By Mufaro Stig Hove (Rev.): 14 OCTOBER, 2007.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTS:
There is no journalist, no blogger, no analyst, no politician: there is no individual or organisation that can ever describe the whole or even a part of the suffering that the people of Zimbabwe are going through just today as you read this humble submission of mine.
Suffering can never be adequately described!
It is the sufferer himself/herself who goes through the experience and may then try to describe it to whoever is interested in listening.
Zimbabweans are suffering both within Zimbabwe and outside Zimbabwe.
Whoever is reading this submission of mine has probably already read or heard of the trials and tribulations of the lovely people of Zim.
I will not go the direction of descriptions!
I will rather concentrate on looking at the Mbeki fallacy that the Elections of 2008 may/will help end the Crisis in the country of Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai, Lovemore Madhuku, millions others and myself also.
In brief, the State President of the Republic of South Africa, Cde Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki seems busy with what looks like some Initiative of some sort to try and return Zimbabwe to a state of "normality."
(In the meantime, his Government is on a recruiting spree absorbing all the qualified teachers, nurses, accountants, engineers etc that are fleeing the humanitarian disaster across the Limpopo.
Who remains to look after the sick in the Hospitals, who remains to teach our children in the schools, who is working for various Industrial Establishments back home?
I am equally guilty of fleeing the land of my fathers and hiding in the land of my uncles!)
Thabo Mbeki's under-paid soldiers and police are making a "killing" collecting bribes at the border and within the country from desperate Zimbabweans wanting to "regularize" their entry and stay in the mighty Republic of South Africa.
Farmers at the northern border are having various items disappearing as the "illegal immigrants" pilfer whatever they can so they can sell and get the precious Rand to use on the uncertain journey Southwards. The Rand will be required to pay for transport, for further bribes and for survival as one tries to establish oneself in the land of the intellectual Marxist-Leninist Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki.
When our legal or illegal immigrant brother/sister arrives in some town further South, life then really becomes another Hell as bad or even worse than the Zim one abandoned.
The only difference is that here one can set up a Barber Shop of sorts and get R10 per hairdo or whatever one can involve oneself in.
Bricklayers and other skilled or semi-skilled persons can be luckily absorbed in some project or other.
Women must brace themselves for vigorous sexual orgies and the word "prostitution" does not exist in this new land of South Africa. If one puts on a condom and gets in and then gets out, where is the problem there? The liberal ANC Government makes it even easier since they have exterminated all fear and acknowledgement of God in the short time they have presided over the affairs of the South African State.
The whole story of what is really happening as far as sexual abuse of Zimbabwean women is concerned will never be fully known or told!
Women share blankets with men at Marabastad Home Affairs (Pretoria / Tshwane) and the "lucky" ones are picked up in the evenings, spend the night earning a few rands "God-knows-where" and are then returned in the mornings to continue their wait for weeks and months for "papers" of one sort or another.
I will not talk of the rise in criminal activities because I have noticed that Cde Thabo Mbeki will then concentrate on having me substantiate this and that allegation instead of appreciating that the crime levels of any society will definitely go up when hundreds of thousands of hungry, angry and displaced persons are absorbed in that particular society.
As I have already said above, I will not go on singing about the trials and tribulations of my countrymen within and without the Zim borders.
ENTER THE SADC/MBEKI INITIATIVE:
The very idea of some initiative of any kind is a noble one!
It must, however, be mentioned to you, dear reader, that various initiatives were explored before to try and tackle the Zim crisis and (for reasons that would require a separate submission) dismally failed. Why did the previous initiatives fail? What is different about this present SADC/MBEKI initiative?
If you listen to Mr Mbeki very carefully, you will decipher that his urgent mission is to define the legitimate and the illegitimate. He said in Parliament recently that SADC has decided that its member states would share notes and intelligence on Terrorism so that South Africa would suppress and arrest any Zimbabwe terrorists if they tried to operate from its soil and vice-versa and the same for the whole SADC region.
