By James Lamont in Johannesburg
Published: September 2 2002 5:00 | Last Updated: September 2 2002 5:00
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is expected to come under intense
pressure today to open his country's doors to US emergency food aid blocked
because of a dispute over genetically modified (GM) maize.
In spite of public reassurances by United Nations health agencies, the
European Union and South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique have been
holding out against accepting relief on the grounds that it may contain GM
grain. Some 300,000 people across the region face starvation over the next
six months after harvests failed.
Mr Mugabe will face the international donor community, including
European heads of state, today when he gives his national address to the UN
World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. He is also facing
growing domestic pressure to distribute food aid stored in warehouses.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said yesterday it
would try to import maize through the Feed Zimbabwe Trust, an MDC trust. It
said that maize bought by the fund would be distributed in Zimbabwe by
church groups.
"The regime in Harare has no desire to work seriously towards
alleviating the food crisis. It sees the approaching famine as an
opportunity to blackmail and subjugate citizens to its unpopular rule," said
Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC's leader.
The Zimbabwean government has resisted the import of GM food offered
by the US to relieve severe food shortages. The effects of a regionwide
drought have been aggravated by a controversial land reform programme, which
has severely disrupted farming operations, and a government monopoly on
maize distribution.
Zimbabwe says it is worried that importing GM maize could affect its
ability to export cereals and livestock. Neighbouring Zambia and Mozambique
have also resisted GM food on the grounds that it may be harmful to humans.
A coalition of African scientists at the summit yesterday urged
southern African countries to accept the GM emergency relief. It criticised
southern African governments for imperilling the lives of their citizens by
overlooking scientific evidence that GM food was not toxic.
Some critics believe Harare is resisting the import of US maize for
political reasons. They say Zimbabwe is protesting against "smart" sanctions
imposed on the ruling Zanu-PF party by President George W. Bush's
administration after the country's disputed election in March.
But Chukwuemeka Omaliko, the director of the National Biotechnology
Development Agency in Abuja, Nigeria, said the distribution of food aid was
being held up by confusion among the scientific community.
"The fears are not well-founded. But there really wasn't much
consultation with local scientists. After the meeting last week in Harare
about GM foods with the World Health Organisation, there should be fresh
understanding."
The Times
Farmers of Zimbabwe's new era reaping ruin
From Jan Raath in Tsatsi, Zimbabwe
THE deadline for the conclusion of Zimbabwe's land programme
passed ominously yesterday: seized farms which should be busy with summer
replanting were silent.
In years past the fields would have been noisy with tractors and
scores of workers cultivating in ploughed ridges.
Instead, there is the occasional solitary figure, hunting among
the burnt weeds for mice to eat.
It looks as if nearly every square inch of the undulating
fertile farmland is blackened, right up to the ridges of the Great Dyke, the
spine of mountains on the horizon. Burning is the closest approximation here
to preparation for the summer cropping season that started yesterday.
About 50 squatter families were "resettled" on one farm here 18
months ago. I saw only two small plots ploughed for maize crops that would
feed their respective families.
"All of this should have been prepared a long time ago," said
Richard Galloway, 41, as we passed an area of six rugby fields. He was
forced off his farm nearby two weeks ago.
On the main road near Tsatsi, two women with grass brooms were
sweeping up maize pips that had fallen from passing lorries.
Saturday marked the deadline set by President Mugabe for the
completion of his "revolutionary land reform programme". By then, all the
settlers were to have been on the former white-owned land allocated to them.
They should have had seed and fertiliser to cultivate and feed the nation.
Mr Mugabe declared the programme "an unparalleled success" and
said by the weekend they would be out-producing the white farmers.
Ignatius Chombo, who heads the Cabinet committee on
resettlement, said last month that "most settlers are on their plots and are
already engaging in winter cropping".
The Government's claims are met with astonishment. Most of the
rest of the world regards the programme as a lawless, racist land-grab. The
UN says it is "unsustainable" and "a leading cause" of the famine that
threatens about seven million people.
A senior Western diplomat said: "What's going on has had no
planning, no funding. It will be a miracle if Zimbabwe recovers from this
disaster."
None of the free inputs promised by Mr Mugabe have yet been
delivered. In the drier areas there are reports of squatters abandoning
occupied farms as famine takes hold.
Last month, Joseph Made, the Lands Minister, told banks to lend
the new farmers Zim$8 billion (£8 million).
He was summarily rejected. A senior banker said: "None of these
farmers has title to the property. Made wants us to lend to people with no
collateral and no record in farming."
State propaganda organs make much of wheat, which is grown only
in winter, being produced by "emergent commercial farmers", a group made up
of senior ruling party officials, officers of the uniformed services and
loyal civil servants.
On another farm in Tsatsi, also abandoned by its owner, is a big
field of knee-high tasseling wheat, ready soon to be reaped by the new black
farmer.
"The original owner planted, fertilised and irrigated the crop
for him," Mr Galloway said. "It was a deal so the owner could grade his
tobacco and sell it, and reap his citrus.
"He got kicked off last week. His pumps, sprays, irrigation
pipes were commandeered."
Figures that add up to disaster
a.. The Government has formally listed 5,400 out of 6,000 farms
owned by 4,200 commercial farmers to be resettled
a.. Before the farm invasions started in about February 2000,
commercial farmers owned 27.2 million acres which represented 28.2 per cent
of Zimbabwe's total land area
a.. About 150 individual farms were never listed
a.. Just an estimated 15 per cent of original farm owners are
still left on their land
a.. Farm labour unions say the occupation of white-owned farms
means that 350,000 workers will be made homeless
a.. The Government claimed that 300,000 peasant farmers would
have been resettled on white-owned farms by the end of August, with 54,000
new "indigenous (black) emergent commercial farmers", marking the end of the
"Land Reform Programme"
Daily News
Chinotimba in trouble
9/2/02 8:22:24 AM (GMT +2)
By Luke Tamborinyoka Municipal Reporter
JOSEPH Chinotimba, a war veteran leader and senior ruling Zanu PF
party official, is in trouble again with his employers at Town House. The
opposition MDC- dominated Harare City Council wants a report on the
involvement of Chinotimba, a council employee, in the alleged invasion of a
Banket farm on behalf of Bright Matonga, the chief executive officer of the
government-owned Zimbabwe United Passenger Company.
On Thursday night, the full council demanded a report on whether
Chinotimba as not supposed to report for work when his invasion of the farm
was reported in the Press.
The councillors, particularly, Benjamin Maimba, said it was high time
action was taken if it was proven that Chinotimba was supposed to be on duty
at the time of the invasion.
The chamber secretary, Josephine Ncube, promised that she would submit
the report to the councillors before the end of that meeting, but she did
not do so.
Chinotimba could not be reached for comment yesterday. According to
the executive committee minutes of 26 August 2002, the council was worried
about a report which had appeared in The Daily News three days earlier,
alleging that Chinotimba was involved in the eviction of a Banket farmer.
"The Committee wanted to know the whereabouts of the employee in question on
that day and whether he was not supposed to be on duty on that day," reads
part of the minutes of the committee. The council adopted the resolution of
the executive committee that the town clerk, Nomutsa Chideya, should
investigate and report to the full council the whereabouts of Chinotimba on
the day he was reported to have evicted a farmer in Banket, Vincent Schultz.
Chinotimba, a chief inspector in the city's municipal police
department, is the self-styled commander of farm invasions who led the
initial invasions of 2000. He has denied charges that he absconded from work
in 2000. He has had a frosty relationship with the new council, which
accuses him of conducting Zanu PF business during working hours and that he
was promoted unprocedurally, charges he denies. Ignatius Chombo, the
Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, has
directed the Harare City Council to pay the war veteran leader a $31 million
exit package if they do not want to work with him. Chombo's directive
follows a letter written to the ministry by Chinotimba's lawyers, Musunga
and Associates, accusing the council of wanting to force their client into
retirement.
Daily News
36 MDC candidates pull out of poll after threats
9/2/02 8:51:41 AM (GMT +2)
From Zerubabel Mudzingwa in Gweru
THIRTY-SIX opposition MDC candidates in Midlands South have reportedly
withdrawn from this month's rural council elections fearing for their lives
after being threatened with violence by Zanu PF supporters.
Rob Siyanai, the MDC provincial spokesman for Midlands North, said the
most affected areas were Shurugwi, Chirumhanzu, Mberengwa West and
Zvishavane.
This leaves the MDC with 57 candidates who will run in elections
against 93 candidates who will be fielded by the ruling Zanu PF.
Siyanai said even those who have braved the threats of violence were
finding it difficult to openly campaign as their rallies were often
disrupted by rowdy Zanu PF youths with the police taking no action.
"Most of our candidates in those areas have chickened out citing
intimidation by Zanu PF thugs and chiefs," he said.
Siyanai said in Shurugwi district, the MDC was now left with only six
candidates in the 23 wards to be contested.
In Chirumhanzu, 10 MDC candidates have withdrawn, leaving only nine to
contest the election against Zanu PF which will be fielding 19 candidates.
Eight opposition party candidates in Zvishavane have also withdrawn
from the race, leaving 10 to contest in 18 wards.
However, no one had pulled out of the race in the politically volatile
Mberengwa East district, where both parties are fielding candidates in the
17 wards on offer.
"Wilson Dave, our candidate for ward 8 in Shurugwi, withdrew on 23
August after receiving several threats from Chief Mapendere and some Zanu PF
youths.
"He was ordered to leave the area and emigrate to England if he
insisted on representing the MDC in the forthcoming council elections,"
Siyanai said.
Another MDC candidate in Shurugwi, Herbert Mhlanga, allegedly withdrew
after he was approached by a named Zanu PF supporter.
Mhlanga, who is also the party's district youth chairman, was
allegedly forced to surrender MDC T-shirts and cards following unspecified
threats from the chief.
Daily News
MDC activist begs police for protection
9/2/02 8:54:24 AM (GMT +2)
Staff Reporter
Milson Chigoro an MDC activist in Mbare, on Tuesday begged the police
officers at Mbare Police Station to put him into holding cells after Zanu PF
youths severely assaulted him inside the police station.
Chigoro, 38, said the Zanu PF supporters accused him of moving around
during the night.
He was instead detained overnight.
The officer-in-charge at Mbare Police Station, identified as Chief
Inspector Mubaiwa, said he was unaware of the incident.
