While the irony may have escaped Mugabe and his listeners when he addressed the Central Committee Meeting of the former ruling party last weekend, his speech to the party faithful was awash with references to diamonds and blood and the link, of course, was Zanu PF politics.
It is our mineral resources, Mugabe announced, helped by the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of our people which will turn the economy around. For ingenuity and entrepreneurship read downright theft and criminal cunning but undeterred by any such linguistic niceties, Mugabe assured his audience that We will sell the diamonds anyway, with or without the Kimberley Process approval.
Then came the talk of blood. Switching to Shona, Mugabe reverted to one of his favourite themes: how the countrys freedom was won through the shedding of blood.
Zimbabwe ndeyeropa yakauya nehondo. he declared, Haichadzokera kuvarungu zvakare. Of course, he had to include that last reminder, The whites will never return just in case his audience hadnt got the message that Zanu PF is steeped in blood and the politics of race.
You really have to wonder about the psychological state of an old man who constantly reiterates his belief that the shedding of blood is the way to solve problems. Hardly a speech goes by without the Dear Leader obsessing about blood! Thirty years after Independence, does Robert Mugabe still feel so unsure of His victory that he has to remind his followers that they must be prepared to shed even more blood to defend their revolution? Or, is it a coded message to the thugs on the ground, who are doing their best to disrupt the Constitutional Outreach Programme, that it is perfectly acceptable to shed more blood as long as it is someone elses to keep Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF in power?
Zanu PF would not compromise on the fundamental principles and ideals as a nationalist revolutionary party. he said in English. Once the process is defended and secure we must ensure the product carries and consolidates our ideals. The coveted status (by which I assume he was referring to his version of a new constitution) must remain solid, secure and unshaken for all time. His own mortality clearly has no part in Robert Mugabes future; for all time is a pretty ambitious timetable for a man of 86! Then, inexplicably, there followed a long rant against homosexuality and how Gay rights had no place in Zimbabwes new Constitution. Truly, Mugabes perceived enemies are many and varied!
While all this was going on in Harare the Inclusive Government delegation was meeting the EU in Brussels to discuss the way forward for Zimbabwe and how Europe could assist. Dont waste your time talking to Europe Mugabe advised from the security of the Shake-Shake building in Harare but, apart from the shedding of blood, what solution does he offer to the countrys many problems? A statistic issued this week revealed that one third of Zimbabwes children under five years old are officially classified as under-nourished. If we are to believe the proponents of diamond sales, both Zanu PF and MDC, such problems will all be solved once we have the diamond money. Our economic future hangs on the sale of diamonds we are told but no one is telling us how ordinary Zimbabweans can be sure that the money really will flood into the national exchequer to benefit all the people and not just into the pockets of corrupt politicians. And if Zimbabwe sells the stones without KP approval, as John Robertson pointed out this week, we would be selling outside the internationally approved process and only highly dubious buyers would choose to purchase in that way at rock-bottom prices too.
It all turned out to be an academic argument with the news on Thursday that the Kimberley Process has agreed that Zimbabwe will be permitted to sell the diamonds. Not surprising really when you consider South Africas role in the Kimberley Process and their abject support for Mugabe and Zanu PF, however bad their human rights record. The KP we were told has thrashed out a tough agreement with the Zimbabwean Ministry of Mines that will include a strict regime of monitoring and supervision. How this strict regime of monitoring will work in practice we are not told, or who exactly will be on the ground to monitor the process to ensure that blood and diamonds no longer go together?
Coincidentally or not – it was just three days after Farai Maguwus release from prison that this tough agreement was reached. Now, so we are lead to believe, Zimbabwes economic future is secure! Can we assume then that money will pour into education and health care? Those little under-fives will no longer be under-nourished as schools and hospitals are restored to their former glory and the whole population benefits from the diamonds, no longer tainted with blood.
Tichaonawe shall see!
Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH. aka Pauline Henson author of Case Closed published by Mambo Press in Zimbabwe, Going Home and Countdown political detective stories set in Zimbabwe and available at Lulu.com
Post published in: Opinions