‘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.’
[continue...]

Cuts into mine, too. But Mugabe isn’t alone. The big question is, What is the African going to do about it?

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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• 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.

——————–

• 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.

This Mugabe campaign poster is disturbing, in the sense that I’m pretty certain I’ve previously seen a Le Pen campaign poster that says, “Le Pen a raison” (Le Pen is right). But then, it just confirms what everybody already knows about Mugabe, don’t it?

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