes on the Marange diamonds as the source of money to bride his ever demanding cronies and to bankroll the coming elections. In 2008 elections Gideon Gono had bankrolled that election from money looted from other people’s bank accounts held by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Mugabe does not care about the property rights of the white farmers, international law and norms; the basic rights of ordinary Zimbabweans and their right to life itself. He stopped caring about all that a long time ago; he crossed the Rubicon a long, long time ago. It is high time countries like Germany, the West realised that and treat Mugabe accordingly!
It is all very well for Mugabe and his cronies to say that, they do not depend on aid. It is a different kettle of fish for the millions of ordinary Zimbabweans who are now totally dependent on it.
Only last month UNSEF stepped in to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwean children because the Zimbabwe government did not have the funds to carry out this important duty. Funny enough the same government had just spent US$10 million renovating the National Stadium and a few weeks later paid Brazil US$1.5 million to play football there.
Aid from the West has been used for basic necessities such as food and medicines. It is ironic that as many as 80% of Zimbabweans should be dependent on imported food aid when the country used to be the biggest exporter of food before the land redistribution programme, Mugabe thinks so highly of.
“Which country had its economy built on aid?” asked a Mugabe loyalist. I do know that aid constitute a significant part of many countries, especially in Africa. I also know that after Zimbabwe’s economic melt down; we will need aid to rebuild our economy. But I do not expect you to acknowledge these economic realities; you do not care about the ordinary people to whom aid means life and death.
6666
The West and the world at large have treated Mugabe with kid gloves for far too long. It is about time that the world put its foot down. What is happening in Zimbabwe is the machinations of the dictator riding rough shod over the white farmers, his political opponents and defenceless civilians for one purpose and one purpose only – to retain political power at all cost.
Mugabe has used the white farmers as a cover to hide his forced acquisition of their land and to give his cronies as a reward for their blind loyalty and support. Zimbabwe’s economic melt down was triggered by this reckless and selfish behaviour by Mugabe. Not even his cronies have benefited from this since they did not have the commitment or ability to make productive use of the farms. It is the ordinary people who have paid the highest price for this failed land redistribution programme.
There are but a few white farms left now, Mugabe is keeping up the pressure on this because it suits his anti-white rhetoric itself an important smokescreen for political repression. Mugabe has his beady eyes on the Marange diamonds as the source of money to bride his ever demanding cronies and to bankroll the coming elections. In 2008 elections Gideon Gono had bankrolled that election from money looted from other people’s bank accounts held by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Mugabe does not care about the property rights of the white farmers, international law and norms; the basic rights of ordinary Zimbabweans and their right to life itself. He stopped caring about all that a long time ago; he crossed the Rubicon a long, long time ago. It is high time countries like Germany, the West realised that and treat Mugabe accordingly!
Thursday 1 July 2010
WE NEED A DISCERNING ELECTORATE: NOTHING CAN EVER BE ACHIEVED IN ZIMBABWE UNTIL THEN!
@Fungayi
Starting another political party is clearly not the panacea to Zimbabwe’s political and economic problems. You have just listed 12 parties that have been formed in Zimbabwe in the last 30 years alone, just short on a new political party every two years. And yet Zimbabwe’s problems very got worse not better.
By the way, the same problem can be seen in other areas too. Take education for example; I have lost count of how many universities we now have in Zimbabwe chaining out thousands of new graduates but, sadly, most of them ill educated. This is not the students, they are as keen as mustard to learn. But how can they do so when the institution is so poorly funded that it has neither the equipment nor the staff.
Thirty years of totalitarian rule has had an adverse effect on the nation’s psycho, we have become obsessed about quantity and forgot quality. The political parties have all failed because the few competent individuals have welcomed all deadwood and rubbish in their midst just to make up the quantity. “Kukuvarira zvose mavhu namarara!” as one would say in Shona.
And we, the electorate have done no better ourselves because we have welcome each one of the twelve political parties with open arms.
