Mugabe says he will not implement any of the outstanding issue in the GPA until the West lift the sanction imposed on him and his inner circle. SADC heads of State meeting had given the GNU a month to implement ALL outstanding issues.
Well SADC has Mugabe’s reply to their latest ultimatum!
The GPA was between Zanu PF and the two MDC factions. It was not between Zanu PF on the one side and the two MDC factions and the West on the other. The West has never had their foreign policy dictated to them by someone else much less the likes of Tsvangirai.
As a Zimbabwean citizen, I do not see why my democratic right to a free and fair election is now being tied to the lifting or otherwise of the smart sanction! In fact the connection is a myth because the smart sanctions were imposed in 2001 Mugabe’s history of denying the Zimbabwean people their right to free elections and other serious human rights violations goes dates back to 1980. Even the first pre-independence elections were not free and fair; the people were told in no uncertain terms that if Zanu PF lost the election the civil war would continue. So the 1980 elections was a vote to end the war and not a free vote. By the time the country held its first post independence election the country was already a de facto one-party dictatorship and these considered a threat to Mugabe’s hold on power were subjected to all manner of abuse including murder. As the years went by and the country’s economy started to falter and Zanu PF’s popularity nose dived the party has stepped up the repression.
It was Mugabe’s failure to hold free and fair elections that forced the West to impose the smart sanctions on the dictator and his inner circle in 2001. That did not work Mugabe still failed to hold free and fair elections in 2002, 2005 and in 2008. Again the violence got worse with each successive election.
Of course Mugabe had decided to endure the smart sanctions than lose the elections and power and have all his past finally opened up to public scrutiny and he is certain to face charges for the thousands of people murdered by his regime.
Mugabe will never do anything to undermine his struggle hold on power, period. Of course he would never admit that and so had to come up with some excuse why he will not implement any democratic reforms and demanding that the sanctions be lifted was just the excuse he wanted.
Zimbabwe’s economic melt down is because of the years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption by Mugabe and Zanu PF. The economic rot also started long before the smart sanctions were imposed but, again, the regime has found it more convenient to blame it all on the sanctions.
Most people know the sanctions are a smoke screen but they have joined in the call to have them lifted anyway because they want to appease the dictator. MDC were stupid to have the sanctions even mentioned in the GPA. Zimbabweans gave Mugabe the electoral victory in 1980 for the same reason - to appease. They have done than again and again election after election. Mugabe has used all these acts of appeasement to consolidate his hold on power and increased the repression.
The people of Zimbabwe have a right to free and fair elections and to all the other democratic rights and freedoms with no conditions attached. People must stop appease Mugabe by trading off other people’s basic rights!
@Fidel Castrol
“I know sanctions are hurting the very people they are supposed to benefit,” you say. I for one agree with you. But what you do not seem to appreciate is that the people of Zimbabwe were suffering long before the sanctions were imposed because of the mismanagement and corruption. We have watched the criminal waste of the country’s material and human resource helpless to do anything about it because Mugabe denied us a meaningful say in the governance of the country. 95% plus of Zimbabwe’s economic melt down today are dues to the same causes – mismanagement and corruption which have got worse and worse with time – and maybe 5% is due to sanctions.
The sanctions were imposed to pressure Mugabe to hold free and fair elections and end the intimidation, beatings, rape and murder of all those who are seeking an end to the mismanagement and corruption by election some one else. Surely it makes sense to endure 5% of the hardship now so that we can finally start addressing the 95%. Why is that so difficult for you, Fidel Castrol, to understand; especial since you are from Malawi and it was not so long ago that your country was under the dictatorship of Banda?
@Dread Dread6
Whilst the likes of Fungayi, John Berry and other Mugabe apologists and of course Mugabe himself are reasonable people who are simply refusing to see facts for selfish reasons; you Dread Dread6 and a few others are different. You are plan stupid. If it was in a court of law you would be discharged on the grounds of having the mental ability of a ten year old.
I said the West would not have their foreign policy dictated to them by a simpleton like Tsvangirai. In typical style you accuse me of being ignorant and then ask the stupid question: “Ever wondered on the origin of the term 'puppet government'? Whatever that is supposed to means!
Dread Dread6, I suggest you pick some other subject to comment on if you do not want to be reminded again that you are not a full shilling. The subject of democratic reform in Zimbabwe is a very important one and we really can not afford to have half wits writing nonsense and do nothing about it. We can not let the tragic suffering of Zimbabweans turned into a trivial matter. To do so will be irresponsible, it would be like letting a ten year old play with matches!
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Thursday, 19 August 2010
ONCE AGAIN SADC FAILS TO REIN IN MUGABE AND BITI IS "REASONABLY PLEASED" WITH THAT!
SADC leaders again fail to take any action to rein in Mugabe and end the circus of the GNU in Zimbabwe at the end of the regional meeting in Namibia. Commenting at the end of the meeting MDC Minister Tendai Biti said he was “reasonably pleased” with the meeting! There is a surprise.
Ever since MDC emerged as a political party in Zimbabwe it has been a party of “weaklings”, as you, Charlie Mingas, rightly put it. They are always bending over backwards to please. Always looking for opportunities to appease Mugabe and Zanu PF and excuse the dictator’s excesses. They are always gleaning for something positive even a sea of negatives.
The Zimbabwean economy is still in a mess; 80% are still out of work, the few in work are being paid pittance and basic services like education and health are barely functioning. On the political front the much talked about drafting of the new constitution is way behind schedule and signs are it will be a meaningless exercise because Zanu PF thugs have hijacked the whole exercise. Political motivated violence is on the increased again. The GNU has been bickering over trivial issues and ignored the economic and political issues affecting the people’s lives.
MDC clearly failed to get Mugabe and his junta to move one inch to ease the repression and the mismanagement and corruption that dragged the national economy into the gutter and are holding it down. One had hoped MDC would be screaming for SADC as the guarantors of the GNU to push Mugabe. SADC has done nothing on that score. MDC must have expected absolutely nothing to be “reasonably pleased” with nothing!
@ Raia wa Afrika and Fungayi
It is individuals like you who keep the flame of hope of Zimbabwe and Africa in general ever rising out of the hell-hole we now find ourselves burning. As you can see Mugabe apologies like Fungayi have already jumped on the truth you said and twisted it to hide the failures of their master, Mugabe.
The white farmers “grew not food but tobacco” Fungayi argues. That is not true. The country’s farmers, white and black – black farmers too have lost their farms in the farm seizures of the last ten years -, did grew food crops producing enough not only to feed the nation but to feed the region. Zimbabwe was the bread basket of Southern Africa for Christ’s sake! The country’s farmer also produced tobacco and other crops like cotton and flowers earning the country the much needed foreign currency. Mugabe and his thugs seized the farms and agricultural production nose dived.
Mugabe and his apologist would like the world to believe that what they have been doing in Zimbabwe is black economic empowerment. SA’s trade union COSATU described the beginning, only the beginning, of a similar black empowerment programme by the ANC government as thing by ANC favouring a select few at the expense of the majority as “elitists”. In the case of Zimbabwe Mugabe’s black economic empowerment is institutionalised looting by the ruling elite, period!
The Zimbabwe economy has no chance of ever recovering, not whilst the looters are in charge and/or are allowed to keep their loot. Nothing good can ever come out of looting, that is a universal economic fact!
@ Edward Ndaba
Please do not evoke the name of the Lord in vain! God gave Zimbabwe the rich land to grow all the food, a great abundance of flora and fauna, minerals wealth and to every Zimbabwean the discerning mind. What else do you want? Zimbabwe’s economic and political problems are man-made and therefore are within our powers to solve if we only get off our backsides and apply ourselves. The only help Zimbabweans need and have needed for a long time is a kick in the backside – the tragic economic and political repression they are suffering has not been enough!
@Ikene Ikene
It is tempting to blame MDC and before them PF Zapu’s failure to change Zimbabwe on the corrupting effect of Zanu PF and Robert Mugabe. The truth is both of these parties had enough time to know the kind of evil they were dealing with and act accordingly. They did not. The truth is there were no quality leaders in PF Zapu just as there are none in MDC.
Zimbabweans have been concerned about ending Mugabe’s reign of terror for decades now and as the situation got worse they panic and concern changed to desperation. In their desperation, they voted for MDC in 2008 in droves without stopping to think what exactly will happen after Mugabe was out. If only they had stopped to think, they would have realised that MDC were not offering anything. Tsvangirai and company had their eyes on being ministers and had no clue as what they would do next. And hence ever since they got their foot in the GNU and were appointed PM, Ministers, etc. they have done nothing!
Ending Mugabe’s reign of terror is the top priority I agree. But voting in a party of incompetent idiots has clearly not helped that cause. It is not enough to know what must be done, we must also get the right person to do it!
@ Fungayi
I have never denied that there are targeted sanctions what I have denied if you lies that the targeted sanctions are responsible for Zimbabwe’s economic melt down. The years of gross economic mismanagement and rampant corruption by Mugabe and his cronies are responsible for that.