Mubaiwa said: "At the moment I would not be able to confirm or deny it
because l have not been informed by the in-charge of investigations. I have
not been shown the docket."
Chigoro said the Zanu PF youths identified themselves as "Chipangano"
before they severely assaulted him at about 7pm at Stodart Hall, on his way
home from work.
He said the Chipangano group had been assembled following the shooting
to death a Ali Manjengwa, a Zanu PF activist, last week.
Chigoro said one of his assailants was wearing a police uniform and
the others were in Zanu PF T-shirts.
He said: "They stopped me and started to assault me. They asked why I
moved during the night when I was supposed to be in my house. They took me
to Stodart police post where we were referred to Mbare Police Station."
At the police station, Chigoro said instead of the police assisting
him, they told him to solve his problems with the youths because they could
not arrest them.
"The youths then started to assault me," he said.
"The policemen just watched as the youths took turns to punch me."
Chigoro was released on Wednesday and was allegedly made to pay $500
as an admission of guilt fine for common assault.
The receipt, number 062804 L, signed by a Detective Constable Chagona,
stated that Chigoro had used open hands to assault unidentified complainants
Daily News
Three war veterans jailed for violence
9/2/02 8:32:54 AM (GMT +2)
From Energy Bara in Masvingo
THREE war veterans, who went on the rampage beating up people and
confiscating party membership cards of the opposition MDC in Mwenezi during
the run-up to the presidential election, were on Friday each jailed for an
effective one year after they were convicted of public violence.
Zivanai James, Zifundi Moyo and James Zivanai, all Zanu PF supporters,
who had pleaded not guilty, were convicted of the offence when they appeared
before Mwenezi resident magistrate Macgregor Kufa.
The court heard that the three, who reside at Bonda village in Chief
Maranda, spearheaded the ruling Zanu PF party presidential campaign in the
area.
On 9 February this year, they went to Mbulawa Hove's homestead and
questioned him for supporting the MDC. They assaulted him with sticks before
confiscating MDC membership cards and books. They later force-marched Hove
to Mundoza Mutsvanya's homestead.
They allegedly asked Mutsvanya the number of teachers he had recruited
to join the MDC in the area.
They later released Hove but threatened him with further assaults if
he continued supporting the MDC.
The convicted war veterans have other pending cases of public
violence.
Daily News
Leader Page
Earth summit hopes of ending African poverty
9/2/02 8:32:54 AM (GMT +2)
BY the time the World Summit on Sustainable Development ends in
Johannesburg later this week, nearly 100 world leaders, including President
Mugabe, will have presented their theories on how to end world poverty.
Africa, as the poorest continent, has been at the centre of the
discussion preceding the arrival of the world leaders. If the summit's
proposals to end poverty are implemented with more honesty and dedication
than the resolutions of the summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, then there is
a chance the world could strike a decisive blow against poverty. The venue
of the summit could have a bearing on the outcome.
Johannesburg is a microcosm of the chasm between rich and poor.
Sandton, where the summit is being held, is one of the richest areas of
South Africa's commercial hub. A walking distance away are some of the
poorest townships, including Alexandra.
Eight years after the forces of democracy conquered apartheid, which
its numbing suppression of the black people, South Africa is still
struggling to end that legacy of racism.
It will be a long haul and what the Earth Summit can deliver could
have a decisive impact on which way the wind blows. The struggle against
poverty is essentially a demand by the poor for the developed world to
loosen its purse strings when dealing with the developing world, whether it
is in bilateral trade or straightforward aid. But some of the poor countries
' conditions are incredible in their simplicity. To demand that the rich
nations pump more money into the poor countries with no conditions, except a
"Thank You", ignores the reality of history. For instance, poor Africans in
the countries seeking aid would love for it to be used to fight HIV/Aids,
improve their living conditions, create jobs and help them live longer in a
continent with the lowest life expectancy in the world.
Ordinary Africans know that their appeals for the money to be used
wisely have in the past been ignored.
The ruling elite have converted most of it to their own use, building
mansions, buying 4x4s and taking expensive foreign trips. Meanwhile back
home, the health delivery systems have collapsed, schools are without desks
and books and teachers, and there is no job market to speak of. Moreover, in
most cases, the funds intended to alleviate the pain of people living with
HIV/Aids have been abused. For this reason, many donor countries have
demanded guarantees that the "fat cats" don't lay their grubby hands on the
funds.
Many African leaders have argued this is paternalism of the worst
kind. They say they know best where the funds ought to be used.
But history has thrown up sad examples of just how deeply corruption
in high places has blighted African economies. As a result, a recent United
Nations Human Development Report for 2002 lists only the Seychelles,
Mauritius and Cape Verde as the best places to live in Africa. The report,
which compares living conditions all over the world, lists the island
nations among the top 100 of the total of 173 listed countries. The
Seychelles are listed number 47 in the report, far ahead of several Central
and Eastern European countries, with life expectancy at birth almost 73
years and the adult literacy rate at 88 percent. The best off-continental
sub-Saharan African country is South Africa, rated number 107 with life
expectancy at 52 years. All the 27 least developed countries in the world
are African, with Sierra Leone the worst place to live, with life expectancy
at 39 years.
Africa is in urgent need of help. The demonstrations in Johannesburg
against the summit are understandable. They are born out of the frustration
of the poor countries with the rich nations' perceived hypocrisy in
promising to help end poverty. In view of the failure of the rich nations to
live up to their promises at the Rio summit, who can blame the angry
demonstrators? At the same time, there ought to simultaneous demonstrations
against corruption in Africa
Sunday Times (SA)
Mugabe's cronies get seized farms
On the eve of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's address to the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in Sandton tomorrow, a Zimbabwean farmers'
action group has released a list of top Mugabe allies, who have been handed
farms snatched from white farmers in the name of land reform.
The list gives the lie to Mugabe's claim that he is seizing land to benefit
landless peasants, a position he is likely to push during his expected
address to the world summit tomorrow.
The Zimbabwean commercial farmers' group Justice for Agriculture (JAG) said
yesterday that the list was based on information from farmers as well as on
public information, including government announcements published in
newspapers.
The list shows that Information Minister Jonathan Moyo and Justice Minister
Patrick Chinamasa have been handed seized farms. Mugabe's wife, Grace, is
also a beneficiary.
JAG spokeswoman Jenni Williams said: "We have seen in recent weeks the
eviction of peasants on a number of farms and the handing of them over to
politicians."
Zanu (PF)-aligned chiefs, public servants and police officials had also
received farms, JAG said. Moyo was given an 816ha farm called Little
Connemara in Manicaland in the eastern part of the country.
And Chinamasa is to be handed a property called Lot 1 of Mirror 2 in the
Chipinge district. This will be Chinamasa's second farm he received the
first in 1998 as part of a land-reform programme funded by the British
government.
Mugabe's sister, Sabina, may also benefit from the land grab. She arrived on
the farm Buffalo Downs in Mashonaland West, and indicated to the owners that
she was Mugabe's sister and had come to claim the farm. She already has an
interest in Gowrie farm, which belonged to Terry Ford, who was murdered in
March, at about the time of the presidential elections.
Public Works Minister Ignatius Chombo inspected Allan Grange farm in
Mashonaland West last Thursday, and told the owner, Hannes Swan, that he was
about to take possession of the 3000ha property. Chombo's ministry overseas
the allocation of plots and farms.
As Mugabe's opportunity to put his case before a world audience loomed,
European Union (EU) members were last night considering having only their
most junior diplomats in the room when he speaks.
European leaders were also considering whether or not to even mention Mugabe
during their speeches. Britain has said that it expects Zimbabwe to come up
on the "margin" of the summit.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair addresses the summit tomorrow morning, and will
meet President Thabo Mbeki tonight.
Other European leaders may raise the issue. One problem in raising the issue
in the actual summit is that they could then be accused of trying to divert
the proceedings away from sustainable development.
Business Day
Mail and Guardian
Bureaucracy blocks food aid to Zimbabwe, says MDC
Harare
02 September 2002 08:27
Zimbabwe's main opposition party accused the government on Sunday of
stalling the delivery of desperately needed food aid.
More than half Zimbabwe's 12,5-million people face severe food shortages,
blamed on drought and the government's program to seize thousands of
white-owned farms.
A 10 000 ton delivery of aid acquired from neighbouring South Africa had
crossed the Limpopo river late on Saturday, but 24 hours later Zimbabwean
customs officials had still not released it, said Renson Gasela, shadow
agriculture minister for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
The officials had demanded a government import permit for the grain, some of
which was acquired by the opposition for distribution in eastern Zimbabwe.
"People are dying of starvation and they just want to be bureaucratic,"
Gasela said. The government's trade department was not available for comment
on Sunday.
Zimbabwe has been gripped by more than two years of political and economic
turmoil, widely blamed on the ruling party. The government's decision to
earmark 95% of white-owned land has brought commercial farming to a
standstill.
The opposition, churches and independent charities have accused the
government of denying suspected opposition supporters food. Catholic relief
agencies say 27 children have already died of malnutrition-related diseases
in remote rural areas of northern Zimbabwe, where the ruling party has
prevented the independent distribution of grain.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said on Monday that he
would act soon on imposing "targeted sanctions" against Zimbabwe over its
treatment of political opponents and white farmers.
"I would expect very soon that we would be looking at the imposition of
different forms of sanctions" against Harare, said Howard, who chairs a
Commonwealth committee on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Speaking on radio, Howard said Mugabe had been re-elected fraudulently
earlier this year and had since rejected every international attempt to help
resolve the political and economic crisis in his country.
"If exhortation and argument and advocacy fails, which it clearly has here,
you have to look at targeted sanctions which don't impose more burdens on
the poor devils at the bottom of the socioeconomic structure," he said.
Howard did not provide details of the sanctions being considered, but said
they would be imposed "on the people at the top, and we'll certainly be
willing to do that."
