Letters

EDITOR – I’m concerned about the situation in Mberengwa, my home. There is hunger there, people going for days without a proper meal and most families depending on Chakata (wild fruit). I am begging the authorities to do something immediately before the situation worsens. I also appeal to NGOs now that they have permission to operate. – FARAI, by e-mail

How much longer?

EDITOR – How much longer will it take SADC, AU and UN to deal with Mugabe? We haven’t slept at all in years. It’s been so long since we’ve had peace.

The MDC was, is and will always be a people’s project. They seek nothing but the interests of the people of Zimbabwe. They promise to stop the political bickering and fighting that wastes so much of the nation’s wealth. Those who live in a New Zimbabwe will all be peace- loving persons.

If Tsvangirai was the President of Zimbabwe then everyone would enjoy the rich produce of the land. We would no longer see starving children with bloated bellies and shriveled arms.

SADC, AU and UN intervention will help Mugabe realize that something is wrong with a life of war and violence and human tragedy. Mugabe lacks sanity which the US court system defines as the ability to discern between good and evil. It has to be made known that true fulfillment comes, not through ego satisfaction, but through service to others.

Think too of all who suffer as if you shared their pain’ (Hebrews 13:3) – MUTSA MURENJE, by e-mail

Thank you

EDITOR – Thank you for continuing to provide this service, without it we would have had only distorted Zanu news. Your attributes even changed the strong-hold Mudzi family. Thank you! – POLITE, by e-mail

Long live Zimbabwe

EDITOR – I have been following the developments in my beloved country very closely.  

As I see it, it’s not about how many degrees you have or how intelligent you are academically but it’s about the people and what we expect from those in positions that represent us via the ballot box.

The MDC, as far as I can see, stand for what the people of Zimbabwe want: change. President Tsvangirai – let us call a spade a spade, mwana waBona is not going to share power with you come rain or sunshine; it is not in his nature. Mugabe is not wanted by

his own country men and will never be accepted as our leader.

I think it’s time for Tsvangirai to sit down and come up with a plan B because these talks will produce nothing. I strongly believe that the MDC needs to be a little more aggressive in their dealings, because Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) are going for blood this time around.

It’s time to buy out all those MDC M and Zanu (PF) MPs who can be bought and

lets impeach this old man, or at least get two thirds majority in parliamentary votes to give a vote of no confidence for the so called president.

Ignore what they say about sanctions hurting the ordinary man, Zanu (PF) is doing enough of that already. Don’t let Mugabe get the upper hand or the country is doomed. – NON-DEGREED, by e-mail  

Punish the guilty

EDITOR – The list of those who were brutally murdered after the historic March 29 elections, plus those killed and buried in shallow graves, including the thousands that are still missing, must not be ignored and eventually forgotten.

A peace keeping force should be sent to Zimbabwe, and Mugabe and his Generals should be arrested. These tyrants should face crimes against humanity and charged with murder in The International Criminal Court at the Hague. Mugabe must not be allowed to broker a deal for his safety.  

Once the Generals have been removed and punished, alongside Mugabe, I believe the Zimbabwean army will fall into line with the Peace Keeping forces.

Justice must be undertaken in the names of all those who have been murdered, this debacle has reached the stage where Mbeki is unable to bring Mugabe to book. – RONALD PAYNE, The Netherlands

Open letter to Ncube  

Dear Sir – I have problems trying to understand your definition of power sharing as

expressed in your recent interview with Basildon Peta. My understanding of the deal on the table is that the Prime Minister will report to the President; and that it is the President who appoints and fires cabinet Ministers. It is also the President who chairs the cabinet.

In my opinion, this is not power sharing. The President under the proposed arrangement is in charge, even of the Prime Minister. Do professors understand that as power sharing?

You are very well aware that:

    1. MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai beat the Zanu (PF) President Robert Mugabe in the March 29 Presidential election;

    2. There was no election on June 27 as the MDC President pulled out of the election because of genuine concerns of violence;

    3. SADC observers found that the exercise carried out by Robert Mugabe on June 27 did not resemble an election.

If you were a genuine negotiator, you should have been challenging the SADC Heads of States with facts that would enable them to make an informed decision on the Zimbabwean crisis.

Tsvangirai has done very well to make public what transpired in the meetings with Mugabe, Mbeki and Mutambara, who all tried in vain to push him into agreeing to sell the mandate he was given by the people on March 29.

Professor Ncube, I usually respect your judgement, but this time round, even you, after carefully rethinking your statement in relation to the facts on the ground, should admit that you erred. Can you honestly tell suffering Zimbabweans that all that you have been negotiating is for Robert Mugabe to remain in control after 28 years of mismanagement? – BENJAMIN CHITATE, New Zealand    

Mugabe to blame

EDITOR – Robert Mugabe should not blame anyone but himself for the poor performance of his ministers. Men that he is now trying to vilify in public are the same

ministers that he praised a few years ago as “Men of spine.”

