When Mugabe deployed his thugs soon after the 29 March vote it was clear he meant business. By the time SADC Heads met in Lusaka on 11 April to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis, they too knew the only thing they could do to rein Mugabe in was to take him head-on and send in SADC Police and Soldiers. Unfortunately, that was something SADC Heads were not prepared to do.

Of course Tsvangirai himself and a number of his own MDC leadership realised the situation was dangerous and the escaped into the urban centres or jumped boarder. It was very selfish for Tsvangirai to even put his name forward for the run-off when the political situation was so dangerous, particularly so the hundreds of thousands of innocent Zimbabweans, who, he knew well enough, would be caught up in this madness.

Mugabe is but a dying political animal, the country’s economy is what the cancer eating him alive. Tsvangirai took part in the run-off because he wanted Mugabe’s scalp. It was really stupid of him to do so considering the price in human lives and misery Zimbabwe has had to pay.

Now that he has withdrawn, one only hopes Mugabe will respond by calling off his thugs. After that Zimbabweans will then have to consider what to do next. Economic measures to quickly and safely end Mugabe’s dictatorship.

All these years that Mugabe has manipulated himself into the ultimate power position, aligning himself with God, neither the UK government nor US nor UN has done anything to have this despot brought to justice. His commanders murdered thousands of Matabeles using the infamous North Korean trained 5th Brigade. And the World stood by and accepted it. Thatcher, Blair and Brown are scorned by Mugabe + his cabal of thugs. After all what did they do?? Proverbial British Bulldogs with Rubber Teeth. Zimbabwe had the potential to be such a success. Now look at it. Mbeki is taking the whole region into the same mire through his non interference pact with Mugabe. Why? What I wonder did Bob offer Thabo out of the spoils of the Congo debacle? This aside it is truly tragic that innocent children, mothers, fathers, grandparents are starving …and those who could sort it out do nothing except mouth platitudes…………

Mugabe has lost the legitimacy that he would have claimed if he had won a supposedly democratic vote. He will be president with only the 43% from the previous vote. He can gain control of the Senate only by appointing unelected people, and can gain control of the House of Assembly only by arresting and removing MDC MPs on spurious charges. He can control local authorities only by dismissing the elected MDC councils. So he won’t even have a fictional claim to being a legitimately elected leader of a majority party.

SADC must recognize this and not recognize his government.

More than anything, Mugabe has been confirmed as the classic African dictator; living in luxury while blaming the Western world for the results of his mismanagement and using misguided youth militias to control his people. To quote V, “People should not be afraid of their government, government should be afraid of their people.”
The ideas of democracy and human rights are dead in Zimbabwe and it is time for other African nations such as South Africa to wake up and do something about it.

It is important to mention that the election does not mean democracy. As Free Thinker, I ask myself this informational question: ” Election in Zimbabwe for what ? What this ” Britishmade “, self called opposition leader, will do for the people of Zimbabwe? Nothing, this it is the right answer. Certainly, he will bring chaos, because he is not free from his master…. In general, African countries are thirsty for the real leaders. For this reason, but they do not need another puppet of this kind..

Thanks to Morgan for not plungimg his country into further chaos as happened in Kenya where opposition leader called for mass action resulting in thousands dead after he lost the election. If only he can release himself of british bondage, he is the man i support, till then i’d someone else free of british manipulation.

Very interesting perspective Thiong. Mug (abe) is now inviting the new imperialists to Zimbabwe who will not be concerned about the social and economic well being of the less fortunate.

One colonial nations rule is gone and a new one is now exploiting the resources for whose benefit? NOT the average person and less fortunate living in Zimbabwe. Do you not care for the starving and those in need? Try living under the conditions of the non influential in Zimbabwe.

Whose puppet are you?

It matters not what Mugabe, Chinamassa, Mutonga or even our friend Thiong say. The days of the once mighty Zanu PF are numbered. They have sacrificed the principles of the liberation struggle with their own political greed and corruption. With all its faults the MDC have done the right thing and they are the legitimate choice of the Zimbabwe people. One day soon the heroes of this struggle against opression will lie in heroes acre and the MDC President shall walk in state house. There is nothing Mugabe or the generals can do about it. The time is comming, the pain will be great but CHANGE is as inevitable as the sun rising over the Nyanga mountains!

Tendaie..you fool , you are being paid nothing to beat MDC pple and steal food from them cause you hungry.MDC did a right move, the bastards would turn against each other one day,,,,when they have no one to attack ..

