Robert Mugabe 'in bid to wreck unity'

An independent judiciary free from corruption and undue influence is the cornerstone of any democracy. South Africans take note, this scenario is an oft repeated occurrence in Africa.

Alas, it was far too good to be true. With Mugabi still in power the Zimbabwean Democracy can never work. Its now a case of back to the trees.

dom pedro -- it's not just africa. the american state in which my father lives saw its governor go down in an amazingly similar way a few years back.

i'm not expecting you to be an expert on rural american politics, but don't say "it's how africa works" when perhaps it's just a human greed/power thing and not an "africa" thing.

thanks for playing.

All who take Mugabe for serious are fools. The surest thing in Africa is that all african leaders are dead afraid of Mugabe. Even Zuma will dare say nothing to the tired and spent up Zimbabwean dictator. Mugabe is viewed by leaders in Africa as king of Africa, the vampire and to an extent that they wish he should be left alone until death removes him from the scene.

Mugabe is a blight on all of humanity. Africans celebrate that he has "punished" the "evil" whites in his land. Take a look and notice who is suffering now, 10million black africans with not even a decant meal to eat each day. The 10 thousand odd whites left will always be abke to regroup or settle somewhere else, always with their albeit reduced wealth.

My advice to MDC is; Walk out of this GNU now. That way, Zuma will intervene. Although this will only be to save the World Cup. After the world cup, there is going to be bloodshed in Zimbabwe. No elections will be held. Its going to be worse than Somalia. Walking out now would prevent all this from happening as the International Community will say; 'enough is enough' and drive Mugabe out and to the Hague.

Never let it be said we did not say it. We saw this coming. It has been a covert ever since but obviously Mugabe and his cronies feel embolded and are now quite brazen about it knowing they can use the stae instruments and the justice system to wip out the opposition.

Why not just have an electoral process that is internationally transparent, in which security forces and police pledge allegiance to the elected government etc. Well, you have this last years stories which are going to be next years as well endlessly, and there is no point for the m&g to report them. Indeed, by reporting these stories gives support to Mugabe and security forces, as does SA government's silence under the guise of African Solutions to African problems.

No more money hand-outs, no more respect, calling him the president when he really isn't, focus on how Mugabe and bros. pocket the countries wealth while bulldozing the economy, the killing of political opponents, violent intimidation of voters and government employees, particularly the police and prison guards, it is endless, all seen before here in the M&G, and it will be the same article next year.

The SA press is eclipsed by American and European in this regard, it is so subdued in SA. Force Zuma and the embarrassing AU to listen (Uncle Bob leading an economic conference recently).
Bring some sort respect to southern Africa. The people want government to work. When they see this, they give up hope. And that is when it gets worse.

I find that one of the reasons that African Dictators thrive is because the African Media is so weak. And so they are hardle ever criticised and in return the dictators use laws and intimidation to turn most African papers, TV and Radio Stations into propoganda sites.

Notice the almost complete lack of stories in most African papers about how ludicrous it is to arrest someone for listening to a song.

And just because it "denigrates" the President, whilst they rant about George Bush's and Tony Blair's war Crimes in Iraq and why the ICC doesn't investigate them, apparently unaware that Obama is now Prsident and Gordon Brown PM.

Please take note fellow South Africans - this is the result of cadre deployment. When the police, courts, army, navy and airforce are answerable to a particular political party rather than to the country, this is the result.

This is why I am so concerned anout the ANC infiltration of every organ of state in SA. Should they ever lose an election, would they actually have to leave office? or would the ANC state organs step up and protect their masters?

Alisdair Budd's generalization that African dictators thrive because the African media is weak may have been true two decades ago when several African countries were indeed under dictatorships. But the number of countries that are now thriving democracies with a robust media is far more than those that are still dictatorships with a repressed media. As a matter of fact I find the media in countries such as Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Rwanda, Ghana, Egypt, Senegal, just to name a few, far more robust than even the media in the United States. In the United States, the mainstream, establishment media can not publish certain sensitive revelations without first consulting government agencies such as the Pentagon or the White House for clearance. The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN do this routinely. In Africa, I'm not aware of a country where the media first consults with the government before publishing even the most sensitive news. It would be helpful to sometimes interrogate our deep-seated misgivings about everything we seem to find wrong with Africa.

............and MT wonders why nobody will lend Zim any $$......

I don't understand why S.A. continues to tolerate the senile, old lunatic living in its attic. Of course, he will be dead soon enough. But how many of his people will die in the meantime?

