S. S.D.D

 

You might have read or watched Steven King's blockbuster novel Dreamcatcher
Where the above saying acronym was coined, S.S.D.D is an abbreviation for: Same Shit Different Day which generally laments the lack of change every single day.

After the recent farcical senate elections the results have been announced. Nothing has changed not that anyone suspected that there was going to be change. The whole exercise was a complete waste of money, a desperate attempt to be seen as democratic. It would not have made any difference if the Mugabe had actually just appointed Senators and declared that now Zimbabwe has an upper house. The holding of elections for a senate that we hardly need given how grave our problems are. For instance there is an estimated 5 million people facing starvation. Had the money used for printing ballot papers, the buying of ballot boxes, the campaign which is funded by the State for Zanu PF, the rigging been channelled towards helping ordinary Zimbabweans then maybe today might have felt different.

One does not need a degree in Political Science to grasp why this Senate election needed to be boycotted with all due respect to Sibanda and his runaway MDC faction. Out of the 66 seats Mugabe already had half of them thanks to a stupid law he passed that guarantees seats for his loyalists such as traditional chiefs. All elections held in Zimbabwe after the referendum were rigged. So why bother participating?

The Professor Welshamn Ncube circus continues they have announced that they suspended our president. Reports are coming in that Tsvangirayi has defied the suspension. They are like little kids aren’t they, I mean back what do they think this is they want to play with a people's party I lost my brother through violence leashed by Zanu PF to be directed to this charade. I know who is right my heart follows Tsvangirai for the sake of the country's only viable opposition they should resolve their differences. I do not think in my humble opinion and with all due respect of what they have faced while in opposition that any of the squabbling factions have a chance to rule Zimbabwe because some of the revelations that have surfaced prior to this senate election are unbelievable. Only Tsvangirai will save us!

Makosi the cardiac nurse made famous for taking her clothes off on UK's Big Brother was granted asylum. What has this world come to?

If you thought this Monday was going to be different I am sorry it’s really a case of SSDD.

We A Bunch of Cowards.

Its so ingrained in us as Zimbabweans so much that it has taken over and if we are not careful it will bury us. We have been taught from birth an old Shona adage that

Gwara harina mbonje

which if translated means a coward has no scars. Its profoundly true though if you avoid fights yes you can never have scars and we have taken it to heart and deed. While the saying has its merits in deterring fighting it robs us of boldness and bravery that we know we have. While being timid by nature has endeared us to millions of other people it has failed to do us any good as a nation for we do not know when to draw the line, or when to be angry at situations. Zimbabwe compared to other African countries enjoys a low violent crime rate, that has helped build a now destroyed tourism sector.

Its been known we are docile politically, we have allowed a bunch of freedom fighters to brow beat us into submission and blackmail us because of their contributions to the independence of Zimbabwe. Every time I post about the deterioration of Zimbabwe into anarchy I get a barrage of emails asking me why wont Zimbabweans uprise. As a nation I must admit we are selfish, I can say that with conviction especially the Zimbabweans scattered across the diaspora. We seem to be concerned with getting ahead while those at home can fend for themselves. This is little or no political activity amongst the estimated 2 million Zimbabweans exiles that live in UK. We are more concerned with material things while fellow Zimbabweans scrounge for a living back in Zimbabwe. We feel as long as we have been granted political asylum in our host countries we can forget about Zimbabwe more so if you managed to pull your entire family from Zimbabwe with you. We are happy to do menial and demeaning jobs as labourers, cleaners and care assistants despite our levels of education and experience not to talk about our unaldultered hard work. The only thing that concerns us is the exchange rate, the higher the Zimbabwean dollar falls against major currencies the happier we are for the value of the currency we earn and the potential of changing lives. As for those at home the socio-ecomic breakdown has sapped any energy we might have to start a revolution. Add police brutality to people that knew no violence for 20 years. Noone is daring enough to cross the line the struggle to survive the day takes precedence over political matters. Mugabe keeps taking our kindness for weakness.

We have taken everything that this evil government has thrown at us, we are indeed a resilient nation. It will come a time when we will arise and all the anger that we have build up for over the last ten years will explode. The consequences will be to ghastly to contemplate.

Cheap Politics.

I am slowly putting the pieces together, last week's announcement that SA had signed an intelligence deal with Zimbabwe was baffling given the fragrant breach of human rights by Zimbabwe. Its a way to legally monitor army deserters who are being reported to be leaving the army in droves. I am not surprised that soldiers and policemen are resorting to crime to survive the economic difficulties in Zimbabwe. They were bound to be affected as they do not live in vacuum they receive no favours from Mugabe and are regarded as politically dispensable. It is feared therefore given their army training they pose the greatest threat to Mugabe and his illegal government.