At face value, there seems to be nothing wrong with that but imagine a situation where the Elections are heavily rigged as is the normal ZANU-PF practice. Then me as a private blogger can then be charged with something like "trying to cause alarm and despondency/ incitement" etc.
If Mbeki does his usual "pre-mature ejaculation" and declare the forth-coming 2008 Elections "free and fair", especially if they are not, then wait for more of Hell coming from Mvuyelwa Mbeki than from Robert Mugabe!
So the time to evaluate the way forward is desperately NOW and not after the 2008 Elections!
LETS NOW GO INTO THE MEAT OF THE MATTER:
My problem with the Mbeki Initiative is its lack of width and depth.
This Initiative works on a strange premise that the only way forward in solving the Zimbabwean Crisis is to try and ensure that Elections are held whose results will not be disputed by any party.
Well and fine!
But for reasons beyond me, these Elections MUST JUST BE HELD IN March, 2008 even if the Voters' Roll is in shambles with 20% of the names being those of dead people some of whom died as far back as 1998.
Why can the Elections not be postponed by a few months to make sure everything is above board?
Who can explain to me why Cde Mbeki or anyone else believes the only solution for Zimbabwe is the holding of Elections next year?
To me there are certain things that are seriously wrong with Cde Mbeki!
To Cde Mbeki the only tragedy is that there are certain elements that are disputing the legitimacy of the Government of Zimbabwe (whose legitimacy he apparently he himself does not doubt) and the major task at hand is to prepare for as free and fair an Election in 2008 as possible.
At face value this objective looks very noble and innocent!
But recent history has shown us the real character of President Thabo Mbeki!
He will seriously under-play any issues brought to him and his philosophy seems to be that if a senior person declares that there is no lion, whatever lion is hiding anywhere will immediately disappear!
The junior persons are full of mischief if they continue wailing that the lion continues to be sighted.
The fact that the senior person has unequivocally declared the absence of the lion should be enough to make all the juniors relax and continue with their everyday chores believing as "Gospel Truth" the declared proclamation that there has never been a lion and if it was there at all, it has been effectively dissolved by the Presidential Proclamation!
Alternatively, what has been sighted is some big stray dog that is being mistaken for a lion.
If indeed it is a lion, we need experts to check if it has any teeth and if it has the capacity to cause anyone any harm.
Welcome to the mind of the Hon Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki!
Lets now look at the SADC/Mbeki fallacy that the Elections of 2008 will be the effective "penicillin injection" that will make Zimbabwe sneeze once and for all and return to normality.
SOME BACK-GROUND INFORMATION:
When we got our Independence on the 18th of April, 1980, we had the greatest of potentials. Our new ZANU-PF Government was being led by a handsome 56-year-old Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
This fine "Englishman" was actually heading a Government of National Unity comprising members of Dr Joshua Nkomo's PF-ZAPU as well as members of the former racist Rhodesian Front eg Mr David Smith, Dr Timothy Stamps etc.
I refer to him as an "Englishman" because that is what the Englishmen labelled him.
"Oh what a fine, refined gentleman ……can never believe they called him a terrorist! Is this the same Mugabe we were so afraid of…..that Communist that was coming to take all our properties etc.? " The elderly whites were discussing among themselves over cups of coffee and glasses of whiskey.
The struggle for Zimbabwe had been long, bitter and extremely rough!
The blood, sweat and tears that oozed out during that protracted armed struggle against the illegitimate, racist regime of Ian Smith can never be adequately described nor compensated.
It was fully within the power of the new Mugabe Government to mete out retribution and spill even more blood of identified "sell-outs" etc.
Mugabe kept his word and did not go that route!
The question of whether Mr Mugabe was advised to follow a Policy of National Reconciliation is completely beside the point! Unscrupulous elements want to analyse whether Mugabe's Policy was genuine and whether it was originally his idea or not.
Oh come on! Come on!
The glaring truth is that Prime Minister Mugabe did announce a Policy of National Reconciliation and made sure it was followed by all who belonged to his Political Party, ZANU-PF.
