"When I last saw President Robert Mugabe he said the prevailing peace was ideal for us to go for an election, and this time we agreed that whoever loses should make way for the winner," said Tsvangirai.
Prevail peace; what prevailing peace? During the on-going new constitution outreach exercise, Zanu PF has demonstrated again that when the country makes any political move that threatens the party’s strangle hold on power it WILL step up the violence and intimidation. The party did not want the people to freely express their views on what the new constitution should be and it instituted “Operation Chimumumu – Say Nothing”. Once again the party has openly used the Police, CIO, the Army and other State Security Agency to carry out its dirty work.
Tsvangirai and MDC have done nothing, absolutely nothing, to ensure there will be no repeat of the political violence that happened in 2008. On the other hand Mugabe had the politicising of the country’s security agencies formally endorsed by the Zanu PF Congress in 2009 and has since been deploying them as if this is normal and perfectly acceptable.
Tsvangirai should have got Mugabe to agree on ending political violence and concrete guarantees that the next elections will be free and fair. Agreeing that the two will accept the results regardless of what happened throughout the race is down right stupid. This is yet another blunder by Tsvangirai and MDC!
@George Split
There are over 3 million Zimbabweans now working in SA including medical professionals amongst many others. When Zimbabwe’s ruling elite and the few who can afford it need medical help they go to SA or anywhere outside the country. You claim that Zimbabwe’s clinics and hospitals are better staffed and equipment is just that – a claim not backed by facts.
I will accept that SA’s health service is not as healthy as it was in the past; but we are not running a beauty context here.
@ Sterling Ferguson
Mugabe has been very clever in giving the loot to people like Fungayi and then pushing them to do his dirty work. Many of them are fighting for their own lives in defending the dictatorship - many of them, like Mugabe himself, face the losing not only the loot but the noose if the dictatorship collapse. That is way the targeted sanctions must be extended beyond just the 200 in the inner circle.
2 comments:
@Johann Braunstein
Tsvangirai is "building a sand castle in the tidal zone with his back to the sea," you said. What a precise description of the situation prevailing in Zimbabwe!
Without meaningful political change, the restoration of the rule of law, free and fair elections, freedom of expression, respect of individual rights including property rights and right to life, an end to excessive presidential powers, end to lawlessness by the State Security Organs, etc – in short meaningful democratic change – there will be no meaningful and lasting economic and political change in Zimbabwe.
Kwame Nkrumah counselled the oppressed of Africa to seek first the political kingdom, after which all other things would be added unto them. Tsvangirai and his friends named their party movement for DEMOCRATIC change not movement for ECONOMIC change for exactly the same reason. It is amazing how quickly Tsvangirai has changed. He is now talking of “tangible economic changes” and has forgotten the none existent political changes.
The economic changes Zimbabwe has enjoyed are first of all totally at the mercy of the Mugabe’s whim. The single most important reason for the end of the country’s hyper inflation rate and financial stability was the scrapping of the Z$ and decommissioning of Gono’s money printing press. Mugabe has stubbornly retained Gono as the governor of the Reserve Bank and the printing press can be up and running in a few days – it was only mothball. Mugabe has already said he would like to see the return of the Z$ and it is his decision alone that counts – he is a dictator!
Secondly if there had been real democratic change in Zimbabwe, the farm invasions had stopped, transparency in the mining and sell of diamonds, etc the country would be enjoying 20% plus growth rate not a misery 7%.
Instead of pushing Mugabe for meaningful democratic change Tsvangirai has settled for the easier option of appeasing Mugabe. It is certainly easier to build a sand castle on the tidal zone than a solid one of rock on the top of the cliff. It is not the madness of the tide that concerns me but the madness of the one building the sand castle who is inviting others to live in it!
@ La Quebecoise
To suggest that Tsvangirai was forced, "hamstrung", by SADC into joining the GNU is not correct. It implies that SADC were in a position to do SOMETHING about it if Tsvangirai had said no. The truth is there was absolutely nothing SADC would have done.
Mugabe made it impossible for Tsvangirai to sign the GPA by making outrageous demands. Tsvangirai tried to hold out hoping SADC would pressure the dictator to be reasonable. Mugabe called SADC and more importantly Tsvangirai's bluff. SADC is too feeble to do anything. As for Tsvangirai, you are too kind to say "he is nothing wonderful", the truth is the man is fit for herding goats - not more than ten or he will lose them!
The really tragedy in Zimbabwe is all of our politicians are in politics for the chance to loot the public. How else can one explain why Zanu PF politicians have continued to follow a murderous dictator and MDC politicians to follow an idiot!
@ Fungayi
Richard Branson is rich and knows Mugabe and his thugs would not dare touch him. There are hundreds of thousands of other ordinary people, blacks and whites, who have lost everything. Mugabe has made their lives a living hell. Branson should used his wealth and influence to help bring law and order in Zimbabwe and not make the victims of repression appear as if they are all stupid!
So how long do you think you are going to hide behind your assumed name? In Rwanda it was the Radio Announcers who cheered and encouraged the killing they even suggested places the victims could be hiding. You must have played a major role in the Gukurahundi genocide, the farm invasions and the on going political violence. Mugabe rewarded you with "a plot"! Now you are fighting to keep your plot of land and to ensure the murderous past remains covered. I have told you once and will tell you again you will lose the plot and the past will be uncovered and you will hang like the dirty rat you are!
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