Letters

EDITOR – As a Zimbabwean living in the diaspora, I have been watching the situation back home from the sidelines and hoping that situation will become better. I have now realised that it is day-dreaming.  

Almost all Zimbabweans  have got a problem of complaining and doing nothing about the situation. If us as a people do not come out with a home-grown solution, we are doomed forever. We should be in a position were we look for solutions ourselves rather than to look for international community to solve our problems. These so-called diplomatic talks are just a waste of valuable time. Zimbabwe is going down to the drain whilst the rest of the population is outside the country doing nothing about it.  

Zimbabwe is not a private company that can be dictated to by certain individuals. It is up to us, its people, to make it a wonderful country again. The future of our children is at stake right now. It’s up to us to say NO, not Mbeki or any other international guys.  

S NYAIRA, UK

Hijacked by vampire elite

EDITOR – The year 2008 is the year the people of Zimbabwe should stand and rise up against dictatorship; a year when the central bank boss, Gideon Gono, introduced the highest bank note denomination in the world. A country faced with cash shortages, high school fee increases, power shortages, water shortages, food shortages, a declining manufacturing sector and a thriving black market, Zimbabwe is now a state which has been hijacked by vampire elites, who operate on their own notorious ethic of self-aggrandisement and self-perpetuation.

Mugabe is now a liability to the people of Zimbabwe. As we draw close to the elections, we need to remember that it is a mandate for everyone who wants good governance to participate, so that in the event of rigging, we can defend our stolen vote.

ZINASU would like to assure all Zimbabweans that we are with them in these trying times. As robust, vigilant and united as the union is, we shall certainly bring back the country to its rightful owners.

In power is an artificial government, a government by deception run by a phalanx of degreed bandits, crocodile liberators who are not only out of touch with the people, but perennially locked in combat with them. The regime is now locked in the mantras of the past and completely unable to respond to the demands of a modern and market economy.  

On Thursday last week, we saw the opposition party MDC, students and other pro-democrats participating in the freedom march, despite the violent reaction by the police. To show Zanu (PF)’s desperation, the peaceful march was responded to with brutal force, firing guns and teargas canisters.

We salute the students union for the high levels of political discipline they displayed during their biannual congress on the 18-19 January 2008 in Harare. This was by far one of the most well organised peaceful congresses ever to be held in Zimbabwe. Democracy of the highest order was shown during the elections of National Executive members. Zanu (PF) should emulate ZINASU for being a democratic and transparent union.

BLESSING VAVA, Zimbabwe National Students Union, Harare

 

Youth of Zimbabwe

EDITOR – Referring to a fellow youth who wrote complaining their organisation was refused entry to a national youth function commemorating The Day of the African Child. As a former board member, my response to all the youth of Zimbabwe is that, The Zimbabwean Youth Council is an umbrella organisation for all youth associations, clubs etc.  

JACOB R. T. MUSHORE, Former board member, Zimbabwe Youth Council

What happens after the elections?

EDITOR – Robert Mugabe has given notice that the elections will be held at the end of March. The two factions of the MDC now have to decide whether or not to contest these elections.  

It will not make any difference either way, because the outcome of the elections have already been pre-determined by Zanu (PF). What both parties need to focus on now is what happens after the elections.  

It’s vital that the people are mobilised and get onto the streets very soon after the elections. If nothing happens, as was the case after the last elections, then Mugabe and Zanu (PF) will continue with business as usual. The MDC will become even more insignificant and Zimbabwe will continue its downward spiral until it finally hits rock bottom.

There has been much debate about why the people of Zimbabwe have sat back and not taken to the streets to vent their anger. The major reason this has not happened yet is through lack of direction and leadership. Both parties should start to put together a master plan that will mobilise the people and get them onto the streets in their millions. Expecting people to come to a pre-determined point has not worked and will not work because the police, army and Zanu (PF) thugs will ambush and close the mobilisation down before it gets off the ground.

D ZULU, Zimbabwe

Farmers can’t farm, yet four million need aid

EDITOR – I believe that we were on the eve of another dramatic move in the legal revolution that continues to destroy commercial agriculture and Zimbabwe.