What Zimbabwe needs above all else is a discerning electorate one that can distinguish quality leaders from the rubbish that now in power. That is where I come in, to encourage Zimbabweans to open their minds, to ask the difficult questions of themselves and those aspiring to be leaders and to think for themselves! I have also taken it upon myself to ensure the all them rats who have made our lives a misery for the last thirty years are hunted down and hanged. You have to admit it Fungayi; that is definitely a lot more challenging and fulfilling than being an acolyte of a demented dictator!
@ Alex Nhando
I agree with you that Tsvangirai is “brave”. Yes he stood up to confront the ruthless and brutal dictator, Mugabe, when no one else would.
Alex, the exact same sentiment were said about Mugabe soon after independence. He was a national hero per excellence, alright for he too confronted an equally ruthless and brutal white colonial regime. What did we do? We went and placed Mugabe on a pedestal and worshiped him like a God who could do no wrong. Naturally Mugabe took full advantage of that and undermined the judiciary system, the Police, media and all the country’s democratic institutions so he could have absolute power. He systematically eroded our individual basic human rights, the right to have a meaningful say in the governance of the country and ultimately the right to life. Anyone who dared complain about the mismanagement of the nation, the corruption or the growing repression was labelled a counter revolutionary or a puppet.
Mugabe will never tie of reminding us of his heroic contribution in our war of independence and of his continued heroic stand against those threatening our freedom and sovereignty. The tragic truth we are not free and all our pre-independence dream of freedom, peace, liberty and economic prosperity have all been shattered.
Whilst it is true that Mugabe has always wanted absolute power, it must also be said that by placing him on the pedestal and treat him as someone who can do no wrong we made it ease for him to be a dictator. Sadly we seem to have learnt nothing from that because we are again doing the same thing with Tsvangirai.
Let talk about how Tsvangirai got Mugabe off the hook by signing the GPA after the sham elections of 2008; just one of Tsvangirai’s many blunders. The worst person like you Alex have said about it is that he “is not perfect”. Is that all? Here is a monumental blunder that has set us back ten years in our fight for democratic change, will post pone the much hope for economic recovery, will cost hundreds more of innocent lives because Mugabe has another chance to use violence to win another election, etc.
Why are you reminding me that Tsvangirai was brave to confront Mugabe in the first place? Because you can not talk of the present without talking of the past; and thus tying yourself up in knots.
Tsvangirai was the brave leader MDC needed from 1999 to 2005 or 2008 at the latest. After that he was making too many blunders, it was time for him to go and let someone else take over. By the same token Mugabe was the courageous leader the nation needed during the war of independence and five years after independence. After that Mugabe had ran out of ideas and thus resorted to force to retain power.
The British regard Winston Churchill as a great Second World War hero and yet they voted him out at the very first post war election because the people believed the great man’s idea of where to go next did not appeal to them. You elect someone on the basis of what they will do today and tomorrow not on what they did in the past! In a free and fair election the electorate have the chance to access all the contesting candidates and then cast their vote without fear of what the losing candidate might do next.
Alex there is a lot more to democracy than blind allegiance to a past hero! Think about it.
666
@Fungayi
“Wilbert Mukori you asked what will happen to me? The answer is simple, I will remain a Zimbabwean expressing my views as I see fit. As for Zanu PF crumbling, dream on!” You say. No Fungayi it is you who is dreaming.
After the sham presidential run-off in June 2008 the international community refused to recognise Mugabe as the Zimbabwe’s “legitimate” head of state. Even the Hear-Nothing, See-Nothing and Say-Nothing AU Election Observer Team condemned the run-off as a farce for its sheer brutality. What made it worse is that the Police, Army, CIO and other Security Agencies were not only doing nothing to stop the violence but were actually spear heading it!
I know you and Mugabe keep harping on about the sanction being responsible for Zimbabwe’s economic collapse. The true cause of Zimbabwe’s economic melt down is mismanagement and rampant corruption. Mugabe has “privatised” Zimbabwe in that he commandeered the nation’s wealth and resources for the exclusive of himself and his cronies (bride for their blind loyalty to him) at the expense of public good. Whilst schools and hospitals were closing for lack of funds Mugabe and his cronies driving around in the latest models of Hammer and Mercedes Benz. Was it the sanctions that stopped government buying medicines and paying teachers whilst spending billions on the latest models of Hammers and Mercedes Benz? The people are not that stupid.
