‘Cut our supplies’ Ncube tells Mbeki

tongue in the face of death threats by the ruling party Zanu (PF) and its hooligan youth wing the Green Bombers, has urged the South African president to immediately cut off electricity supplies to Zimbabwe in order to bring the almost 82-year-old Mugabe to his senses. “Electricity supplies should end now,” the Archbishop told fellow Catholics after a South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference meeting in Pretoria. But the heroic cleric doubted the South African leader would do anything to bring about the downfall of his northern neighbour. “Mbeki kneels before Mugabe,” he said. The archbishop was echoing the words of one of South Africa’s best-known journalists William Mervin Gumede, who told a high-powered meeting of diplomats, businessmen and journalists in London last year that Thabo Mbeki was frightened of Mugabe. “When he (Mbeki) became president, his was a very uncertain presidency because some people in the ANC believed that there were other people far better qualified to be president.” Gumede added: “Mbeki is frightened that Zanu (PF) is going to send him up as a puppet of the West. Mbeki resents being called a toy of the West by Mugabe and so he is always trying to show that he’s not like that. He wants to show that he’s militant – one of them.” Archbishop Ncube said Mugabe would never have dared treat Nelson Mandela the way he treats Mbeki. He described Mandela as “a moral giant.” Asked if the disruption of electricity to Zimbabwe was a drastic measure, the Archbishop said anything that would help in bringing about the downfall of the Zimbabwean government should be tried. He said that the popular uprising against Mugabe last year had not taken place because Mugabe had a very active and effective espionage system in place. The Catholic Church has neither condemned nor endorsed the sentiments of Pius Ncube.