3 replies to this topic

[Libains]

Disclaimer: This took a lot of my time and is in depth and detailed. I think it makes for a good read. Not to be entered into without some time though.

Early today, I noted a report on the BBC news website that the newly elected Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, and his wife, Susan, had been in a car crash on their way to their rural home, but both were in stable conditions. Before going any further, let's rewind a little into the history of Zimbabwe. Following a rebellion of the black people of the country in the 1980's, the newly elected President was Robert Mugabe, who has since held onto power in the country for over 20 years. And it's not because the people like him anymore.

Originally a revolutionary hero, Mugabe was revered by the people of Zimbabwe. However, since his rule began, he has single-handedly been responsible for the destruction of an entire country. Since coming to complete power in 1987, Mugabe has consistently laid the blame for his country's problems at the feet of Western countries, accusing them of sabotaging the economy primarily. The economy as of a month ago is such that the inflation rate is roughly 12million percent. That means that roughly 12million Zimbabwean dollars can buy you a loaf of bread. This has led to widespread starvation, complimented by the land reforms of the early 2000s, which led to confiscation of land from white farmers without any form of compensation - those who did not leave were killed immediately, or tortured to death. Prior to this, the government had the power to buy out landowners, but the land bought went to the elite, who were often close personal friends with the president, leaving the poor with no land to farm and with no means of income. Since the land reforms, the state has become more impoverished than ever - let alone no longer capable of exporting any food like prior to the reforms, the country now depends on at least one third of it's population being fed by others, as it simply cannot produce sufficient food. State media does not blame the government - it singles out Tony Blair as being the man behind it all, having used chemical weapons to kill the crops.

Health has also deteriorated across the country as structural disorganisation has begun to take hold. As of the last figures in 2005, 20% of the country was infected with HIV/Aids, with the majority of these people predicted as going to die within a short time-frame. There is no healthcare for these people, and no means of saving them. This is classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an epidemic, and although the rates are going down, the country remains in severe difficulty with Aids. Furthermore, due to hyperinflation of the currency, three of the four major hospitals have shut down, and the one remaining has no operating theatres functioning. To add to health issues, 2008 saw the outbreak of cholera in the region, with the government declaring a national emergency in December 2008, asking for aid from foreign countries. It is predicted by Oxfam that by the end of this month there will be roughly 6000 infections, which will lead to 3000 deaths shortly afterward. There are currently about 800 dead from the disease, and it shows no sign of slowing at all. So, if you escape the disease, you'll be safe in Zimbabwe? Sadly, if disease or famine doesn't get to you, your own countrymen may well.

But how did Mugabe get to where he is now? He would say the people spoke, and he would be wrong. His election campaigns are marked by violence, intimidation and death, as well as rallies, which force people to vote for the government. Particular horror stories are told of men being tortured, with pliers being used to inflict irreversible damage to their testicles, a torture so horrible we cannot begin to imagine. Every election up until 2002 has been a scene of violence and intimidation, with observers criticising the voting procedure immensely. In the 2002 election, the first election in which Morgan Tsvangirai took place in, Mugabe forces prevented whole communities from voting, so as to rig the election for Mugabe. These events were internationally condoned. Then came 2008. Representing the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change (very apt)), Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the elections, but did not obtain the required 50.1% required to gain power, even though the unofficial polls had the vote at 50.3% to the MDC. As such, a run-off was commissioned, but never really took place. Concerned for his followers, Tsvangirai withdrew from the elections, and the CIBD (Coercion. Intimidation. Beating. Displacement) plan was ceased for the most part by Mugabe's forces. Mugabe went on to win the election with 86% of the votes.

Following this horror-show of an election, international criticism piled upon Mugabe, who eventually agreed to attend a conference in South Africa, where it's president was successful at brokering a power-sharing deal between the two main parties. However, Mugabe retained his positions of power for the most part, and kept control of the army, which is undeniably the strongest political force in the country, as it's tactics of CIBD (see above) have proven successful for the entirety of Mugabe's reign. Eventually, on February 11th 2009, Tsvangirai was sworn into power as Prime Minister of the country, with the power to do good, and begin to bring the country out of the incredibly deep hole it has got stuck in.

This lead me back to where I began. Following this news, I kept an eye on the situation. Sometime this afternoon Morgan Tsvangirai's wife, Susan, passed away from her injuries. What gets me is that this crash could so easily have killed Morgan Tsvangirai as well, or in place of. As such, it makes me wonder as to whether this was cloak and dagger from Mugabe, or an honest accident. Simply the fact that I can think that, as an outsider, means that the thought will likely be racing though the brains of every MDC supporter in the country. This cannot mean any good at all, and will likely result in yet more violence in a country that doesn't need it. So, what are your views on Zimbabwe as a whole, and of this incident? I honestly feel that this may change the country and bring it down once and for all - Mugabe can't keep the country afloat on his own, and never could. Now the best hope for the country lies in a hospital bed, shocked but stable, with more raw emotion rushing through his brain than can be imagined by anyone here. Will this be the downfall of the country of Zimbabwe?

[CommanderJB]

Zimbabwe is a mess.
I don't know what else to say. On an index of 'failed state' it's right up there with Somalia. Mugabe has driven his country and his people into the dirt of once plentiful farms with an iron fist and a stubborn refusal to even consider change when his people are dying all around him. He is a sick, sick man, and not in the sense of being unwell. It makes me nauseous to even think of him having an 85 kilo birthday cake when his people have to take wheelbarrows of money to get their groceries - at least those minuscule few who can afford even a loaf of bread. If there was one figure in the whole wide world who I could snap my fingers and make disappear, that would be Robert Mugabe, the world's best-educated tyrant. His racist policies have destroyed everything that could have made Zimbabe great and it will be decades yet, after his death and the death of thousands upon thousands more of his people, before anything can possibly happen because he has made sure there is no-one strong enough to challenge him.
My deepest condolences to Morgan Tsvangirai, not that he will ever read them - his strength and courage to do what is right are the only beacon of hope his country possesses. I hope for his country that he resumes the fight, not that I could possibly tell him what to do. If this is Mugabe's doing, it would be the least of his transgressions and I hope he spends the last of his days rotting in a cell at The Hague for one of the worst records of crimes against humanity that history has seen in recent years, both through action and lack of it.

[Wizard]

This is an interesting topic AJ, well done for bringing it up.

I could write a block of text here that fill your monitors to eternity. I have actually paid a lot of attention to Zimbabwe's plight for a long while as a college friend brought the sordid affair to my attention long before the western press got hold of the white farmer genocide (it really was). But sadly there is little good even writing about it would do. I have had countless late night discussions about this and to be honest and I mean no disrespect to any members of the continent of Africa here (if indeed we have any....do we?) but it's not just a problem that is solely with Zimbabwe. The whole continent is a mess and so permiated with corruption you can smell it from my house.

Mugabe is a despot who will get what is coming to him one day. But it's the whole land mass that is Africa I feel sorry for, not just Zimbawe.

[partyzanpaulzy]

Zimbabwe seems to be like Somalia, just without famine and civil war.
Mugabe is megalomaniac who messed what he could...