Mugabe has invited SADC to audit the chaotic and violent land reform obviously on the pretext that they would give a glowing report. Given the void of political will that charecterises SADC its obvious Mugabe will get his wish. They are supposed to do the assessment in two days. Its a joke really that Mugabe and his government describes the land seizures as successful when 3 million face starvation and while he begs UN for food.

Like all marriages when annulment is being applied for or custody of a child, dirty secrets and insults are traded by both sides. Its no different with the current infighting between two factions of MDC have resulted in mudslinging. The latest accusations being thrown at Morgan Tsvangirayi might be true we do not know but one would wonder why both Sikhala and Paul Themba Nyati have kept quiet about it all along if they really cared. Another opportunistic cheap politik!

Be Very Afraid.

I wondered why the Iranian government wanted to increase cooperation with Zimbabwe just after those controversial comments to wipe Israel off the world map. Its clear now why there was a need to increase cooperation between two countries. Anyone that believes in what Mugabe says about the uses of this uranium needs their heads examined. Mugabe is delusional, ruthless and evil, that is why you should be very afraid. A murderer who ordered the purging of 50 000 people from the Ndebele tribe because of the language they speak, there are a over 100 unaccounted deaths of political rivals since 1980 when Zimbabwe won independence from Britain. Today he presides over a government that has refused aid for almost 3 million people that face starvation, another geocide in the making. Today he has his hands on a material that can make a dirty bomb, he is more likely to sell it to either Iran or North Korea both countries have Uranium processing plants. I do not believe his government has the capacity and the wherewithal to build a nuclear plant. This is the same illegal government which has failed to provide clean water for its residents trust them to build a nuclear plant. Whatever his true intents he can never be trusted, because you are dealing with a very disturbed individual here please do not underestimate the extent of his insanity its the same man who is accused of killing his own brother that's how cold he is. I am sure the world's superpowers are not going to ignore this, the world needs to intervene.

After the Rwanda genocide the world pledged that they will never allow that to happen anywhere again in the world. Events in Zimbabwe continue to get worse almost 3 million Zimbabweans face starvation. Starved by their own government while the world looks on and South Africa applauds. As human beings we more reactionary than we are proactive. Its the same docile attitude being shown now to Mugabe by the whole wide world that breeds the same catastrophic consequences such as the Rwanda genocide. Its time for UN to flex its non-existent power and stop the mass starvation in Zimbabwe. Its also time for government that have self-appointed themselves as custodians of democracy to drop the rhetoric and take action. If ever there was an excuse to invade Zimbabwe and free its population of the tyrannical yoke of Mugabe, you need no better because now Mugabe is capable of building weapons of mass destruction.

Zimbabwe's 25 Hour Day

You might have watched Spike Lee's 25th HourYou got Monty Brogan (Norton) who's looking at seven years for drug dealing charges. It's his last day of freedom and he's just trying to tie up any loose ends before he goes. The title refers to what has to do in his last 24 hours before he is locked up for seven years, such that it feels like 25 hours. A lot happens in 24 hours in Zimbabwe these days such that you can share the same sentiment of a 25 hour day. The wheels have come off, its been reported that raw sewage is flowing in the streets of Harare after a sewage pipe burst. You would think that after operation murambatsvina the government would be able to service the remaining residents but alas things have gone from bad to worse. I have never been much of a animal rights campaigner, but the news that the wild animals remaining in Zimbabwe are facing extinction from hunger and water shortage has irked me so much, I was content with infrastructural destruction but the loss of wild animals that give Zimbabwe its identity as an African paradise is too painful to stomach. So acute is the water shortage that already 100 wild animals have died. On the other end political persecution continues unabated, the entire board of student leaders from the University of Zimbabwe have been arrested and tortured because its ben feared that the revolt at the Harae campus could spiral into a nationwide revolt. This government will stop at nothing in their quest to cling to power but for how long? The whole state is on a high alert as Zimbabwean can no longer bear the brunt of the economic and infrastructural collapse and its being feared that they might be a revolt. Echoing what I said earlier, the time is nigh for a revolution and despite the split of MDC, ordinary Zimbabweans are ready to liberate themselves from the dictatorial yoke.

