Former SA President Thembo Mbeki gives a
plausible explanation why he did not want the Khampepe report made public and
why he will not apologise for not making the report public. The MDC-T leader,
Morgan Tsvangirai, who has been calling for the apology certainly does not
deserve the apology!
President Mbeki explained that the two SA judges
were asked to look at the legal framework in Zimbabwe’s election process and
not on the contact of the 2002 elections. There were other bodies like South
African Parliamentary Observer Mission (SAPOM), constituted and deployed by
Parliament without any intervention by the South African government and an essentially
civil society 50-member South African Observer Mission (SAOM) from SA alone tasked
to observe the elections. They all gave favourable reports contrary to the Khampepe
report. The later had also exceeded their brief in an area others had more
direct involvement than them.
The SA government had based its position to accept
the elections as free and fair on the basis of the reports from all other
observer groups rather than Khampepe report.
The SA government had resisted realising the Khampepe
report because it was never meant for public consumption from the start.
On the basis of the reasons above, the former
President said he would not apologise.
“We owe and will make no apology to anybody
whatsoever both about resisting the publication of the Khampepe report and
respecting the determinations made by the SAPOM, the SAOM and the other African
observer missions about the 2002 Zimbabwe presidential elections,” he said.
Ever since the release of the Khampepe report
after a court ruling compelling the SA government to do so, Zimbabwe’s opposition
MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has demanded an apology from SADC and SA, accusing
them undermining democracy in Zimbabwe by failing to realise the report.
"When the genocide in Rwanda was taking
place, the majority of African leaders remained silent about it. Likewise, when
violence flared up in Zimbabwe with innocent civilians being butchered in broad
daylight, Sadc countries turned a blind eye,” charged Tsvangirai.
"To an extent, the spirited efforts to hide this report shows that South Africa has wittingly or unwittingly aided the subversion of democratic processes in Zimbabwe, wantonly violating official Sadc guidelines on the conduct of free and fair elections, which they helped to create."
"To an extent, the spirited efforts to hide this report shows that South Africa has wittingly or unwittingly aided the subversion of democratic processes in Zimbabwe, wantonly violating official Sadc guidelines on the conduct of free and fair elections, which they helped to create."
In the face of all the other Election Observers
from SA , SADC and AU giving their thumbs up to the 2002 elections it was not
unreasonable for President Thembo Mbeki and SADC to go with the finding of the
other bodies. It is therefore unreasonable of MDC to ask him to apologise for
having made what is a rational decision.
Would making the Khampepe report public back in
2002 have made any difference to Zimbabwe’s politics? It is hard to see how
since the main political player, MDC, was well aware of Zanu PF’s political
culture of intimidation, rape, vote rigging and even murders. Sure Tsvangirai did
not need a report by SA judges to tell him Zanu PF rigged elections.
It is preposterous that Tsvangirai of all
people should be the one accusing SADC Heads of State of “wittingly or unwittingly
aided the subversion of democratic processes in Zimbabwe” when they are the
ones who reminded him again and again to implement the democratic reforms throughout
the GNU years and he ignored them. If MDC had implemented the reforms then Mugabe
would not have rigged the 2013 elections.
SADC Heads of State said of Tsvangirai and his
fellow MDC leaders that they were “enjoying themselves whilst in government and
forgetting why they were there”; out of sheer frustration at MDC’s failure to
implement even one democratic reform.
It is Tsvangirai who should be apologising to
SADC and, most important of all, to the people Zimbabwe for failing to
implement even one democratic reform and thus allowed Mugabe to rig the
elections and landing the nation in this mess!
It is bad enough that neither Tsvangirai nor
any of his MDC colleagues has ever apologised to the people of Zimbabwe for
wasting the best chance this nation has ever had in 34 years to end the Zanu PF
dictatorship. It is an insult to the nation that Tsvangirai should seek to
blame SADC for his and MDC’s breath-taking incompetence.