Vincent do you not realise that this is a great victory for the MDC? Mugabe has given the election and the moral high ground to the MDC. The old man and his foolish cronies like Munangagwa have now fully internationalised the plight of Zimbabweans. Now the corrupt and decayed ZANU PF government will not be recognised it will be just like Rhodesia - alone - and the traitor Mugabe and his running dogs will face justice. For those of Zanu PF that seek forgiveness we will offer the hand of reconcilliation. For the others they must now seek exile. Perhaps in China? Pamberi ne MDC! Pamberi ne President Morgan Tsvangirai! Pasi Zanu PF! Pasi Bob! Maitiro Chinja!
PS. Vincent we will let you stay but you will have to give your stolen farm to someone who knows how to farm and not just talk!

President Tembo Mbeki’s idea of Government of National Unity (GNU) is laughable. Mugabe has ruined the country and all he cares about now is that he and his cronies should be allowed to enjoy their loot. He has just plunged the whole country into an orgy of lawlessness and murder just to maintain the status quo. GNU is simply to appease him. For 30 years Ziimbabweans have done nothing but appease him and he has done nothing but behave like a spoilt brat! We now demand and rightly deserve better!

Best way forward for Zimbabwe now is to have a UN Supervised Interim Gvt tasked to: 1) produce a new constitution 2) provide immediate economic help and relief 3) investigate past human rights violations 4) supervise fresh elections

The Interim Gvt will have Zimbabweans from all sectors of Zimbabwean society and will last six months (cooling off period for all political players).

The UN must act quickly, decisively and firmly, especially with Mugabe and those still seeking to appease him.

Mugabe is just a puppet himself - if his generals say jump, he jumps. He is probably too much of coward to concede defeat, for fear of what his own generals will do to him. Isn’t it about time people realize this?
Mbeki’s role in all of this is also very questionable.
Politicians don’t care about the people, only about themselves.

Where can Mugabe and his henchmen go to: that’s why they will stay, until the Zimbabweans decide to fight. And it’s something they will have to do themselves. The white West can’t help them - it will be seen as colonial interference. And Black Africa does not have enough of a spine to help them.

Ergo, nothing changes.

Mr. Tashinga,

Why are you addressing your posts to me? Why do you assume that I am a ZANU member?
I am not a member of ZANU or MDC. I am just stating the facts as I see it and expressing my opinion.

Please make your points as you see things without addressing them to me. I am not here to debate anyone, just expressing my point of view.

My point of view is that Zimbabweans (MDC and ZANU) should be left alone to determine what is best for their country: no interference from Britain and the USA, no self-serving propaganda from the British media, and the devastating economic sanctions should be lifted.

In my opinion, nothing will be resolved in Zimbabwe as long as the MDC is seen to be serving the interests of white farmers and Britain. Even if this is not so, Tsvangirai has to make a clear break from these imperialist/colonial powers.

Tsvangirai needs to tell Gordon Brown, Condi Rice, and Jendayi Fraser to shut up and let him solve his country\’s problems with his fellow Zimbabweans. Otherwise, even if he wins an eventual election, the country will remain divided.

The only way forward is for the sanctions to be lifted, for Britain/USA to stop interfering, for the white farmers to accept that the apartheid era is over, and for the people of Zim to come together for a transition government/government of national unity.

Tsvangirai indicated on June 23 that he is willing to negotiate with ZANU if the violence stops: that is the way forward…

Brother Tsvangirai has walked a very tight rope between the cynicism of an election so inordinately tilted in facour of state power and incumbency and the loftiness change by the people in a free ballot.Band in this masterstroke,the MDC

People blame US/EU sanctions that led to Zimbabwe’s collapse! Japan was bombed, almost wiped off the earth and yet, they rebuilt and are now a POWERHOUSE! Zimbabwe needs a SMART leader - giving land away to those who don’t have the skills or brains on how to harvest it was the first leap into Zimbabwe’s economic decline! The sanctions are against Mugabe and ZANU PF, includes travel ban, assets frozen, etc. ADVICE: Have the new owners buy a book on how to harvest land for food! Another word of advice: Have the “FIRST SHOPPER”, Grace have a yard-sale that includes her selling her expensive shoes and give the money to the millions of starving people in Zimbabwe. JMO

The US/EU sanctions against Zimbabwe are not just against Mugabe and ZANU PF. They are not just travel ban, frozen assets… That is the propaganda prppagated by the British media.
The sanctions against Zimbabwe are real ECONOMIC SANCTIONS.

WESTERN ECONOMIC SANTIONS AGAINST ZIMBABWE.