I have never been the one to entertain the ability of Thabo Mbeki to provide Africa the lead it has come to expect from an African powerhouse. His policy of quiet diplomacy has revealed itself as actual collusion to the human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. His political brain child nepad should be dismissed for it fails on credibility before it even kicks off. One of the guiding principles of Nepad is good governance as a basic requirement for peace, security and sustainable political and socio-economic development. The failure of SA to act on Zimbabwe makes the hawking of Nepad by Thabo Mbeki laughable. The latest development where SA & Zimbabwe signed an agreement for closer cooperation on intelligence just shows that South Africa is equally guilty of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. The only intelligence the Zimbabwean regime is interested in is the movement of opposition members and their activities so they can threaten, beat, maim, kill and imprison them. As what you have come to expect from African leaders Ronnie Kasrils who is the SA counterpart for intelligence apologised for a journalist who had dared question Zimbabwe's human rights record. I am sorry and I fear for democracy loving citizens of SA that if they expect Mbeki and SA to be different in terms of the direction that African governments have taken then think again. SA at 11 years of freedom from apartheid looks like a model government, but that's exactly how Zimbabwe looked in 1991. We were the second most industrialised nation in Africa we were also once dubbed the bread basket, milk and honey was flowing in Harare not raw sewage! Things started to degenerate after Mugabe gave ZW$5 billion to war veterans which was unbudgeted for that day the ZW$ fell from a perennial rate of 1 is to US$28 to 1 is to 62. Its the same direction that SA is taking, why would a human rights respecting country strengthen ties with a pariah state? Why would they give an emergency ZAR1 billion to Zimbabwe when they know that the money will be used to suppress further Zimbabweans? Unless the leader of that country shares the same beliefs and principles as that of the dictatorship government of Robert Mugabe. Mbeki and Mugabe come from the same schools of political thought, they got to be leaders within their country after an armed struggle. They seem to forget that its a marriage of convenience, the people want freedom and they want power. No where in Africa has any country enjoyed true political pluralism to be able to choose their leaders objectively. In 1980 Zanu Pf was our ticket to freedom for Zimbabweans, in 1994 ANC was the ticket to freedom there was simply no other alternative. Then you get the likes of Mugabe and his cronies, waving we liberated this country card which they continue to wave.

We are tired of that as an excuse to cling to power despite abject failure to govern. Running a country is no different from running a public company, while the directors and the managing director are accountable to the shareholders, the president and his ministers are accountable to the people that voted them into a power. If a company fails to deliver the bottom line of business which is profit he is usually fired. Same as in running a country if the government fails to improve the lives of its citizens then its voted out of power simple as. Now say the CEO of our company actual saved the company from collapse and enjoyed some years of prosperity, that does not exempt him from being judged with today's results. As they say there is no sentiment in business, your previous accomplishments count for nothing, its only your current ability that you are judged on. So Mugabe we are tired frankly of you reminding us how you liberated Zimbabwe, as matter of fact Zimbabweans liberated themselves. A third of Zimbabweans hardly remember the euphoria of independence in 1980 some were not even born they only care about today.

Events in Zimbabwe are getting worse by the hour, a revolution is fermenting. This time they cannot hold us back. As Zimbabweans we realise that our salvation lies within and when the moment comes we shall liberate ourselves from Mugabe's reign of terror. If you are Zimbabwean and you live outside Zimbabwe you can join various demos planned.The end is nigh comrades!

Its Darkest Before Dawn.

Leo Mugabe's arrest was a either a political stunt or was carried out by an overzealous rookie policeman. The former is nearer to the truth because the police in Zimbabwe has become complacent in human rights abuses and I do not think there is time for trivial work like arresting Muzukuru wa President (President's nephew)when members of the civic organisations need to be locked. Its been reported that Leo Mugabe, Robert Mugabe's nephew (Sabina's son) has been cleared of corruption charges after being arrested and charged with contravening The Grain Marketing Act and The Customs & Excise Duty Act as the prosecutor has dropped charges without Leo entering a plea. What did you expect?

African leaders have shown again why they are not taken and can never be taken seriously on global politics unless they confront the demons within the continent, their latest stance of inviting Mugabe to speak on UN Summit for Information is a joke. Mugabe who passed a law repressing the flow and access of information who also jailed, tortured and harassed journalists (I would have been jailed, beaten or killed for publishing this blog had I been in Zimbabwe), can never be a credible speaker on any UN platform more so on Information. Ask Beatrice Mtetwa she knows better she has spent her life defending press freedom in Zimbabwean courts. I hope world leaders such as Tony Blair and George Bush boycott this summit for all that it stands for. Human Rights groups for 23 African countries have criticised The African Union and its leaders on their silence on human rights abuses in Zimbabwe perptrated by Mugabe and his goons. AU is an ineffectual body of corrupt African leaders who share the same principles as Mugabe. I do not see them criticising Mugabe anytime soon. They use their bloc of votes to block a UN resolution to passed so that UN can investigate human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Like I said noone takes African leaders seriously.