Check out typical populism in Venezuela, namely, http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/08/01/venezuela.radio.stations/index.html, the shutting down of radio stations (Hugo has already done the job on TV). The ANC would love to control the media as Mugabe does the Harare Times, China the People's Daily, mark it on your calendar. International Mugabe Day, Liberation for all people. It doesn't get any better than this, and we all have front row seats. One won't even be able to communicate over the internet as China and Iran have shown. The Mugabe legacy in southern Africa.

Budd and Hurst, since you think every "proper" solution must come from Europe or the USA, why don't you just move there! You as "white" chaps have a much easier life than an American or Briton in their own countries. Most white South Africans I met in the USA were very miserable and always refering to the good time in South Africa or Zimbabwe. You are both living a myth about what Africa should or should not be. It would not surprise me if most white sA thought Mbeki should have supported Bush/Blair push in Iraq. Africa has a right to seek it's own solutions, even if it takes another century. The Colonialist came as an alternative to Africa living. They left Africa divided, poorer and no democracy. A lot of rubbish is being written on this blog about what Africa should do..etc One wonders why it was not done during aparthied or colonial rule?

Why are you people focussing on Bush and Iraq and the US/UK?! Are you merely trying to SMOKSCREEN for Mugabe?! Can you not SEE what he is doing to Zimbabwe and to supposed democracy there?!

Just goes to show, that "Ubuntu" is merely a term used by politicians when electioneering. The term has no real meaning in Africa. When you will protect a corrupt politician, simply because he is black, at the detriment of the rest of the country.

Wake up Africa.

Zodwa Sibanda, what do YOU think Africa should do? (apart from telling people you dont agree with to leave!)

What more can one expect from this flawed unity government, which was formed without any involvement from the people of Zimbabwe. Lets face facts, the unity government was agreed to by Tsvangarai and his MDC, plus the arrogant baffoon Matambara, purely because of greed. One day after the U.G was formed, like the greedy politicians of South Africa, the MDC ministers were lining up for their new mercedes cars and houses. Like South African politicians, these MDC parasites could not care less about the people of Zimbabwe. At least the western countries can see through the greed and will not be donating their taxpayers money to the Zimbabwean government any time soon. As for South Africa. Taxpayers money will continue to be given to Mugabe by the ANC government. Ofcourse we will never know what happened to the R300 million that Motlanthe gave to Mugabe.

The AU,SADC and the South African government must take full responsibility for what is happening in Zimbabwe.In order to fight by elections Mugabe arrests Mp's from the MDC on trumped up charges to win these seats so as to take over the government. Why are these so called puppets keeping quite instead of removing him.

Is this how democracy is practised in Africa. When someone does wrong you side and keep him in power.These people have no idea of what democracy is and instead od upkeeping the law they feel they owe it to these thugs. When is justice going to be done in situations where struggle heroes have fallen and their sell by date has expired. How could one protect a corrupt politician at the expense of democracy. Africa needs to wake up and uphold what is right so as to gain respect from its citizens otherwise this would indeed be a sad day for everyone.

Democracy could mean two things. One ,for the people by the people for the right cause. It can also mean for the people by the people (majority) for the wrong thing as in the case of Zuma's backers in his rise to power. This is a glaring example of what i am trying to say.

I have always insisted that oil and water dont mix. I concur with the understanding that the people's will did not prevail to the run up of unity government[one wonders whether after all there is unity]

If one idiot is executive, legislature and judiciary, then governance suffers and results are disasterous. SADC is one great bunch of idiots - we have seen it undermining the will of the people in Lesotho, refusing to condemn robert, among other things. Lets wait and see JZ this time. If not careful, the world cup will be threatened by cde bob

zodwa sibanda, I suspected you one of those MUGABE beneficiaries.Africa has no capacity no will to help itself,it has never done it and will never do it.If Africa had capacity to deal with it's own ills,Mugabe will have been dispensed with,including Mswati,all tinpot detectors strewn all over the continent.Africa is the most sick and terminally ill continent in the wide world.

It's always the west that has to come to Africa's aid.Tell me of instances in this century or past that anything good has come out of Africa,be it politics or humanitarian without the intervention of the west.So Zodwa don't fool yourself dadewethu.

Its so sad to read of people who are Charlatans yet behave as if they are experts. Most of people offering solutions to Africa are merely of Mountebanks selling or moving quack medicine to treat Zimbabwe's economic problems.