Australian officials have in the past suggested sanctions that would freeze
any funds transferred to or through Australia by senior figures in Mugabe's
regime. - Sapa-AP
oneworld.net
ZAMBIA, 2 SEP 2002 (11:18)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE: "WE WILL NOT ACCEPT 'FLEEING WHITE FARMERS',
AS THEY ADD LITTLE VALUE" (STANDARD, POLITICS/ECONOMY)
The Zambian government confirmed that it will not accept Zimbabwean
white farmers who want to invest and run farms in Zambia. It was reported by
the Zambian Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mundia Sikatana, who
specified that the white farmers fleeing from Zimbabwe will not be able to
own commercial farms in Zambia", confirming that they are not wanted because
they will "add little value to Zambia's agricultural sector". "We have
rejected them. We want to develop our own farmers who will become big
commercial farmers " stressed Sikatana. Even Zambia seems to sustain the
politics of Harare. On one hand, Mugabe is in open contrast with the Western
countries, led in their ostracism towards the African leader, who is
evermore isolated on an international level due to the discussed land reform
substantially based on the confiscation of farms from the farmers that
originally come from Europe. On the other hand, the Zimbabwean President
continues to gather consensus from the public opinion and from the
neighbouring governments. Besides Zambia, in the past few days even the
President of Namibia, Sam Nujoma, has put greater pressure on white farmers
to sell their land, threatening to proceed with the redistribution of land.
Namibia's government is committed to the principle of "willing-buyer
willing-seller" - which means no-one is forced to sell up, but if they do
the state gets first refusal. So far Namibia has avoided the violent scenes
witnessed in neighbouring Zimbabwe. The fairness of the judgement was
reached in the plans of Nujoma, who specified during the congress of the
ruling South-West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO), that "arrogant"
white farmers must embrace the government's land reform programme. He told
party members that 192 farms that were not being utilised or were owned by
"foreign absentee landlords" would be earmarked for repossession. Nujoma
also confirmed that compensation would be paid for those farms, which were
taken for redistribution. Land reform and the issue of reparations for
suffering during the colonial period are major issues for the Herero people
of Namibia. Whites make up six per cent of the Namibian population and own
over 70% of the cultivable land and about one third of them are descended
from German settlers. (BP)
CNN
Zimbabwe tensions hit Earth Summit
September 2, 2002 Posted: 12:23 PM EDT (1623 GMT)
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Tension surfaced at the Earth Summit as
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe lashed out at his critics, especially UK
Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Addressing the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg,
Mugabe said Zimbabwe had fought hard for its sovereignty and was prepared to
"shed blood" to keep it.
Zimbabwe was criticised by the international community and suspended from
the Commonwealth after it ruled that presidential elections held in March
were unfair, with the European Union displaying its own disapproval by
imposing sanctions.
Mugabe, who won the election to continue his 22 years of rule, said the
sanctions did not concern him. "We don't mind having sanctions banning us
from Europe. We are not Europeans."
He has long been antagonistic towards Blair, saying on Monday: "Blair, keep
your England. Let us keep our Zimbabwe."
He said that his policy of forcing white farmers from their land to
re-distribute to black workers would not deprive white farmers of land
completely, as they were entitled to just one farm each. "No farmer is being
left without land."
Speaking earlier to the assembled world leaders, Blair had highlighted
Africa as being of particular need. The summit is seeking ways to alleviate
poverty while protecting the environment.
"If Africa is a scar on the conscience of our world, the world has a duty to
heal it," he added.
Blair said tackling Africa's deprivation was his "passion."
Ten minutes before he went to the podium Blair had been blamed by Namibian
President Sam Nujoma for Africa's problems.
"Here in southern Africa we have one big problem, created by the British.
The honourable Tony Blair is here and he created the situation in Zimbabwe,"
Nujoma said.
Nujoma supports Mugabe and his policy of ousting white farmers from Zimbabwe
and re-distributing their land to blacks. Nujoma described the white farmers
as British "colonial settlers."
While Blair made no response to Nujoma's comments, he had earlier told
reporters that he hoped to discuss Zimbabwe's "appalling catalogue of
mismanagement and corruption" with regional leaders during the summit.
Another of Mugabe's critics, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, blamed
his policies for exacerbating a food crisis in southern Africa.
"In one case this disaster has been made much worse by deliberate and
cynical government policies," Clark said, although she did not name Mugabe.
Guardian
Hands off Zimbabwe, Mugabe tells Blair
Staff and agencies
Monday September 2, 2002
The Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, hijacked today's proceedings at the
Johannesburg earth summit to denounce Tony Blair, telling the British
leader: "Let me keep my Zimbabwe."
Ignoring the themes of environmental sustainability and aid, Mr Mugabe
instead defended the seizures of white-owned farms.
To a round of applause from the conference hall, the Zimbabwean leader
declared: "So Blair, keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe."
Mr Blair had already left the summit complex after delivering a short speech
this morning, in which he called Africa a "scar on the conscience of the
world", and urged leaders to find the political will to implement solutions
to the continent's poverty and ill-health.
But speaking on the same platform this afternoon, Mr Mugabe told delegates:
"We have fought for our land, we have fought for our sovereignty, small as
we are we have won our independence."
Zimbabweans were "prepared to shed our blood" to protect the nation, he
said.
Mr Mugabe has vowed to press ahead with the eviction of 2,900 of the 4,500
remaining white commercial farmers despite legal challenges at home and
criticism in the west, particularly from the country's former colonial
ruler, Britain.
Mr Mugabe said that white commercial farmers often owned several farms and
would be allowed to keep at least one. "No farmer is being left without
land," he said.
"We are threatening noone."
Earlier, Mr Blair was also criticised by Namibia's president, Sam Nujoma,
for contributing to southern Africa's problems.
In his address to the summit, Mr Nujoma said: "We here in southern Africa
have one big problem, created by the British. The honourable Tony Blair is
here, and he created the situation in Zimbabwe.
"The EU, who have imposed the sanctions against Zimbabwe, must raise them
immediately otherwise it is useless to come here.
"The British colonial settlers in Zimbabwe today, they own 78% of the land
in Zimbabwe, and Zimbabwe is a tiny country.
"It has 14 million indigenous [people] who have no land."
Responding to Mr Nujoma's comments, Mr Blair said during his visit to
Alexandra: "What the president of Namibia said is what he has always said -
he said it at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting a few months ago.
"It doesn't make it any more sensible, however."
He stressed the size of Britain's aid budget to Africa and told reporters:
"We don't need to be told the importance of Africa."
Mr Blair said Mr Nujoma was "defending the utterly indefensible" but
stressed: "That is a minority view. The vast majority of African leaders
fully support the principles of good governance we stand for.
"It's important we do not get the idea that is the voice of Africa, it is
not."
There were also reports that Mr Mugabe walked out of the international
gathering as Mr Blair was speaking.
The shadow foreign secretary, Michael Ancram, criticised Mr Blair for
failing to deal with the issue of Zimbabwe in his speech.
"What we have heard from the prime minister today is a lot more reheated and
high-flown rhetoric," he said.
"We recognise that the summit must address many important issues. It is,
however, astounding that in a speech dealing with famine, poverty and child
suffering, the prime minister made no mention of the many thousands of
people in southern Africa whose lives are being destroyed because of Robert
Mugabe's obsessions.
"The nearest the prime minister came to addressing the horrors of Zimbabwe
was to refer, in Mozambique, to Mugabe's 'incompetence, mismanagement and
corruption'.
"Those who are being persecuted, tortured, raped, murdered and deliberately
starved will find little recognition in these mealy mouthed words," he
added.
The EU slapped sanctions on Mr Mugabe's government after presidential
elections in March, which the EU deemed illegitimate, and the seizure of
white-owned farms.
One of the Zimbabwean leader's sternest critics, New Zealand's prime
minister, Helen Clark, blamed his policies for exacerbating a food crisis in
southern Africa.
"In one case this disaster has been made much worse by deliberate and
cynical government policies," Ms Clark said in her speech without naming Mr
Mugabe.
Mr Blair, who took the floor about 10 minutes after Mr Nujoma's
finger-jabbing tirade, did not respond to the accusations.
"[Mr Blair's] focus is exclusively on the outcome of the summit," a Downing
Street spokesman said, adding that the Namibian president's words were not a
surprise.
"He has been saying it for years," the spokesman said.
About 1,500 people, mainly black South Africans, gathered on Monday for an
anti-Mugabe march outside the conference centre.
"Jail Mugabe, Free Zimbabwe" and "Mugabe Get Out of South Africa", they
chanted.
Jenni Williams, a spokeswoman for the Zimbabwe white farmers' pressure group
Justice for Agriculture, said Mr Mugabe was redistributing land to his
cronies and allies.
"We hunger for food, yet Mugabe is taking away the land that has fed us. We
hunger for peace and yet Mugabe has now formed a war cabinet to fight his
own people," Williams said.
BBC
Monday, 2 September, 2002, 17:15 GMT 18:15 UK
That broadside was branded a "disgrace" by Tony
Baldry, Conservative chairman of the Commons international development select
committee.
UK
ministers have warned that concern about Zimbabwe must not be allowed to
"hijack" a summit aimed at tackling poverty and protecting the environment.
News24
Future looks bleak for hungry Zimbabweans
September 02 2002 at 12:40PM
Harare - The crop growing season in Zimbabwe's fertile, well-watered
northern highveld started on Sunday and was marked by the lighting of bush
fires that blackened the countryside of Tsatsi.
On Ruorka farm, abandoned by its owner 18 months ago when scores of
squatters invaded, the weed-strewn fields were deserted. On one, a woman
searched for mice to eat.
"We would be planting tobacco here now," said Richard Galloway, 41, who two
weeks ago was driven off his farm next door.
"All of this should have been prepared for planting a long time ago. There
is nothing happening here now."
'All of this should have been prepared for planting a long time ago'
Saturday was the deadline set by President Robert Mugabe for the "successful
conclusion" of his campaign to seize white-owned land and to hand it over to
black Zimbabweans.
By Saturday, he said recently, 300 000 peasant farmers and 54 000
"indigenous (black) emergent commercial farmers" would be on their new land,
supplied with loans, seed and fertiliser and be ready to start the cropping
season.
He added that they would probably out-produce the white farmers.
In previous years, all the farms in the district would be covered in dust
from the tractors finishing their last preparations, while dozens of workers
cultivated the evenly ploughed fields.
However, there were only two small areas the size of a tennis court ploughed
on the 2 500ha Ruorka.
Ruorka has about 50 peasant families on it, while the neighbouring farm has
been earmarked for about eight new "indigenous" farmers. On one of its
fields is a broad stand of knee-high wheat with swelling green ears and
ready to be reaped by its new farmer.
"It was planted, fertilised and irrigated by the previous owner," said
Galloway. "It was part of a deal to let him grade his tobacco and reap his
citrus while the new settler moved on. The settler would take his wheat.