I was pleased that the targeted sanctions were imposed; Mugabe and his cronies could not be allowed to ride rough shod over the people and the whole world turned a blind eye to that. After ten years of the sanctions the West should have reviewed them a long time ago – to make them bite even harder!
The targeted sanctions were imposed on Mugabe and his thugs for failing to hold free and fair elections and for serious human rights violations. The GNU has not anything on the ground, if anything the situation is even worse than it was in 2001. Everyone agrees that the GNU is NOT working. So why Senator Jim Inhofe (Republican-Oklahoma) wants the sanctions lifted is beyond me.
Ever since MDC emerged as a political party in Zimbabwe it has been a party of “weaklings”, as you, Charlie Mingas, rightly put it. They are always bending over backwards to please. Always looking for opportunities to appease Mugabe and Zanu PF and excuse the dictator’s excesses. They are always gleaning for something positive even a sea of negatives.
The Zimbabwean economy is still in a mess; 80% are still out of work, the few in work are being paid pittance and basic services like education and health are barely functioning. On the political front the much talked about drafting of the new constitution is way behind schedule and signs are it will be a meaningless exercise because Zanu PF thugs have hijacked the whole exercise. Political motivated violence is on the increased again. The GNU has been bickering over trivial issues and ignored the economic and political issues affecting the people’s lives.
MDC clearly failed to get Mugabe and his junta to move one inch to ease the repression and the mismanagement and corruption that dragged the national economy into the gutter and are holding it down. One had hoped MDC would be screaming for SADC as the guarantors of the GNU to push Mugabe. SADC has done nothing on that score. MDC must have expected absolutely nothing to be “reasonably pleased” with nothing!
@ Raia wa Afrika and Fungayi
It is individuals like you who keep the flame of hope of Zimbabwe and Africa in general ever rising out of the hell-hole we now find ourselves burning. As you can see Mugabe apologies like Fungayi have already jumped on the truth you said and twisted it to hide the failures of their master, Mugabe.
The white farmers “grew not food but tobacco” Fungayi argues. That is not true. The country’s farmers, white and black – black farmers too have lost their farms in the farm seizures of the last ten years -, did grew food crops producing enough not only to feed the nation but to feed the region. Zimbabwe was the bread basket of Southern Africa for Christ’s sake! The country’s farmer also produced tobacco and other crops like cotton and flowers earning the country the much needed foreign currency. Mugabe and his thugs seized the farms and agricultural production nose dived.
Mugabe and his apologist would like the world to believe that what they have been doing in Zimbabwe is black economic empowerment. SA’s trade union COSATU described the beginning, only the beginning, of a similar black empowerment programme by the ANC government as thing by ANC favouring a select few at the expense of the majority as “elitists”. In the case of Zimbabwe Mugabe’s black economic empowerment is institutionalised looting by the ruling elite, period!
The Zimbabwe economy has no chance of ever recovering, not whilst the looters are in charge and/or are allowed to keep their loot. Nothing good can ever come out of looting, that is a universal economic fact!
@ Edward Ndaba
Please do not evoke the name of the Lord in vain! God gave Zimbabwe the rich land to grow all the food, a great abundance of flora and fauna, minerals wealth and to every Zimbabwean the discerning mind. What else do you want? Zimbabwe’s economic and political problems are man-made and therefore are within our powers to solve if we only get off our backsides and apply ourselves. The only help Zimbabweans need and have needed for a long time is a kick in the backside – the tragic economic and political repression they are suffering has not been enough!
@Ikene Ikene
It is tempting to blame MDC and before them PF Zapu’s failure to change Zimbabwe on the corrupting effect of Zanu PF and Robert Mugabe. The truth is both of these parties had enough time to know the kind of evil they were dealing with and act accordingly. They did not. The truth is there were no quality leaders in PF Zapu just as there are none in MDC.
Zimbabweans have been concerned about ending Mugabe’s reign of terror for decades now and as the situation got worse they panic and concern changed to desperation. In their desperation, they voted for MDC in 2008 in droves without stopping to think what exactly will happen after Mugabe was out. If only they had stopped to think, they would have realised that MDC were not offering anything. Tsvangirai and company had their eyes on being ministers and had no clue as what they would do next. And hence ever since they got their foot in the GNU and were appointed PM, Ministers, etc. they have done nothing!
Ending Mugabe’s reign of terror is the top priority I agree. But voting in a party of incompetent idiots has clearly not helped that cause. It is not enough to know what must be done, we must also get the right person to do it!
@ Fungayi
I have never denied that there are targeted sanctions what I have denied if you lies that the targeted sanctions are responsible for Zimbabwe’s economic melt down. The years of gross economic mismanagement and rampant corruption by Mugabe and his cronies are responsible for that.
I was pleased that the targeted sanctions were imposed; Mugabe and his cronies could not be allowed to ride rough shod over the people and the whole world turned a blind eye to that. After ten years of the sanctions the West should have reviewed them a long time ago – to make them bite even harder!
The targeted sanctions were imposed on Mugabe and his thugs for failing to hold free and fair elections and for serious human rights violations. The GNU has not anything on the ground, if anything the situation is even worse than it was in 2001. Everyone agrees that the GNU is NOT working. So why Senator Jim Inhofe (Republican-Oklahoma) wants the sanctions lifted is beyond me.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
South Africa's COSATU takes firm stand against "elitist" Black Empowerment: what a refreshing contrast to Zimbabwe ZCTU!
Well done COSATU for being quick off the mark! Since independence Mugabe has followed a similar black empowerment policy “because blacks were held back during the years of white oppression” with the same twist on the tail – it was the select few who benefited time and time again. All the places at Colleges and Universities were filled with the ruling elite’s children and relatives first and we ordinary mortals had to settle for whatever was left even when the later had first class results to the former’s way below average results. At work places the select few were parachuted from outside to fill in vacancies no one knew existed! ZCTU, COSATU’s counterpart in Zimbabwe, was aware of all these goings on but never ever said a word! ZCTU was then led by none other than Tsvangirai himself.
Zimbabwe’s black empowerment at its destructive worst is Mugabe’s still ongoing land redistribution which has seen the ruling elite occupying five or more farms each whilst the landless peasants who were supposed to be the main beneficiaries are still stuck in overcrowded rural areas. MDC led by the same Morgan Tsvangirai has again said little about it!
I must congratulate COSATU and its leadership for being on the ball. Black economic empowerment can be a vehicle for achieving a more equitable distribution of wealth but like everything else in the wrong hands it could lead to ruin as happened in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s black empowerment at its destructive worst is Mugabe’s still ongoing land redistribution which has seen the ruling elite occupying five or more farms each whilst the landless peasants who were supposed to be the main beneficiaries are still stuck in overcrowded rural areas. MDC led by the same Morgan Tsvangirai has again said little about it!
I must congratulate COSATU and its leadership for being on the ball. Black economic empowerment can be a vehicle for achieving a more equitable distribution of wealth but like everything else in the wrong hands it could lead to ruin as happened in Zimbabwe.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
President Zuma in a bid to muzzles SA media: that will be the end of SA's democracy!
President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has started drafting laws to curtail media freedom.
Here we go! South Africa had its “golden age” whilst Nelson Mandela was President; his was a steady hand on the helm when the nation was negotiating turbulent times out of the darkness of apartheid. He laid a strong foundation for a free and democratic SA complete with all the checks and balances. The rainbow nation was buoyant with confidence and self belief. Sadly instead of building on what he left his successors have been dismantling Mandela’s work brick by brick.
Whilst President Mandela was a man of vision who truly understood the importance and value of a free press in a democracy his successors see it as a threat. President Zuma, like President Mbeki before him, is not a clever man – forget the vision bit – and when he was elevated into a position of power and authority he should have surrounded himself with advisors. He is not smart enough to admit his own short coming and so did the exact opposite started behaving as if he is Mr Know-It-All. Setting himself up for ridicule when he falls and it is the democratic duty of the media to do just that!
President Mbeki made a complete idiot of himself with his Smart Alec theories on HIV and AIDS.
President Zuma’s attitude on AIDS was not much better than Mbeki; he knowingly had sex with some one who was HIV positive and believed taking a shower afterwards was enough to stop him getting the virus. Ever since that admission the Cartoonist, Zapiro, has depicted him with a camel-like hump growing on the back of his head feeding a shower head fixed over his head.
President Zuma had a simple choice; surround himself with expert advisors and cover for his own intellectual shortcomings or else muzzle the media to stop them revealing his many blunders. In true African leader style, he choice to do the later!
"Why was it (the Media) surprised by the explosion of national pride during the Soccer World Cup tournament?” fired President Zuma. “Why did South Africans decide to rise above the daily diet of negativity and defeatism that they are fed daily in the media?”
