Mugabe described homosexuality as unAfrican Mugabe said: “We won’t accept it in Africa. But other African countries have put it in their constitutions.” This was a calculated swipe at South Africa and President Zuma, it legalized gay marriages in 2009.
President Zuma has been pushing Mugabe to carryout meaningful democratic reforms before there can be elections in Zimbabwe. For the last three years Mugabe has stubbornly resisted. President Zuma’s own reputation now hinges on getting Mugabe accepting at least some basic reforms and holding a fairly free election. This is something Mugabe simply can not afford to do; after thirty years of gross mismanagement and political repression Zimbabweans hate his with a passion and would love to hand him the biggest electoral defeat in history if the elections are free and fair. Mugabe will resist all manner of democratic reforms with all his worth. His very life and that of his cronies depends on staying in power!
Mugabe has no choice but to defy President Zuma and resist democratic reforms and carryon on his set path of using violence to “win” the next election. But Mugabe is a shrewd politician to know not take President Zuma head-on.
Mugabe is dreaming up his difference between himself and President Zuma over the gay issue beyond reason. Mugabe does not have any phobias against homosexuals, former President Cannan Banana was gay and Mugabe worked with him for years. Even if Mugabe was genuinely anti-homosexuals why business is it of him to say what South Africans can and can not do. By the same token it would be no business of President Zuma if he tried to impose his views on homosexuals on Zimbabwe. But there lies Mugabe’s forte.
To Mugabe there is no difference between President Zuma dictating that Zimbabwe should accept gay marriages and that Zimbabwe should accept democratic reforms. Indeed to him, Zimbabwe can not accept the latter without accepting the former as well. All Zimbabweans demanding democratic reforms are by extension demanding the legalisation of homosexuality. All the Zanu PF thugs involved in the political violence will be fighting a “just war” to stop homosexuals and their supporters.
Zimbabweans will be denied their basic human right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and many will, no doubt, be subjected to all manner of abuse and many will lose their very lives in Mugabe’s game of smokes and mirrors.
Mugabe should not be allowed to ride rough shod of the people of Zimbabwe again!
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