The political vacuum brought about by the split of MDC with more reports of intra-party fighting and mudslinging will not help quickly hasten the removal of Mugabe. It has been left to the civic organisations, the human rights groups, the student bodies, the churches to lead the people. It will be very easy this time to galvanise people to rise against this evil regime, not because the fear arrest, torture and death has gone away, its because Zimbabwe is at its darkest era now. As the old adage

Its darkest before dawn

. The whole ediface of what constitutes Zimbabwe is collapsing, its the rate at which the situation is deteriorating that signals the end. 33 firms have closed shop in Zimbabwe, a fifth of the remaining export companies that are still operational. Of the 33, twelve were agricultural based, their closures representing a loss of $17.6 million in export revenue. Pause for a minute to think about the people who worked for these firms, who will now swell the ranks of unemployed which is estimated at 80% of the population. There are those that might be forgotten, the vulnerable the women and the children, an estimated 1.4 million orphans of AIDS victims are bearing the brunt of economic collapse in Zimbabwe.Orphanages have destroyed during Murambatsvina aid agencies have been banned. 350 000 children under the age of 15 are believed to have been infected by the deadly HIV virus according the NAC.

Its a gloom picture it gets gloomier by the day and its at this particular juncture that a revolution can ferment. Who shall lead the people? I don't think Zimbabweans will need to be told that its time, a revolution is inevitable. Mugabe cannot suppress a revolution any longer nor his machinery, the army and police. It might be dark but it will be dawn soon in Zimbabwe. Remember salvation lies within!

Its Personal!

The only viable opposition to Zanu PF has gone, confirmed after the 26 pro-senate members of MDC were expelled from the party yesterday. If you look at the two factions you can see that MDC has gone, The pro-senate faction has amongst its supporters, the MDC VP Gibson Sibanda, The Secretary General & his deputy Welshman Ncube and Gift Chimanikire, The party's spokesperson Paul Themba Nyathi, Job Sikhala, Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga, Renson Gasela and Trudy Stevenson. Then take a look at the anti-senate faction led by Morgan Tsvangirayi the party president, National Party Chairman Isaac Matongo, shadow legal affairs minister Tendai Biti, Thokozani Khupe, Sessel Zvidzayi. Its very sad that MDC has failed to reach a conclusion on this issue and throw away 6 years of hard work and toil of which people have died for. Unless something dramatic happens then Zimbabwe has no opposition any more, if Mugabe was to declare an early presidential election tomorrow the MDC would fail to campaign as a party for who amongst these factions will carry the MDC banner. Which leaves in limbo, us ordinary people who had hoped for a change through the MDC ticket. Should the Zimbabwean populace suffer further as a result of infighting of MDC. Who shall be the biblical Moses to lead us to the promised land? Remember if you are familiar with Moses story you will know that he lost the priviledge to lead the Israelites to the promised land when he did not acknowledge the power of god to provide water rather than attributing the powers to himself. It was left to Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land. He cried when he was shown the promised land and told he will never reach it. The same analogy can be applied to the MDC hierachy who have lost the trust of the Zimbabwean to deliver freedom. I do not see any of these two sides ever ruling Zimbabwe.

What Zimbabwe needs now is an injection of fresh ideas. We reached a very critical time of our lives as Zimbabweans. We can see evidently that neither MDC nor Morgan Tsvangirayi and all his underlings can gives us freedom. Suppose we in a jail, being held against our will, under dubious charges, we collectively agree to form an organisation to help us escape our bondage just like the Working people's Convention did in 1989 when MDC was formed. Likewise we choose a leader to lead us to freedom same as Morgan Tsvangirayi was chosen to lead MDC. When our plans to escape are thwarted we regroup to revise plans and think of new strategies. We feel this time we can deliver freedom but again our efforts are thwarted. Not only can we not escape the enemy has sown seeds of division amongst are midst. Remember this is a prison and previously we had resolved that we would boycott all meals except for supper and the enemy has come waving a carrot at us a fourth meal anything we want he says. Some us have fallen for this and there is now a split within the group. How frustrating that all the planning we did, the sleepless nights the secret meetings, the risk we took is all in vain.

Amongst my favourite movies of all time is Shawshank Redemption. When Andy (Tim Robbins) was hatching his escape from Shawshank Prison he learnt a very valuable lesson from the warder. He was told that

Salvation Lies Within

, obviously what the Warder meant was prison would rehabilitate Andy and thereby he would be saved. What he did not know was that he had inspired Andy to find ways of escaping within the prison walls. Its a valuable lesson to learn as Zimbabweans in our quest for freedom. Salvation, our own freedom lies within ourselves. Indeed your own freedom depends on you. How much do you want it? When do you want it? The MDC split has got me thinking that honestly if there was going to be an election tomorrow and Mugabe does not rig it then we would have no future government. Which made me think do we need MDC really to be free?