9 comments:
@ Research and advocacy unit
“Try talking to all the Zimbabweans, who with exceptional qualifications, are selling airtime and trinkets on South African streets. And then try and tell us that suppressing this report was in our best interests. Don’t be surprised if they spit in your face,” you wrote.
Let me say that I am not disputing the fact that there are Zimbabweans with good quali-fications and experience who are selling airtime and trinkets on the streets in SA and Zimbabwe. I would also add that there are hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans with no educational qualifications to write home about out there on the streets with them, for even those not so well educated are feeling the ill-effects of this economic meltdown same as anyone else.
What is at issue here which will make them spit in the face of those who let them down is the knowledge that Zimbabwe had a clear chance to end the Zanu PF dictatorship if MDC had implemented the democratic reforms agreed in the GPA. They had five years to implement the reforms and failed to do so.
You have admitted yourself that the Khampere report’s conclusions did not add anything new to what most of the players in the Zimbabwe political stage, including MDC, did not already know.
If anyone has any spittle then they must spit in Tsvangirai, Biti and the other MDC leaders for being breathtakingly incompetent. You are just stirring up people’s emotions over a minor issue just to hide the real issue they should be concerned with!
Are you trying to blame the failure to realise the Khampepe report for Zimbabwe’s rigged 2013 elections?
Mugabe stopped the ouster of Didymus Mutasa; Chinamasa and others wanted him out.
Mugabe needs to hang on to some members from the Mujuru faction because he cannot afford to have them all kicked out and be left with Mnangagwa loyalists only. He will be like a goose amongst hungry hyenas. He needs to have a few plucked geese for the hyenas to eat whilst he gets away if push comes to shove!
@ Brian
Yah but look where your patient and forgiving approach got us!
I know a puppy takes a week or so to open its eyes but I have never heard of one take a month. These Zanu PF turn coats have taken 34 years, that is a world record.
What we have failed to accept is that people like Gumbo, Tsvangirai, Jabulani, Ncube, Makoni, etc. all know what is right and they have joined in the struggle but only as mercenaries because they have willingly denied the people the same rights and freedoms to extort their reward. When they are in a position of power to end the injustice they be-come the oppressors in their own right. It is only when they have lost power that they open their puppy eyes again and resume their role as champions of justice.
If we are serious about creating a just society then we must fight the cause with those who are committed and not with mercenaries. It will be better for us to take five years or whatever longer fighting the good fight than to swell our ranks with mercenaries and win today only to spend the next 34 years fighting the mercenaries again!
Do not be fooled, Rugare Gumbo is not angry that Mugabe is a corrupt and murderous tyrant but rather that he is no longer benefiting from the corruption and tyrannical rule.
If these are not crocodile’s tears Gumbo is shedding to win public sympathy then he should tell us how Mugabe rigged the elections.
We should not discount the possibility that he is withholding the information to stop Mugabe finishing him off. Mugabe is a ruthless tyrant; he is likes blackmailing and cheating but does not take kindly to being paid by the same coin, he is waiting for the opportune moment to finish off Gumbo and all those who try to blackmail him!
Presenting his 2015 budget Thursday, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa admitted that economic “bleeding continues”.
He revealed that, over the past four years alone, more than 4,000 companies had been forced to close shop by the inclement operating conditions with the loss of 50 000 jobs.
“The economy continues to be dragged down by liquidity shortages, antiquated plant and machinery, cheap imports and high cost of production,” said the minister.
When Zanu PF is done with their in house cat-fighting they will have to face the economic meltdown; it did not take a break because the regime was having its own fight. The weeds do not stop growing and choking the crops just because the lazy farmer and his wife have gone fishing, are fighting or whatever when they should be attending to the fields!
National police spokesman Charity Charamba confirmed Sibanda’s arrest but would not give more details.
“I can confirm he was arrested this afternoon (yesterday), although I don’t have much information at the moment,” said Charamba.
Sibanda’s wife, Sifiso, told state media that her husband had been picked up from his Nyamandlovu farm Friday afternoon.