As is normally the case with a formerly oppressed group, Mugabe's hand of Reconciliation was felt more by members of the white community than many of his own race. Any member of the white community today who can dispute that Mugabe did pursue and did implement this very noble Policy would be an incorrigible and mischievous liar.
I read in a certain "A" Level Sociology Lecture Note that black people and many other oppressed communities usually suffered from a condition that is called "group self-hatred." What this means is that the oppressed groups hated themselves and could not respect themselves.
They sub-consciously believed the philosophy of the oppressor and hence ill-treated others of their own group. If that school of thought is applied to ZANU-PF, it was therefore natural for Mugabe's party to abuse their own struggle brother, Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo.
So the Methodist Bishop Abel Muzorewa of the UANC and Dr Joshua Nkomo and his PF-ZAPU continued to be at the receiving end of worse abuses from this seemingly magnanimous angel, Gabriel.
I invite you, dear reader , to read the whole 117-point letter which the late Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo wrote to the then Prime Minister Mugabe on the 7th of June, 1983.
(The Link thereof is available at www.finalpushzim.blogspot.com !)
Among his former opressors (all over the world), Mr Robert Mugabe was at home: not only speaking their English so well but also sharing their jokes and watching their cricket with a genuine passion. He only irked them when he reminded them that "his" Government was committed to spreading the National Cake so that "the previously disadvantaged, who incidentally were the Indigenous members of the Community of Zimbabweans" could also have a bite.
Among his own people, Mugabe was really relaxed and those that had/have access to him swear that he is a normal "Gushungo" (except for the permanent feeling that one is in the presence of a very alert, highly intelligent being.)
Mr Robert Mugabe was, therefore, a darling of the whole world!
But there is also a debate whether the former oppressors were frantically trying to "pacify" the Communism/Socialism in this 56-year-old former Guerilla Leader. Do not omit this aspect when looking at Robert Mugabe's journey from 1980 to date!
The tragedy of Zim Politics is that one is expected to ignore certain aspects if one is of a certain persuasion or claims to be of a certain persuasion.
If one is "Anti-Mugabe", that person must never mention any positives that arose from that same Mugabe!
Similarly, if one is a "Mugabe supporter", that person must never acknowledge the fact that the people of Zimbabwe badly needed a new Political Party to arise and replace ZANU-PF in matters of Governance.
Some of us then prayed that a Mediator or a Facilitator could then arise and give the two schools of thought a chance to sit down and iron out their differences for the sake of taking the beautiful country of Zimbabwe forward.
One school of thought has the self-styled "Defenders of the Revolution." Here we have the rough, illiterate, foot-soldiers -the likes of Joseph Chinotimba etc.
These do not know about the consequences of any action!
They will kill, abduct, torture etc at Mugabe's Command! To them, Mugabe is "The Revolution." And indeed, were it not for Mugabe's desperation in the last eight years, the likes of Cde "Chinos" would be just simple security guards without any major role in the running of the country.
On the Mugabe side, we have certain intellectuals, the likes of Dr Tafataona Mahoso, the shady "Nathaniel Manheru", the Australian-based Reason Wafawarova etc.
To these, the whole truth of the real personality of Robert Mugabe is well-known but to them, "THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS" and the destination is more important than who is driving the vehicle and how he is driving it!
To them, Robert is still the picture that I painted at the beginning of this submission: A handsome, forgiving, smiling "man of the people" and "Statesman of the world."
That is the line they must uphold because they view Robert Mugabe as the "bravest" among them who has "ably-led" Zimbabwe since the 70s etc etc.
Their slogan is "You say Mugabe is too old and must go: We say Mugabe is too bold and must stay!"
To these, were it not for a perceived "sanctions regime" against their beloved Mugabe Revolutionary Administration, Zimbabwe would be better than God's very Garden of Eden!
To these, General Josiah Magama Tongogara's death was just a simple car accident. The fact that of the six passengers who were in that ill-fated Land-Rover, no-one was injured when the gallant General was killed is not an issue!
At worst, they sarcastically ask: "Ko kana iri chokwadi kuti akapondwa, kuzviziva ndiko kuchamudzora here?" (" Suppose it is true that he was assassinated, will knowing how it really happened bring him back?")
