These are the facts, and they are stubborn. Mugabe’s continued stay at State House is a gross violation of the people’s right to elect a leadership of their choice. To most decent human beings, what Mugabe and his opposition Zanu (PF) party are doing is embarrassing to the totality of the African continent.
Speaking in Highfields soon after casting his losing vote, Mugabe categorically stated that he would accept defeat if the MDC won the election. Three weeks after that he still hangs around State House like a lizard even though he lost the election fair and square. The old man is shameless – haanyari mutana iyeye.
The question now is what should the MDC and the people of Zimbabwe do to get the country to move forward once again?
The SADC has, times without number, proved that it is hopelessly useless when it comes to resolving the Zimbabwe crisis. The SADC is essentially a club of rulers who will not pay any attention to the needs and suffering of the citizens of their countries. SADC leaders are petrified of Robert Mugabe, and they dare not challenge him on anything and expect to live to tell the story.
Frankly, compared to the geriatric tyrant, all the SADC leaders are small boys who wet their pants when the name Mugabe is mentioned in their hearing. It is therefore like crying for the moon for Zimbabweans to waste their time looking up to the toothless SADC whose bark is much worse than its bite.
South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki is equally impotent when it comes to the crisis in Zimbabwe. In fact, Mbeki is almost desperate to demonstrate his unflinching support and that of the Government of South Africa for Mugabe the dictator, and his rejected political party. I personally call Thabo Mbeki Mr Do Nothing’. How can anyone in their right senses actually say there is no crisis in Zimbabwe? How can the president of such a serious nation as South Africa be so deceitful, so blind?
Indeed, in anticipation of the violence likely to be visited upon many Zimbabweans in the possible run up to the run-off, numerous Zimbabweans are already making their precarious way to South Africa by hook or by crook.
Mbeki seems to be oblivious to all of that, or simply does not care. After all, Zimbabwean supermarkets are slowly filling up with imported South African goods. Perhaps Mbeki is actually a shrewd businessman, after all. The Zimbabwe crisis is probably good business for our southern neighbour.
Perhaps the situation is now firmly in the hands of Zimbabweans ourselves. We are our own liberators through any means possible. Violence is obviously out of the question since the dictator has publicly advised us that he has …degrees in violence.
Whatever methods we use to rid ourselves of the dictator must be non-violent and consistent with our deep desire for the preservation of peace. But we need to remember that peace is more than just the absence of war. At any rate, we do have what a good friend of mine calls low intensity war in Zimbabwe. It is just as devastating and deceitfully subtle. Sometimes it even looks like peace.
We have to continue the struggle until final victory. Indeed, the dictator and his impostors may think that they have got us fooled and cheated, but the truth is that the day of reckoning may be delayed but it will surely come. Regime change is inevitable. God bless Zimbabwe!
Freedom? With police and soldiers at every street corner?
Statement by the Zimbabwe Liberations Veterans Forum
Zimbabwe celebrated the 28th anniversary of both its independence from Britain and Mugabe’s rule on Friday under a cloud of anxiety, fear, uncertainty and disillusionment precipitated by both the unbelievable electoral farce of the elections and despair, helplessness and despondence engendered by the country’s socio-economic collapse.
But Mugabe and his cronies had every reason to celebrate his 28 years in power. He has done everything he could for himself and his cohorts. They are multiple farm-owners and beneficiaries of free agricultural equipment, machinery and inputs in the name of land reform. They control vast business empires in the name of indigenisation. They are into fuel dealerships where they sell the commodity in the much sought after foreign currency. Their children study abroad and in case of indisposition, medical care is just a flight away. To cap it all, they line their purses and pockets ironically with the greenback and the British pound and not with the worthless best before’ etched bearer cheques despite maligning the countries owning these countries. The precious foreign currency they get for a mere pittance in contrast to the rest the population, industry and commerce included. Why should they not celebrate?
On the other hand, the vast majority of Zimbabweans wallow in man-made misery and poverty, struggling to make ends meet day in and day out. Millions have fled the country. The economy has collapsed with inflation in six digit figures; there are no jobs and most enterprises have closed shop. There is a critical shortage of everything from food, basic commodities, health care, provision of education, general service delivery, maintenance of infrastructure, respect for human rights, water, fuel, and electricity to foreign exchange. Above all, there is a yawning deficit of freedom and democracy, as their votes do not count for anything.
Who can talk of freedom when there are police and soldiers at every street corner and the people are tormented for exercising their inalienable right to vote for the candidates of their choice?
Surely the heroes of the first and second Chimurenga must be turning in their graves at the sad turn of events. Mbuya Nehanda, Lobengula, Sekuru Kaguvi, Takawira, Chitepo, J Z Moyo, Mangena, Tongogara et al must be lamenting their selfless sacrifices that have evidently come to naught.
It is time for all those fighters of the national liberation war to re-examine their consciences. On whose side are they? With the people or their tormentors in the form of Mugabe and his henchmen?
Our national liberation struggle was for freedom, democracy, social justice, respect for human dignity and peace and not the Mugabe tyranny we are subjected today. Surely we cannot allow Mugabe and his henchmen to steal an election and commit atrocities against the people we fought to liberate in the name of the former liberation fighters themselves. There is urgent need to draw the line and do the honourable thing by standing with the people during their hour of need.
The only thing that the people of Zimbabwe should wait to celebrate is the demise of their erstwhile rulers who have wrought havoc and misery into their lives. Let Mugabe and his cohorts celebrate 28 years of their misrule and dictatorship but surely, they should rest assured that their days are numbered.
It is time for all those fighters of the national liberation war to re-examine their consciences. On whose side are they? With the people or their tormentors in the form of Mugabe and his henchmen?