eader Morgan Tsvangirai:
1) Refugees: Mr Tsvangirai was recently in South Africa (in June) and visited Zimbabweans living as refugees at the Methodist Church and promised to look into their plight and ensure that their living conditions are improved and papers processed within the coming two weeks. To date, the situation remains the same, if not worse than it was before. My question is, how long will it take to rectify this? If Mr Tsvangirai is failing to address the welfare of +3,000 refugees, what guarantees do we have that he will be able to better the lives of 12 million Zimbabweans if he makes it to be the next president?
2) If Mr Tsvangirai cannot address the plight bof the people in the Diaspora, what
makes him think the diaspora vote will win him the election?
3) Why does Mr Tsvangirai spend so much time and money travelling abroad instead of addressing the plight of the population at home?
4) Sanctions: Could you explain to us how the sanctions imposed on Mugabe work and in what ways are they different from other forms of sanctions? What effect are they supposed to have? Are the sanctions producing the desired results? If not, why do you insist they be maintained, or pressure increased?
5) Land: what are your party’s policies on the land-reform programme?
I still have a lot of questions that need answers but for now if you could please answer those, I would be happy .
If these answers cannot be obtained from the MDC, perhaps print my letter as a point of discussion and perhaps the general public may be able to respond and give me answers. Thank you.
DIASPORA, South Africa
Walk the talk, General
EDITOR – It is not often that a smile touches your lips when reading news from and about Zimbabwe but Rtd Major General Nyambuya’s recommendation that people should walk to save fuel made me smile.
First because this was a rare admission by Mugabe and his rogue ministers that they have failed but also because the minister betrays that he is not in touch with the situation in Zimbabwe. The people are already walking because they cannot afford the fares or the black-market fuel.
It is interesting to hear the Minister of Energy encourage business people to use public transport. I would urge the minister to lead by example and start using public transport. I wonder whether he would survive the ‘vigoroni’ or ‘mutsimba’ needed to get on to public transport.
You can see the minister lives in another world otherwise he would know that there is not much public transport on Zimbabwe’s roads. It takes a minimum of three hours of waiting, as well as pushing and shoving, before one can get on to some form of transport in most cities and towns.
The minister is quoted as saying, “In most developed countries, especially in Western countries, company executives wearing expensive suits use public transport or walk to work but here in Zimbabwe one person wants to have 10 cars on the road each day,” Spot on! However, the major culprit is his own boss, Robert Mugabe. The minister should tell him to cut down on the size of his motorcade.
If the people are to tighten their belts on their emaciated waists, the fat cats in government should also tighten their belts.
Another thing is that people in the developed world choose to walk or to use public transport. They are not forced by government ministers or by shortages. It is because of the disastrous policies of the government that there is no food, no fuel, no water, no electricity, no nothing – as the Americans would say.
Using the same logic, will the government be encouraging people to fast in order to save the little food that we have?
NYENGETERAI GIDI, Harare
Country sold to cronies
EDITOR – It is almost a month after SADC’s so-called “let Mugabe resolve his problems”. Now, without anything substantial done for Zimbabweans, Libya and Equatorial Guinea have realised that they can scoop gold if they avail themselves for business.
Chancers are really not welcome in Zimbabwe. The wealth of Zimbabwe belongs to all its citizens. The Zanu (PF) members are all cowards and failures. They are now selling Zimbabwe to their cronies.
I am warning all who want to do business with Mugabe! That they are heading into a big scam.
To bring joy to Zimbabwe, we must work with the most industrialised countries like the Europeans and Americans.
Mugabe chased the whites saying they are settlers. What is a settler? If Mugabe knows the meaning, then his grandparents came from Mozambique. He is not a true Zimbabwean. A foreigner or settler cannot be allowed to continue ruining Zimbabwe. Let us stop him. To wait for next year’s elections is a waste of time. Zanu (PF) has already rigged elections and they are already winners.
Mugabe seems to have forgotten that he is the one who orchestrated the collapse of Zimbabwe. Now Mugabe is pointing fingers to the West. Don’t be a crybaby, we don’t need you anymore. Enough is enough.
AARON DUBE, Programme Manager, Concerned Zimbabweans Abroad, South Africa
Workers of Zim, unite!
EDITOR – I am calling on all concerned workers in Zimbabwe, civic society and
concerned Zimbos abroad to rally behind the ZCTU call to demonstrate over an unjust presidential decree to freeze workers’ salaries. We are buying the scarce foodstuffs on the black market yet kamudhara ketushaya twakaoma’s pantry yako kustate house yakazara nechikafu.
The dictator has awarded himself a hefty salary increment from the current $62,305,000 per annum to $1.4billion, in a move that has puzzled labour, business and the nation at large even within the circles of Zanu (PF).
My question remains the same: Whether this tyranny has people at heart or is he there for self-enrichment at the expense of the innocent and poorly remunerated workers in Zimbabwe?
When we voted Zanu (PF) at independence, we wanted leaders not rulers, hence the need to cry for our freedom through peaceful demonstrations and of cause to evade AIPPA and POSA since these legislative repression acts are there to stimulate and galvanise the existence of opposition rights groups.
Workers of Zimbabwe, let’s unite and fight for our basic fundamental rights to be respected and to claim the right to a decent living. Jambanja uchariona Iwewe, jamabanja uchariona chete.
MR THUNDER(FT) Taliban constituency, Zimbabwe
Things will get worse
EDITOR – Most everybody I know who knows Zimbabwe, keeps telling me that when Mugabe dies, all the problems will go away and Zimbabwe will be restored to its former ‘glory’.
I think everyone is wrong. EVERYONE! And that includes the US Ambassador to Zimbabwe who predicted that by the end of 2007 Mugabe would no longer be in power.
I said a short while back that when Idi Amin ruled Uganda, that he killed 300,000 people. Then he was replaced by Obote, who went on to kill 1 million people. As bad as things are in Africa … they can get WORSE!
Mugabe will create a law that allows him, and only him, to choose his successor.
Let us examine the FACTS:
1. South Africa and Zimbabwe have a formal Military Alliance.
2. The SADC countries have a Brigade-sized military force stationed in Zambia to deal with ‘internal unrest’ in the 14 SADC countries (which include Zimbabwe and South Africa).
3. Mugabe will hand-pick his own personal successor at some point, when he feels incapable of carrying on.
I believe that all these ‘talks’ being hosted by the South African government with respect to a new constitution in Zimbabwe is all junk and a complete waste of time. Instead, a hand-picked, hard-core Zanu (PF) politician or military officer will be put in power by Mugabe himself. (I would be most surprised if his successor is a woman).
Mugabe’s successor will cling as firmly to power as Mugabe did, but he may well not have Mugabe’s subtleties and he may resort to more overt force by then. So, if the Blood Bath does not come during Mugabe’s rule, it may well come during his successor’s rule.
To reiterate: I just want to sweep away all the furry, fuzzy day dreams that everyone has, that Mugabe is the only problem in Zimbabwe. I have said before – Zanu (PF) is the problem and Zanu (PF) will continue to exist (with the blessing and active military/political support of South Africa’s ANC), long after Mugabe has stepped down or died.
JAN LAMPRECHT, AfricanCrisis Webmaster and author of ‘Government by Deception’, South Africa