Sotho

‘Zimbabwe is a tragedy in more ways than one. It is a despicable disgrace to Africa and reinforces the racist notion that black Africans are incapable of ruling themselves. We took over from the departing white colonialists and in country after country we ran our economies into a sump [sic] and ruined our countries. The exceptions are few. Ian Smith, the former and late prime minister of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, must be dancing in his grave. This hurts and cuts deep into my African pride.’
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Cuts into mine, too. But Mugabe isn’t alone. The big question is, What is the African going to do about it?

Today ntate Mandela is 63 years old, if you consider the fact that he spent 27 years in jail for wanting to live like a human, and wanting the same thing for his people. But he’s really 90 years old, if you consider the fact that he used those 27 years to change South Africa and, I dare say, the world. He changed me. Happy birthday, ntate Mandela.

In 1981 my family ran away from Lesotho, as the then government of Lesotho had tried to kill my father, and killed my 3-year old nephew, instead. How does one forgive? My country is completely surrounded by South Africa, so we had to find ourselves in South Africa at some point, in our quest for asylum elsewhere. While we were there, we were duly picked up for pass law offences by the SAP.

We spent 24 hours in prison. It was very long. And there was a lot of sadism on the part of the gaolers. I won’t go into details but one of their favourite practices was sleep deprivation. The next day we went to court and faced a judge: “Why didn’t you have your pass?” The fact that we were not South Africans took a very long time to register. Not that black South Africans had to carry the damn thing, but I mean…

Once we were out, I had an experience. I had a light bulb above my head, just like in cartoons, and the hair on my arms stood on end. The name Nelson Mandela dropped of it’s own accord into my head, and I truly, really understood why he had sacrificed his life against this… thing. For that particular zombie instant, hair on end, a stupid smile on my face, I knew why. I want to wish him a happy birthday today, and tell him that we know.

OK. Who hasn’t heard of Cooksister? Shame on you.

Cooksister cooks, and is one of the better blogs from South Africa. If you’ve heard of Cooksister, what you don’t know is that Cooksister  is also Cookfiction. Jeanne, who runs the food blog, also writes fiction, to good effect. Don’t take my word for it. Check it out: http://www.canyoutwist.co.za/default.aspx

They say that “Jeanne’s blog (www.cooksister.com) has won a South African Blog Award every year that the competition has been in existence. Based in London, UK, she has an infectious passion for food and it’s creative presentation, flying the SA flag proudly in her new adopted residence.”

The Prime Minister of Lesotho, Pakalitha Mosisili, is said to have thrown his weight behind Robert Mugabe. For a while I had started whining about the lack of a position on the part of the Lesotho government. Now, here it is. I’m sorry that it doesn’t please me. Mr Mosisili “told foreign powers on Wednesday to respect the sovereignty of states in the region.” I wonder whether foreign powers here refers to non-southern African states or to all states that are not Zimbabwe.

Ten years ago the government of Mr Mosisili was threatened by a domestic upheaval, and a coup d’etat was feared by most. The beleaguered Lesotho government called for help from SADC, and the then president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, authorised sending troops into Lesotho to calm things down, especially that the government of Lesotho was deemed legitimate then.

In March 1998 parliamentary elections in Lesotho resulted in an overwhelming majority for the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy Party, which won 79 out of 80 seats. However allegations of vote fraud soon surfaced, and after a failed lawsuit by the opposition parties, widespread rioting broke out.Under President Nelson Mandela the ANC-led government in South Africa (which completely landlocks Lesotho) announced it would hold a formal inquiry to determine the allegations of corruption. Controversially, the report only alleged minor irregularities.

Mandela authorised the deployment of 700 South African troops to Lesotho on September 22, 1998 to quell the rioting and maintain order. Botswana Defence Force soldiers were also deployed. The operation was described as an “intervention to restore democracy and the rule of law.”

Widespread arson, violence, and looting occurred despite the presence of SANDF soldiers. Troops were pulled out in May 1999 after seven months of occupation. The capital city of Maseru was heavily damaged, requiring a period of several years for rebuilding.
[source...]

What is the difference between Lesotho then and Zimbabwe now? Robert Mugabe has terrorised and killed more people than the rebels in Lesotho had. Mr Mosisili’s government asked for help then, yet he now says the sovereignty of states in the region should be respected. What gives?

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A baby boy had both legs broken by supporters of President Robert Mugabe to punish his father for being an opposition councillor in Zimbabwe. Blessing Mabhena, aged 11 months, was seized from a bed and flung down with force as his mother, Agnes, hid from the thugs, convinced that they were about to murder her.
[timesonline.co.uk]

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Unable to move, she watch them drag him
from the house into a donga
and beat him, one goon opening his body
to pour blood unto the off-colour ditch,
like wine seeking the whiteness of cloth
that cover the brains of boys
and redden their eyes.
Everyone try not to look
but go their way into the dim June dusk
to their families.
Even God don’t interfere
when they beat people like this
with sjambok and machete.
They killed him, killed him as I watched, she say,
speaking to no one in particular.
He wailed, but they kept on beating him quietly.
The women shake their heads and speak
in subdued dialect
of herd boy who find a half-clothed body,
half-eaten by hyenas. She wail some more,
as harpooned whale do.
Her hands hold her head
like she want to unscrew it
and give it back to God.
The women tut-tut and shake their heads
to see her wail like that.
Night come, and soon it is
the lighting of lamps, and everyone shout
to call daughter or son to table
for a bit of pap and soup, after
the ritual of water and soap.
© Rethabile Masilo

NOTE: This poem was “inspired” by the story of the Matyaka family. Today, Friday 27 June 2008, Robert Mugabe is staging a sham election in Zimbabwe. I decided to post “For Matyaka” today, even if I feel I have not yet made it the best I can make it . I will continue to work on it online. If you need more information about the tragedy in Zimbabwe, here’s a link. Have a good weekend.