In September 2005, the Zanu (PF) parliamentarians put in place amendment 17, which acquired all white-owned land for the state and gave no right to challenge this in any court. No Zanu (PF) parliamentarians voted against this act.

At the end of 2006, they put in place the consequential provisions act, which said that all those farmers still in their homes and farming without permission from the Minister of State Security would be committing a crime and would face jail. No Zanu (PF) parliamentarians voted against this act either.

In October 2007, the Zimbabwe Republican Police initiated prosecutions under this consequential provisions act; and to date approximately 150 farmers are in the process of being prosecuted for still being on their farms. Any farmer without an offer letter, lease or permit is on the wrong side of the law.  

Sometime between now and 29 March 2008, I believe white farmers are going to be thrown into jail again for continuing to commit the crime of being in their homes and farming (in a country where the world food programme is feeding nearly four million people).

Are our agricultural leaders going to make the same mistake as they did in 2002 and take no legal steps to ensure their members are protected?

In 2002, Colin Cloete and his CFU council made a conscious decision not to protect their members. They were apparently assured, like Piet Retief, that they would not be harmed.

As a direct result of that unfortunate decision, the vast majority of farmers were dispossessed of everything that they had ever worked for. Many were incarcerated. Their workers lost their jobs and their homes and the country went hungry. The economy collapsed. Roads, schools, hospitals, electricity supplies, water delivery systems etc. collapsed and continue to collapse today.

Is the legacy of Dingaan going to continue to haunt us in 2008? Or are our farming leaders going to have the courage and the foresight to keep the few remaining white farmers on the right side of the law and fight in the courts for a return of property rights and the rebuilding of the ruins?

BEN FREETH, Zimbabwe

Do we want the witch who poisoned the well?

EDITOR – As the elections approach, there is a flurry of activity among voters in Zimbabwe as they debate the options available to them. One scenario that seems to have captured the imagination of people is the prospect of a split in Zanu (PF), led or not by Simba Makoni and other Zanu (PF) heavyweights.

It would appear that many people believe that this is the best option, in which we allow Zanu (PF) to reinvent itself and rule us until donkeys grow horns, as Simon Muzenda once said. It is a sign of desperate times when people look up to the witch who poisoned the village well for salvation.  

All the players in this Zanu (PF) project have unashamedly stated that they would want to continue the ideological position of Zanu (PF). The people are so desperate to see Mugabe go that they are prepared to put up with Zanu (PF) and its disgraced policies for another 28 years.  

The question I would like to pose to Zimbabweans is: “Do we really believe that salvation for our country lies with Zanu (PF)?” Despite the romanticised view of Simba Makoni, I still believe that deep down he is Zanu (PF) and believes in its policies.  

What makes this project stink is that the new formation is not even considering joining hands with other opposition parties.  

Even though these are desperate times, I would like to urge Zimbabweans to exercise restraint when it comes to giving the thumbs-up to Makoni and his co-conspirators. We should seriously examine them as well as their project before we allow ourselves to be fooled. The struggle for a New Zimbabwe has been a long one and costly in terms of lives that we cannot afford to give it to Zanu (PF) on a silver plate.  

NYENGETERAI GIDI, UK

Replace the devil with Hitler

EDITOR – What better symptom of Kenya in Zimbabwe than Mugabe’s move last week of announcing the election dates publicly without even informing the MDC.

Patrick Chinamasa brushed aside comments from the MDC that the South African-facilitated dialogue between the ruling Zanu (PF) and the two opposition factions had fallen by the wayside after President Mugabe dropped the election date bombshell. A bombshell indeed, considering the fact that the MDC was still for the idea that the elections should be postponed to a later date to give way for a ‘new’ constitution.

Futhermore, the MDC has been keen on the adoption of the government draft constitution of 2000, which was rejected by the masses of Zimbabwe hands down.

What happened to their solidarity with a new people-driven democratic constitution? If they can stall the process and change their tune before they get into power, what happens when Tsvangirai waltzes into the state house as the new president? The thought is not pleasant, because we have seen it happen in Kenya. He will stall the process and the exercise until civil unrest arises. Then what?