The over zealous Zanu PF Youth and Women League members were among the last to see Zanu PF for the what it is a corrupt and repressive regime. And when the penny finally dropped they deserted the party in droves. In the past Mugabe had depended on them to do the dirty work of intimidating and terrorising the electorate. In 2008 Mugabe had to dig deep and use the Police, Army, etc.
It was ease to see why the top brass in the State Security Organs have aligned themselves with Zanu PF; they have all had a share of the loot and, worse still, many of them have the innocent blood of the hundreds of thousands murdered by the regime to establish this de facto one-party state.
One of 2009 Zanu PF Congress resolution was to force all State Security Organs to align themselves to Zanu PF and put the party’s selfish interest above public good and the nation. No nation worth its salt can ever accept that and so every Police Commanding Officer and Army General have to square this circle for themselves. The rank and file know this is not right; it was them who reported how they were forced to vote for Mugabe in June 2008.
Fungayi Mugabe will never win a free and fair election in Zimbabwe; that is a fact. So his only way out is to use violence again, probably worse than that used in 2008 to be sure. Even if he can talk Tsvangirai or whoever to form another GNU, I do not think even SADC will stomach that!
No Fungayi, Mugabe’s days in State House are numbered alright, Zanu PF is crumbling. Take it from me, that is a given. So ask you once again, what will happen to you?
Starting another political party is clearly not the panacea to Zimbabwe’s political and economic problems. You have just listed 12 parties that have been formed in Zimbabwe in the last 30 years alone, just short on a new political party every two years. And yet Zimbabwe’s problems very got worse not better.
By the way, the same problem can be seen in other areas too. Take education for example; I have lost count of how many universities we now have in Zimbabwe chaining out thousands of new graduates but, sadly, most of them ill educated. This is not the students, they are as keen as mustard to learn. But how can they do so when the institution is so poorly funded that it has neither the equipment nor the staff.
Thirty years of totalitarian rule has had an adverse effect on the nation’s psycho, we have become obsessed about quantity and forgot quality. The political parties have all failed because the few competent individuals have welcomed all deadwood and rubbish in their midst just to make up the quantity. “Kukuvarira zvose mavhu namarara!” as one would say in Shona.
And we, the electorate have done no better ourselves because we have welcome each one of the twelve political parties with open arms.
What Zimbabwe needs above all else is a discerning electorate one that can distinguish quality leaders from the rubbish that now in power. That is where I come in, to encourage Zimbabweans to open their minds, to ask the difficult questions of themselves and those aspiring to be leaders and to think for themselves! I have also taken it upon myself to ensure the all them rats who have made our lives a misery for the last thirty years are hunted down and hanged. You have to admit it Fungayi; that is definitely a lot more challenging and fulfilling than being an acolyte of a demented dictator!
@ Alex Nhando
I agree with you that Tsvangirai is “brave”. Yes he stood up to confront the ruthless and brutal dictator, Mugabe, when no one else would.
Alex, the exact same sentiment were said about Mugabe soon after independence. He was a national hero per excellence, alright for he too confronted an equally ruthless and brutal white colonial regime. What did we do? We went and placed Mugabe on a pedestal and worshiped him like a God who could do no wrong. Naturally Mugabe took full advantage of that and undermined the judiciary system, the Police, media and all the country’s democratic institutions so he could have absolute power. He systematically eroded our individual basic human rights, the right to have a meaningful say in the governance of the country and ultimately the right to life. Anyone who dared complain about the mismanagement of the nation, the corruption or the growing repression was labelled a counter revolutionary or a puppet.
Mugabe will never tie of reminding us of his heroic contribution in our war of independence and of his continued heroic stand against those threatening our freedom and sovereignty. The tragic truth we are not free and all our pre-independence dream of freedom, peace, liberty and economic prosperity have all been shattered.
