When started I this topic I had hoped that people could put aside mentioning the former Rhodesian Front government and pre 1980 events. Events have moved on since 1980 and mugabe's regime has gradually deteriorated into one of Africa's worst dictatorships.
mugabe has cynically manipulated elections in Zimbabwe to ensure his own party maintains its rule. He has squashed attempts to create a free press, the Zimbabwe press and braodcasting stations are mouthpieces for mugabe's propaganda: he has introduced various repressive laws in addition to existing legislation from Rhodesian times to prop up his dictatorship.
Following electoral advances by the opposition he set out to ensure never to allow free and fair elections in Zimbabwe ever again, not that they were really free or fair before, mugabe then ochestrated invasions of commercial farms on the pretext that these would be distributed to landless peasants whereas in realality the best farms have been handed over to high ranking zanu pf leaders, higher civil servants, police, army & air force personnel. These farms have been mismanaged and do not add to Zimbabwe's needs to food. Zimbabwe used to be known as the breadbasket of Africa, no more is this the case. Unemployment has reached record proportions, millions are denied a real stake in Zimbabwean society whilst the super rich and upper middle classes have been bought off by the regime. Every time there is a crisis he increases substantially police and army pay. Now mugabe has engaged in a so called cleansing of townships. Bulldozers crush homes many are quite legal structures. Many people engage in the informal economy as they are denied opportunites in the formal economy.
The disgusting angle to all this is how so called enlightened African leaders including; museveni of Uganda, mkapa of Tanzania and mbeki of South Africa find the time to make excuses for mugabe's fascist rule, they cover his actions by relying on colonial memories, one can only assume they only wish to imitate mugabe's example. Meanwhile our minister for Africa, David Triesman just like six of his predecessors says nothing, only the former minister for Africa, Peter Hain to his credit was prepared to make a stand on the issue.
If today has shown the stayaway to be rather less than expected we need to remember mugabe's riot police and military are on the streets intimidating and bullying the public. I understand support for the stayaway has been over 50% in Harare, Mutare and Bulawayo not bad considering the state machine against them, it takes a special kind of courage to stand against mugabe's regime. tomorrow may well see greater support.
ZWNEWS
SOKWANELE