What these revolutionaries fail to realise is that Robert Mugabe's death will open a completely new era!
Eritea, The Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, the Congo (Formerly Zaire), Rwanda, Burundi etc will be Sunday School/Kindergatten stuff when Robert Mugabe's eyes are finally closed for the very last time.
Where will Robert Mugabe's "comfort girl" Oppan Muchinguri hide? Will she drink rat poison at his death? Will she be able to explain why she waited until the last of the four other people passed away for her to tell the world what she called the called "the truth" of how the Gallant Karanga General Tongogara died?
I was given a list of Karanga operatives in the Central Intelligence Organisation who were either murdered or fled the country when Mugabe purged that Organisation of senior officers.
Of course Emmerson Munangagwa had Karangarised the CIO and this was equally wrong! Munangagwa had done exactly done what Eddison Zvobgo had done in every Ministry where he had set his foot! The Karangas were looking after their own just as the Manyikas were looking after their own via Didymus Mutasa, Oppah Muchinguri etc. The late Chitepo had been accused of using the Karangas in the rough, bloody assignments and keeping the Manyikas in the offices.
Mugabe himself was/is equally accused of protecting his "own."
Leo Mugabe rose into wealth thanks to corruption vigorously supported by none other than the ageing dictator himself, Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
Whose name was mentioned as corrupt when the Harare International Conference Centre was being built? Was Kofi Annan's son's name not mentioned? Why was a Commission of Inquiry not set up to clear their names?
What did Phillip Chiyangwa mean when he said "If you want to be rich, join ZANU-PF"? How can one be rich when serving the people through a supposedly Socialist Movement like ZANU-PF- an Organization that set up a Leadership Code that limited its Senior Officers from the excesses of corruption and wealth-gathering?
Robert Mugabe was reportedly "visibly disturbed" when the very Senior Maurice Nyagumbo was found to be involved in that "Cressida" Scandal in Zimbabwe's formative years! My question is: why was Mugabe not equally disturbed when his sister's son's name was mentioned in the scandal at the Harare International Airport?
Why was he not equally disturbed when his wife Grace was mentioned in a scandal that caused Civil Servants to lose a noble scheme that was benefiting them to build houses for themselves? Grace Marufu-Goreraza-Mugabe dipped her adulterous finger-nails into that Revolving Fund and hundreds of thousands lost out!
The "unholy" Gabriel Mugabe was as quiet as an Angel when the Press uncovered the ungraceful "Gracelands Scandal."
Then our own dear Thabo Mveyelwi Mbeki thinks the 2008 Elections will answer the problems besetting Zimbabwe!
Oh My Dear God!
If you go to my www.finalpushzim.blogspot.com, I have numerous links (some to articles like "Appeal to all writers and journalists", "Is Robert Mugabe the Master-Assassin?' and Prof Jonathan Moyo's "The death of the Robert Mugabe: The tragedy ahead!" among other articles. All these concerned writers will be trying to show you, dear reader, that the problems of Zimbabwe will never and can never be solved by Elections whether in 2008 or at any other time after that!
No single person, whether its Morgan Tsvangirai, or Arthur Mutambara can stand on behalf of Robert Mugabe and say "We have granted Robert Mugabe some Amnesty or some Immunity!" Check the debates on such Foruns as the ones at "The Zim Daily" (www.zimdaily.com) and get feel of the general Zimbabweans.
If the MDC gets out of touch with the general mood of the Zimbabweans, then they risk facing a completely new and more difficult problem and I wonder if the Security Forces (who hopefully will be at their command) will assist them to quell the new "uprisings."
I have not yet addressed the Ndebele question!
I have just touched in passing on the Karanga Question.
The Ndebeles have clearly shown me that a problem exists!
I received an e-mail from a certain radical Ndebele Grouping here in South Africa (they call themselves "MTHWAKAZI SOMETHING OR OTHER") and they advised me that they were no longer accepting me and recognizing me as a fighter for Democracy in Zimbabwe because of my revelations of my role in the atrocities that were perpetrated by ZANU-PF in the 80s against ZAPU members.