"He was kicked off last week. His pumps, sprays and piping were all
commandeered. To try and get it off would be life-threatening." Galloway
added.
"The settlers have just moved in," he said. They had already ploughed a
small patch near the homestead. "That used to be a block of specialised rye
grass for pasture for pedigree bulls. The owner was a brilliant farmer. This
guy might get three bags of maize from it," he said.
Mugabe has listed a total of 5 894 white-owned farms for seizure out of a
total of about 6 000, covering an area of 11 million ha, about 28 percent of
the area of the country. Over 3 000 of the owners were issued with eviction
orders, most of which expired early last month. Authorities are issuing
fresh eviction orders every day, said Jerry Grant, deputy director of the
Commercial Farmers' Union.
Mugabe has scorned criticism from the rest of the world that the
state-backed invasions of white-owned farms that began in February 2000 are
a reckless, racist land grab that will destroy an agricultural sector whose
surplus output for decades has rescued other African countries from
starvation.
The government admitted last month that only half of the 54 000 "emergent"
commercial farmers had bothered to take up farms allocated to them. Banks
have refused to lend money to squatters with no collateral to offer and no
track record as farmers. - Sapa
Amnesty International
Zimbabwe: Government authorities intensify their campaign to silence dissent
As local council elections approach in September, Amnesty International is
deeply concerned that the Zimbabwean authorities are intensifying harassment
of human rights organisations, the independent media and the judiciary.
On 29 August, Dr. Frances Lovemore, Medical Director of Amani Trust, a
leading human rights NGO in Zimbabwe, was arrested in Harare. Dr. Lovemore
and charged with "publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial
to the state". The charge apparently stems from recent press reports which
referred to Amani Trust's work with victims of torture and politically
motivated rape in Zimbabwe. Dr. Lovemore was quoted in the Daily Telegraph
(UK) on 25 August 2002 as saying "Mugabe men use rape as revenge". She was
released on 30 August, and all charges against her dropped due to
insufficient evidence.
"Amnesty International views the arrest of Dr Lovemore as an attempt to
intimidate a human rights defender. The international community should take
every step to support the work of Zimbabwean human rights NGOs which place
themselves at risk in documenting cases of human rights violations and in
treating victims".
Also on 29 August, the Harare office of Voice of the People (VOP), one of
Zimbabwe's two independent broadcasting organisations was bombed in the
middle of the night. No one was injured but damage to the building was
extensive. No one has claimed official responsibility for the attack. Voice
of the People has managed to operate despite restrictive media laws passed
in 2002, by transmitting to Zimbabwe from the Netherlands via shortwave.
The government has also stepped up its harassment of the judiciary, as
witnessed by several recent attacks on magistrates. On 16 August 2002 in the
eastern town of Chipinge, Manicaland province, district magistrate Walter
Chikwanha was reportedly dragged from his courtroom by suspected war
veterans and assaulted at the government complex. No one has been arrested
in connection with the attack which is alleged to be in response to
Chikwanha's dismissal of an application by the State to remand in custody
five MDC officials who along with two others, were accused of burning two
government tractors in Chipinge.
Following their release, the five were re-arrested, but Chikwanha refused to
place them in custody on the basis that the State did not have sufficient
evidence to warrant their detention.
Just over a week after the attack on Chikwanha, Godfrey Gwaka, the
magistrate for Zaka district, Masvingo province, was stabbed on 26 August at
Zaka service centre. It is suspected that the attack is related to recent
judgements Gwaka has made on political parties. He is presently receiving
medical attention in hospital in Zaka.
"The recent arrest of Dr Lovemore, the bombing of the office of the VOP and
the assaults on magistrates is evidence of a clampdown on critics of the
government as the September elections draw nearer," Amnesty International
said.
"The attacks on the magistrates reflect on-going attempts on the part of
government authorities and state sponsored 'militia' to undermine the
judicial system and prevent court officials from executing their duties
impartially and professionally," the organisation added.
Background
Through its work with torture victims, Amani Trust has assisted women who
have been raped. The circumstances surrounding these rapes and other sexual
assaults indicated that they were politically motivated. Amnesty
International, in its report published in June 2002 entitled 'Zimbabwe: The
toll of impunity', expressed particular concern at the increasing number of
reports of rape and other forms of sexual torture by state-sponsored
'militia'.
The 'toll of impunity' also documented the undermining of the judiciary by
the government, which openly defied superior court rulings that contradicted
its policy as well as implementing a campaign of harassment of judges who
were executing their duties in an impartial and professional manner.
In the report, Amnesty International called for the repeal of those laws
such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act, (AIPPA) which do not conform with
international human rights standards. The POSA enacted in January 2002 and
the AIPPA, enacted in March 2002, have been used by Zimbabwean authorities
to curtail civil liberties, particularly the freedoms of expression and
assembly, and create a negative human rights climate.
News24
Zim 'ready to defend itself'
Harare - Zimbabwe's defence minister has said the country is ready to defend
itself against invasions by western countries, including former colonial
power Britain, a newspaper reported on Monday.
"We are aware of the British government's plots to re-colonise the country
and reverse the gains of the liberation struggle but I am quite sure that
patriotic Zimbabweans will stand up and resist the Western powers' moves,"
Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi told the official Herald.
"The constitutional responsibility of my ministry is to defend the
territorial integrity of Zimbabwe and that the Zimbabwe National Army will
do," he added.
Last week Britain's Daily Telegraph quoted an unnamed military official as
saying Britain might be forced to intervene militarily if its nationals in
Zimbabwe, who include white farmers, are attacked.
Sekeramayi told the Herald that conditions in Zimbabwe did not warrant
intervention from the United Nations or any country. He said the country's
problems were "domestic" and could be resolved by itself.
He said that President Robert Mugabe's government would not stop anyone
leaving the country.
Last week Britain's Foreign Office said Britain had contingency plans to
evacuate an estimated 20 000 of its nationals from Zimbabwe. It said it had
similar plans for other "global hotspots".
Zimbabwe is currently in the throes of a turbulent land reform programme, in
which formerly white-owned farms have been acquired for resettlement by
landless blacks.
The programme has been condemned by Britain and several other western
countries. - Sapa-AFP
News24
Youths, war vets wipe out game
Lizel Steenkamp
Johannesburg - As much as 60% of the game in Zimbabwe, including "hundreds
of elephants", rhinoceroses, cheetahs and 30 000 antelope, have been hunted,
butchered and wiped out at game farms and reserves in the country since
March this year.
The slaughter is so severe that it is feared that endangered species such as
wild dogs and cheetahs have already become extinct.
"The wild dogs are all dead. Animals like cheetahs are long gone, and 50% of
our black rhinos have been wiped out. Even pythons - up to four a day - are
slaughtered and eaten in reserves," Johnny Rodrigues, chairperson of the
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF), said after a protest march on
Sunday.
Rodrigues is in South Africa to present a shock dossier on the extermination
of game in Zimbabwe "to every single country at the World Summit for
Sustainable Development that wants to listen". The ZCTF estimates that $45m
worth of game has already been exterminated.
Rodrigues said the Zimbabwean defence force was being sent to game farms to
kill indiscriminately.
"They shoot all antelopes and send the meat to their troops in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"Even the police are involved. They mow down the animals with machine guns
and take the meat to butcheries.
Some of the meat is allegedly processed in butcheries and sold in shops,
some is sold on the black market, and the rest is eaten by the plunderers.
"Of the massive herds of buffalo that we had previously, there is about
nothing left."
Rodrigues showed a Zanu-PF permit issued to, among others, war veterans and
young party supporters on April 25 this year, to Beeld.
The document, stamped by the national police, indicates how many of each
species of antelope may be hunted on each farm, and requests the owner to
"please assist the Zanu-PF youth".
Since the re-election of president Robert Mugabe in March, 30 000 antelope
such as duiker, kudu and eland had been wiped out on game farms, Rodrigues
alleged.
He said Fountain Safaris, a game farm near Bulawayo, had been destroyed.
"There is nothing left of the approximately 70 game farms. The 19 reserves
are all gone. Only about 14 national parks still have animals, but hungry
poachers also severely plunder the game there."
A ZCTF investigating team has ascertained that tons of ivory is being
exported to Asia. "Hundreds of elephants have been shot and killed since the
election and their tusks exported. It is an organised business, and
government officials and the police are involved. The lions are exported to
Abuja in Nigeria."
Monday September 2, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"SAVE ZIMBABWE" CAMPAIGN SLAMS MUGABE "SPEECH OF SHEER EVIL"
The "Save Zimbabwe" campaign today described the comments made by Robert
Mugabe
at the World Summit on Sustainable Development as "a speech of sheer evil".
The Campaign's Chief Spokesman, Ephraim Tapa said "Mr Mugabe has justified
his
murderous actions in the language of crude xenophobia and racial hatred. But
we tell Mr Mugabe this : the people of Zimbabwe have seen through him. Six
million
Zimbabweans face starvation today. We know that this is not the result of
actions
by evil nations of the North. It is not the result of actions by a few
thousand
white farmers. It is the result of the desperate, savage and incompetent
actions
of his regime which is deperate to cling onto power.
Mr Mugabe likes to portray his opponents as white colonial oppressors. But
as
a black Zimbabwean, I can tell him that his most passionate critics are not
foreigners
; they are the millions of victims of his regime within his own country.
His speech today was a speech of sheer evil. He was attempting to pander to
the
basest instincts of his audience, stirring the embers of racial hatred, and
casting
around for a scapegoat, any scapegoat, to blame for the disasters he has
inflicted
on his country.
Time is running out for Mr Mugabe. The people of Zimbabwe are beginning to
be
heard. The pretence that he is engaged in some noble battle against the
white
oppressor looks more threadbare every day. Mr Mugabe is engaged in a
battle,
but it is a battle against the people of Zimbabwe - both black and white -
whom
he has deprived of democracy, driven to starvation, murdered and intimidated
merely to maintain this old man's corrupt grip on power.
To any who applauded him today, I would say 'you were applauding a tyrant; a
man with the blood of Africans on his hands. Now it is time for you to help
end
this betrayal of the Zimbabwean people' "
ENDS
Issued by the Save Zimbabwe Campaign
For Further information
Please contact Terence Fane-Saunders (020) 7939 7939
Helen Campbell ph: 07768 283 145
http://www.rumormillnews.com/
Understanding Mugabe's mind
Posted By: JanL <pbs@iafrica.com>
Date: Sunday, 1 September 2002, 3:51 p.m.