Why has Mugabe suddenly realised that these ministers are nothing but a mockery to the people of Zimbabwe when he has kept them in cabinet for all these years?  

For keeping these ministers in charge of running the affairs of this country Mugabe has shown that he is equally to blame for turning a blind eye on certain issues when the economy of the country was collapsing. – T.G. MAZHAMBE, Mutare

A problem half solved

EDITOR – President Mbeki should initiate dialogue to mend diplomatic relations between Harare and London.

When MDC and Zanu (PF) signed a memorandum of understanding many people thought there would be a silver lining on the dark cloud surrounding the Zimbabwean crisis. Now we all realise that the solution is far away.

It is going to be very difficult for the two parties to work together because they are suspicious of each other. Zanu (PF) accuses the MDC of calling for sanctions and working with Western imperialists to make regime change in Zimbabwe.

Even some African countries think MDC is working with the West when, in truth, they prefer a homegrown and African solution to the crisis. Many people thought African heads of state would not recognise the legitimacy of Mugabe. Tsvangirai tried to lobby for this but to no avail.

The two parties will continue making demands when people have no food to eat and no medicine. A problem well defined is a problem half solved. The problems in Zimbabwe are political and socio-economic. However let us never run away from the point that what triggered all this is the land question. It is the land question that destroyed the diplomatic ties between Zimbabwe and Britain, led to IMF and World Bank withdrawing aid to Zimbabwe and led to Zimbabwe’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth. It is the land question that must be addressed if Zimbabwe is to find a permanent solution to its crisis.

The British think no solution can be found in Zimbabwe as long as Mugabe is still there. They have been fighting for regime change in Zimbabwe for a long time and are prepared to offer aid as long as Mugabe is out of the picture. Problems are like weeds if you only cut the top they will grow again. It’s high time our leaders find a permanent solution to the land question that has led to much blood being shed. – MAXWELL PERKINS KANEMANYANGA, by e-mail

Held to ransom

EDITOR – Do we as Zimbabweans have to sink so low for the sake of power? What kind of government will sit down and strategise on what kind of violence to unleash on its own people?  

We voted against poverty, poor governance, corruption and misguided policies by our Government. True heroes like Comrade Tongo would not have found it difficult to accept Tsvangirai as the leader of Zim.

The Liberation war was fought so that we would be able to vote for anyone we wanted to rule us. Incompetent and corrupt Comrades are holding Zimbabwe at ransom.

Tosvika kupi tichitongwa nevanhu vanozviona sekuti they have the right to rule and no one else has that right. – MAFIRAKUREVA, by e-mail

Dialogue in limbo

EDITOR – The current SADC-mediated dialogue is hanging in the balance and for the past four weeks there has not been any progress because of the fight for executive powers. The country is being held to ransom solely on the basis of whom between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe gets the bigger share of the executive powers.  

The irony is that Tsvangirai spent eight years fighting a power-driven Mugabe and is now caught up in the fight for the bigger share of executive powers for himself!    

After serious deliberations SADC decided that, “…documents as contained in the Facilitator’s Report reflect the framework, spirit and purpose of the SADC and AU Resolutions. In view of that, they are a good basis for a global agreement.”  

If the agreement truly reflects the above statement then what else is Tsvangirai asking for? What he is looking for is outside the SADC and AU Resolutions and therefore cannot be provided through this dialogue process. Furthermore, are we now to believe that all the 15 Heads of Government wanted to short change Morgan Tsvangirai by coming up with this resolution yet the total package is not fair and adequate?  

Why was this resolution not celebrated? Because it is maintaining the spirit of power sharing and not power transfer.  

Unless Zimbabweans realize that the impasse now is about who gets the lion’s share of the executive powers and nothing else and thus hold their political leaders accountable we are not going anywhere with this dialogue process.  

Unless Tsvangirai realises that we have been fighting to ensure that executive powers shall not be vested in one person but should be counter balancing each other and he signs the document for this country to move forward, we can only say cry the beloved country because this country will be doomed forever.  

Dialogue is the only way to unlock the political logjam and take the country forward. – ANDILE NYONI, by e-mail

Too late for Zanu

EDITOR – Robert Mugabe and his military Junta’s resistance to change is very obvious, due to violence, intimidation, arrogance, complacency, disorganisation, conservatism and the fear of loss of power. Zanu (PF) will never be the same again no matter how much force the Junta may try to impose on Zimbabweans. It is too late to restructure Zanu (PF).  

The world now knows the true Robert Mugabe who was eloquent at every summit he attended running away from poor governance, oppressive tendencies and murder.

There is no economic turnaround to talk about as long as he remains in power. – THE BUSH LAWYER, by e-mail