I refer you to my submission "The thoughts and memories of a former ZANU-PF cadre" and the link thereof can be got at www.finalpushzim.blogspot.com .
For numerous articles and submissions on the atrocities of the 80s in Matebeleland and the Midlands in the 80s, I refer you to my www.gukurahundi.blogspot.com .
The letter by the late gallant Dr Joshua Nkomo to the then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe can be found on that blog-site.
A link to that letter can also be found at www.finalpushzim.blogspot.com .
In fact, my work in blogging so far is structured in such a way that every important item that has something to do with the Zim story is available archived in any one of my 30 blog-sites.
The very original blog-page is now named www.zimfinalpush1.blogspot.com and has the majority of the very early postings since October, 2006.
Its "faces" changed over the time and the "faces" themselves were saved and archived and the links to those archived "faces" are available at www.finalpushzim.blogspot.com . What this means is: there is nothing that was posted in any of my now-30 blog-sites that cannot be easily retrieved.
The next main "ZIMFINALPUSH HEADER" is the current page which is now available at www.thezimbabwedigest.blogspot.com .
This page serves in conjuction with the www.zimfinalpush5.blogspot.com . This means that the former has the main postings but the latter has the same postings listed in a style that is mainly monotonous ie a field of links, links and more links!
I had to digress in this direction so that you realise my unquestionable commitment to exposing all the problems besetting the beloved land of Zim and what various writers and players around the world observed and said (some trying to offer certain versions and various suggestions as possible solutions etc.)
My style of writing is to put down on paper exactly as it comes to my mind!
What I have tried to highlight is the fact that the "Anti-Mugabe" bloc is too wide and that great-grand-father has too many enemies across too wide a spectrum!
No-one should ever fool themselves that even Cde Thabo Mbeki himself believes that what he is doing will really solve the multi-faceted problems facing Zim!
WHAT THEN IS THE IDEAL APPROACH TO ZIM'S CRISIS?
If I were in President Thabo Mbeki's shoes, I would call for a very wholistic approach!
A biased approach where you treat the Opposition as some delinquents who are being sponsored by the former colonizers will not work!
It will only encourage the likes of me to be more radical and more inclined to call for a stronger International Condemnation of Robert Mugabe.
As the title of this submission asks: "WILL THE 2008 ELECTIONS END THE ZIMBABWEAN CRISIS"?
I have not yet looked at the question of the Rigging of Elections because I believe that this issue has been exhaustively dealt with by numerous writers.
I've my own submission: "THE RIGGING OF THE ZIM ELECTIONS" and the link thereof can be found at www.finalpushzim.blogspot.com .
But I was shocked to hear a supposedly respected senior journalist by the name of Mduduzi Mathuthu of www.newzimbabwe.com say on a SWRADIOAFRICA programme "Reporters' Forum" that he did not have any evidence of the rigging of the Zim Elections.
I have no words to describe such duplicity on this brother's part!
He ran away from Mugabe's thugs when he was a journalist in Zim and now that his tummy is full of British goodwill, he conspires simultaneously with ZANU-PF to pretend that the situation is such that he no longer has reason to doubt the freeness and fairness of the Zim Elections.
Yet, incidentally I hold him the highest degree of respect!
Yet sometimes his mind runs away with him as if certain "winds" periodically visit him.
In March, he tried to defend the ZRP violent assults on the MDC Leadership and was corrected by the www.talkzimbabwe.com Editor , Mr Itayi Garande.
My final request to all concerned in trying to solve the Zim Crisis is that they be very sincere and look at the whole picture!
A shortcut will not solve this complex, long-term problem.
President Thabo Mbeki has a propensity of doing things wrongly!
He rushed to congratulate the new Nigerian Leader while there was a lot of dust etc.
We must not allow him to prescribe a short-circuited solution to our crisis.