The lawlessness of which Jabulani Sibanda will always be known for in Zimbabwe history has caught up with him. When he terrorised the people he thought he was above the law. The lawlessness he was fighting to keep in power is thanking him for a dirty job well done in its own ruthless way - by kicking him in the teeth.
@ William
Zanu PF fcuked up the economy not me. Zanu PF's fcuking up the economy had nothing to do with MDC's incompetence. We have the great misfortune of having had a corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF and a breathtakingly incompetent MDC.
I know it is hard for people like you who only see monochrome to accept that both Zanu PF and MDC are rotten; one must be wrong and the other right. I have no such inhibitions because I see all the colours of the rainbow; I see the truth and will follow wherever it leads me without fear or favour.
ZANU PF Politburo member Cephas Msipa on Saturday rushed to stop a war veteran from revealing intimate details of a conversation he made with the late retired General Solomon Mujuru, three years ago.
Msipa chastised former Zanu PF Kwekwe DCC chairman and war veteran George Valentine Makombe and warned him against going public on the matter.
A day before Mujuru perished in an unexplained inferno at his Beatrice Farm on August 15 2011, he travelled to the Midlands where he met Makombe and informed him that some Zanu PF vultures were plotting to remove his wife, Joice from the Vice-Presidency.
Mujuru returned to Harare that Saturday, and the following night his house was gutted by a fire that killed him.
Revelations about the never-spoken-about meeting are contained in a letter addressed to President Robert Mugabe by Makombe
Mugabe has had three years to deal with the matter and should have done so. Msipa is treating Mugabe is not accountable to anyone but himself which is exactly what is wrong with our political system. Makombe must reveal the details otherwise he is just another one of Mugabe's toothless poodle just like Msipa.
ZANU PF Politburo member Cephas Msipa on Saturday rushed to stop a war veteran from revealing intimate details of a conversation he made with the late retired General Solomon Mujuru, three years ago.
Msipa chastised former Zanu PF Kwekwe DCC chairman and war veteran George Valentine Makombe and warned him against going public on the matter.
A day before Mujuru perished in an unexplained inferno at his Beatrice Farm on August 15 2011, he travelled to the Midlands where he met Makombe and informed him that some Zanu PF vultures were plotting to remove his wife, Joice from the Vice-Presidency.
Mujuru returned to Harare that Saturday, and the following night his house was gutted by a fire that killed him.
Revelations about the never-spoken-about meeting are contained in a letter addressed to President Robert Mugabe by Makombe
Mugabe has had three years to deal with the matter and should have done so. Msipa is treating Mugabe is not accountable to anyone but himself which is exactly what is wrong with our political system in which those in positions of power are above the law.
We want a Zimbabwe in which no one is above the law.
The late Solomon Mujuru was a corrupt and ruthless tyrant still if his death was unlawful then he is entitled to have it properly investigated. Whatever he and Makombe talked about may help uncover the truth behind his death. Makombe must reveal the details of the letter he wrote to Mugabe otherwise he too is just another one of Mugabe's toothless poodle just like Msipa.
The succession issue is wreaking havoc with the turnaround of this economy. It cannot be ignored. So why should I apologise? For what? Focused leadership should be aware that one day leadership will change and this calls for robust discussion and not to whip people into line and suppress debate on such a crucial issue.
Rugare Gumbo is waking to the reality of the need for robust discussions now but has said nothing all these years he was in power. We have seen this happen again and again in Zimbabwe; look at Simba Makoni, Dumiso Dabengwa, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, etc. they all remember the suffering masses before they got into power, forgot once they got into power and remembered again when the lost power. Zimbabweans must learn to avoid these chameleons!
The right to free and fair elections, the right to life, etc. these rights and freedoms should have been settled back in 1980 if Zanu PF chameleons had not betrayed us or in 2008 if MDC chameleons had not in turned betrayed us. These rights and freedoms will be settled this time, no if no but; all we must avoid is trust the chameleons to do it!
Rugare Gumbo is not to be trusted, he is a chameleon.
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