When the National Constitutional Assembly first voiced its concerns over the MDC’s agreement to Zanu (PF)’s 18th amendment, it was met with all sorts of speculations ranging from NCA wanting to be a political party to NCA wanting the MDC to report to it. What the respondents did not realize was that the NCA had looked into the future and seen the consequences. The NCA had nothing but the people of Zimbabwe at heart.

MDC must not only cry foul in this whole process, but take some blame too. For months, they have been in bed with Zanu (PF). When they went into the talks, they sidelined the civil society.  

Change is good but what good will it do us to replace the devil with Hitler? What now?

ANON, Zimbabwe

Smash the myth, break the silence

EDITOR – During Gukurahundi, a blanket of silence was put in place by Mugabe. In fact, it was so comprehensive that most Zimbabweans had no idea what was going on. Only those people who escaped to the cities whispered to their friends and families about the horrendous happening.  

Then, the Catholic Church produced a damning report called Breaking the Silence. This report was compiled after the event and one institution that did have extensive ground coverage at that time was the Catholic Church. They should have raised the red rag much sooner and more vocally.  

During the past eight years, another blanket of silence has been laid upon Zimbabwe. It was laid by the South Africans and it is now abundantly clear why. It was laid to hide and protect Robert Mugabe, whilst he carried out his master plan to retain power.  

All through this period, this stealth strategy was actively promoted by Thabo Mbeki to hide the truths and the extent of the revolution taking place. Everyone was fooled and Mugabe was allowed to hijack and corrupt every institution of the sovereign state and use it to oppress the people of Zimbabwe.  

It is time to smash the myth, the smoke and mirrors and the lie of Quiet Diplomacy. Like Gukurahundi, so much damage has already been done. Collectively as Zimbabweans, we must all break this silence. It is time to scream out loudly across the mountains and through the valleys. If we don’t, things are going to get a lot worse.

NAME SUPPLIED, Zimbabwe

Birds of the same feather

EDITOR – Mugabe led the struggle against colonialism informed by the injustice of the system. Unfortunately, nation-building has to be informed by positive values, which are definitely nonexistent in Mugabe’s book.

While Zanu (PF)’s engine is driven by the purported hatred of the colonial system, MDC appears to be equally driven by hatred of Mugabe and less by the policies and programmes of Zanu (PF). How do such political parties claim to be furthering democracy when their motives are not even democratic in nature?

MDC has legitimised Mugabe’s presidency in more ways than one and crying foul after the elections, when they have even endorsed the amended electoral bill, will be a clear display of their lack of wisdom in the political fraternity.  

On the constitutional reform aspect, MDC has made itself irrelevant in the quest for democracy through advocating endorsement of a document, compiled by not more than five politicians, into a constitution – a constitution without the needs and wants of the poor, the illiterate and the women.

Sad but true, MDC has been left biting the Zanu (PF) dust in this political race, yet both are not innocent in the violation of people’s rights and trust.

ZVENYIKA NDUMBA-ZIMNYAMA PLUMTREE (pseudonym), By email

Get rid of Mugabe and his cronies

EDITOR – What worries me a lot is that so many people write in to say ‘down with Mugabe’, but they should say ‘down with the 5,000-odd Zanu (PF) members who are bleeding Zimbabwe dry’.  

The big talkers left Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and where are they living now? In the colonies with no voting rights and not really even Zimbabweans. Come on! Stop blaming the colonial regime and blame yourselves for not staying, voting and getting rid of Mugabe and his cohorts. Now we cry and beg the colonials to get rid of him. The answer is in your own hands. Stop crying and get on with the job of getting rid of Mugabe and his cronies.

JOHN KUFAMBA, Kariba

No to another term of destruction

EDITOR – I want to inform Robert Mugabe that we will not allow him another term of destruction. We will also not go into election under the current constitution. We have been patient enough, but now it’s a do or die situation. Starting now, anything to do with elections must be suspended until a new constitution is in place. Now is the time for Mugabe to know that enough is enough. We are prepared to die at his doorstep in Highfield or at state house. I command him to deliver freedom to the people or else he will become history.  

CHABVONDOKA, Torwood