To summarise my submission, here are the reasons why Elections may not or will definitely not solve the Zimbabwean Crisis:
There are too many issues involved in the Crisis which require a total and whollistic approach.These range from the assassination/ elimination of numerous of the peoples' heroes as mentioned above.
There are too many cases of clear corruption which were literally swept under the carpet over the two decades of Mugabe's rule (well before the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change.) When the MDC was formed late 1999, the resolve of the people was great that a new Political Party was required to replace ZANU-PF. Many analysts fail to see the composition of the members of the MDC. It is only a very feeble-minded imbecile who fails to see numerous ex-ZANLA and ex-ZIPRA Combatants in the structures of the MDC. Very senior former ZANU-PF leaders eg Mr Patrick Kombayi are the top leaders of the MDC now. Never, never mislead yourselves into thinking that the MDC is made up of novices who "don't know Politics" or "sell-outs" who have been bought by whoever or whoever else etc etc.
The record of Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF as far as Elections are concerned is very well known. Elections are to Robert Mugabe a physical battle where new graves must be dug each time they are held. Robert Mugabe's perception of Elections does not change when "his" Party goes to "fight" other Parties. His view of Elections is the same even when they are held within his "own" ZANU-PF. It is simply treasonous to try and challenge him for the post that he himself holds. In fact it is treasonous to try and raise one's hand and offer a different viewpoint within the same ZANU-PF! Ask Professor Jonathan Moyo and the other casualties of the "Tsholotsho Declaration" fame! So how can Elections solve the Zimbabwean Crisis, when within the very ZANU-PF exist disgruntled members at very senior levels who send SMSs to the top Leadership of the MDC urging them to "continue the fight." Oh dear President Thabo Mvuyelea Mbeki! Oh my dear Xhosa brother! Do you want to know, do you not know or do you pretend not to know when in fact you actuaaly know? Which is which tata?
Elections can only solve any Crisis anywhere when those in power are prepared to step down if the people say so through a "free and fair" show of their will as they did during that Referendum of 2000. The Referendum of 2000 was the last free and fair expression of the people of Zimbabwe and ZANU-PF should have arranged to leave the corridors of power right there and then! I don't care a hoot whether Cde Thabo Mbeki agrees with me or not! THAT IS THE NAKED, UNADULTRATED TRUTH! On the next points let me visit each probable Scenario and show you how each scenario will or will not solve the Zim Crisis!
SCENARIO ONE!
Lets suppose the Elections are held next year (2008) and no action is taken by President Mbeki to ensure that all the accompanying evils of the previous Elections are not repeated. As things stand, ZANU-PF has already stepped up violence in various parts of the country and the gear-lever will soon be moved to "over-drive" as we approach March, 2008.
President Thabo Mbeki is fully aware of the whole scenario and judging from previous experience, he will, as usual, prematurely ejaculate and pronounce the Elections "free and fair" while many MDC Election Observers etc are in various Intensive Care Units (if there are still any in Zimbabwe!) Thabo Mbeki is a very dangerous sweet-talker who should not have been assigned any task to do with the Crisis In Zimbabwe!
So in Scenario One, ZANU-PF will win in a cloud of dust and blood and Mbeki will appeal to the world to recognise the "will of the people of Zimbabwe", lift all the real and imaginary sanctions etc etc.
In Scenario One, the situation has the capacity to seriouly deteriorate! What will happen after that "Electoral Robbery" will be seen by those that will be alive to witness it.
Those like myself will obviously intensify whatever we are involved in and God knows where Zimbabwe will then be headed!
SCENARIO TWO!
All is done to ensure the holding of "free and fair" Elections and all (including characters like myself) are completely satisfied that ZANU-PF did indeed win and deserves the respect and the recognition of the whole world Community.
What will that mean?
That all the evils and atrocities of Mugabe and ZANU-PF are completely erased and Zimbabwe must be given another "ZIMCCORD" to re-build itself after these latest 8 or so years of serious and reckless misrule?
Who will compensate all those who suffered various injustices eg loss of property, injury, and even death? Remember it is not only the former white farmers who deserve compensation.