1. IMF and the World Bank suspended balance of payments to Zimbabwe in 2001, and still stand today.

2. On December 21, 2001, US President George W. Bush signed into law S. 494, the “Zimbabwe democracy bill” (ZIDERA). The he law, among other things, instructed American officials in the IMF and multilateral development banks - including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Association, the International Finance Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Investment Corporation, the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Multilateral Investment Guaranty Agency -to “oppose and vote against any extension by the respective institution of any loan, credit, or guarantee to the government of Zimbabwe,” and to vote against any reduction or cancellation of “indebtedness owed by the government of Zimbabwe.

The above are virtually all the banks IN THE WORLD which could potentially lend money to Zimbabwe. This effectively means that Zimbabwe is one of the very few countries in the world that currently exists without any balance of payments support and external lines of credit.

3. In addition, the above-mentioned Zimbabwe Democracy Bill vetoes debt relief to Zimbabwe. This blocks investment in capital and social development, thus forcing it to spend its already depleted foreign reserves on servicing debt.

4. On February 18, 2002, the European Union’s foreign to imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe. Under terms of the sanctions, the European Union suspended budgetary support to Zimbabwe and terminated financial support for all projects.

5. On January 14, 2002, Britain threatened to withhold $18 million in budgetary support from Malawi, the chair of the SADC, unless it agreed to direct the SADC towards the imposition of sanctions against Zimbabwe. Similar threats to withdraw budgetary support were wielded against Mozambique. At the summit, President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania announced that British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Baroness Amos telephoned him directly and urged him not to support Zimbabwe at the SADC and at the upcoming meeting of the Commonwealth. When that call failed, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw then telephoned and attempted to bully him. President Mkapa of Tanzania revealed that members of the Commonwealth had endured a “bombardment of an alliance against Mugabe”
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These are not just travel bans on Mugabe, these are economic sanctions on poor black Zimbabweans by the bacers of white farmers. These are the reasons for the 100,000%

Congo has been at war for 20 years, it does not have 1,000% inflation; Somalia has had no goverment for 15 years, it does not have 500% inflation. So why does a country that is not at war have 100,000% inflation? The answer is simple: economic sanctions.
.

I agree the sanctions trickle down to the poor masses, because for them to get credit from other countries it would be at a huge % rate. I don’t think lifting the sanctions would matter anyway - Mugabe would make sure all money given to the country would go directly in HIS and the ZANU PF pockets before giving the Zimbabwean people 1 cent! Just as he does now.

How Western sanctions are making the Zimbabwean economy ’scream’:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa 5391/is_200705/ai_n21288057

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The USA and Britain should lift the cruel, immoral economic sanctions on Zimbabwe and let the people reconcile to solve their own problems.

People are starving and dying. How many black people must starve just because land was taken from a few white farmers and returned to the rightful owners?

500,000 children were starved to death after the first Iraq war, 1 million have died in Iraq in the second war, how many will die in Zimbabwe under the burden of 100,000% inflation simply because the greed of Western governments and the revenge of former colonial masters?.

Noe,

Whatever Mugabe’s alleged crimes may be, they do not negate the fact that cruel economic sanctions by Britain and its allies are strangling the Zimbabwean economy.

They do not negate the fact that Britain and its allies are seeking regime change in Zimbabwe not because they love Zimbabweans but for their own greedy ends.

Is Mugabe or Tsvangirai suffering as a result of this economic strangulation? No. It is the ordinary (mostly black) people of Zimbabwe who are suffering.

When these crimes were allegedly being committed, the Queen of England was busy awarding a knighthood to Mugabe, British universities were lining up to award him honorary degrees while condemning Mandela as a terrorist who should rot in jail.

Why have they changed now? Because their economic interests are now at stake. That is why.

My point is that Western economic sanctions are starving the Zim people and they should be lifted.

Vincent

You are one of those single track minded person who, once set on a given path, will not see anything else.

Let me just say three things to you:
1) Can you ever accept the possibility that Mugabe mismanaged the Zimbabwe economy? The WB, IMF and other Western institution refused to extend an loans, etc. to the Zimbabwe gvt because the latter a) could not replay what it owed them already b) would not accept to restructure and stop the endless waste. The WB etc would be totally irresponsible to throw more good money after bad.
2) Mugabe was free to borrow money from anyone else other than the US, British or Western Institutions; there are no UN sanctions against Zimbabwe. Why did his friends in China or north Africa give him money? The truth is they did but even they grew tired of seeing him.
3) What Mugabe is doing in Zimbabwe at present is denying the ordinary Zimbabweans the basic right to have a meaningful say in the governance of their country. He has been doing this ever since he came into office. Simpletons like you consider him a hero for his stand against the West but surely, surely you do not expect those at the coal face of his dictatorial rule to ignore all the suffering and despair they face and join you in the praise of Mugabe!