President Zuma claims he wants a serious nation debate on press freedom. If he meant it then he should have picked a burning national issue and not a trivial one. The presence of millions of foreigners in SA today is something that touches a raw nerve of millions of South Africans, for example. For a month after the WC the Police and Army were on standby in case there was a repeat of the xenophobic violence against foreigner that swept SA last year. As long as millions of foreigners remain in SA the threat of fresh attacks will always remain. The Media has played a constructive role of informing the public of President Zuma’s repeated failure to deal with Mugabe and thus deal with underlying cause forcing millions of Zimbabweans to leave their own country.
The only “negativity and defeatism” the media raised about the WC was to ask whether SA will put the state-of-the-art new stadiums costing billions of Rands to build to good use after the WC? That is a legitimate question to ask. Indeed now with the euphoria of the WC wearing off millions of South Africans are already asking the same question.
Agreed, there should have been a serious national debate on whether or not SA should have hosted WC BEFORE the stadiums were built. Still, a vigorous debate now will help stop a similar mistake being made in future!
Even if some of the media had gone over the top in their criticism of the WC still President Zuma has ample opportunity to say so; his move to muzzle the media is definitely an over kill on his part.
President Zuma is taking SA down the same ruinous path that many African countries have travelled the path everyone thought President Mandela had done so much to ensure SA would not go. President Zuma like dictators like Mugabe would swear they believe in freedom of expression although in practise they, as leaders, also have the right to tell everyone else to shut up and to muzzle the media.
Here we go! South Africa had its “golden age” whilst Nelson Mandela was President; his was a steady hand on the helm when the nation was negotiating turbulent times out of the darkness of apartheid. He laid a strong foundation for a free and democratic SA complete with all the checks and balances. The rainbow nation was buoyant with confidence and self belief. Sadly instead of building on what he left his successors have been dismantling Mandela’s work brick by brick.
Whilst President Mandela was a man of vision who truly understood the importance and value of a free press in a democracy his successors see it as a threat. President Zuma, like President Mbeki before him, is not a clever man – forget the vision bit – and when he was elevated into a position of power and authority he should have surrounded himself with advisors. He is not smart enough to admit his own short coming and so did the exact opposite started behaving as if he is Mr Know-It-All. Setting himself up for ridicule when he falls and it is the democratic duty of the media to do just that!
President Mbeki made a complete idiot of himself with his Smart Alec theories on HIV and AIDS.
President Zuma’s attitude on AIDS was not much better than Mbeki; he knowingly had sex with some one who was HIV positive and believed taking a shower afterwards was enough to stop him getting the virus. Ever since that admission the Cartoonist, Zapiro, has depicted him with a camel-like hump growing on the back of his head feeding a shower head fixed over his head.
President Zuma had a simple choice; surround himself with expert advisors and cover for his own intellectual shortcomings or else muzzle the media to stop them revealing his many blunders. In true African leader style, he choice to do the later!
"Why was it (the Media) surprised by the explosion of national pride during the Soccer World Cup tournament?” fired President Zuma. “Why did South Africans decide to rise above the daily diet of negativity and defeatism that they are fed daily in the media?”
President Zuma claims he wants a serious nation debate on press freedom. If he meant it then he should have picked a burning national issue and not a trivial one. The presence of millions of foreigners in SA today is something that touches a raw nerve of millions of South Africans, for example. For a month after the WC the Police and Army were on standby in case there was a repeat of the xenophobic violence against foreigner that swept SA last year. As long as millions of foreigners remain in SA the threat of fresh attacks will always remain. The Media has played a constructive role of informing the public of President Zuma’s repeated failure to deal with Mugabe and thus deal with underlying cause forcing millions of Zimbabweans to leave their own country.
The only “negativity and defeatism” the media raised about the WC was to ask whether SA will put the state-of-the-art new stadiums costing billions of Rands to build to good use after the WC? That is a legitimate question to ask. Indeed now with the euphoria of the WC wearing off millions of South Africans are already asking the same question.
Agreed, there should have been a serious national debate on whether or not SA should have hosted WC BEFORE the stadiums were built. Still, a vigorous debate now will help stop a similar mistake being made in future!
Even if some of the media had gone over the top in their criticism of the WC still President Zuma has ample opportunity to say so; his move to muzzle the media is definitely an over kill on his part.
President Zuma is taking SA down the same ruinous path that many African countries have travelled the path everyone thought President Mandela had done so much to ensure SA would not go. President Zuma like dictators like Mugabe would swear they believe in freedom of expression although in practise they, as leaders, also have the right to tell everyone else to shut up and to muzzle the media.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
ZIMBABWE HAS A CRYING NEED TO REPLACE TSVANGIRAI - NOW!
"Indeed it is historic in that we have managed to satisfy the minimum requirements of the Kimberley Process," Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said in opening the sale.
Historic my foot! Chenai Chipikiri I hope this latest act of sheer stupidity has finally convinced you that Tsvangirai is indeed an idiot.
Here we are dealing with a ruthless dictator who turned the Police, Army and CIO on to defenceless people, like wolves on sheep, to intimidate rape and murder and thus force them to vote for him. Over 500 innocent lives were lost. You naively get the murderer off the hook by agreeing to a power sharing arrangement. He betrays you by not honouring the word or spirit of the agreement and treats you with total contempt.
Only the other day, on Hero’s Day, the dictator publicly announces that none of those responsible for all the intimidation, rape and murders will ever by prosecuted. The ever present threat of violence and lawlessness is THE single most important issue in Zimbabwe and the country can not move on until this matter is dealt with head-on. If those responsible for these heinous crimes are not going to be held accountable; then clearly this matter will never ever be dealt with!
The timing of Mugabe’s announcement could not have been more telling as it was made at the time of increased violence and lawlessness by Mugabe supporters who have effectively hijacked the constitution drafting process. The announcement was also made days after President Zuma of SA said he wanted fresh election in Zimbabwe next year. So Mugabe was just assuring his thugs they will never be arrested and so they can continue to be a law unto themselves.
As regards the diamond sales; Zimbabwe’s parliamentary committee has just been refused entry into Marange and the threat of prison term hangs over Farai Maguwu the human rights activist who was arrested for reporting human rights violation in Marange. And the Prime Minister is clearly proud Zimbabwe has “managed to satisfy the minimum requirements” whatever that means!
There is a crying need for Zimbabweans to replace Tsvangirai and his MDC before next year’s elections to give the nation a fighting chance of ever getting out of this Mugabe-made mess.
Historic my foot! Chenai Chipikiri I hope this latest act of sheer stupidity has finally convinced you that Tsvangirai is indeed an idiot.
Here we are dealing with a ruthless dictator who turned the Police, Army and CIO on to defenceless people, like wolves on sheep, to intimidate rape and murder and thus force them to vote for him. Over 500 innocent lives were lost. You naively get the murderer off the hook by agreeing to a power sharing arrangement. He betrays you by not honouring the word or spirit of the agreement and treats you with total contempt.
Only the other day, on Hero’s Day, the dictator publicly announces that none of those responsible for all the intimidation, rape and murders will ever by prosecuted. The ever present threat of violence and lawlessness is THE single most important issue in Zimbabwe and the country can not move on until this matter is dealt with head-on. If those responsible for these heinous crimes are not going to be held accountable; then clearly this matter will never ever be dealt with!
The timing of Mugabe’s announcement could not have been more telling as it was made at the time of increased violence and lawlessness by Mugabe supporters who have effectively hijacked the constitution drafting process. The announcement was also made days after President Zuma of SA said he wanted fresh election in Zimbabwe next year. So Mugabe was just assuring his thugs they will never be arrested and so they can continue to be a law unto themselves.
As regards the diamond sales; Zimbabwe’s parliamentary committee has just been refused entry into Marange and the threat of prison term hangs over Farai Maguwu the human rights activist who was arrested for reporting human rights violation in Marange. And the Prime Minister is clearly proud Zimbabwe has “managed to satisfy the minimum requirements” whatever that means!
There is a crying need for Zimbabweans to replace Tsvangirai and his MDC before next year’s elections to give the nation a fighting chance of ever getting out of this Mugabe-made mess.
Monday, 9 August 2010
ZIMBABWEANS' PLAN A TSVANGIRAI HAS FAILED: ITS TIME FOR PLAN B!
Nothing, absolutely nothing will ever be achieved in Zimbabwe until something is finally done to end the culture of politically motivated violence Mugabe imposed on Zimbabwe. In 1980 the people voted for Mugabe because they feared if Zanu PF lost the civil war will not stop. Mugabe has played on this fear for the last thirty years.
Mugabe has created a de facto one-party dictatorship in Zimbabwe by undermining the country’s democratic institution like the media, Police and judiciary so that they would not provide the check and balances against his tyrannical rule. He has effectively silenced his political critics and opponents by enacting oppressive laws and acting outside the law when it suited his selfish gain. Mugabe had Zanu PF Women and Youth Leagues members and later War Veterans whose task was to intimidate and terrorise the civilian population to ensure they remained faithful to Mugabe and Zanu PF.