There are more blacks who have suffered under Robert Mugabe's evil than the whites who have suffered in the last 8 or so years. Perhaps a white man's blood is of greater value that's why there is more noise now about Robert Mugabe.
If Mugabe has done more evil by "touching a white man", then well and fine…all the complainants can join the queue full of white people even if it means joining at very end! (In any case Zimbabwe is a land of queues. Who will be perplexed?)
But my question still stands: Will Mugabe's victory in a hypothetical "free and fair" Election in 2008 mean all then that "all is well that ends well"?
SCENARIO THREE:
With or without the normal violence and rigging, the MDC or whoever else wins the reigns of power in 2008.
Then what?
Will the whole ZANU_PF machinery just melt and dissolve and obey the new Administrators? Theoretically, it seems very simple! In reality we are talking of an advanced Mafia Gang that has looted not only the Commercial Farms but various other Establishments as well.
I ask any sincere seeker of the truth to investigate the reasons why Mr Chris Ushewokunze was assassinated. He was too sincere in his quest to end corruption at a certain Company which we all know was being looted by very Senior ZANU-PF Officials with Mugabe yawning pretending he was not seeing anything.
The same with the late youthful Moven Mahachi with his desire to get to the bottom of the allegations of the DRC looting of minerals by Munangagwa.
My question therefore is: Suppose some Opposition Party or Coalition has won the Elections of 2008. The issue of the "freeness and fairness" is not the subject of this question. Suffice to say that Mr Morgan Tsvangirai or whoever else is then sworn into Office.
What then?
Our evil Robert Mugabe then retires to his supposed home in Zvimba to enjoy a long-deserved retirement and joins the Esteemed Club of Senior Citizens who are made up of Cde Nelson Mandela, Dr Kenneth Kaunda etc. Will we then all live happily ever after with Police Commissioner Chihuri, Air Force Commander Perrence Shiri (of the "Gukurahundi" Fame) etc sitting at a round table with new "HIS EXCELLENCY" ,CDE MORGAN TSVANGIRAI or whoever else charting the way forward for the country?
Has President Mbeki got any assurances or his hope is only that there is no other option, except for Mugabe and ZANU-PF to win!
If the Hon Mbeki has that hope (as most of us seriously suspect,) then we are in for a very rough 2008. Mbeki himself may literally cough and spit blood if Zimbabwe becomes ungovernable.
SCENARIO FOUR:
I have deliberately labelled my vision of the way forward in Zimbabwe as one of the scenarios.
This scenario really does not stem from the Elections. This scenario stems from the recognition that the complexity of the Zim situation requires that all the Political Players exhibit the highest level of patriotism and put the Country and Nation far above any personal interests or fears.
This scenario requires that all Political Players recognize that being Political Leaders does not make them some "demi-Gods" above those that they purport to lead.
This Fourth Scenario therefore expects that a myriad of interest groups be invited a to huge "ALL-STAKE-HOLDERS CONFERENCE" not at Union Buildings in Pretoria/Tshwane but in the centre of Harare itself!
There men will bare their souls and re-dedicate themselves to the Nation of Zimbabwe!
Mugabe will be first to bare his soul exactly as at a "Gospel Crusade." All those that have skeletons in their cupboards will have them taken out for viewing by all!
All propaganda will be repented of and tearfully renounced.
A new start will then be launched with Mugabe hugging Tsvangirai and the same happening down to the last man.
Then a team comprising all will go round to SADC, the AU, the Commonwealth etc seeking support and recognition for this new Zim miracle.
All compensations will actually end up being over-paid by various funds set up and clear guidelines will be set as to the ratios of BLACK versus WHITE in the ownership of Commercial Farms etc. Goodwill will return to Zim and we will all happily return to our beloved mother-land to be involved in serious re-construction.
This fourth scenario appears too simplistic and unattainable!
But miracles do happen and I believe in a God of Miracles!
Yes I believe in the God of Miracles!
Respectfully submitted,
The Rev Mufaro Stig Hove.
mufarostig@hushmail.com
www.zimfinalpush.blogspot.com
Cell: 0791463039 RSA.
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