A lot has been debated about what needs to be done to remove Mugabe. Lets look at what has been attempted and to what effect that has been. When Mugabe held a referendum on Draft Constitution the government was defeated heavily. Obviously picking the cue and analysing early results from the 2001 parliamentary elections he knew his party was heading for another defeat so he rigged the elections. Same happened with the Presidential elections. While the elections were taking place thousands were arrested, torture some were killed for going against Zanu PF. If MDC was denied a fair chance to beat Mugabe at the polls, civic organisations were also denied the chance to organise and implement demonstrations. Mugabe's partisan army and police were deployed in full force. Two destructive pieces of legslature were passed by the majority Zanu PF parliament curtailing further freedom of expression, association. In a nutshell Mugabe has resorted to every trick in a dicator's handbook to cling on to power. Most divastating was the chaotic farm seizures from white owners and the ill-advised Operation Murambatsvina which was implemented to depopulate the urban areas of Zimbabwe where MDC has enjoyed the biggest support thereby nipping the growth of MDC in the bud. What Operation Murambatsvina has also done is deny the ability for activists to organise the grassroots for such an events as a demonstration, talk of killing two birds with one stone. With all the avenues closed, legal the results of the stolen elections can be contested but who will pass judgment on such a hearing when, the courts are partisan. Elections are a waste of time, I am wondering why the pro=senate faction I so hell bent on participating. They will be rigged to further cement the Dictator's rule.

When I said salvation of Zimbabwe lies within everyone of ourselves Zimbabweans I meant it. If we are going to be free it belongs to us to bring out such freedom. Let me break it down for you. Mugabe has become so insular, he has shown little sympathy for the ordinary Zimbabweans who continue to suffer. So vile that its beyond imagination, if the farm invasions shocked you, try Operation Murambatsvina if that not enough add the abject aloofness to the suffering of Zimbawean people, no fuel, breakdown of infrastructure in urban areas, people are resorting to fetching water from unclean sources. Dysentery used to be a term we learnt during science lessons but now 14 children have died in Harare due to waterborne diseases yes its 2005. Mass starvation you can call it what you like but its murder. All I am trying to make you see is Mugabe does not care about us.

Zimbabwe can uprise and drive this evil dictator and his government out. War is grim, its ugly as Zimbabweans we know it. We were supposed to have been liberated from colonial rule through it. Back when Smith was uncompromising, Zanla and Zipra was formed to fight the enemy liberate the country. Maybe now is also time for another War, before you fire off emails saying I have gone mad quickly re-examine the position we are as Zimbabweans. We are between a rock and a hard place. In shona we say

Hapana Kusiri Kufa

. In war people will die, some will be innocent. If you look at it its death either way. Some will die of mass starvation others of waterborned diseases, others will be beaten to death by the state police. AIDS continues to take victims everyday.Others like this writer will languish in exile educated to the teeth but stuck doing menial degrading jobs abroad. Its a that stage, the situation is either we act now. If you were an armchair activist this time its a different card being called. The situation in Zimbabwe is personal, if you a reading this and noone that you know or can relate to has suffered then you will never grasp the need for an alternative way to liberate ourselves from the yoke of Mugabe's dictatorship.

All I know from conversations that I have with my family, close relatives, the Zimbabwean community in the diaspora. My people are tired of working for crumbs that services Mugabe and his croonies and they have nothing to show of it. Just before the collapse of Marcos's dictatorship in Phillipines that paved way for the Corazon Aquino's rule, people gathered in churches, school children were galvanised, the elderly and the sick. They all started to march with school children in the front, followed by the elderly and the sick, then the women and the men demanding the removal of Marcos. At first they sent tanks with soldiers just as Mugabe always does, they were ordered to shoot. When the tanks were confronted by a school children who had laid on the ground together with elderly and the sick. The solders got off their tanks and joined the March. Can it be done in Zimbabwe, yes it can be done, but remember

Salvation Lies Within

, its also pesonal and most importantly

Hapana Kusirikufa

!

It Never Rains But It Pours.

The situation in Zimbabwe both politically and socially continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate than most of us have imagined. As I write 150 people belonging to various civic groups from trade unionists to contistitutional reform campaigners and students are still in custody 48 hours after they were arrested by the illegal government of Robert Mugabe. Chihuri a criminal himself who runs the partisan police force has said they will be charged with the notorious Public Order & Security Act, their crime is to demonstrate against the ever rising cost of living and disintergrating urban infrastructure.

Zimbabwe has broken a world record, its inflation has risen to 411% the highest in the world. The prices of basic foodstuff in October this year have risen 5 times than their cost in October last year, an unprecedented 500% increase. The shortage of foreign currency has worsened the situation business have had to source the currency on the black market where the ZW$150 000 will be need to purchase a single GBP£1 and pass on the cost to the consumer. At NRZ only 13 locomotives are operational out of the 175, fuel shortages has crippled the country. The shortage of fuel forced a 1600% increase on prices of airline tickets by Air Zimbabwe.

But what is grim is the decay of the urban infrastructure, despite the eviction of nearly two million people from their households and livelihoods. The Cities of Zimbabwe are failing to offer basic services such as clean water and sanitary services. 200 people have been diagnosed with dysentery from Harare and Chitungwiza people have resorted to fetching water from open wells near streams of human waste. Cities are battling to provide basic services such as clean water, garbage collection and repairs to the creaking infrastructure. 14 children under the age of 7 have died at Harare's Parerenyatwa Hospital from diarrhoeal diseases.