Mr. Vincent - you can’t have it both ways. “EVIL WEST RACIST COLONIAL MASTERS LEAVE US ALONE WE DON’T NEED YOU” and in the same breath “EVIL WEST RACIST COLONIAL MASTERS LIFT YOUR ECONOMIC SANCTIONS OFF US TO HELP US OUT” Either you need the West or you don’t? I truly do not believe the West wants Zimbabwe to back to the rule of Ian Smith. That is the proproganda that Mugabe and Zanu spew to instill fear in Zimbabweans. Just as the West was fooled by thinking Iraq had weapons of mass destruction…the gov’t preyed upon the publics fears.

Vincent

The Zimbabwe gvt has been printing paper money like crazy, that is the regime’s only economic answer to the crisis. That is alone can drive inflation through the roof. You do not need an economist to tell you that!

The issue on the table is Mugabe’s failure to hold free and fair elections and not only that but has gone further and send his thugs into an orgy of human rights abuses. Of course you can not see that because you are who you are - a single-track minded individual!

Angela and everyone

There is an important and urgent debate on what is the way forward now for Zimbabwe. I think we will have failed ourselves and the suffering people of Zimbabwe if we let ourselves be side tracked by the likes of Vincent!

Mukori,

You are typical of all the white farmers/MDC supporters I have debated on various websites: you resort to personal name-calling attacks when you have no point to male or when your point has been effectively countered.

I am not saying that Mugabe has not contributed to this crisis. Of course he has, because he is the one in power in the country.

My argument is that 2 million % inflation is not just the result if “mismanagement” or printing of money. Printing money in itself is the result of an economic crisis: the need to make up for a shortage of liquidity. Have you ever seen any government that starts printing money just for the fun of it?

I am saying that Western economic sanctions and strangulation of the Zimbabwean economy has contributed immensely. I have provided the legislation that imposed these sanctions in 2001, I have named the banks and international financial institutions involved, I have explained how this was accomplished. Yet you remain in denial and resort to name-calling and calling on other to ignore me because your false claims have been shown for what they are.

As I said, the only way forward is reconciliation in the country. Even if Tsvangirai somehow manages to become president, he will have to deal with ZANU cadre because they control all state institutions, including the police and the military.

A president Tsvangirai will also have to deal with the legitimate demands of real and fake war veterans and the land issue.

The British/American strategy does not address this because all they are interested in regime change without considering the consequences (the same way they effected regime change in Iraq without considering the consequences).

The way forward is a unity/transition government similar to the one in Kenya and a lifting of the Western economic sanctions that you deny. This will prevent violence between the two sides, give the long-sufferinf people some relief from the effects of the economic sanctions (mismanagement, as you prefer to see it), and allow time for reform of government institutions.

Mugabe is a man who belives in winning and no run off means he cant archieve this goal thus he insists the polls should go on………….

One thing for sure is that Mugabe is going one way or another dead or alive

In shona culture we have a proverb that says “ganda rionopetwa richinyoro” - A hide(skin) is best folded while it is still soft (wet). For any one from rural Zimbabwe you will instantly understand this proverb and how it is impossible to fold a dry hide. The relevence of this for those that see the West as the Bogey in Zimbabwe is this: Mugabe and his ZANU PF running dogs have ignored common sense they have let the hide (Zimbabwe) dry out and are now trying to fold it - but it is too late! They know that they need to make the hide wet again but cry they have no water because they would have to turn on the tap(deal with the West)and accept a truly free election in order to open the tap. So they wail, beat their chests try to get others to turn the tap on for them. They fail! In frustration they turn on the hide, they beat it - try to force it to fold but it refuses to cooperate! In frustration they blame the sun and wind for drying out the hide - anyone but themselves, they refuse to accept their own folly refuse to accept that if they remain the hide will dry out and turn to dust and they will also go with the hide into dust.

Vincent

I am replying because you have twisted what I said to suit your one track minded position. You are a single-track-minded person and you can call that name calling, I am only stating a fact.

If a bank refuses you credit because you do not meet their requirements, would you call it sanctions? Of course not, so why are you doing so here? I agree there are countries whose debt repayment record as bad as that of Zimbabwe and yet they have continued to borrow from WB, etc. There are many reasons for that but here I will give two: 1) the countries’ leaders have not been spending as frivolously as you-know-who 2) the leaders have not been shooting their big mouth and biting the hand that feed them as you-know-who has been doing.