Whilst it is true that Mugabe has always wanted absolute power, it must also be said that by placing him on the pedestal and treat him as someone who can do no wrong we made it ease for him to be a dictator. Sadly we seem to have learnt nothing from that because we are again doing the same thing with Tsvangirai.
Let talk about how Tsvangirai got Mugabe off the hook by signing the GPA after the sham elections of 2008; just one of Tsvangirai’s many blunders. The worst person like you Alex have said about it is that he “is not perfect”. Is that all? Here is a monumental blunder that has set us back ten years in our fight for democratic change, will post pone the much hope for economic recovery, will cost hundreds more of innocent lives because Mugabe has another chance to use violence to win another election, etc.
Why are you reminding me that Tsvangirai was brave to confront Mugabe in the first place? Because you can not talk of the present without talking of the past; and thus tying yourself up in knots.
Tsvangirai was the brave leader MDC needed from 1999 to 2005 or 2008 at the latest. After that he was making too many blunders, it was time for him to go and let someone else take over. By the same token Mugabe was the courageous leader the nation needed during the war of independence and five years after independence. After that Mugabe had ran out of ideas and thus resorted to force to retain power.
The British regard Winston Churchill as a great Second World War hero and yet they voted him out at the very first post war election because the people believed the great man’s idea of where to go next did not appeal to them. You elect someone on the basis of what they will do today and tomorrow not on what they did in the past! In a free and fair election the electorate have the chance to access all the contesting candidates and then cast their vote without fear of what the losing candidate might do next.
Alex there is a lot more to democracy than blind allegiance to a past hero! Think about it.
666
@Fungayi
“Wilbert Mukori you asked what will happen to me? The answer is simple, I will remain a Zimbabwean expressing my views as I see fit. As for Zanu PF crumbling, dream on!” You say. No Fungayi it is you who is dreaming.
After the sham presidential run-off in June 2008 the international community refused to recognise Mugabe as the Zimbabwe’s “legitimate” head of state. Even the Hear-Nothing, See-Nothing and Say-Nothing AU Election Observer Team condemned the run-off as a farce for its sheer brutality. What made it worse is that the Police, Army, CIO and other Security Agencies were not only doing nothing to stop the violence but were actually spear heading it!
I know you and Mugabe keep harping on about the sanction being responsible for Zimbabwe’s economic collapse. The true cause of Zimbabwe’s economic melt down is mismanagement and rampant corruption. Mugabe has “privatised” Zimbabwe in that he commandeered the nation’s wealth and resources for the exclusive of himself and his cronies (bride for their blind loyalty to him) at the expense of public good. Whilst schools and hospitals were closing for lack of funds Mugabe and his cronies driving around in the latest models of Hammer and Mercedes Benz. Was it the sanctions that stopped government buying medicines and paying teachers whilst spending billions on the latest models of Hammers and Mercedes Benz? The people are not that stupid.
The over zealous Zanu PF Youth and Women League members were among the last to see Zanu PF for the what it is a corrupt and repressive regime. And when the penny finally dropped they deserted the party in droves. In the past Mugabe had depended on them to do the dirty work of intimidating and terrorising the electorate. In 2008 Mugabe had to dig deep and use the Police, Army, etc.
It was ease to see why the top brass in the State Security Organs have aligned themselves with Zanu PF; they have all had a share of the loot and, worse still, many of them have the innocent blood of the hundreds of thousands murdered by the regime to establish this de facto one-party state.
One of 2009 Zanu PF Congress resolution was to force all State Security Organs to align themselves to Zanu PF and put the party’s selfish interest above public good and the nation. No nation worth its salt can ever accept that and so every Police Commanding Officer and Army General have to square this circle for themselves. The rank and file know this is not right; it was them who reported how they were forced to vote for Mugabe in June 2008.
Fungayi Mugabe will never win a free and fair election in Zimbabwe; that is a fact. So his only way out is to use violence again, probably worse than that used in 2008 to be sure. Even if he can talk Tsvangirai or whoever to form another GNU, I do not think even SADC will stomach that!
No Fungayi, Mugabe’s days in State House are numbered alright, Zanu PF is crumbling. Take it from me, that is a given. So ask you once again, what will happen to you?
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