Every time Mugabe felt his hold on power threatened he has stepped up the violence and lawlessness a gear or two. In the 2008 election the people desperate for changed momentarily ignored the ever present “buzzing noise” of violence and lawlessness to vote for changed in the March vote. Mugabe stepped up the intimidation to ensure that he wins the presidential run-off that followed. This time the Police, Army and CIO who normally paid a blind eyed to Zanu PF thugs’ lawlessness this time spear headed the thuggery. Millions of Zimbabweans were terrorised, beaten, raped and/or had their property destroyed. Over 500 were adapted and murdered.
MDC had neither the vision nor the political finesse to realise that nothing would be achieved until Mugabe is stopped from effectively holding the gun to the nation. MDC had hoped the drafting of the new constitution would be a success; a plus amongst the forest of negatives in a GNU in which it has been reduced into a pathetic junior partner with no meaningful power. But again Zanu PF has stepped up the violence to ensure only its point of view is heard during the consultation meetings.
Mugabe has shown again and again that he the political muscle to turn Zimbabwe into a lawless country and is not afraid to flex that muscle when push comes to shove. The Zimbabwe populous has always known that and gave him the absolute power he wanted. In the circumstance that made perfect sense. If Tsvangirai had no vision or finesse to address the single most important issue of our generation why should the populous risk their very lives supported such a man?
The sad truth is neither Tsvangirai nor SADC have the courage to admit political motivated violence is THE single most important issue in the Zimbabwe crisis. If they admitted that they would be great pressure to offer a way out and so they all pretend not to see the elephant in the room.
People of Zimbabwe find themselves in exactly the same helpless situation they found themselves in April 2008 when Mugabe stepped up his threat of violence and lawlessness. The last two years of GNU have made no difference to their situation. If the GNU was Tsvangirai and SADC’s plan A to ending Mugabe’s reign of terror – many of us dismissed it as appeasement and doomed to fail – the bottom line is the plan has not change anything. The people of Zimbabwe should stop calling for MDC and/or SADC’s plan B. Neither MDC nor SADC have a plan B.
President Zuma is calling fresh elections in 2011 in much the same way Tsvangirai pushed for the drafting of the new constitution without addressing the underlying cause of Zimbabwe’s political crisis. Of course the fresh election will turnout to be yet another meaningless exercise just as the drafting of the new constitution has done.
It is high time we, the Zimbabwean people, looked for plan B of our own. The solution to our problem is a simple and nothing new and dependent on the following coming together:
a) The realisation that it is the Zimbabwean people ourselves who have to face and deal with the tyrant in our midst. Whilst SADC and the international community can help ultimately the burden of restoring the rule of law is ours and ours alone. So far we have yet to we mean business.
One should never under estimate the cathartic value walking the walk and fighting the fight. A nation tested and purified by the struggle will cherish and guard their freedoms and rights with the diligence and vigour that will make it near impossible for a tyrant to emerge ever again!
b) We have treated by this Mugabe regime and the Smith regime before it as if we are second class citizens. If we are ever to be treated with the respect and dignity we rightly deserve then we must demand the freedoms and rights denied us all these years and never to settle for anything else.
We can demonstrate that we mean business about ending human rights violation whenever they occur and documenting to ensure that in future we can get redress even that is denied us today.
c) Our plan A was to risk all and give Tsvangirai the electoral mandate to change things. He has turned out to be an incompetent, naïve and blundering idiot. It is both disappointing and hard to accept but it is nonetheless a fact and one we must now accept and move on.
As a nation we must now come up with a real alternative leadership to Mugabe for next year’s election. The threat of political violence worse than that seen in 2008 is real and it is irresponsible for anyone to ask the Zimbabwe electorate to risk Mugabe’s wrath again and vote for an idiot. Even if Mugabe did not use violence still the nation need a pathfinder leader to get us out of this mess, Tsvangirai is not that leader.
d) Mugabe’s terror machine is controlled by the ruling elite plus hundreds of thousands of ordinary Zimbabweans who have been co-opted to run it. Whilst Mugabe and his inner circle have enjoyed absolute power and have benefited from the looting of the nation’s resources. The dictatorship’s foot soldiers the Zanu PF Youth, the War Veterans and the rank and file officers in the Police and Army have suffered with the rest of us from the economic melt down.
The dictatorship’s foot soldiers are as much the victims of this failed regime as the rest of us. Still they have now to learn fast than they continued willingness to do the regime’s dirty work for whatever crimps falling off the dictator’s table is the root cause of the nation’s suffering.
The Zanu PF Youth are often referred to as the “green bomber” in reference to a green fly with a strong preference for shit. These are someone’s son or sister and we should first of all tell them to desist doing all this “shit” work for Mugabe. Then we must warn them of the dire consequences of intimidating and terrorising innocent people.
e) Similarly the rank and file in the Police must be warned about hunting with the dogs and running with the hare. Any Police Officer who really believes that it is his or her duty to turn a blind eye to political violence regardless of the perpetrator’s political connections should be stripped the honour of serving in the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
It is in the power of ordinary Zimbabweans to end this nightmare that has befallen our beloved country. Mugabe has turned our dream of freedom, liberty and a life with human dignity into a nightmare. He used the gun to end white colonial oppression but sadly, he turned the gun on us to impose his tyrannical rule. We should have stood up to him way back in 1980 instead of appeasing him. We must stand up to him now or this cursed regime will continue to ruin our lives.
The threat of political violence remain the greatest issue on Zimbabwe’s agenda, we must deal with it by showing for once that we will be ruled by reason and not fear.
Dread Dread6
You are one sick idiot! Millions of Zimbabweans were intimidated, beaten, raped and/or had their property destroyed. Are you telling me that not one of these victims reported the abuse to the Police? Even if not one of the victims bothered to report, surely someone in authority including Police Officers must have witnessed at least one of these serious human rights violations and taken action. Over 500 people were murdered in the three month of April to June 2008. Even an idiot like you Dread Dread 6 would agree that the Police are expected to carry out a thorough investigation in such cases. Surprise, surprise, the Police is yet to arrest no one murderer!
You are South African and therefore can not expect you to feel for the suffering and violent death of all these Zimbabweans, still one expected you to have some empathy for fellow human beings. You indifference to the suffering of Zimbabweans is insulting to every Zimbabwean and every other human being!
Mugabe has created a de facto one-party dictatorship in Zimbabwe by undermining the country’s democratic institution like the media, Police and judiciary so that they would not provide the check and balances against his tyrannical rule. He has effectively silenced his political critics and opponents by enacting oppressive laws and acting outside the law when it suited his selfish gain. Mugabe had Zanu PF Women and Youth Leagues members and later War Veterans whose task was to intimidate and terrorise the civilian population to ensure they remained faithful to Mugabe and Zanu PF.
Every time Mugabe felt his hold on power threatened he has stepped up the violence and lawlessness a gear or two. In the 2008 election the people desperate for changed momentarily ignored the ever present “buzzing noise” of violence and lawlessness to vote for changed in the March vote. Mugabe stepped up the intimidation to ensure that he wins the presidential run-off that followed. This time the Police, Army and CIO who normally paid a blind eyed to Zanu PF thugs’ lawlessness this time spear headed the thuggery. Millions of Zimbabweans were terrorised, beaten, raped and/or had their property destroyed. Over 500 were adapted and murdered.
MDC had neither the vision nor the political finesse to realise that nothing would be achieved until Mugabe is stopped from effectively holding the gun to the nation. MDC had hoped the drafting of the new constitution would be a success; a plus amongst the forest of negatives in a GNU in which it has been reduced into a pathetic junior partner with no meaningful power. But again Zanu PF has stepped up the violence to ensure only its point of view is heard during the consultation meetings.
Mugabe has shown again and again that he the political muscle to turn Zimbabwe into a lawless country and is not afraid to flex that muscle when push comes to shove. The Zimbabwe populous has always known that and gave him the absolute power he wanted. In the circumstance that made perfect sense. If Tsvangirai had no vision or finesse to address the single most important issue of our generation why should the populous risk their very lives supported such a man?
The sad truth is neither Tsvangirai nor SADC have the courage to admit political motivated violence is THE single most important issue in the Zimbabwe crisis. If they admitted that they would be great pressure to offer a way out and so they all pretend not to see the elephant in the room.
People of Zimbabwe find themselves in exactly the same helpless situation they found themselves in April 2008 when Mugabe stepped up his threat of violence and lawlessness. The last two years of GNU have made no difference to their situation. If the GNU was Tsvangirai and SADC’s plan A to ending Mugabe’s reign of terror – many of us dismissed it as appeasement and doomed to fail – the bottom line is the plan has not change anything. The people of Zimbabwe should stop calling for MDC and/or SADC’s plan B. Neither MDC nor SADC have a plan B.
President Zuma is calling fresh elections in 2011 in much the same way Tsvangirai pushed for the drafting of the new constitution without addressing the underlying cause of Zimbabwe’s political crisis. Of course the fresh election will turnout to be yet another meaningless exercise just as the drafting of the new constitution has done.