Cricket and Zimbabwe are making headlines again. This time it’s the alleged corruption of Paul Chingoka which has forced players and provinces to come together and demand change. That has alerted the officials of Mugabe's illegal government and Chingoka and his sidekick the CEO of ZCU are being questioned. I have failed to understand Chingoka who appeared on British television when the England tour of Zimbabwe was a subject of debate as to whether the tour was right in principle when he was urging the ECB to continue with the tour. My argument then still stands what is the significance of cricket really in the context of things that are happening in Zimbabwe? Who really benefits from cricket? Cricket is a lovely sport which when all things are equal should be enjoyed by all fun loving Zimbabweans. Against the backdrop of the picture I painted for you that ordinary people like you and me peeps that you might know from your neighborhood are struggling to get clean water to drink. I am not surprised Chingoka is alleged to have been corrupt; cricket was only benefiting him and the privileged few.

So the 7 days deadline imposed by Tsvangirayi for renegade MDC members to withdraw their candidature of nomination for the proposed senate elections has passed and none of them have withdrawn. The other party is still arguing that they will contest the elections under the MDC banner setting them on a collision course with Tsvangirayi. It will be interesting how Tsvangirayi will respond. This hardly what is needed in the only viable option to the heinous regime led by the dictator Mugabe

His Silence Is Deafening.

There is no doubt that Mandela is the greatest living political hero of this century. I will not repeat his feats on this blog for they are well documented. You will also agree that his influence is immense it’s huge. Although he has retired from active politics his influence still carries weight. I cannot overstate his influence but peep this for size after stepping down as president of South Africa he brokered a deal that handed the terrorist responsible for the Lockerbie Air Disaster to the British government for trial and automatically lifted sanctions imposed by the West to Libya. I could again chronicle his achievements to fill this blog it’s important you understand that he as the power even though he is no longer a sitting president of a country to change situations.

It’s his silence on Zimbabwe that is most surprising and deafening. He has campaigned vigorously to stop US and UK's invasion of Iraq. His tireless efforts to fight AIDS not only in SA but world over can not be faulted. However he has not made a single comment on the situation in Zimbabwe. I wonder why really for he is not known for mincing his words? He tells it like it is, I remember very well his when US wanted to curb his relationship with Gaddaffi that he literally to told them jump in the pool. It’s been quoted that he is a man whose is not concerned about upsetting important people. He is more concerned about ordinary people like you and me. So this dismisses the theory that he does not want to upset Mugabe. Who is Mugabe compared to Nelson Mandela? A dictator who lost the respect of not only his fellow citizens but of the whole world over.

I cannot understand why Mandela has not said anything about Zimbabwe to date. Other anti-apartheid heroes like Bishop Desmond Tutu have openly critisised Mugabe calling him a caricature of African leaders. To quote from Mandela's speech at the Rivonia Trial, 20 April 1964:

During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

. A lot will argue that Mandela has nothing to do with Zimbabwe. I beg to differ, as an elder statesman and a respected world leader he has a duty to speak against the evils being perpetrated by Mugabe's regime. I like many others listened to his speech in 2004 at the 10th anniversary of democracy in South Africa, he mentioned on the illegality of the US led Iraq war but there was not even a single mention or outrage from Saint Mandela about Zimbabwe.

When Thabo Mbeki angered AIDS activists by saying that poverty was the chief cause of HIV, Mandela never commented on the issue. You can draw two conclusions here. Mbeki is trusted by Mandela even his judgment and that Mandela rarely conflicts Mbeki. It was after a round of world condemnation when Mandela addressed the World AIDS Conference he spoke about leaders giving vision and hope to those affected by the disease that Mbeki made a turnaround on his stance on AIDS. It is with this that I implicitly believe that Mbeki might have persuaded Mandela that his quiet diplomacy works. For is not surprising to you that Mbeki and his government choose quiet diplomacy and the world's most respected leader keeps mum about an evil regime that goes against the very beliefs he was prepared to die for?

When Mandela was asked in 2000 by Tony Blair to address the Labour Conference, he stole the show. What I will never forget was part of his speech where he said:

The Greatest question mankind should ask themselves is What did I do to help a fellow human being in times of need?

Its a powerful question, but my question today will be to you Mr Mandela. Have you done all you can to stop Mugabe destroy your beliefs for fellow Africans, that of a free, democratic society where everyone lives in harmony and equal opportunities?