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Changeseeker, of Why Am I Not Surprised, says, “Yesterday, surfing the web for the first time since I moved last week, I decided to stalk my favorite website builder’s work and came across a call for applications for the Focus Features Africa First Short Film Program. The application period opened May 12th and closes July 15th, so if you don’t have an idea you’ve already fleshed out pretty seriously, it’s probably too late. And the competition is only for African filmmakers. But you never know.

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• news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe (Obama speaks out):
  US presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Wednesday the international community must do more to try to help resolve Zimbabwe’s political crisis, and to put pressure on Robert Mugabe, who is clinging to power. He singled out South Africa as one country that needs to apply more pressure on Mugabe, 84, who has refused to step down.

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• africanloft.com (Considering the options left):
  Not only has Mugabe boasted that it is God that can remove the state of Zimbabwe from his claws, more or less telling the opposition that the presidency is not open, yet, Even the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is laying low as a refuge at the Dutch Embassy in Harare.

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• allafrica.com (UN Chief urges justice for victims):
  The United Nations human rights chief today called for justice and accountability in response to the campaign of political violence that has marred Zimbabwe’s electoral process. The Southern African nation has been beset by deadly unrest since the first round of the presidential election on 29 March. The violence and intimidation led to the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangirai, of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), from the 27 June run-off in which he was set to face President Robert Mugabe.

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• int.iol.co.za/index.php? (Is Britain considering military intervention?):
  Britain has drawn up two contingency plans for military action in Zimbabwe, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. BUt the government insisted military intervention is not being considered. The Times reported that two plans have been drafted by Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) following a request from the department’s crisis management team.

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• theleoafricanus.com/2008/06/22/ (Soyinka says let’s remove Mugabe):
  Listen to the interview on the BBC here. Soyinka’s statement comes as the embattled opposition Movement for Democratic Change announced today it was withdrawing from the run-off election this Friday, on June 27.

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• basotho.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/ (Guerilla intervention?):
  Wole Soyinka thinks Mugabe should be whipped off the throne [source]. And I think he should, too. There is no oil in Zimbabwe, so the Occident isn’t gonna go rushing in to save the day. It would in any case have been a bad idea. So the West is out on this one, except for yelling from a distance.

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• news.bbc.co.uk (New Frontline States):
  For southern African leaders meeting in Swaziland under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), the election crisis in Zimbabwe may be proving a headache. But the grouping has its origins in dealing with intransigent regimes, as it was set up during the struggle to end white rule across southern Africa.

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• news.bbc.co.uk (Mandela speaks out/with video):
  Former South African leader Nelson Mandela has added his voice to the growing international condemnation of the political violence in Zimbabwe. In his first public comments about the crisis, he noted “the tragic failure of leadership” of President Robert Mugabe.

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• news.bbc.co.uk (Mbeki calls for negotiations/with video):
  South African President Thabo Mbeki has called for negotiations between Mugabe’s party and the MDC.

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• business.africanpath.com (Hear Zimbabweans speak):
  Lance Guma speaks to political analysts Brian Kagoro and Dr Alex Magaisa, who debate the options for intervention by the United Nations, the African Union and SADC in the crisis. The programme also explores whether Zimbabweans have mortgaged their fate to the hands of outsiders, while doing nothing themselves.

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Wole Soyinka thinks Mugabe should be whipped off the throne [source]. And I think he should, too. There is no oil in Zimbabwe, so the Occident isn’t gonna go rushing in to save the day. It would in any case have been a bad idea. So the West is out on this one, except for yelling from a distance. Mbeki is pals with Mugabe, so SADC is out, too. Theirs must be a friendship that goes back to when Zimbabwe under Mugabe helped the South African liberation fight. Fair enough. But friends don’t lie to friends. They tell them the truth in the face. It seems like that’s not gonna happen in time to save lives.

The people of Zimbabwe must whip him off the throne themselves, just like they did Ian Smith. Imagine he were just your regular dictator, who stepped into power after overthrowing another government. There’s no shortage of those, I can assure you, but Mugabe is more. He’s been elevated to power by no less than God! He says so himself, in the now famous “Only God can oust me” speech. Has he gone mad?

More than that, people have died to place this man where he is. People grew up in and died in the bush, fighting for Zimbabwe. Everybody trusted Robert Mugabe with the country. Bob Marley trusted him, and composed a magnificent song to immortalise the country’s independence. I trusted him, and you probably did, too. The economy was robust when Mugabe took over, but it is now a sad shambles. Mugabe does not listen to anyone, and Mugabe kills anyone who dares say something. Just like the Rhodesia, Apartheid and Amin regimes before him. Mugabe and his goons are now ready, and really asking, to be affronted by force in order to be made to see reason. Our region needs Frontlines States again.

There’s a time when even the most peaceful and non-violent of people decides to fight. From the outside looking in, that time has arrived for the Zimbabwean people, and very few would contradict such an endeavour, if it were to be born today. I wish the people of Zimbabwe well, and would like to praise Morgan Tsvangirai for his courage, as well as for the good sense of his actions thus far. Our leaders in southern Africa are beginning to shout out their discontent at this. I have yet to hear something from my country, Lesotho, and its powerful neighbour, South Africa.