Ian Smith had far reaching UN approved economic sanctions and I bet Rhodesia’s inflation rate never reached 30% at worst. You-know-who had targeted sanctions, aimed at 500 or so individuals out of 11 million, imposed by less than 25% of countries in the world and Zimbabwe’s inflation has soared to 165 000%. Well only a single-track-minded person would attribute that to the targeted sanctions, I say it is mismanagement and corruption.

Tsvangirai or whoever becomes President of Zimbabwe, after you .. is booted out, will have the wellbeing of ALL Zimbabweans to worry about given the sorry state of the Zimbabwe economic, the political chaos, etc. All caused by you- …, of course!

What “legitimate demands” of Police, war veterans, etc are you on about? They will all have to face the same hardships as everybody else. Of course there will be a full and through investigation into the serious human rights abuses of the dictatorship. If anyone in found guilty, and it is widely believed the Police, war veterans, etc were actively involved, then they will be treated like the criminals they are!

As for the land; the seized white owned farms were redistributed to landless peasants- a peasant owning a whole hundred acre plus farm?! All fraudulently acquired farm(s) must be taken away. The key to Zimbabwe’s economic recovery is getting the country’s agricultural production back to its bread-basket-of-the-region level as soon as possible. If the new regime was to allow the very people whose greed was the root cause of Zimbabwe’s problem keep their loot then it would be a serious betrayal of the people.

The campaign of intimidation and murder that has swept Zimbabwe was not just to keep you… in power; it was about fighting for and to keep one’s position on the feeding trough, about defending the amassed loot and about maintaining the shroud of secrecy hiding the dictatorship’s abuses and excesses.

Everything comes to an end and, thank God, the days of you … are numbered. All those who have had it so good till now will now face the economic reality of queuing for a few litres of petrol, of weeks on end without water, etc. You… and his senior cronies will certainly face criminal charges. Who is having nightmares now!

Well “someone” has just said:

“There are no justifications from blocking a country’s access to the international financial markets and institutions. They do not belong to Britain or the USA, they just happen to be powerful countries.”

Well actually there are justifications and here are but a few that relate to our beloved Zimbabwe:

International intervention is justified when a ruling political party abuses its own citizens by:

1. Denying people the right to freedom of assembly.
2. Denying people the right to print or broadcast their political perspectives.
3. To vote for the candidate of their choice without fear or intimidation or threat of war.
4. To spend public money without transparency or public accountability.
5. To subvert public institutions including the institutions of public safety and security for the sole purpose of maintianing political and ideological control by one party.
6. To repeadedly deny people due process of law under an independent judiciary.
7. To ignore the rule of law unless it serves to maintain the political advantage of the ruling party.
8. To deny the most vulnerable members of society equal access to basic services and food regardless of their political affiliation.
9. To beat, torture, maime and kill innocent civilians.
10. To rig elections that don’t go your way.

In such circumstances it is justifiable for political parties and citizens to seek the support of international institutions and countries that will support their cause in achieving basic human rights and freedoms even if that means “regime change”.

The people of Zimbabwe have voted for regime change and they have been denied this. The current ruling elite have been given ample oportunity in the last eight years for “resolving” the crisis. So like the Smith regime before them each time their options get worse but they are only delaying the inevitable. Zvakana.

To all my fellow Zimbabweans and all those who have stood by us; if there was a time for us to seriously think what we want in Zimbabwe, that time is now. Can I appeal to those responsible for this blog to help in this by setting up a specific blog topic: “WHAT DO ORDINARY ZIMBABWEANS WANT AND DESERVE NOW?” or something similar.

Buffalojump

Long live Buffalojump, the white farmer

Noe,

I don’t care about Mugabe or Tsvangirai.

All I want is for the cruel economic sanctions to be lifted, for Britain to fulfill its obligations regarding land redistribution (instead of attempting to starve the people into maintaining the colonial status quo), and for Zimbabweans to be allowed to determine their own fate.

Mugabe will die soon (he is 84) and Tsvangirai will not live forever, but the land issue must be resolved FAIRLY once and for all.

There is no place for colonialism or apartheid (political or economic) in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa.

Mugabe’s rise to power was by confiscating white lands, and now Zimbabwe’s despot murders the oposition, and leads the desent into poverty.

The west always stands by and talks. Send in various unidentified fighter bombers, take out the infamous 5th Brigade, level Mugabes Command and Control communications, and this same Army, will desolve Mugabe’s leadership role. The Zimbabwe Army will do the rest with African international help. They will remove Mugabe, silence the ZANU-PF, take the militants off the streets. The Army needs only to remember that elections must take place freely with-in 6 months.

The ZANU-PF may lead today, tomorrow they maybe the ones dying for retributions sake.