Robert Mugabe's actions mystify a lot of people - even here in Africa. And
yet, when I
wrote Government by Deception I went to great lengths to explain to people
what motivates him and the other Marxists on our subcontinent and how
things look from
their perspective.
People continuously think Mugabe is a fool. He is nothing of the kind. He
is much cleverer
than people give him credit for. Once you understand Mugabe, you will see
how truly evil
this man really is. This man may kill countless numbers of black people
just to get rid
of a few thousand whites.
Let me quote from Chapter 2 of Government by Deception:
"A few years ago, Ian Smith, the last white ruler of Rhodesia, gave a
speech in England
wherein he mentioned a discussion he once had with a black politician in
Mugabe's government.
During the liberation war the young black recruits were taken to Cuba,
Russia, China, Libya,
Bulgaria or some other Russian ally for training. Part of their training
required that they be
politically indoctrinated. They were taught about the wonders of communism
since they were going
to be its missionaries. This black politician then told Smith of their
first impressions of
communism. He said the blacks were taken to Cuba and shown communism
there. They were taken to
Russia and also shown how it worked there. The blacks were not impressed.
But then the
Russians said to them "with this system, you can remain in power forever."
This clinched the deal for them - now they were fervent advocates of the
system.
They could see the advantages of communism for themselves. This is what
communism is really
all about. It is about giving power to the very people who are least fit
to have it, namely,
the power hungry."
Their lust for power is not however the full story. You need to understand
how they apply it
and how they think. Then you will see that all of Mugabe's actions make
perfect sense. He
knows exactly what he is doing.
Let me start out by saying that Mugabe is not some lone crony out there
just doing his wild
thing with all the world against him. No, this man is a hero. He is the
black leader with the
most balls, and he is doing things which many admire quietly but would
never dare say. Make
no mistake, many black Marxists, especially those in southern Africa,
admire this guy because
he is not only sorting out the pesky whites, but because he has the balls
to stand up to the
whole world. If Mugabe was really #####ing off the other black countries
then they could
easily destroy him. Zimbabwe is dependant upon a link to the sea via
Mozambique and South
Africa. If these two countries were against him they could block his oil
and imports and
exports and put him out of business in about a week. The vulnerability of
Zimbabwe and other
landlocked countries inside Africa are well-known. There is no rail link
to Namibia, nor Angola,
etc. The Chinese tried to build a railway link to Tanzania many years ago,
but it has always been
problematic. The only truly viable rail and road links are to South Africa
and Mozambique. Cut
off those routes and Zimbabwe will run out of fuel in a matter of days.
Many years ago, even
under Apartheid, many of Zimbabwe's trains were actually drawn by diesel
engines from South
African railways. South Africa alone, has a complete stranglehold on
Zimbabwe. Just one order
from Government here and the borders can be closed and Mugabe is finished.
But that will never
happen. Militarily, Mugabe is relatively powerful in the region, but even
so, South Africa and
Botswana (which is well off), have a lot power. But once more, no military
intervention is
ever likely to occur.
Sam Nujoma of Namibia, wishes he could do what Mugabe is doing, and this
land issue is
brewing there too. The land issue is of course trickiest in South Africa.
Here, given enough
impetus it could explode into a war. The African National Congress [ANC],
here in South Africa
is very quiet about Mugabe. As I write this, he is actually here in
Sandton for the World
Summit on Sustainable Development and he is expected to speak this week.
Strangely, somebody
did a "Rent-a-Crowd" exercise, and there was a huge crowd of pro-Mugabe
supporters demonstrating
here in South Africa!! This is quite bizarre because the many millions of
ex-Zimbabwean blacks
here are actually virulently anti-Mugabe.
Let me explain how Mugabe sees this problem. I have watched people like
him much of my life and
I believe I understand how they think, and why they do what they do -
which will absolutely
mystify most people - especially Liberals (who tend to take everything at
face value).
Mugabe is at war. Yes, this is a fact. Most people don't realise this.
Since 2000, his supporters
have been wearing T-shirts inscribed with the words "The Third
Chimurenga". What is a Chimurenga?
It is a word meaning "war". In Zimbabwean history there were two
Chimurenga's. The first was
the Matabele rebellion of 1897 against the whites. The second Chimurenga
was the war of the
1970's which brough Mugabe to power. Ever since 2000, Mugabe has been
talking of "going back to
the trenches" and "fighting Ian Smith", etc, etc. So even though the world
regards Mugabe as a joke,
and even though the MDC inside the country refuse to take up arms against
him, he is actually at
war. Hence, he is using terrorism, torture, etc in his efforts to subdue
the black MDC opposition.
But this concept of war goes even further. Even in times of peace, after
we whites had handed
over power, there was a war - but it was a war in the minds of the black
Marxists we handed over
to. That war is a war to remove us whites from society and to break our
power. It has been a
largely unsuccessful war, but it is a "war" played by psychological means.
Let me explain it
this way. Whites maintained economic power to a very large degree in
Zimbabwe, Namibia and
South Africa. Mugabe was content as long as the whites stayed out of
politics. But then the
blacks became more and more disillusioned with his rule. Remember, back in
1980, Mugabe had
promised the blacks that by the year 2000, they would have FREE houses,
FREE schools and
FREE education. By 2000, they had none of the above and they were worse
off than before. Many
were saying white rule was better, and many now trusted the whites more
than before. Mugabe has
always had a big intelligence organisation. He has spies everywhere. It is
only once you live
inside Zimbabwe and speak to people that you realise what tight control
this man has. Mugabe
claims the whites helped create the MDC [Movement for Democratic Change],
and that they funded
it, etc. He is partially correct. It is a black controlled organisation.
However, he is right
when he says a lot of whites were involved in helping it come into
existence. He knows this
because of his intelligence services. So he is not dreaming. This is quite
correct.
The shock Mugabe got when he lost the referendum of 2000 caused him to
decide to destroy
not only the MDC but the whites too - especially the white farmers. The
white farmers
employ about 400,000 blacks, and these farmers have the trust of a lot of
black people. Mugabe
knows these farmers said to the blacks "If you don't like Mugabe then use
your vote and vote
him out." Mugabe knows this. That is why he has it in for the farmers.
He needs to break the moral influence the farmers have over the blacks. In
his mind, the blacks
who are friendly to the whites are traitors. He sees them as disloyal,
hence he needs to put
them into re-education camps to beat or brainwash them into supporting
him. That is why
intimidation is rife and why he is prepared to send thugs to kill blacks.
He views these
blacks as being guilty of treason and hence he is using the utmost force
against them even
to the point of having many killed.
Now let's get into the really ominous stuff. Why did Mugabe hand over 190
recently aquired
farms to his political and military buddies? Well, that is because Mugabe
is ensuring their
loyalty. Mugabe has been rewarding politicians, journalists and military
people who support him
with farms he aquired. Since 2000, he has given Government and Military
officials huge pay
increases of up to 70% and 100%. Mugabe is making sure that all his people
are loyal to him. He
is laying the groundwork for something really vicious.
Recently, Mugabe was addressing troops who returned from the war in the
DRC [formerly Zaire].
He told them that the whites were behind the MDC. He promised to reward
them for their services.
In 2000, Mugabe ordered 21,000 AK47's from Russia on short notice and he
ordered $72 million
worth of equipment including tanks and anti-personnel weaponry from China.
He recently ordered
anti-riot equipment from Israel.
Recently, Mugabe reshuffled his cabinet. He fired Timothy Stamps, the
Minister of Health and
the only white person in his cabinet. He also fired his Minister of
Finance. The Minister of
Finance had not been in full support of him. He referred to his new
cabinet as his "War Cabinet" -
which is another indication of what is on his mind. Clearly, this was a
bloodless, high-level
purge of any potentially disloyal people around him as he battens down the
hatches for
the troubles which may lie ahead.
Mugabe has been working hard preparing for civil uprisings against him by
the blacks. Mugabe
knows that the disaffected portion of the black population are against
him. He knows he cannot
offer them anything constructive. Mugabe is sitting with a deilema. He
knows that if he tries
to fix the country properly it will require investment, entrepreneurship,
etc and that will
without a doubt benefit the whites who control a lot of the economy. He
knows the blacks are
not skilled enough, nor in a position to just replace the whites. But it
is of the utmost
importance for him to get rid of the whites, especially the white farmers
because of their
friendship with the blacks and because they can help the MDC. So he needs
to destroy the power
of the white farmers first, and the white and Indian businesses secondly.
Then he has the
blacks within his grip. But now the blacks won't be able to feed
themselves. Mugabe has probably
already decided to kill all the MDC supporters. I saw a news report
recently which mentioned
that Mugabe might actually want to kill half of the black population to
bring it down to about
6 million. 6 million blacks will be able to support themselves using
traditional (wasteful)
slash-and-burn methods. Mugabe will see to it that the resources of the
state are used to
keep as many of his supporters alive, while deliberately starving the
opposition to death.
It is important to understand that these black Marxists have always viewed
economic power
in white hands as a problem. This is true even here in South Africa. In
their minds, everything
is a battle, and anything in our hands is something which can be used
against them. Hence,
they need to either take it from us, or get us to hand it over to them
peacefully (Affirmative
Action or Black Empowerment), or, at worst, they must destroy it so that
we cannot be a threat.
This is the stage where Mugabe is at. If he can't take it and use it for
his own ends, then he
must at least destroy it so that the whites don't have the power in their
hands. He has to
destroy the power of the white farmers - even if it means the death of
millions of blacks. He will
lie to the blacks and tell them everything will be fine and rosy so that
they will go along
with it. If they realise they are participating in a mass murder, or in
their own suicide they
won't do it. So he reassures them. Then off go the "War Vets" to destroy
farms - set crops on
fire, etc.
The only people who will survive this will be Mugabe loyalists. The real
question which has
been weighing on my mind for most of this year has been when will the
blacks finally get
tired of the hardship and rebel? Mugabe's terror and food restriction
campaign seem to be
designed to hurt the blacks so much that they are too terrified to
actively resist him.
Hence the ongoing beating, indoctrination and more recently the mass rape
campaigns. The
question is, will the blacks remain in a corner cowering, or will sheer
desperation cause
them to take the law into their own hands? I must pause on this note for a
short digression.