There are so many issues that crop with this one. Why does Mbeki insist on his quiet diplomacy even though it has clearly failed? Why should the Western powers give audience to Mbeki as recently as at the G8 meeting to flog NEPAD his ambitious, Marshall Plan inspired revival of Africa when the very principles of NEPAD are being broken by Mugabe and Mbeki's failure to reign him in? Why is the South African government willing to lend Mugabe R1 billion when they know it’s used to oil the very machinery that suppresses the population of Zimbabwe? Why are all African leaders are unwilling to openly criticize Mugabe when they know he is in the wrong? Why has Koffi Annan chose to ignore the suggestions contained Mrs Anna Tabaijuka's Report? Most of all why are you silent on Zimbabwe tata Mandela?

Its Time!

So Dell might be expelled from Harare over his spot-on comments that Zimbabwe's economic collapse was a result of the regime's mismanagement. While the regime does not have the bottle to expel him they need him more than he needs them. The US government gives the self appointed Zimbabwean government $150 mil in food aid and it’s the largest bilateral donor of HIV drugs. I fail though to grasp this type of politics, does this self appointed government deserve a diplomatic representation of another country? Let’s not forget the facts here, all the elections that passed in Zimbabwe were never accepted by the international community. Both the US administration and the UK government said they did not recognize the Mugabe as the elected president. Why then legitimize the government by maintaining a diplomatic mission? Both governments need to see the need to recall their ambassadors and close the missions if they need to send a message to Mugabe. I argued immediately after the suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth that sterner measures were needed to send a warning to Mugabe that stealing elections will never be accepted. It would have been a serious blow to Mugabe had both the US and UK ambassadors been recalled. To be honest we would probably be in a different situation today. Now anything that both the US and UK governments say about Mugabe does not stick the question keeps coming back why maintain diplomatic relations with an illegal, self appointed dictatorial regime? As I stated previously I still think both US and the UK governments are not doing enough to rein in Mugabe, smart sanctions are inadequate and ineffective. This whole Dell incidence could be a good time for the US government to close the mission in Harare and sent a message to Mugabe that they will not keep on saying one thing in the public on how evil this government is while Mugabe dines diplomatic missions in December as part of x-mas celebrations as he does every year. It’s a good thing that the Bush administration recognizes that the Zimbabwean government is detriment to the development of its of its own people. Even comments by Condoleezza Rice should be applauded. But it’s not enough to say the Zimbabwean government is an outlaw and you still maintain diplomatic relations with that country. Its time for actions not rhetoric speeches.

It’s also time that Africa rises above the petty politics of tribalism. That’s why every sane Zimbabwean be it Ndebele or Shona speaking should laugh at suggestions by Sibanda that Ndebeles can only be free if they rule themselves. Primitive ethnic dichotomies are largely sold by self-centred politicians like Sibanda and their hirelings Welshman Ncube who are only thinking of themselves on how they can strengthen their own positions of power, they can not be made to pass for critical analysis. Such narrow concerns based on class, race, creed, religion and like here ethnicity should be dismissed here and fore with for they damage the fabric of a society. Slowly the whole of Zimbabwe was coming to terms with the Gukurahundi genocide engineered by Mugabe and here we have a rabid self centered opportunist trying to stoke further the flames of division. I urge community leaders like Archbishop Pius Ncube to dismiss Sibanda's assertations and discard his ideas to the political rubbish bin where they belong.

Peace
Afro

A Shona Passport From Harare To Tshlotsho?

Imagine you board a bus at Mbare musika you are headed for Tshlotsho to visit relatives. An Immigration officer with his Naval inspired crisp white uniform boards the bus to see if everyone traveling have their passports in possession. Those without are asked to alight reluctantly some grumble but after making sure everyone is carrying their passports the bus is allowed to depart.

You might be thinking it’s a paragraph taken from fictitious African story but if Gibson Sibanda's wishes are granted then fellow Zimbos you will need a passport to travel south of Zimbabwe. He has proposed autonomy of the Ndebele from the Shona during his recent address at a rally in Matebeleland. Tribalism has reared its ugly head again in Zimbabwean politics. He has gone to say it will be better for the Ndebeles to have their own country within a country like Lesotho or Swaziland.

If there was a semblance of what is right or wrong in Zimbabwe then Gibson Sibanda should have been arrested for fueling tribalism which is as bad as racism. It’s a joke really that this dude was the MDC VP? If only after 5 days from the MDC NEC meeting he is already proposing such untenable ideas such as a Ndebele State you can just wonder what MDC was all about. Have a look again at the whole enterouge that sat and applauded his idiotic ideas Welshman Ncube, Paul Themba Nyathi, Fletcher Dulini Ncube, & Esap Madhlongwa. I do not know if Gift Chimanikire was there also or if he clapped when The Village Idiot Gibson was busy proposing, for he will also need a passport to travel to Bulawayo for parliamentary sessions (sic).