It is high time we, the Zimbabwean people, looked for plan B of our own. The solution to our problem is a simple and nothing new and dependent on the following coming together:
a) The realisation that it is the Zimbabwean people ourselves who have to face and deal with the tyrant in our midst. Whilst SADC and the international community can help ultimately the burden of restoring the rule of law is ours and ours alone. So far we have yet to we mean business.
One should never under estimate the cathartic value walking the walk and fighting the fight. A nation tested and purified by the struggle will cherish and guard their freedoms and rights with the diligence and vigour that will make it near impossible for a tyrant to emerge ever again!
b) We have treated by this Mugabe regime and the Smith regime before it as if we are second class citizens. If we are ever to be treated with the respect and dignity we rightly deserve then we must demand the freedoms and rights denied us all these years and never to settle for anything else.
We can demonstrate that we mean business about ending human rights violation whenever they occur and documenting to ensure that in future we can get redress even that is denied us today.
c) Our plan A was to risk all and give Tsvangirai the electoral mandate to change things. He has turned out to be an incompetent, naïve and blundering idiot. It is both disappointing and hard to accept but it is nonetheless a fact and one we must now accept and move on.
As a nation we must now come up with a real alternative leadership to Mugabe for next year’s election. The threat of political violence worse than that seen in 2008 is real and it is irresponsible for anyone to ask the Zimbabwe electorate to risk Mugabe’s wrath again and vote for an idiot. Even if Mugabe did not use violence still the nation need a pathfinder leader to get us out of this mess, Tsvangirai is not that leader.
d) Mugabe’s terror machine is controlled by the ruling elite plus hundreds of thousands of ordinary Zimbabweans who have been co-opted to run it. Whilst Mugabe and his inner circle have enjoyed absolute power and have benefited from the looting of the nation’s resources. The dictatorship’s foot soldiers the Zanu PF Youth, the War Veterans and the rank and file officers in the Police and Army have suffered with the rest of us from the economic melt down.
The dictatorship’s foot soldiers are as much the victims of this failed regime as the rest of us. Still they have now to learn fast than they continued willingness to do the regime’s dirty work for whatever crimps falling off the dictator’s table is the root cause of the nation’s suffering.
The Zanu PF Youth are often referred to as the “green bomber” in reference to a green fly with a strong preference for shit. These are someone’s son or sister and we should first of all tell them to desist doing all this “shit” work for Mugabe. Then we must warn them of the dire consequences of intimidating and terrorising innocent people.
e) Similarly the rank and file in the Police must be warned about hunting with the dogs and running with the hare. Any Police Officer who really believes that it is his or her duty to turn a blind eye to political violence regardless of the perpetrator’s political connections should be stripped the honour of serving in the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
It is in the power of ordinary Zimbabweans to end this nightmare that has befallen our beloved country. Mugabe has turned our dream of freedom, liberty and a life with human dignity into a nightmare. He used the gun to end white colonial oppression but sadly, he turned the gun on us to impose his tyrannical rule. We should have stood up to him way back in 1980 instead of appeasing him. We must stand up to him now or this cursed regime will continue to ruin our lives.
The threat of political violence remain the greatest issue on Zimbabwe’s agenda, we must deal with it by showing for once that we will be ruled by reason and not fear.
Dread Dread6
You are one sick idiot! Millions of Zimbabweans were intimidated, beaten, raped and/or had their property destroyed. Are you telling me that not one of these victims reported the abuse to the Police? Even if not one of the victims bothered to report, surely someone in authority including Police Officers must have witnessed at least one of these serious human rights violations and taken action. Over 500 people were murdered in the three month of April to June 2008. Even an idiot like you Dread Dread 6 would agree that the Police are expected to carry out a thorough investigation in such cases. Surprise, surprise, the Police is yet to arrest no one murderer!
You are South African and therefore can not expect you to feel for the suffering and violent death of all these Zimbabweans, still one expected you to have some empathy for fellow human beings. You indifference to the suffering of Zimbabweans is insulting to every Zimbabwean and every other human being!
Friday, 6 August 2010
Charles Taylor did give Naomi Campbell diamonds: the dictator was therefore lying!
The British super model Naomi Campbell admits to getting “dirty looking stone” in the trial of former President Charles Taylor. Taylor is in The Hague on trial for serious human rights violations in Liberia whilst he was president of that country and for supporting rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leon. He is said to have helped the Sierra Leon rebels buy arms using money obtained from selling diamonds. Charles Taylor denied he ever got diamonds from the rebels. The prosecutor believed he did and that he gave some away, to Ms Campbell.
Ms Campbell has pointedly refuse to comment on the matter but, under oath she finally admitted.
Of course the stones were dirty; they were "bloody" diamonds and human blood can not be washed off easily as Charles Taylor is only now realising. When he was in power he never thought for one minute that he would ever be held accountable for all the suffering and deaths he was causing. 250 000 lives lost! This is a sad day for all dictators across Africa especially in Zimbabwe and Sudan. The writing is on the wall: YOU ARE NOT ABOVE THE LAW! Thank you Miss Campbell you can donate the dirty stones to millions of victims of the conflict in Sierra Leon or Liberia – they need the money more than you.
@ Mack Nyati You are condoning Charles Taylor because this is the same stupid arguement we here all the time from him, and his fellow travellers like Mugabe and his cronies. There are very important differences between Taylor and the Western leaders
@ Mack Nyati Trust you to miss the most important and obvious difference of all between Africa’s dictators and Western leaders. In the West the legal system WORKS! In an American is angry with President Bush or Obam he or she can take him to court and expect justice. We are talking about Charles Taylor being responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousand Mugabe tens of thousands and the nationals of these countries have no one to go. The legal systems in these African countries do NOT work.Yes I agree that a foreigner may not get justice in America for a crime committed against him by the American government but would he get justice in Liberia or Zimbabwe? Murder is murder yes but surely one can not put the murder by a stranger on par as that committed by a father or a Police Officer. You can be warned about stranger and the other two hold positions of trust!
@Themba KhumaloYou are clearly of the old pre-independence school of thought were blacks were conditioned to see everything the blacks leaders said or did was to be praised to the roof and it was unthinkable to question it. Any black person who did was considered a white sympathiser and that was a crime for which many blacks were lynched. Do you remember the “necklacing” in South Africa?Dictators like Charles Taylor and Robert Mugabe have caused so much suffering and misery and murdered thousands of our own people and you still believe they should be praised? Well that is down right stupid! You are the one suffering from a overpowering inferiority complex and thus over compensating it by simply refusing to see a black leader as capable of making a mistake let alone commit mass murder! Black or white we all make mistakes because we are all fallible; you want to “prove” black are superior by pretending they are NOT fallible. And to do by sweeping under the carpet mass murder! Well you have proved that you are really, really stupid!I am a very proud African but I am not proud that Africa has been dragged through hell by ruthless dictators and misguided idiots. That must be put right and I am looking forward to the day when every African will be treated with respect and human dignity and the continent is prosperous and at peace. That day is coming but first we must have the courage to clean up and imprison murderers!
@Themba Khumalo
My point exactly! Just because I have unreserved condemn what Charles Taylor and Robert Mugabe have been doing you immediately conclude that I must have supported what the apartheid regime and all the other colonial regimes were doing in Africa. That is why you write “Our own Mandela WAS taken to court, but you might not want to know”.
I do know what happened to Mandela, Mugabe, Nyerere, Banda and all the other heroes and heroines whose names are not in the history books of Africa’s struggle against white colonial domination. The very fact that there are serious human rights violations and tragic human suffering after independence tells me that something went wrong after independence. There are leaders with a vision and a good heart like Nelson Mandela, there a mediocre leaders Morgan Tsvangirai with a good heart but, unfortunately, with very little grey stuff between their ears and then they are ruthless dictators like Mugabe. We have all manner of leaders just as we have in characters in a family. Just because someone played a key role in the struggle for independence does not mean they must all be like Mandela.
The very fact that we are having this discussion is itself proof of just how far we still have to go in Africa. Common sense, my friend is not that common! Still, I should be pleased; at least we have started!
Ms Campbell has pointedly refuse to comment on the matter but, under oath she finally admitted.
Of course the stones were dirty; they were "bloody" diamonds and human blood can not be washed off easily as Charles Taylor is only now realising. When he was in power he never thought for one minute that he would ever be held accountable for all the suffering and deaths he was causing. 250 000 lives lost! This is a sad day for all dictators across Africa especially in Zimbabwe and Sudan. The writing is on the wall: YOU ARE NOT ABOVE THE LAW! Thank you Miss Campbell you can donate the dirty stones to millions of victims of the conflict in Sierra Leon or Liberia – they need the money more than you.