Every now and again I happen on a forum where Americans and others are
discussing Zimbabwe.
On a number of occassions I have seen some liberal stating that Mugabe is
now "as bad or
worse than Ian Smith was". This is a total and utter lie of the worst
degree. There is nothing
in the colonial history of Rhodesia which comes even vaguely close to what
is going on there
now. What Mugabe is doing now is thousands of times worse than anything
the whites ever did.
Let us return to the question of whether Mugabe can successfully keep the
black population
down while starving them to death. I would think that there must surely be
a point where
starvation and suffering will be so bad that even certain death at the
hands of his troops
will no longer be a deterrent. It remains to be seen if Mugabe, who is
extremely well-versed
in the use of terror can manage to keep the population subdued as he
slowly starves them to
death. I think most of us doubt he can manage it indefinitely. A black
political analyst in
Zimbabwe said recently that he expects civil unrest by about
October-November. Recently we
had news reports of British military activity in preparation for
evacuating the whites. This
clearly shows that analysts have done some studying and they know serious
trouble is coming.
Mugabe has been preparing for this for a long time.
Is it possible for a ruler to survive a massive popular uprising? Well,
normally not, but I think
Mugabe's super-ruthless tactics put him in a very powerful position where
he might just pull off
the impossible. He is pro-active, and he is even refusing certain grain
donations like for example
the "Genetically Modified Corn" from the USA. Food is his secret weapon.
By cutting off food
supplies he can start killing large numbers of people on short notice. If
anyone still has the
balls to rebel, or has the strength to, he can send in the army to mow
them down. Failing that,
he can starve people to death selectively or at least force them to flee
the country while they
still have the strength. Either way, it means he stays and he wins!
Understand this, while Mugabe is busy killing, his neighbours will sit
quietly by going
"tut tut" but nobody will do anything of substance (a sure sign of their
tacit approval).
Both the President of South Africa, Mbeki, and Mugabe himself have said
that one nation must not
interfere in another's internal affairs! Cute eh? By way of a quiet tacit
agreement on the part
of all these African rulers, blacks in Zimbabwe may be doomed to mass
murder in the coming
months.
There is one other possibility, as these people face Mugabe's wrath on the
one hand versus
certain death on the other, they may flee. They may make a run for the
borders,
especially the South African border. It has been said for quite some time
that millions might
head for South Africa (where we may bear the brunt of a humanitarian
crisis).
Mugabe's long term aim, regardless of the tactics he uses is to ensure
that his political
party remains in power forever! Yep, power forever
is the name of the game in the politics of southern Africa - not just for
Zimbabwe, but also
for Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and of course... South Africa!
A final note, this week, on www.Etherzone.com, on tuesday, you will see an
article of mine
about the British SAS and paratroopers who are laying plans for the
evacuation of the whites
from Zimbabwe... This would have been a great time to arm the blacks to
overthrow Mugabe.
Too bad nobody in the Western world wants to do it. So instead, we may be
treated to watching
whites flee and blacks dying. Disgusting eh? Stay tuned...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
I leave you with this final thought: The Worst thing a conservative can
do, is to keep
quiet. That is a recipe for certain defeat. The only hope for conservatism
is for us to
speak out much more loudly and to counter the many lies put out by our
enemies.
Mugabe attack branded 'disgraceful'
A leading
MP has accused Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe of being "childish and
delusional" in his attack on Tony Blair.
President Mugabe used his speech at the World Summit on Sustainable Development to launch a stinging attack on the UK government.
 None of us should be distracted by the delusions of
demagogues like Mugabe  |
|
Tony Baldry Conservative MP |
The summit feud comes against the background of British criticism of the land reform programme in Zimbabwe, which has seen many white farmers lose their land.
'No distractions'
President Mugabe defended that policy, insisting farmers were only being prevented from owning more than one farm.
In a stark message to Mr Blair, he said: "Keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe."
The UK prime minister has been criticised by Conservatives for not denouncing President Mugabe in his own speech.
|
|
But responding to criticism from the Namibian president Sam Nujoma, of UK policy towards Zimbabwe, the prime minister said President Nujoma was "defending the utterly indefensible".
Mr Baldry, who is in Johannesburg for the summit himself, was quick to hit back at Mr Mugabe's remarks.
'Ungrateful'
"President Mugabe had not a single word to say about the six million people in Zimbabwe threatened at the moment by famine," said the MP.
"He had a not a single word of thanks to the international community who notwithstanding their concern about Mugabe's policies, are rushing to send millions of tonnes of humanitarian food aid to help feed those in Zimbabwe threatened by starvation."
Mr Baldry labelled the taunts against Tony Blair as "childish" but said other African leaders were taking a different line.
"None of us should be distracted by the delusions of demagogues like Mugabe," said Mr Baldry.
"The vast majority of African leaders want to work in sensible partnership with the rest of the world to lift Africa out of poverty."
Tory criticism
Mr Blair was not in the conference hall for President Mugabe's attack.
Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said: "The nearest the prime minister came to addressing the horrors of Zimbabwe was to refer, in Mozambique, to Mugabe's 'incompetence, mismanagement and corruption'.
"Those who are being persecuted, tortured, raped, murdered and deliberately starved will find little recognition in these mealy mouthed words," he said.
Downing Street has stressed the need to keep the summit focus on Zimbabwe.
However, before the conference, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that Zimbabwe was a "self-made pariah, not a colonial victim".
News24
Future looks bleak for hungry Zimbabweans
September 02 2002 at 12:40PM
Harare - The crop growing season in Zimbabwe's fertile, well-watered
northern highveld started on Sunday and was marked by the lighting of bush
fires that blackened the countryside of Tsatsi.
On Ruorka farm, abandoned by its owner 18 months ago when scores of
squatters invaded, the weed-strewn fields were deserted. On one, a woman
searched for mice to eat.
"We would be planting tobacco here now," said Richard Galloway, 41, who two
weeks ago was driven off his farm next door.
"All of this should have been prepared for planting a long time ago. There
is nothing happening here now."
'All of this should have been prepared for planting a long time ago'
Saturday was the deadline set by President Robert Mugabe for the "successful
conclusion" of his campaign to seize white-owned land and to hand it over to
black Zimbabweans.
By Saturday, he said recently, 300 000 peasant farmers and 54 000
"indigenous (black) emergent commercial farmers" would be on their new land,
supplied with loans, seed and fertiliser and be ready to start the cropping
season.
He added that they would probably out-produce the white farmers.
In previous years, all the farms in the district would be covered in dust
from the tractors finishing their last preparations, while dozens of workers
cultivated the evenly ploughed fields.
However, there were only two small areas the size of a tennis court ploughed
on the 2 500ha Ruorka.
Ruorka has about 50 peasant families on it, while the neighbouring farm has
been earmarked for about eight new "indigenous" farmers. On one of its
fields is a broad stand of knee-high wheat with swelling green ears and
ready to be reaped by its new farmer.
"It was planted, fertilised and irrigated by the previous owner," said
Galloway. "It was part of a deal to let him grade his tobacco and reap his
citrus while the new settler moved on. The settler would take his wheat.
"He was kicked off last week. His pumps, sprays and piping were all
commandeered. To try and get it off would be life-threatening." Galloway
added.
"The settlers have just moved in," he said. They had already ploughed a
small patch near the homestead. "That used to be a block of specialised rye
grass for pasture for pedigree bulls. The owner was a brilliant farmer. This
guy might get three bags of maize from it," he said.
Mugabe has listed a total of 5 894 white-owned farms for seizure out of a
total of about 6 000, covering an area of 11 million ha, about 28 percent of
the area of the country. Over 3 000 of the owners were issued with eviction
orders, most of which expired early last month. Authorities are issuing
fresh eviction orders every day, said Jerry Grant, deputy director of the
Commercial Farmers' Union.
Mugabe has scorned criticism from the rest of the world that the
state-backed invasions of white-owned farms that began in February 2000 are
a reckless, racist land grab that will destroy an agricultural sector whose
surplus output for decades has rescued other African countries from
starvation.
The government admitted last month that only half of the 54 000 "emergent"
commercial farmers had bothered to take up farms allocated to them. Banks
have refused to lend money to squatters with no collateral to offer and no
track record as farmers. - Sapa
Amnesty International
Zimbabwe: Government authorities intensify their campaign to silence dissent
As local council elections approach in September, Amnesty International is
deeply concerned that the Zimbabwean authorities are intensifying harassment
of human rights organisations, the independent media and the judiciary.
On 29 August, Dr. Frances Lovemore, Medical Director of Amani Trust, a
leading human rights NGO in Zimbabwe, was arrested in Harare. Dr. Lovemore
and charged with "publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial
to the state". The charge apparently stems from recent press reports which
referred to Amani Trust's work with victims of torture and politically
motivated rape in Zimbabwe. Dr. Lovemore was quoted in the Daily Telegraph
(UK) on 25 August 2002 as saying "Mugabe men use rape as revenge". She was
released on 30 August, and all charges against her dropped due to
insufficient evidence.
"Amnesty International views the arrest of Dr Lovemore as an attempt to
intimidate a human rights defender. The international community should take
every step to support the work of Zimbabwean human rights NGOs which place
themselves at risk in documenting cases of human rights violations and in
treating victims".
Also on 29 August, the Harare office of Voice of the People (VOP), one of
Zimbabwe's two independent broadcasting organisations was bombed in the
middle of the night. No one was injured but damage to the building was
extensive. No one has claimed official responsibility for the attack. Voice
of the People has managed to operate despite restrictive media laws passed
in 2002, by transmitting to Zimbabwe from the Netherlands via shortwave.
The government has also stepped up its harassment of the judiciary, as
witnessed by several recent attacks on magistrates. On 16 August 2002 in the
eastern town of Chipinge, Manicaland province, district magistrate Walter
Chikwanha was reportedly dragged from his courtroom by suspected war
veterans and assaulted at the government complex. No one has been arrested
in connection with the attack which is alleged to be in response to
Chikwanha's dismissal of an application by the State to remand in custody
five MDC officials who along with two others, were accused of burning two
government tractors in Chipinge.
Following their release, the five were re-arrested, but Chikwanha refused to
place them in custody on the basis that the State did not have sufficient
evidence to warrant their detention.