I'm so incensed by this idea that at first I wanted to ignore it and never give it an iota of space on this blog. I had to write about it and just see what madness we have been saved from thanks to MDC split. Its truly laughable as I said yesterday, had the previous elections in Zimbabwe been free and fair Gibson Sibanda might have been the VP of Zimbabwe. The whole Ndebele faction that split from the MDC is a joke. If what Sibanda said was a political gimmick to lure votes and support away from the Tsvangirayi faction then he should be dismissed as a joker he is. But if what he said was a serious policy proposal aim and objective of this new political group then the whole group needs their heads examined. Things might be dire in Zimbabwe but Matebeleland has been hit the hardest. Let’s look at the stats, Matebeleland does not have any economy to speak of. Its economy has contacted by 66% this has been exacerbated by the chronic shortage of water. The proposed Zambezi pipeline proposed just after Unity Accord in 1985 never materialized 20 year after its proposal. Current regional inflation is officially pegged at 500% some estimates say it’s close to 1000%. 90% of the population of Matebeleland is unemployed and a staggering 95% live below the poverty line. The whole province receives 100% subsidy from the central government to be able to pump water provide services.

As bus approaches Shangani, the driver announces over the bus's PA that you should get your passports ready and if you have anything to declare please says so. At your right an image of Gibson Sibanda on a giant billboard smiles at you with a caption "Siyamukele Kulizwe lase Ndebele" and in small letter "Welcome to Ndebele Republic".

The Real MDC Will Ride This Storm.

Some are predicting the death of MDC they pray for the death of our part like ah men! Some even say it with glee for they derive personal pleasure from this sad event. MDC is no more are their headlines, but we are not dead yet the spirit of my brother Morgan Mugari and those pioneering people such as Chiminya lives on. MDC will ride this storm in a tea cup. Every party sometimes experiences spies and turncoats, so for those that believe Welshman Ncube and Gibson Sibanda truly held an base of ower will be proven wrong in the future mark my words and watch this space. Job Sikhala' claims that MDC received funds from foreign countries, shows nothing except indiscipline within our MDC but we are not in a crisis. Its being reported on SW Radio Africa that the Bulawayo Province of MDC is urging the police to cancel a rally called by Tsvangirayi to be held in City soon, as the police belong together with the spies and turncoats It will be surprising if the rally goes ahead.

Before the enormous spread of AIDS in Zimbabwe death used to shock. Then the number of people who were dying multiplied, if this week you buried your brother then the following week it was your sister-in-law. The frequencies of the deaths numbed people. No longer was it shocking, it had become so routine that the burying of the dead was a mechanical act no longer connected to people's psyche. People have asked me why in Zimbabwe we do not uprise against the evil regime of Mugabe. Its because people have been numbed from their experiences with dealing with this regime. People of Zimbabwe have always welcomed political plurality. When ZUM was formed by Edgar Tekere in 1988 there was hardly a need for political opposition other than the requirements of a robust democracy. I was a lower six student dreaming of becoming a pharmacist. Economically then Zimbabwe was sustainable but obviously the slide had already begun. I joined ZUM but it fizzled and died. Obviously then the intimidation was so scary there was no campaigning, posters supporting ZUM were not made of paper as they could easily be reaped off but rather were painted for permanence. This was the first Zimbabwean opposition apart from the ever-present Zanu Ndonga. Then came ZUD of Margaret Dongo, I was never privileged to be present in Zimbabwe to witness its birth or death. Enos Nkala was sacked from the Zanu PF government and made noise about the need for an opposition party. Until the arrival of MDC officially there was no opposition in Zimbabwe. We embraced it and had the elections not been rigged also the absence of the 30 Presidential appointed MPs MDC could be in power today. Now with the food shortages, fuel crisis, no housing, and no jobs basically no prospects people of Zimbabwe are numb from the political processes to pay attention to want-away faction of dissidents led by Welshman Ncube.

The fact that Welshman Ncube and his cohorts Gibson Sibanda want to split the MDC will not shock Zimbabweans, for they have put all their colours for people to see. To throw away 5 years of blood and toil for a piece-meal type of politics then so be it. As for other MDC members like me whom have been forced to flee Zimbabwe becaus of political persecution, we will not surrender until Zimbabwe is truly free.Some people like the dissdents and their masters are so used to opposition parties fizzling out of existence, but MDC is here to stay. We will not raise an eyebrow to the fact that the issues being raised by Welshman Ncube and company are over insignificant participation in meaningless elections for an upper house of parliament which we hardly need surprisingly a Western custom borrowed from the British and Americans which inadvertently Mugabe hates. Why is the participation so important for some MDC members that they want to destroy what they have built in 5 years for the sake of a government salary. The same government you purport to be illegal. Some people like Gibson Sibanda, Welshman Ncube and Paul Themba Nyathi should ask themselves how ell were they going to serve MDC the party by participating in these meaningless elections?