Letters

EDITOR – Zimbabweans spoke loud and clear on March 29: Mugabe is no longer the president of Zimbabwe.

The SADC, AU, UN, Britain, United States, EC, and the International Community all clearly rejected the shameful one-man race as illegitimate. By refusing to listen, Mugabe revealed his abnormal ways of gaining power by force.

The International Tribunal should act. In 1980, Britain handed power to Mugabe. Under the UK-based Constitution which Mugabe chose not to change, Britain remains an interested party and responsible for the political situation in Zimbabwe. Britain can withdraw its Lancaster House Constitution and call for fresh elections. It is the responsibility of Britain and the United States to remove Mugabe by force.

Negotiations should be done by those who were elected during March 29, not people like Mutambara, Mugabe and Chinamasa. Who do they represent? Any mediation should be done on a neutral ground not by trying to please Robert Mugabe.

BUSH LAWYER, by e-mail

UK, US, UN should act

EDITOR – The UK, US, UN and the international community must help us to get rid of Mugabe. African leaders nurse each other at our expense. Now we need a stronger intervention and stronger action. We heard that Mbeki does not trust Tsvangirai. Zimbabwe is going back instead of going forward.  There will never be suitable conditions as long as Mugabe is there and enjoys support from African leaders. May the evil one be defeated.

R.S., by e-mail

Now is the time

EDITOR – Now is the time to increase pressure on Mugabe. We need to make sure the elected government that represents the people of Zimbabwe takes its rightful place. We have to be careful; be afraid but remember that fear is the biggest enemy and should not come between us and our goal.

Expect Zanu (PF) intimidation, remember: Gukurahundi, Murambatsvina, Makavhotera papi, Tsuro ne gwenzi.

ANON., by e-mail  

Essence of Mbeki’s obeisance

EDITOR – Your May 5 article “Why does Mbeki back Mugabe” makes interesting reading, but I feel does not reach the essence of Mbeki’s obeisance to Mugabe. Mbeki has a pathological obsession about the perceived inferiority of the black to the white race. Mugabe is the surrogate for what Mbeki would dearly like to do – to sock it to white men.

At the Commonwealth meeting in Nigeria in December 2003 it was decided that Zimbabwe’s suspension from the organisation should continue. Mbeki refused to accept the consensus decision of the Commonwealth.

He accuses the meeting of selectiveness; accuses the pro-suspension countries of communicating false reports to the media; accuses pro-suspension African nations of suffering from the subservience of the colonised; accuses the British government of being interested only in protecting the interests of white settler colonial “kith and kin” and of persistent failure to honour obligations to fund land redistribution; accuses the Commonwealth Secretary General of falsely reporting that continuation of suspension was the broadly held view of Heads of Government.

Mbeki will maintain the charade of being Zimbabwe’s impartial mediator in order to protect Mugabe for as long as the SADC allows him to continue in that role.

BASIL HONE, New Jersey

Mugabe is a disgrace to all

EDITOR – Mugabe is a disgrace to SADC, AU, UN and the world over. He pulled out of the Commonwealth and now he has caused a stir in the SADC by failing to apply brakes to the on-going human rights abuses. The AU is failing to resolve the Zimbabwean issue. Why? The African leadership is accused of poor human rights abuses, maladministration and corruption in their backyards.

Some African leaders do not know what an election Mugabe stealing an election doesn’t bother them. Who will caution Mugabe in Egypt? Omar Bongo of Gabon, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Amara Y’radoou of Nigeria, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Jose Dos Santos of Angola or Muamur Gaddafi Of Libya? Even Hosni Mubaraki cannot point a finger.

After a ‘sham’ election, his peers embrace him as a leader who has qualified to join the Dictators Union – the AU. If it was the OAU, I do not think Mugabe would have been accepted as a head of state.

Mugabe is now trying to play with the UN. They want Zimbabwe to be a test case on how the UN can deal with a member nation. South Africa, Russia and other countries do no want Zimbabwe’s human rights abuses to be discussed in the UN Security Council.

Zimbabwe needs peace, a functioning economy and a transitional government that will lead the country for, at most, six months until fresh elections are conducted.  MAGATIMALI SASELAMANI, by e-mail

Mbeki will be harshly judged

EDITOR – For a long time South Africa has argued that they are not switching off Zimbabwe because it would make ordinary Zimbabweans suffer the most. This rings hollow when you look at how the same government has been at the forefront of defending Robert Mugabe’s flagrant disregard for the welfare of the people of Zimbabwe. I think Zimbabweans have suffered more from the dithering and the implicit support of Mugabe by the South African government.

History will judge President Mbeki harshly. South Africa is using the potential suffering of the people as a smokescreen for not doing anything to allow Zimbabweans to choose a president of their choice.

This trail blazes a path for whenever the ANC majority begins to diminish. Although there are loud voices in the ANC coalition making the right noises you cannot help noticing that every time the criticism is tampered with an attempt to deflect the failure of Mugabe as a consequence of the British government’s reneging on its promises. No one mentions that money was made available for resettlement in the early years of the Mugabe government which did not produce much resettlement. The British government was forced to withdraw funds because they were not being used to resettle ordinary people. Why did it take Mugabe this long to do something about this emotive issue? South Africans that they should be very afraid because leaders who condone or justify what Mugabe is doing are likely themselves to turn out to be as bad as him.

It is a myth that Mbeki is refraining from condemning Mugabe because he is a mediator. As a mediator he has not conducted himself in a way that gives confidence. There is arrogance on the part of Mbeki in his belief that people of Zimbabwe are wrong in wanting to vote out Mugabe from power. It is important to remind those who hold this view that Zimbabwe has one of Africa’s highest literacy levels among adults.  NYENGETERAI G GIDI, United Kingdom

Double standards

EDITOR – Arthur Mutambara is not worthy to be a politician, he doesn’t know where he stands. He suspended Spokesman Chaibva for attending Mugabe’s inauguration but they went to the state house to attend a meeting to resolve the crisis in the country. Mutambabra endorsed Mugabe.

“We are a separate entity committed to dialogue,” Mutambara said.

The same words spoken by Chaibva to the same ZBC and yet they suspended him. Mutambara said that Mugabe was not the legitimate President and that any future negotiations must include Tsvangirai. The Mutambabra camp is being used by Zanu (PF). The future of Zim lies with the MDC not Zanu (PF).

CRITIR KARUPA, Nyanga