Just over a week after the attack on Chikwanha, Godfrey Gwaka, the
magistrate for Zaka district, Masvingo province, was stabbed on 26 August at
Zaka service centre. It is suspected that the attack is related to recent
judgements Gwaka has made on political parties. He is presently receiving
medical attention in hospital in Zaka.
"The recent arrest of Dr Lovemore, the bombing of the office of the VOP and
the assaults on magistrates is evidence of a clampdown on critics of the
government as the September elections draw nearer," Amnesty International
said.
"The attacks on the magistrates reflect on-going attempts on the part of
government authorities and state sponsored 'militia' to undermine the
judicial system and prevent court officials from executing their duties
impartially and professionally," the organisation added.
Background
Through its work with torture victims, Amani Trust has assisted women who
have been raped. The circumstances surrounding these rapes and other sexual
assaults indicated that they were politically motivated. Amnesty
International, in its report published in June 2002 entitled 'Zimbabwe: The
toll of impunity', expressed particular concern at the increasing number of
reports of rape and other forms of sexual torture by state-sponsored
'militia'.
The 'toll of impunity' also documented the undermining of the judiciary by
the government, which openly defied superior court rulings that contradicted
its policy as well as implementing a campaign of harassment of judges who
were executing their duties in an impartial and professional manner.
In the report, Amnesty International called for the repeal of those laws
such as the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act, (AIPPA) which do not conform with
international human rights standards. The POSA enacted in January 2002 and
the AIPPA, enacted in March 2002, have been used by Zimbabwean authorities
to curtail civil liberties, particularly the freedoms of expression and
assembly, and create a negative human rights climate.
News24
Zim 'ready to defend itself'
Harare - Zimbabwe's defence minister has said the country is ready to defend
itself against invasions by western countries, including former colonial
power Britain, a newspaper reported on Monday.
"We are aware of the British government's plots to re-colonise the country
and reverse the gains of the liberation struggle but I am quite sure that
patriotic Zimbabweans will stand up and resist the Western powers' moves,"
Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi told the official Herald.
"The constitutional responsibility of my ministry is to defend the
territorial integrity of Zimbabwe and that the Zimbabwe National Army will
do," he added.
Last week Britain's Daily Telegraph quoted an unnamed military official as
saying Britain might be forced to intervene militarily if its nationals in
Zimbabwe, who include white farmers, are attacked.
Sekeramayi told the Herald that conditions in Zimbabwe did not warrant
intervention from the United Nations or any country. He said the country's
problems were "domestic" and could be resolved by itself.
He said that President Robert Mugabe's government would not stop anyone
leaving the country.
Last week Britain's Foreign Office said Britain had contingency plans to
evacuate an estimated 20 000 of its nationals from Zimbabwe. It said it had
similar plans for other "global hotspots".
Zimbabwe is currently in the throes of a turbulent land reform programme, in
which formerly white-owned farms have been acquired for resettlement by
landless blacks.
The programme has been condemned by Britain and several other western
countries. - Sapa-AFP
News24
Youths, war vets wipe out game
Lizel Steenkamp
Johannesburg - As much as 60% of the game in Zimbabwe, including "hundreds
of elephants", rhinoceroses, cheetahs and 30 000 antelope, have been hunted,
butchered and wiped out at game farms and reserves in the country since
March this year.
The slaughter is so severe that it is feared that endangered species such as
wild dogs and cheetahs have already become extinct.
"The wild dogs are all dead. Animals like cheetahs are long gone, and 50% of
our black rhinos have been wiped out. Even pythons - up to four a day - are
slaughtered and eaten in reserves," Johnny Rodrigues, chairperson of the
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF), said after a protest march on
Sunday.
Rodrigues is in South Africa to present a shock dossier on the extermination
of game in Zimbabwe "to every single country at the World Summit for
Sustainable Development that wants to listen". The ZCTF estimates that $45m
worth of game has already been exterminated.
Rodrigues said the Zimbabwean defence force was being sent to game farms to
kill indiscriminately.
"They shoot all antelopes and send the meat to their troops in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"Even the police are involved. They mow down the animals with machine guns
and take the meat to butcheries.
Some of the meat is allegedly processed in butcheries and sold in shops,
some is sold on the black market, and the rest is eaten by the plunderers.
"Of the massive herds of buffalo that we had previously, there is about
nothing left."
Rodrigues showed a Zanu-PF permit issued to, among others, war veterans and
young party supporters on April 25 this year, to Beeld.
The document, stamped by the national police, indicates how many of each
species of antelope may be hunted on each farm, and requests the owner to
"please assist the Zanu-PF youth".
Since the re-election of president Robert Mugabe in March, 30 000 antelope
such as duiker, kudu and eland had been wiped out on game farms, Rodrigues
alleged.
He said Fountain Safaris, a game farm near Bulawayo, had been destroyed.
"There is nothing left of the approximately 70 game farms. The 19 reserves
are all gone. Only about 14 national parks still have animals, but hungry
poachers also severely plunder the game there."
A ZCTF investigating team has ascertained that tons of ivory is being
exported to Asia. "Hundreds of elephants have been shot and killed since the
election and their tusks exported. It is an organised business, and
government officials and the police are involved. The lions are exported to
Abuja in Nigeria."
Monday September 2, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"SAVE ZIMBABWE" CAMPAIGN SLAMS MUGABE "SPEECH OF SHEER EVIL"
The "Save Zimbabwe" campaign today described the comments made by Robert
Mugabe
at the World Summit on Sustainable Development as "a speech of sheer evil".
The Campaign's Chief Spokesman, Ephraim Tapa said "Mr Mugabe has justified
his
murderous actions in the language of crude xenophobia and racial hatred. But
we tell Mr Mugabe this : the people of Zimbabwe have seen through him. Six
million
Zimbabweans face starvation today. We know that this is not the result of
actions
by evil nations of the North. It is not the result of actions by a few
thousand
white farmers. It is the result of the desperate, savage and incompetent
actions
of his regime which is deperate to cling onto power.
Mr Mugabe likes to portray his opponents as white colonial oppressors. But
as
a black Zimbabwean, I can tell him that his most passionate critics are not
foreigners
; they are the millions of victims of his regime within his own country.
His speech today was a speech of sheer evil. He was attempting to pander to
the
basest instincts of his audience, stirring the embers of racial hatred, and
casting
around for a scapegoat, any scapegoat, to blame for the disasters he has
inflicted
on his country.
Time is running out for Mr Mugabe. The people of Zimbabwe are beginning to
be
heard. The pretence that he is engaged in some noble battle against the
white
oppressor looks more threadbare every day. Mr Mugabe is engaged in a
battle,
but it is a battle against the people of Zimbabwe - both black and white -
whom
he has deprived of democracy, driven to starvation, murdered and intimidated
merely to maintain this old man's corrupt grip on power.
To any who applauded him today, I would say 'you were applauding a tyrant; a
man with the blood of Africans on his hands. Now it is time for you to help
end
this betrayal of the Zimbabwean people' "
ENDS
Issued by the Save Zimbabwe Campaign
For Further information
Please contact Terence Fane-Saunders (020) 7939 7939
Helen Campbell ph: 07768 283 145
http://www.rumormillnews.com/
Understanding Mugabe's mind
Posted By: JanL <pbs@iafrica.com>
Date: Sunday, 1 September 2002, 3:51 p.m.
Robert Mugabe's actions mystify a lot of people - even here in Africa. And
yet, when I
wrote Government by Deception I went to great lengths to explain to people
what motivates him and the other Marxists on our subcontinent and how
things look from
their perspective.
People continuously think Mugabe is a fool. He is nothing of the kind. He
is much cleverer
than people give him credit for. Once you understand Mugabe, you will see
how truly evil
this man really is. This man may kill countless numbers of black people
just to get rid
of a few thousand whites.
Let me quote from Chapter 2 of Government by Deception:
"A few years ago, Ian Smith, the last white ruler of Rhodesia, gave a
speech in England
wherein he mentioned a discussion he once had with a black politician in
Mugabe's government.
During the liberation war the young black recruits were taken to Cuba,
Russia, China, Libya,
Bulgaria or some other Russian ally for training. Part of their training
required that they be
politically indoctrinated. They were taught about the wonders of communism
since they were going
to be its missionaries. This black politician then told Smith of their
first impressions of
communism. He said the blacks were taken to Cuba and shown communism
there. They were taken to
Russia and also shown how it worked there. The blacks were not impressed.
But then the
Russians said to them "with this system, you can remain in power forever."
This clinched the deal for them - now they were fervent advocates of the
system.
They could see the advantages of communism for themselves. This is what
communism is really
all about. It is about giving power to the very people who are least fit
to have it, namely,
the power hungry."
Their lust for power is not however the full story. You need to understand
how they apply it
and how they think. Then you will see that all of Mugabe's actions make
perfect sense. He
knows exactly what he is doing.
Let me start out by saying that Mugabe is not some lone crony out there
just doing his wild
thing with all the world against him. No, this man is a hero. He is the
black leader with the
most balls, and he is doing things which many admire quietly but would
never dare say. Make
no mistake, many black Marxists, especially those in southern Africa,
admire this guy because
he is not only sorting out the pesky whites, but because he has the balls
to stand up to the
whole world. If Mugabe was really #####ing off the other black countries
then they could
easily destroy him. Zimbabwe is dependant upon a link to the sea via
Mozambique and South
Africa. If these two countries were against him they could block his oil
and imports and
exports and put him out of business in about a week. The vulnerability of
Zimbabwe and other
landlocked countries inside Africa are well-known. There is no rail link
to Namibia, nor Angola,
etc. The Chinese tried to build a railway link to Tanzania many years ago,
but it has always been
problematic. The only truly viable rail and road links are to South Africa
and Mozambique. Cut
off those routes and Zimbabwe will run out of fuel in a matter of days.
Many years ago, even
under Apartheid, many of Zimbabwe's trains were actually drawn by diesel
engines from South
African railways. South Africa alone, has a complete stranglehold on
Zimbabwe. Just one order
from Government here and the borders can be closed and Mugabe is finished.
But that will never
happen. Militarily, Mugabe is relatively powerful in the region, but even
so, South Africa and
Botswana (which is well off), have a lot power. But once more, no military
intervention is
ever likely to occur.
Sam Nujoma of Namibia, wishes he could do what Mugabe is doing, and this
land issue is
brewing there too. The land issue is of course trickiest in South Africa.