Evans Mazi, its very sad to have seen how your belittle yourself, becuase all Africa is called Tin Pot,the metaphor of tin pot is what is behind those words, and you are making the very statements yourself. One dimension is tin pot means no brains, noise only. So as a voter or none voter, as long as you reside within Africa, whether you contribute or do not contribute to the decay, you labelled together with everyone, no brains, except to be given Aid, since you are all children who dont know what you want.Its needs responsible western leaders who are elected by people who think to come and bail you out. Mazi, I am very sorry to even have just gleaned, how you think. Africa can do it without the West, whether you like it or not. You need to travel more outside South Africa, and you will learn that all road in the west are not paved in Gold. The same is about Zimbabwe and Mugabe. People judge a person not because they know they person, but whatever pre-programmed, preconceived notions about the man and Country will be the foundation from where everyone builts from, until its seen to be not so. Those that are pushing the notions will try by all means to continue to tarnish African Leaders image to make them the better evil than the better good. Its would have BEEN better to remain under Aparthied than to be under a democratic corrupt ANC Government, THEY are saying, yet its not true. Dont shallow everything you see as because it looks delicious, the stomach and tongue will have the last say. Let the Zimbabwean have the last say about their country not us. There is no problem which can not be solved, even the ANC were able to work wih the NP Government Officials, which of the two did not inhuman dids? It can only be answered by the victims, not by someone else judgement and tolerance, pain is pain. IF THE WORD FORGIVENESS STILL HOLDS ITS MEANING SO EVERYONE CAN WALK AWAY WITHOUT DESTROYING THEIR COUNTRY BY FIGHTING USELESS WARS WHICH NO-ONE WINS. The Bible is the best reference to rights and without bais and favour. The Scriptures shoud be the judge, and its Roman13 vs 6-9 and 2 Timothy 2 vs 1-8 should be understood without the flesh wanting its piece of pound of flesh.

The GW Bush and Tony Blair interest is ignited by the fact that they were criminals of highest order during their tenure of office in about the same time as President Mugabe and no noise was heard from beneficiaries of race based benefits.European capacity in dealing with world conflict is destruction of the infrastructure in those countries so that the big American companies owned by the likes of Donald Rumsfield can go and do reconstruction and make money in the process.There is ample evidence to prove that European countries get involved in African problems to plunder resources. Even individuals who got decent education with African money are in Europe and people who plundered resources and money during apartheid emigrated to Europe.The Selous Scouts who murdered people in the then Rhodesia are scattered all over the world as soldiers of fortune. Some of them are here in South Africa where racist tendencies are thriving and are probably responsible for the murderous behaviour of farmers in the NW, KZN,Limpopo and some parts of Mpumalanga and Western Cape.JZ will respect the existence of Zimbabwe as a country and will engage with Zimbabwe in a constructive way not the cowboy tactics of the US and its surrogates.MDC will have to stay in the GNU and get it to work because if they listen to their masters and get out they will be judged accordingly.Everyone knows that if Mugabe were to give back the land back to the European thieves that would be the end of him.I am sure he is aware that the Zimbabwean struggle would have been invain.The land question in Africa is not subject of debate as it was never debated when the colonialists took it.You dont negotiate with a thief.African solution to African problems and if Europe is such full of wonderful people why should they involve themselves in other continents.They must remove their descendants from Africa and let us be.They will still be free to come for a holiday visit and not overstay their welcome.Sipiwo Pahlane

Thuthuka Mkhizwe, azwakele amagama akho mfowethu.Thanks indeed for your humble and respectful analysis.I am encouraged by your hope.

Why don't you just admit it. All this anti-Mugabe reporting is because you are afraid of landreform, and state ownership of the mines. As soon as South Africa redistributes the land stolen under colonialism and apartheid and nationalizes the mines as was stipulated in the Freedom Charter, the reporting on Mugabe is going to stop.

Zodwa, I have just "moved there" as you prescribe. For reasons that don't need to be aired in this forum but have a lot to do with your petulant and short-sighted attitude. Please direct your comments to the black people in SA that no longer enjoy my support and encouragement thanks to racists like yourself who make life unbearable for progressive "africa-born" whites like me who are now living in exile.

It is a bit much to see people defend Mugabe, despite the torture he endured. It is a bit much also to see so many people swarm over a region and claim dominion. White vs. Black is obvious, black vs. the original inhabitants is more difficult, who stole whose land. This is a new time, it is not colonial, it is you. I take exception to the comments of zodwa sibanda. Don't know what you are talking about, guy. In a barren desert I am wondering about the mud and rains today in the townships.