@ Mack Nyati You are condoning Charles Taylor because this is the same stupid arguement we here all the time from him, and his fellow travellers like Mugabe and his cronies. There are very important differences between Taylor and the Western leaders
@ Mack Nyati Trust you to miss the most important and obvious difference of all between Africa’s dictators and Western leaders. In the West the legal system WORKS! In an American is angry with President Bush or Obam he or she can take him to court and expect justice. We are talking about Charles Taylor being responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousand Mugabe tens of thousands and the nationals of these countries have no one to go. The legal systems in these African countries do NOT work.Yes I agree that a foreigner may not get justice in America for a crime committed against him by the American government but would he get justice in Liberia or Zimbabwe? Murder is murder yes but surely one can not put the murder by a stranger on par as that committed by a father or a Police Officer. You can be warned about stranger and the other two hold positions of trust!
@Themba KhumaloYou are clearly of the old pre-independence school of thought were blacks were conditioned to see everything the blacks leaders said or did was to be praised to the roof and it was unthinkable to question it. Any black person who did was considered a white sympathiser and that was a crime for which many blacks were lynched. Do you remember the “necklacing” in South Africa?Dictators like Charles Taylor and Robert Mugabe have caused so much suffering and misery and murdered thousands of our own people and you still believe they should be praised? Well that is down right stupid! You are the one suffering from a overpowering inferiority complex and thus over compensating it by simply refusing to see a black leader as capable of making a mistake let alone commit mass murder! Black or white we all make mistakes because we are all fallible; you want to “prove” black are superior by pretending they are NOT fallible. And to do by sweeping under the carpet mass murder! Well you have proved that you are really, really stupid!I am a very proud African but I am not proud that Africa has been dragged through hell by ruthless dictators and misguided idiots. That must be put right and I am looking forward to the day when every African will be treated with respect and human dignity and the continent is prosperous and at peace. That day is coming but first we must have the courage to clean up and imprison murderers!
@Themba Khumalo
My point exactly! Just because I have unreserved condemn what Charles Taylor and Robert Mugabe have been doing you immediately conclude that I must have supported what the apartheid regime and all the other colonial regimes were doing in Africa. That is why you write “Our own Mandela WAS taken to court, but you might not want to know”.
I do know what happened to Mandela, Mugabe, Nyerere, Banda and all the other heroes and heroines whose names are not in the history books of Africa’s struggle against white colonial domination. The very fact that there are serious human rights violations and tragic human suffering after independence tells me that something went wrong after independence. There are leaders with a vision and a good heart like Nelson Mandela, there a mediocre leaders Morgan Tsvangirai with a good heart but, unfortunately, with very little grey stuff between their ears and then they are ruthless dictators like Mugabe. We have all manner of leaders just as we have in characters in a family. Just because someone played a key role in the struggle for independence does not mean they must all be like Mandela.
The very fact that we are having this discussion is itself proof of just how far we still have to go in Africa. Common sense, my friend is not that common! Still, I should be pleased; at least we have started!
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
MUGABE TELLS THE WEST TO GO TO HELL: HE HAS TURNED ZIMBABWE INTO A HELL-ON-EARTH!
Mugabe told the West to “go to hell” only because he has lost all his international standing and this macho image is all he has left. Of course the three Western ambassadors led by the America did the right thing and walk out. Why should they apologise?
The Many black Zimbabweans are disappointed with President Obama; we expected so much from him and sadly he has delivered precise little. In the past America at best throw American dollars at Africa without making an real effort to find a lasting solution. It was President Bush who imposed targeted sanction against Zimbabwe’s repressive regime. After ten years of the sanctions one would expect the West to review these sanctions and fine tune them so that the at least start to hurt the intended individuals. It is hardly a secrete that the children and families of the individuals on the target list have continued to enjoy their lavish life styles. And does the West really believe it is only 200 individuals who make up the Zanu PF dictatorship?
Mr President, Sir, it is not that we do not appreciate the aid we get from America or the occasional kind word from your administration. We do. It is just that these half-hearted targeted sanctions are taking for ever to work and meanwhile our people are going through hell!
It is high time the West turn the screw on Mugabe; he is only telling them to go to hell what they do not seem to appreciate is that he has turned Zimbabwe into a hell-on-earth for Zimbabweans!
@John BerryZimbabwe’s tax payers are being short changed, their tax is being wasted paying a cheap propagandist like you. Propaganda if it is to have some influence must have some truth mixed up with lies and nonsense. What you are dishing out is pure nonsense.1) History shows that successful and stable society is ruled by law and not the whim of another man. And with in those laws are the rights and freedoms of the individual, the rules stating what those in power can and can not do and how power should be shared and exercised by each arm of government with the check and balances. The individual is allowed to have learn and have his say, judge the performance of those in power, by ensuring the free flow of information and freedom of expression. The ultimate judgement is when the individual vote to decide who rules. But unless it is a free vote, it will otherwise mean nothing. The same rule of law should apply in the Office, village and in the home. There is no rule of law in Zimbabwe, we have a ruthless dictator who have usurped the people’s power corrupted important institution like the Police so that instead of keep law and order the Police is now spear heading the political murders! Zimbabwe is one of the worst examples of a failed state. Zimbabwe’s sham elections of June 2008 is one of the most shameful in human history. The electoral process that got President Obama into White House was rigorous and open and even then a free press, Congress, etc have check and questioned every move he has made everyday. Contrast that with Mugabe – a free cannon! Democracy is not perfect but it far better than dictatorship. Some one has to lead, yes; but he or she must never consider himself to be more important than those below. Democracy is the best system we have to ensure the stone at the peak of a mountain is there because the millions forming the base.2) Yes dictator everywhere have preached the same falsehood that a full stomach is more important than freedom of expression or a free vote. The truth is when the dictator fail to delivery the food what recourse do the people have when they have no voice!One has to ask why the people are being denied freedom of expression when it cost nothing to the ruler? Why can the people not have both the food and the free voice? Answer these questions and the sinister intentions behind the dictator’s plan are clear.3) And 4) Zimbabwe’s economic is in ruins; 80% of the work force is out of work, 80% of our people are depending on food aid, etc. Why are these successful business not employing people? Why are all these successful farms not producing enough to feed the nation? John I have worked hard for whatever little I have. I have no innocent blood of anyone on my hands. We all know Mugabe and many of his cronies can not say th same. Can you say the same, John? I am very proud of that
@John Berry
Yes you can what? Say you have earned an honest living when you write all this nonsense. I can not believe you are not paid, directly or indirectly for it.
Can you say your hand have no innocent blood. You may not have murdered anyone yourself but you sure have cheered the land invaders and murderers along.
Just how big is your "plot"? It must be big. If there is one thing Mugabe has done well is reward his bootlickers. After all did we not see schools and hospitals close for lack of funds and yet the dictator continue to spend millions of dollars on Mercedes Benz and other luxuries for Judges, ministers and the rest of the ruling elite.
What is your real name? When you have made it your business to sing the praise of a ruthless dictator who has murder tens of thousands of your own people; even an idiot like you is ashamed to use his real name!
The Many black Zimbabweans are disappointed with President Obama; we expected so much from him and sadly he has delivered precise little. In the past America at best throw American dollars at Africa without making an real effort to find a lasting solution. It was President Bush who imposed targeted sanction against Zimbabwe’s repressive regime. After ten years of the sanctions one would expect the West to review these sanctions and fine tune them so that the at least start to hurt the intended individuals. It is hardly a secrete that the children and families of the individuals on the target list have continued to enjoy their lavish life styles. And does the West really believe it is only 200 individuals who make up the Zanu PF dictatorship?
Mr President, Sir, it is not that we do not appreciate the aid we get from America or the occasional kind word from your administration. We do. It is just that these half-hearted targeted sanctions are taking for ever to work and meanwhile our people are going through hell!
It is high time the West turn the screw on Mugabe; he is only telling them to go to hell what they do not seem to appreciate is that he has turned Zimbabwe into a hell-on-earth for Zimbabweans!