Here, given enough
impetus it could explode into a war. The African National Congress [ANC],
here in South Africa
is very quiet about Mugabe. As I write this, he is actually here in
Sandton for the World
Summit on Sustainable Development and he is expected to speak this week.
Strangely, somebody
did a "Rent-a-Crowd" exercise, and there was a huge crowd of pro-Mugabe
supporters demonstrating
here in South Africa!! This is quite bizarre because the many millions of
ex-Zimbabwean blacks
here are actually virulently anti-Mugabe.
Let me explain how Mugabe sees this problem. I have watched people like
him much of my life and
I believe I understand how they think, and why they do what they do -
which will absolutely
mystify most people - especially Liberals (who tend to take everything at
face value).
Mugabe is at war. Yes, this is a fact. Most people don't realise this.
Since 2000, his supporters
have been wearing T-shirts inscribed with the words "The Third
Chimurenga". What is a Chimurenga?
It is a word meaning "war". In Zimbabwean history there were two
Chimurenga's. The first was
the Matabele rebellion of 1897 against the whites. The second Chimurenga
was the war of the
1970's which brough Mugabe to power. Ever since 2000, Mugabe has been
talking of "going back to
the trenches" and "fighting Ian Smith", etc, etc. So even though the world
regards Mugabe as a joke,
and even though the MDC inside the country refuse to take up arms against
him, he is actually at
war. Hence, he is using terrorism, torture, etc in his efforts to subdue
the black MDC opposition.
But this concept of war goes even further. Even in times of peace, after
we whites had handed
over power, there was a war - but it was a war in the minds of the black
Marxists we handed over
to. That war is a war to remove us whites from society and to break our
power. It has been a
largely unsuccessful war, but it is a "war" played by psychological means.
Let me explain it
this way. Whites maintained economic power to a very large degree in
Zimbabwe, Namibia and
South Africa. Mugabe was content as long as the whites stayed out of
politics. But then the
blacks became more and more disillusioned with his rule. Remember, back in
1980, Mugabe had
promised the blacks that by the year 2000, they would have FREE houses,
FREE schools and
FREE education. By 2000, they had none of the above and they were worse
off than before. Many
were saying white rule was better, and many now trusted the whites more
than before. Mugabe has
always had a big intelligence organisation. He has spies everywhere. It is
only once you live
inside Zimbabwe and speak to people that you realise what tight control
this man has. Mugabe
claims the whites helped create the MDC [Movement for Democratic Change],
and that they funded
it, etc. He is partially correct. It is a black controlled organisation.
However, he is right
when he says a lot of whites were involved in helping it come into
existence. He knows this
because of his intelligence services. So he is not dreaming. This is quite
correct.
The shock Mugabe got when he lost the referendum of 2000 caused him to
decide to destroy
not only the MDC but the whites too - especially the white farmers. The
white farmers
employ about 400,000 blacks, and these farmers have the trust of a lot of
black people. Mugabe
knows these farmers said to the blacks "If you don't like Mugabe then use
your vote and vote
him out." Mugabe knows this. That is why he has it in for the farmers.
He needs to break the moral influence the farmers have over the blacks. In
his mind, the blacks
who are friendly to the whites are traitors. He sees them as disloyal,
hence he needs to put
them into re-education camps to beat or brainwash them into supporting
him. That is why
intimidation is rife and why he is prepared to send thugs to kill blacks.
He views these
blacks as being guilty of treason and hence he is using the utmost force
against them even
to the point of having many killed.
Now let's get into the really ominous stuff. Why did Mugabe hand over 190
recently aquired
farms to his political and military buddies? Well, that is because Mugabe
is ensuring their
loyalty. Mugabe has been rewarding politicians, journalists and military
people who support him
with farms he aquired. Since 2000, he has given Government and Military
officials huge pay
increases of up to 70% and 100%. Mugabe is making sure that all his people
are loyal to him. He
is laying the groundwork for something really vicious.
Recently, Mugabe was addressing troops who returned from the war in the
DRC [formerly Zaire].
He told them that the whites were behind the MDC. He promised to reward
them for their services.
In 2000, Mugabe ordered 21,000 AK47's from Russia on short notice and he
ordered $72 million
worth of equipment including tanks and anti-personnel weaponry from China.
He recently ordered
anti-riot equipment from Israel.
Recently, Mugabe reshuffled his cabinet. He fired Timothy Stamps, the
Minister of Health and
the only white person in his cabinet. He also fired his Minister of
Finance. The Minister of
Finance had not been in full support of him. He referred to his new
cabinet as his "War Cabinet" -
which is another indication of what is on his mind. Clearly, this was a
bloodless, high-level
purge of any potentially disloyal people around him as he battens down the
hatches for
the troubles which may lie ahead.
Mugabe has been working hard preparing for civil uprisings against him by
the blacks. Mugabe
knows that the disaffected portion of the black population are against
him. He knows he cannot
offer them anything constructive. Mugabe is sitting with a deilema. He
knows that if he tries
to fix the country properly it will require investment, entrepreneurship,
etc and that will
without a doubt benefit the whites who control a lot of the economy. He
knows the blacks are
not skilled enough, nor in a position to just replace the whites. But it
is of the utmost
importance for him to get rid of the whites, especially the white farmers
because of their
friendship with the blacks and because they can help the MDC. So he needs
to destroy the power
of the white farmers first, and the white and Indian businesses secondly.
Then he has the
blacks within his grip. But now the blacks won't be able to feed
themselves. Mugabe has probably
already decided to kill all the MDC supporters. I saw a news report
recently which mentioned
that Mugabe might actually want to kill half of the black population to
bring it down to about
6 million. 6 million blacks will be able to support themselves using
traditional (wasteful)
slash-and-burn methods. Mugabe will see to it that the resources of the
state are used to
keep as many of his supporters alive, while deliberately starving the
opposition to death.
It is important to understand that these black Marxists have always viewed
economic power
in white hands as a problem. This is true even here in South Africa. In
their minds, everything
is a battle, and anything in our hands is something which can be used
against them. Hence,
they need to either take it from us, or get us to hand it over to them
peacefully (Affirmative
Action or Black Empowerment), or, at worst, they must destroy it so that
we cannot be a threat.
This is the stage where Mugabe is at. If he can't take it and use it for
his own ends, then he
must at least destroy it so that the whites don't have the power in their
hands. He has to
destroy the power of the white farmers - even if it means the death of
millions of blacks. He will
lie to the blacks and tell them everything will be fine and rosy so that
they will go along
with it. If they realise they are participating in a mass murder, or in
their own suicide they
won't do it. So he reassures them. Then off go the "War Vets" to destroy
farms - set crops on
fire, etc.
The only people who will survive this will be Mugabe loyalists. The real
question which has
been weighing on my mind for most of this year has been when will the
blacks finally get
tired of the hardship and rebel? Mugabe's terror and food restriction
campaign seem to be
designed to hurt the blacks so much that they are too terrified to
actively resist him.
Hence the ongoing beating, indoctrination and more recently the mass rape
campaigns. The
question is, will the blacks remain in a corner cowering, or will sheer
desperation cause
them to take the law into their own hands? I must pause on this note for a
short digression.
Every now and again I happen on a forum where Americans and others are
discussing Zimbabwe.
On a number of occassions I have seen some liberal stating that Mugabe is
now "as bad or
worse than Ian Smith was". This is a total and utter lie of the worst
degree. There is nothing
in the colonial history of Rhodesia which comes even vaguely close to what
is going on there
now. What Mugabe is doing now is thousands of times worse than anything
the whites ever did.
Let us return to the question of whether Mugabe can successfully keep the
black population
down while starving them to death. I would think that there must surely be
a point where
starvation and suffering will be so bad that even certain death at the
hands of his troops
will no longer be a deterrent. It remains to be seen if Mugabe, who is
extremely well-versed
in the use of terror can manage to keep the population subdued as he
slowly starves them to
death. I think most of us doubt he can manage it indefinitely. A black
political analyst in
Zimbabwe said recently that he expects civil unrest by about
October-November. Recently we
had news reports of British military activity in preparation for
evacuating the whites. This
clearly shows that analysts have done some studying and they know serious
trouble is coming.
Mugabe has been preparing for this for a long time.
Is it possible for a ruler to survive a massive popular uprising? Well,
normally not, but I think
Mugabe's super-ruthless tactics put him in a very powerful position where
he might just pull off
the impossible. He is pro-active, and he is even refusing certain grain
donations like for example
the "Genetically Modified Corn" from the USA. Food is his secret weapon.
By cutting off food
supplies he can start killing large numbers of people on short notice. If
anyone still has the
balls to rebel, or has the strength to, he can send in the army to mow
them down. Failing that,
he can starve people to death selectively or at least force them to flee
the country while they
still have the strength. Either way, it means he stays and he wins!
Understand this, while Mugabe is busy killing, his neighbours will sit
quietly by going
"tut tut" but nobody will do anything of substance (a sure sign of their
tacit approval).
Both the President of South Africa, Mbeki, and Mugabe himself have said
that one nation must not
interfere in another's internal affairs! Cute eh? By way of a quiet tacit
agreement on the part
of all these African rulers, blacks in Zimbabwe may be doomed to mass
murder in the coming
months.
There is one other possibility, as these people face Mugabe's wrath on the
one hand versus
certain death on the other, they may flee. They may make a run for the
borders,
especially the South African border. It has been said for quite some time
that millions might
head for South Africa (where we may bear the brunt of a humanitarian
crisis).
Mugabe's long term aim, regardless of the tactics he uses is to ensure
that his political
party remains in power forever! Yep, power forever
is the name of the game in the politics of southern Africa - not just for
Zimbabwe, but also
for Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and of course... South Africa!
A final note, this week, on www.Etherzone.com, on tuesday, you will see an
article of mine
about the British SAS and paratroopers who are laying plans for the
evacuation of the whites
from Zimbabwe... This would have been a great time to arm the blacks to
overthrow Mugabe.
Too bad nobody in the Western world wants to do it. So instead, we may be
treated to watching
whites flee and blacks dying. Disgusting eh? Stay tuned...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
I leave you with this final thought: The Worst thing a conservative can
do, is to keep
quiet. That is a recipe for certain defeat. The only hope for conservatism
is for us to
speak out much more loudly and to counter the many lies put out by our
enemies.