via Open letter to Thabo Mbeki. 26 November 2014 by Vince Musewe
My name is Vincent Musewe, I am an African.
At one stage I thoroughly esteemed you as a leader of Africa. Your eloquence and apparent grasp of matters affecting our continent as a whole made me aspire to be a leader like you. I thanked God and prayed for you, assuming that your intentions were upright and that, at last, we had a man of truth and reputation to help us dislodge Africa’s dictators and free us from tyranny. I was wrong.
I am now highly disillusioned at the revelations of your role in hiding the truth in Zimbabwe’s quest for a free society in 2002. It seems to me that your political interests were more important than the freedom of 13 million Zimbabweans, many of whom today toil in your country as second-class citizens, not because they want to, but because of Robert Mugabe’s tyranny at home.
If it is indeed true that you personally had a role in hiding the truth about our 2002 elections, whose free and fair implementation could have seen my country go onto a new path of democracy and economic growth, then my approbation for you must cease on this day.
Funny enough, whatever you sought to avoid then with regard to your political strategy and fears of your labour movements gaining political power, is happening anyway in your country. Your clandestine backing of Mugabe during your term of office is well known to most of us and your role in prolonging his stay in power must go down in history as the great betrayal of Africans by a fellow African.
The ghastly implications of your actions in hiding this truth are so grim they cannot be brushed off as a mere historical blunder – as some would have us believe. Mugabe should never have been recognised by your regime as the legitimate President of Zimbabwe after the 2002 elections.
Despite your purported verbal commitment to democratic rights, your administration knowingly and willingly supported an illegitimate leader for political expediency at an unimaginable expense to millions of Zimbabweans.
I must say that your ideas on the African Renaissance were once attractive and exciting and yet, I suspect that they were not authentic after all. How can we as Africans shape the future we desire when those to whom we give the responsibility to lead us deliberately abrogate our democratic rights? How can we become the masters of our destiny when other men, Africans, seek to incapacitate the peoples’ will as has happened in my country since 2002?
Today Zimbabwe is at the tipping point because the man you chose to stand by has ruined our economy. Since 2002, our economic and social conditions have deteriorated drastically that most ordinary Zimbabweans wish for the old times. Our “liberators” have, by devious intent, become our oppressors.
To this day, Zimbabweans continue to bear the awful consequences of your selfish political choices. Many have died in the process, mostly innocent women and children, while others have been forced to give up on their hopes and dreams. Millions have had to leave their motherland, while most have lost their wealth and livelihoods.
I am not putting all the blame on you. It is easy to blame others and not take responsibility for changing our circumstances. I am not cut from the same cloth as Mugabe, who has refused to take responsibility for the circumstances he has created. He continues to blame the West for our woes and yet he has and continues to play a decisive role in creating the very circumstances which he now blames everyone else for. That is despicable.
Mr Mbeki, you inadvertently supported Mugabe’s rule by deliberately postponing the publication of the report of your judges and this means that, in my books, you are complicit in prolonging this tyranny.
We now have a failed state in Zimbabwe and you cannot deny playing a part in its creation by your acts of omission and commission. I hear that others are demanding an apology from your country, but I do not think an apology will suffice. The poverty, hopelessness, corruption and greed that I see all around me today can never be healed or soothed by words alone – but only by the removal of the dictator you so admire.
The economic and social regression that has been created by Mugabe’s policies, including his arrogance and selfishness, will be hard for us to reverse. But we must fight on. We shall continue to fight on the principle and expectation that good can never be enduringly eclipsed by evil.
The wounds that your political schemes have caused us run deep. Yet I truly believe that Zimbabwe shall rise again and one day we shall stand proud in our own country and look South as South Africa implodes. How ironic.
I pray that God through his boundless grace forgives you and those who have deferred our freedom from oppression of man by man.
– Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You can contact him at vtmusewe@gmail.com
COMMENTS
Don’t forget that his ban of antiretroviral drugs in public hospitals was responsible for the premature deaths of between 330,000 and 365,000 people.
Well said Vince. I do hope you have copied your letter to the leaders of other African countries, the UK and Europe and the USA?
Well said Vince. I trust you have copied your letter to leaders of other African countries, the UK and Europe and the USA?
Very good letter Vince, it is just sad that he probably will not read it and the other African leaders in the “old boys club” will think it is funny and our own gestapo will not care, but I like many great Zimbo’s appreciate your strength of appropriate words to tell these “destoyers of hope” exactly what they really are in plain terms. They will face a furios judgment.
Vincent they (the African Ridhazi,if not lizards) will unfortunately label you a Western Puppet as they plunder. Me now think there is something wrong with us Afrians…the way we do not value life, our cruelity to fellow black, our greedness, mismanagement etc despite the wealth which Africa has it is amazing. Is it demonic I wonder. Or it is generational cultural problem considering most of our current leaders they grew up heading cattle. Remember they actually believe processed diesel would come out of rocks. Pity on the next generation growing under the Mugabe demon- this will probably spill to the next generation.
Do you all remember when Zambia was down in the dumps they came here to survive. Now we are down and most of us have run down south. The time will come when those South Africans will run back to us for help. The ungrateful sods. They are to blame for our situation. While most of them are learning from Zimbabweans who are being underpaid their arrogance towards anybody not South African shows signs of not going away. Wake up Azanians your time will come.
I think we shd petition SA for answers
Well said Vince. I will emulate you in writing good articles such as this one.
As much as I want to blame south africa for our ills that have begotten us , lets take a step back …..look deep into our hearts and ask ourselves this simple question ” where was I when the land was burning”
Well said Museve we want to go home please Mbeki reveal the truth, we are not beggers reveal the truth, Zuma can u chip in and help, being in South Africa is like in prison, you get persecuted by Zanu PF, Mbeki, White, fellow black South Africans
My Post????
Vince, you have hit the nail on the head with this article. Mbeki and his successor Zuma all wish that they were in a position to plunder and pillage from their treasury like Mugabe, Obiang, Kabila, etc etc have been doing for decades. Shame on you Mbeki.
Thabo Mbeki and South Africa are to blame for a big part of our woes. Whilst the GNU improved the economy it also set a precedence where it is now a Zimbabwean thing to refuse to cede power when you lose an election. The world as a whole will always take the lead from South Africa, Sadec and the AU in matters concerning Zimbabwe because they want to be POLITICALLY CORRECT and fear being called racist. Mbeki has hidden election reports. He has also been instrumental in keeping Mugabe in power with his GNU. Had he condemned Mugabe for refusing to Cede the elections the world would of reacted. He facilitated Mugabe’s dig in so to speak. Whilst I don’t say these are countries are Angels I still think that as a black man I am being held back by the fact that anything said that concerns my welfare has got to be first filtered by the likes of Mbeki before anyone else can comment. He then gives the wrong information and makes like his decision is benefiting me thus making those that might of done something about it shut up because they are afraid to be branded POLITICALLY INCORRECT.
Thabo you must know that people – Zim and the world – are very angry. Their spelling may be problematic but they use words like “complicit” to describe your role. What possessed you to support the fraudulent electoral claims of a self-delusional genocidal monster like RGM?
Thabo Mbeki like Jacob Zuma do not give a stuff even if they read an article like this
Zuma once accused the EU of Cherry picking he is also doing it – he should step down. Mr. Gupta his pal who abused his position of being his friend will assist him
Thabo is just after Mo Ibrahims money pretending to the world that he cares about the continent
What is the International community saying about it? – rake them in.