@John BerryZimbabwe’s tax payers are being short changed, their tax is being wasted paying a cheap propagandist like you. Propaganda if it is to have some influence must have some truth mixed up with lies and nonsense. What you are dishing out is pure nonsense.1) History shows that successful and stable society is ruled by law and not the whim of another man. And with in those laws are the rights and freedoms of the individual, the rules stating what those in power can and can not do and how power should be shared and exercised by each arm of government with the check and balances. The individual is allowed to have learn and have his say, judge the performance of those in power, by ensuring the free flow of information and freedom of expression. The ultimate judgement is when the individual vote to decide who rules. But unless it is a free vote, it will otherwise mean nothing. The same rule of law should apply in the Office, village and in the home. There is no rule of law in Zimbabwe, we have a ruthless dictator who have usurped the people’s power corrupted important institution like the Police so that instead of keep law and order the Police is now spear heading the political murders! Zimbabwe is one of the worst examples of a failed state. Zimbabwe’s sham elections of June 2008 is one of the most shameful in human history. The electoral process that got President Obama into White House was rigorous and open and even then a free press, Congress, etc have check and questioned every move he has made everyday. Contrast that with Mugabe – a free cannon! Democracy is not perfect but it far better than dictatorship. Some one has to lead, yes; but he or she must never consider himself to be more important than those below. Democracy is the best system we have to ensure the stone at the peak of a mountain is there because the millions forming the base.2) Yes dictator everywhere have preached the same falsehood that a full stomach is more important than freedom of expression or a free vote. The truth is when the dictator fail to delivery the food what recourse do the people have when they have no voice!One has to ask why the people are being denied freedom of expression when it cost nothing to the ruler? Why can the people not have both the food and the free voice? Answer these questions and the sinister intentions behind the dictator’s plan are clear.3) And 4) Zimbabwe’s economic is in ruins; 80% of the work force is out of work, 80% of our people are depending on food aid, etc. Why are these successful business not employing people? Why are all these successful farms not producing enough to feed the nation? John I have worked hard for whatever little I have. I have no innocent blood of anyone on my hands. We all know Mugabe and many of his cronies can not say th same. Can you say the same, John? I am very proud of that
@John Berry
Yes you can what? Say you have earned an honest living when you write all this nonsense. I can not believe you are not paid, directly or indirectly for it.
Can you say your hand have no innocent blood. You may not have murdered anyone yourself but you sure have cheered the land invaders and murderers along.
Just how big is your "plot"? It must be big. If there is one thing Mugabe has done well is reward his bootlickers. After all did we not see schools and hospitals close for lack of funds and yet the dictator continue to spend millions of dollars on Mercedes Benz and other luxuries for Judges, ministers and the rest of the ruling elite.
What is your real name? When you have made it your business to sing the praise of a ruthless dictator who has murder tens of thousands of your own people; even an idiot like you is ashamed to use his real name!
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
MUGABE HAS COMMITTED MASS MURDER SO HE CAN HAVE ABSOLUTE POWER INCLUDING THE POWER TO LOOT FOR THE PEOPLE: HE DID NOT DO THAT FOR "US"!
@John Berry
“My question to you my "erstwhile" friends is ---- Do you want us (Black Zimbabweans) to have control of our resources and land?” You ask.
It is a fair and simple question to ask and equally simple to answer. But before I answer your question can you please answer my question. Is it right that the destiny of Zimbabwe should be decided by a select few whilst the rest are denied a meaningful say?
This is the question the nation has to answer first and for which people like Mugabe and his cronies have refused to answer for the last thirty years. Answer that one and the answer to your question John will be obvious.
The obvious answer is that every Zimbabwean should have a meaningful say; after all was this not the very essence of freedom and liberty for which the nation lost over 300 000 lives for. Why Mugabe and his cronies have pointedly refused to give a straight answer is because they would have to give the answer to the follow up question. Why have they denied the majority of Zimbabweans the meaningful say?
Mugabe has made a big song and dance about his fight to wrestle Zimbabwe’s land and other national wealth from whites and his fight to resist Zimbabwe and Africa’s domination by the Western. But Mugabe has been fighting an even bigger and bitter war in which he has been ruthless and heartless – the war to remain the only dominant political force in Zimbabwe political landscape. We have a de facto one-party dictatorship in Zimbabwe and Mugabe has ridden rough shod over the people’s dream of freedom and liberty.
No government in the world can guarantee its people economic prosperity, peace, good health, etc. Government should strive to provide these things yes but none can guarantee they will deliver. There certain rights and freedoms like the right to a free vote, freedom of expression and the right to life these every Zimbabweans should have enjoyed the very day Zimbabwe gained its independence. They cost nothing in terms of resources and time. The Mugabe regime has denied us these rights for selfish reasons.
Mugabe has repeatedly failed to hold free and fair elections denying Zimbabweans a meaningful say in the governance of the country. He has used brute force to silence his political critics and opponents to the point of murdering tens of thousands. He has corrupted the country’s Police, Army and other State Organs into committing serious human rights violations for his selfish political gain.
When Mugabe murdered over 500 black Zimbabweans before the June 2008 sham election clearly he did not do it for “us (Black Zimbabweans)”. Except for his cronies and acolytes, like you John, there are no other black Zimbabweans who are naïve enough to think the Mugabe seized the white farms for “us (black Zimbabweans), particularly when he and his cronies own multiple farms and the overwhelming majority of us have nothing!
Mugabe has denied us the people a say in the governance of the country and distribution of its wealth and resources – he did not hesitate to commit even the most heinous of all the crimes, murder. One will have to be really naïve to believed that having usurped these right Mugabe will then go on to share out the resources fairly anywhere!
“My question to you my "erstwhile" friends is ---- Do you want us (Black Zimbabweans) to have control of our resources and land?” You ask.
It is a fair and simple question to ask and equally simple to answer. But before I answer your question can you please answer my question. Is it right that the destiny of Zimbabwe should be decided by a select few whilst the rest are denied a meaningful say?
This is the question the nation has to answer first and for which people like Mugabe and his cronies have refused to answer for the last thirty years. Answer that one and the answer to your question John will be obvious.
The obvious answer is that every Zimbabwean should have a meaningful say; after all was this not the very essence of freedom and liberty for which the nation lost over 300 000 lives for. Why Mugabe and his cronies have pointedly refused to give a straight answer is because they would have to give the answer to the follow up question. Why have they denied the majority of Zimbabweans the meaningful say?
Mugabe has made a big song and dance about his fight to wrestle Zimbabwe’s land and other national wealth from whites and his fight to resist Zimbabwe and Africa’s domination by the Western. But Mugabe has been fighting an even bigger and bitter war in which he has been ruthless and heartless – the war to remain the only dominant political force in Zimbabwe political landscape. We have a de facto one-party dictatorship in Zimbabwe and Mugabe has ridden rough shod over the people’s dream of freedom and liberty.
No government in the world can guarantee its people economic prosperity, peace, good health, etc. Government should strive to provide these things yes but none can guarantee they will deliver. There certain rights and freedoms like the right to a free vote, freedom of expression and the right to life these every Zimbabweans should have enjoyed the very day Zimbabwe gained its independence. They cost nothing in terms of resources and time. The Mugabe regime has denied us these rights for selfish reasons.
Mugabe has repeatedly failed to hold free and fair elections denying Zimbabweans a meaningful say in the governance of the country. He has used brute force to silence his political critics and opponents to the point of murdering tens of thousands. He has corrupted the country’s Police, Army and other State Organs into committing serious human rights violations for his selfish political gain.
When Mugabe murdered over 500 black Zimbabweans before the June 2008 sham election clearly he did not do it for “us (Black Zimbabweans)”. Except for his cronies and acolytes, like you John, there are no other black Zimbabweans who are naïve enough to think the Mugabe seized the white farms for “us (black Zimbabweans), particularly when he and his cronies own multiple farms and the overwhelming majority of us have nothing!
Mugabe has denied us the people a say in the governance of the country and distribution of its wealth and resources – he did not hesitate to commit even the most heinous of all the crimes, murder. One will have to be really naïve to believed that having usurped these right Mugabe will then go on to share out the resources fairly anywhere!
Sunday, 1 August 2010
ASKING TSVANGIRAI FOR PLAN B IS FLOGGING A DEAD HORSE THAT WILL NOT STOP MUGABE WIN 2011 ELECTIONS
At the time of Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980 life expectancy, the most telling of all life’s qualitative and quantitative barometer, was 65 years and by 2005 it had dropped to 34 years. Behind the statistics are the individual stories of despair of school children who had a total of 23 days of schooling in 2008. Of the sick and dying who have suffered and died without even the most basic medical help because the country’s health system has all but collapsed. All these things have happened because of years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption by the country’s ruling elite. How did this happen in this day and age?
Mismanagement and even corruption are evils present in every society what turned these evil into all consuming juggernauts is Zimbabwe’s political system. A system that has allowed a select few to commandeer the nation’s resources for their selfish use even to the extend of schools and hospital closing for lack of funds whilst millions are spent of luxuries for the ruling elite. Whilst the overwhelming majority suffered in damn anguish helpless to stop this madness because the regime has the party’s thugs, Police, Army, CIO and other security trained on the populous to intimidate, rape and even murder them just to silence their protestations and call for change.
The need for change is obvious; no nation can afford to have such wholesale human rights violations and criminal waste of resources.
Mugabe and the ruling elite can not accept change for two reasons; the country’s economic melt down has made it imperative for them to hang on to their loot or else they too would join the millions who now live in abject poverty. Letting them keep the loot is not even an option for the nation: the economic recovery is totally dependent on all the nation’s resources being put back into productive use – something Mugabe and his cronies have failed to do. Besides, no one should be allowed to benefit from the looting that crippled the nation.
The second reason Mugabe and his cronies are resisting change is that their have too many skeletons in too many cupboards. During the 2008 presidential run-off Mugabe “declared war” on the Zimbabwe electorate, as Morgan Tsvangirai graphically put it. Hundreds of thousands were beaten up, raped and over 500 were murdered by Zanu PF party thugs, the Police or other State Security organs. In the mod 1980s the regime murdered 200 000 civilians. All these human violations were committed for one purpose and one purpose only – to ensure Mugabe and Zanu PF remained in power.
