Elders: Zim crisis 'beyond what we could have imagined'

Kofi Annan should grow up. All these Elders know that they dont need Visas to go to Zimbabwe. So another lie. These Elders seem to want to jump onto a bandwagon of condemnation like that of whoever has sent them. It does not matter what Annan says, it seems to be more interested in taking glory for the problems he personally saw being crafted whilst he was Secretary General of UN. Graca Michel should remember why she is still alive. When he husband was killed in South Africa and Mozambique was being attacked, we granted them assistance, now she is full and starting to push insults. Well the truth will always come out despite, the lies which are coming from whichever sector they are coming from. Whether Zimbabwe is having problems why should these Elders want to come to the assistance of Zimbabweans as if they care about us? Why now?

The amount of people needing Aid is said to be nearing 5 million. Taking a rough calculation of R10 a day to feed a person having three meals, would make it R50 million a day, lets calculate that to a month R1 5billion a month and until April not taking into account that more people would becoming more desparate as said by the Elders, that would be R10,5 billion for 7 months. That is a conservative calculations, excluding clothes, soaps, water, housing needs, as these people dont live in tents. So this picture is very gloomy and a mother of all lies,coming out of these Elders. Knowing the amount of Aid, South Africa had promised to give to Zimbabwe for the agricultural season, which does not include the amounts calculated above, as these are still going to be needed. Since the harvest only occurs next May 2009. What we are being talked to swallow, is just a reflection of how we can be manipulated by news propagandas. Wake up Africans

The definition of SADC being assertive should be "putting pressure on the dictator whom they have been supporting so far and not putting pressure on the wrong person, the MDC leader, who was clearly chosen by the people on 29 March"

Why is SADC afraid of confronting the dictator? Is it because they too have skeletons in their cupboards?

We cannot expect the SADC to intervene. I call them a bunch of toothless old women, but my wife took offence, and she's right. They're a bunch of old men without the balls to stand up to Mugabe.

It appears that only real men are the frontline states to the north. They are the only ones who understand that Mugabe is going to take them down with him.

Barrie Lewis

Given the sensitive nature of relations between President Mugabe and Mr Kofi Anani it was very unwise of anyone to have included Mr Anani in the delegation. Mr Anani had said that President Mugabe was an embarrassment to Africa.Surely it was obvious that the Zimbabwe Government would not entertained the delegation. I do not think that the Zimbabwe is hostile to former USA President Jimmy Carter whom President Mugabe has high regard given his support of the Zimbabwean African people fight against the illegal Rhodesian colonial regime.

I am wondering why Mrs Gracae Machel, the widow of late President Machel and currently wife of the revered ex-President Mandela, is regarded as an elder since,one, she is not that cronologically old and two, she never held lofty positions in state governments or in international. She has no independent qualifications of her own. One would have thought that an elder is someone have amassed wisdom through experience over time and nothing else.

The error on the part of everyone, most especially the Zimbabwean's is looking to everyone else but themselves to plead their cause, fight, feed or protect them. It is their own sole responsibility and if they ended up in the hands of a meglomaniac and a bunch of thugs who they previously trusted, it is their responsibility to take them down. The error of Africa is being far to accepting of tyrants and far too prone to look for their salvation elsewhere. Africa from the Cape to Cairo needs to take responsibility for itself and prove its right to respect on the world stage. There is not one set of principles for Africans and another for Europeans, the standards for caring for your own people, and within your own resources, are universal. Robber barons, rampant greed, nepotism and tribalism have no place in any country, least of all Africa which is confronted by so many challenges like water supplies, health, education. How can our leaders afford to play political games when there is so much suffering and so much to do? Stop blaming the world, a group of elders, other countries in the West or East! Whoever! Shape up or ship out!

Thuthukani Mkhize - you should take your own advice and WAKE UP. It seems like the "lady" protests to loudly.

Is it just me or is there something (that could have been funny where it not so vile, foul, and diabolical) about Mkhize's comments. Are those shadows crawling around pretending to be doing a good job of spreading 'propagandas' and pointing out, to us the sleeping Africans, 'what we are being talked to swallow...' As a matter of interest, is there anyone out there who was woken up by this philosopher.

Where have this lot been? Beatings, murders, rapes, starvation, cholera... media all over the world have been reporting on the situation for months if not years, and this lot are surprised? What have they been using as their news sources? The Zim media? Where multiple welts from a beating are passed off as injuries sustained in a traffic accident.

It's enough to make you weep. Send them back to Shady Pines and send in someone who's actually got something to offer besides wringing of hands and platitudes.

Pathetic.

The Land issue of Zimbabwe started 120 years ago, please stop pushing rubbish to us, as if Europe cares for Africans.

The Lippert Concession (1889)

This Concession which preceded the actual occupation of Zimbabwe in 1890 allowed would-be settlers to acquire land rights from the indigenous people. The act resulted in the British South African Company (BSAC) buying concessions from the British Monarch which were then used as a basis of land expropriation. The revenue accrued was repatriated to the United Kingdom and the indigenous peoples, the owners of the land, got nothing.In 1889, the Lippert Concession Act which preceded the actual occupation of Zimbabwe in 1890 encouraged the BSAC to buy concessions in Zimbabwe from the British government - the colonial overlord. The revenue was then repatriated to the British Treasury in London. The native population, the original owners of the land, got nothing!

Why is the British Treasury Broke now, is a direct assult coming from failure to exploit Africa, nothing else, so these are the facts, not propaganda coming from me.

The Native Reserves Order in Council (1898)

The order created the infamous Native Reserves for blacks only. This was in the face of a systematic mass land expropriation by white settlers. To the whites, the Native Reserves were meant to prevent the extinction of the indigenous people while at the same time guaranteeing that settlers got the lion's share of fertile land. The result was that Native Reserves were set up haphazardly in low potential areas which subsequently became the present Communal areas.

Prior to his appointment with the UNDP, Mark Malloch Brown served at the World Bank as Vice-President for External Affairs, and Vice-President for United Nations Affairs from 1996 to 1999. He joined the World Bank as Director of External Affairs in 1994. He is credited with having helped the Bank enhance its outreach and expand its partnership with the United Nations and non-governmental organizations. In 1997, he chaired the United Nations Secretary-General's task force on the reform of United Nations communications.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today announced the appointment of Mark Malloch Brown, his current Chef de Cabinet, as Deputy Secretary-General. Mr. Malloch Brown will assume his new functions upon the departure of the Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette.



Mark Malloch Brown has served as Chef de Cabinet to the Secretary-General since January 2005. In that position, he has worked closely with the Secretary-General and the Deputy-Secretary General on all aspects of UN work, including helping to set out an ambitious reform agenda for the United Nations, much of which was endorsed by world leaders at the World Summit in New York last September.


Lord Malloch Brown lost a farrm in Zimbabwe, and has been working for all these organisations. So its clonflict of interests, or protections of interests, by making sure, the person who pushed for the change of land entitlement gets out of Office. Now Lord Malloch Brown is incharge of African Affairs, as The UK Deputy Foreign Minister. this is what we talking about, when we say, we need to wake up and watch who is controlling and calling the shots. Forget about Cholera as its just a proxy, the real issues are sanctions and the interference. Can a Government Of Unity really fail because of a Handful of Ministries.