Of course one can not justify the continued suffering of 95% of the people just to keep the 5% or so in the swing much less to them from facing justice!
In 2008 the Zimbabwean populous made a concerted effort to bring about democratic change in the country by voting for Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC party even at the risk of the beating, rape and murder by Mugabe’s terror machine. The political retribution did come but by then the Tsunami had swept Zimbabwe’s political landscape delivering a convincing thumbs down for Mugabe and his party Zanu PF. Sadly Tsvangirai failed to deliver of his promise of “real democratic change” although the electoral mandate he received allowed him to do just that.
The whole international community condemn the June 2008 presidential run-off as a sham and they would not recognise Mugabe as the legitimately elected president of Zimbabwe. The dictator was on the hook! It was Morgan Tsvangirai who got him off the hook by signing onto the power sharing agreement. He did not have to and many, many people advised him not to but he would not listen.
Tsvangirai went on to negotiate a one side agreement with Mugabe giving the later all his past dictatorial powers. Worse still, when it came to implementing the agreement the old crook would not even honour the few concessions he had allowed Tsvangirai.
The writing of a new constitution is the one thing Tsvangirai had stacked his whole political capital on but even here the ruthless dictator has allowed his party thugs to disrupt the whole exercise and to hijack it for his own selfish purpose.
If one can say Tsvangirai had a plan of how to bring about the democratic change the nation has been craving for then the sum total of that plan was to appease Mugabe and the Join Operation Command (JOC) – an assortment of senior Officers in the Police, Army, CIO and other State Security Organs plus a select few who have played the critical role of ensuring Mugabe, the ruling elite and Zanu PF thugs remained above the law.
Of course it was very naïve of Morgan Tsvangirai to think he could bring about any meaningful democratic change in the country and still have the dictator and JOC continue to behalf as before. It was more than naïve; it was down right stupid.
What the Zimbabwe population has to accept now – we are dragging our feet about it and time is right out – is that Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC, at least as it is presently constituted, will never bring about the democratic change we are after. From the out set people have been asking for MDC’s plan B if the power sharing should fail. Now that the power sharing has failed the demand for plan B have become hysterical. The truth is MDC has no plan B, never did. So please, please stop flogging a dead horse; it will never get up, much less take us where we want to go!
The power sharing agreement has allowed Mugabe to regroup and reorganise his party, Zanu PF. Mugabe has treated Tsvangirai with contempt. The dictator has in the past called Tsvangirai a “puppet of the West” in the last two years Mugabe has demonstrated the he too can pull the puppet’s strings! Of course a totally discredited Tsvangirai has worked to Mugabe’s political advantage.
There is talk of fresh election in 2011 and the Zimbabwe electorate have a choice between a ruthless dictator and a village idiot for president! The disillusionment with MDC is such that most Zimbabweans will probably not even bother to vote. On the other hand Mugabe has already started deploying his party thugs country wide and all the State Security Organs have pledged their continued biased and democratic support of Zanu PF. As things stand a Mugabe and Zanu PF electoral victory is a given. And the people that will only mean the mismanagement, corruption and the political repression will continue. It does not have to happen this way!
The Zimbabwe people can once again use their democratic vote to create the opportunity for real democratic change just as they did in 2008. But first they must acknowledge that in their desperation to end Mugabe’s dictatorial rule in 2008 they voted for a naïve and stupid leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. Whilst they continue wasting time flogging a dead donkey they have taken their eyes off the difficult task of fighting for real democratic change.
People, forget asking Tsvangirai for his plan B - he has none. Ask yourselves; what is our plan B? It is not too late to stop Mugabe cheating his way into retaining power again next year but that window of opportunity is fast closing.
Mismanagement and even corruption are evils present in every society what turned these evil into all consuming juggernauts is Zimbabwe’s political system. A system that has allowed a select few to commandeer the nation’s resources for their selfish use even to the extend of schools and hospital closing for lack of funds whilst millions are spent of luxuries for the ruling elite. Whilst the overwhelming majority suffered in damn anguish helpless to stop this madness because the regime has the party’s thugs, Police, Army, CIO and other security trained on the populous to intimidate, rape and even murder them just to silence their protestations and call for change.
The need for change is obvious; no nation can afford to have such wholesale human rights violations and criminal waste of resources.
Mugabe and the ruling elite can not accept change for two reasons; the country’s economic melt down has made it imperative for them to hang on to their loot or else they too would join the millions who now live in abject poverty. Letting them keep the loot is not even an option for the nation: the economic recovery is totally dependent on all the nation’s resources being put back into productive use – something Mugabe and his cronies have failed to do. Besides, no one should be allowed to benefit from the looting that crippled the nation.
The second reason Mugabe and his cronies are resisting change is that their have too many skeletons in too many cupboards. During the 2008 presidential run-off Mugabe “declared war” on the Zimbabwe electorate, as Morgan Tsvangirai graphically put it. Hundreds of thousands were beaten up, raped and over 500 were murdered by Zanu PF party thugs, the Police or other State Security organs. In the mod 1980s the regime murdered 200 000 civilians. All these human violations were committed for one purpose and one purpose only – to ensure Mugabe and Zanu PF remained in power.
Of course one can not justify the continued suffering of 95% of the people just to keep the 5% or so in the swing much less to them from facing justice!
In 2008 the Zimbabwean populous made a concerted effort to bring about democratic change in the country by voting for Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC party even at the risk of the beating, rape and murder by Mugabe’s terror machine. The political retribution did come but by then the Tsunami had swept Zimbabwe’s political landscape delivering a convincing thumbs down for Mugabe and his party Zanu PF. Sadly Tsvangirai failed to deliver of his promise of “real democratic change” although the electoral mandate he received allowed him to do just that.
The whole international community condemn the June 2008 presidential run-off as a sham and they would not recognise Mugabe as the legitimately elected president of Zimbabwe. The dictator was on the hook! It was Morgan Tsvangirai who got him off the hook by signing onto the power sharing agreement. He did not have to and many, many people advised him not to but he would not listen.
Tsvangirai went on to negotiate a one side agreement with Mugabe giving the later all his past dictatorial powers. Worse still, when it came to implementing the agreement the old crook would not even honour the few concessions he had allowed Tsvangirai.
The writing of a new constitution is the one thing Tsvangirai had stacked his whole political capital on but even here the ruthless dictator has allowed his party thugs to disrupt the whole exercise and to hijack it for his own selfish purpose.
If one can say Tsvangirai had a plan of how to bring about the democratic change the nation has been craving for then the sum total of that plan was to appease Mugabe and the Join Operation Command (JOC) – an assortment of senior Officers in the Police, Army, CIO and other State Security Organs plus a select few who have played the critical role of ensuring Mugabe, the ruling elite and Zanu PF thugs remained above the law.
Of course it was very naïve of Morgan Tsvangirai to think he could bring about any meaningful democratic change in the country and still have the dictator and JOC continue to behalf as before. It was more than naïve; it was down right stupid.
What the Zimbabwe population has to accept now – we are dragging our feet about it and time is right out – is that Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC, at least as it is presently constituted, will never bring about the democratic change we are after. From the out set people have been asking for MDC’s plan B if the power sharing should fail. Now that the power sharing has failed the demand for plan B have become hysterical. The truth is MDC has no plan B, never did. So please, please stop flogging a dead horse; it will never get up, much less take us where we want to go!
The power sharing agreement has allowed Mugabe to regroup and reorganise his party, Zanu PF. Mugabe has treated Tsvangirai with contempt. The dictator has in the past called Tsvangirai a “puppet of the West” in the last two years Mugabe has demonstrated the he too can pull the puppet’s strings! Of course a totally discredited Tsvangirai has worked to Mugabe’s political advantage.
There is talk of fresh election in 2011 and the Zimbabwe electorate have a choice between a ruthless dictator and a village idiot for president! The disillusionment with MDC is such that most Zimbabweans will probably not even bother to vote. On the other hand Mugabe has already started deploying his party thugs country wide and all the State Security Organs have pledged their continued biased and democratic support of Zanu PF. As things stand a Mugabe and Zanu PF electoral victory is a given. And the people that will only mean the mismanagement, corruption and the political repression will continue. It does not have to happen this way!
The Zimbabwe people can once again use their democratic vote to create the opportunity for real democratic change just as they did in 2008. But first they must acknowledge that in their desperation to end Mugabe’s dictatorial rule in 2008 they voted for a naïve and stupid leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. Whilst they continue wasting time flogging a dead donkey they have taken their eyes off the difficult task of fighting for real democratic change.
People, forget asking Tsvangirai for his plan B - he has none. Ask yourselves; what is our plan B? It is not too late to stop Mugabe cheating his way into retaining power again next year but that window of opportunity is fast closing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)