Time For Mugabe To Step Down

GRAPHIC images in the print and electronic media of bruised and battered members of the MDC in Zimbabwe are still vivid in my memory.

I’m thinking this is 2007 and mankind is in its most democratic age and we still have governments which treat their own citizens in apartheid South African-style? What’s more, if well-known opposition leaders like Tsvangirai can be brutalised like that, I shudder to think what could happen to the unknown supporter! By now, everybody knows the background to the beatings of the MDC members in Zimbabwe so I am not going to dwell on it too much. Rather, I want to express my disbelief at the audacity of the Zimbabwean High Commissioner in Namibia who appeared on NBC two weeks ago.She mouthed a number of things, basically to the effect that the Zimbabwean government is not responsible for the brutal attack on Tsvangirai and others, and that the Zimbabwean government does not condone any human rights abuses.She did not say that the Zimbabwean government condemned the attacks.The High Commissioner must be ill-informed and very much out of touch with the realities in her country.For the benefit of the High Commissioner: in recent times, Zimbabwe came to be known, and continues to be known, as a country where democracy and the rule of law have become obsolete concepts.Parties which oppose the rule of Zanu-PF and Mugabe are brutally suppressed by state machinery such as the police and other security agencies.The judiciary is no longer independent, with the government disobeying court orders and challenging the decisions of the courts.Reports have been made of state-sanctioned, though illegal land grabs, and of elections that were rigged to keep Zanu-PF and Mugabe in power.It is further common knowledge that Zimbabwe currently has the highest inflation rate in the world.Meanwhile, South Africa, which reportedly hosts about 3 million Zimbabwean economic refugees, continues to deport thousands of them every month.Of late, the building industry in Namibia has been joined by seemingly over-qualified Zimbabweans who just want to survive.Similarly, there are many street vendors from that country.If the High Commissioner does not know this, please, someone, prepare a Note Verbale (diplomatic note) and pass this information on to her.Now, who assaulted the opposition leaders of the MDC? Through her unclear statements, the Zimbabwean High Commissioner would like us to believe that it was not the Zimbabwean government or its agents, i.e.police or security agents.Further, while she claims her government did not condone the assaults, it did not condemn them either.MDC and other opposition members were arrested by the police and detained.During the arrest and detention, a number of them were assaulted.At the detention centres, the assaults continued.Now, if it was not the police as representatives of the Zimbabwean government, then who assaulted the MDC detainees? Did fellow detainees in the police cells carry out these assaults? And if this was the case, was it not the legal or at least moral duty of the police to maintain law and order by stopping these assaults? Unless of course, the police stood idly by with folded arms and let the assaults continue.Which in such a case would make them complicit in the attacks, and by implication, make the attacks state-sanctioned.I’m really trying hard to go around the glaring pointers in order to understand the High Commissioner but it is really difficult.Whichever way you go, it all points to either the police being directly responsible for the attacks, or being complicit in the commission of these acts.It can therefore reasonably be concluded that the police and by implication the Zimbabwean government, was responsible for the brutal attacks on the MDC members.There is therefore no need at all for an investigation into who committed the heinous attacks, and given the past record of the Zimbabwean government, we should not really be surprised at the treatment of its civilians and especially opposition parties.This trend has been increasing for the last couple of years as the political and economic situation in that country deteriorates.Now, if your country is a democracy, you don’t just beat up your opponents or people who differ with your policies.Similarly, if you are a democracy like Namibia and South Africa, you condemn violence and the oppression of an opposition in what is supposed to be a democracy.The Namibian government first kept silent and later, after public pressure, issued a statement that basically said nothing in terms of condemning the violence and advocating for democratic conditions and the rule of law to prevail in Zimbabwe.All this in accordance with a fairly recent public international law principle of non-interference in a sovereign state’s domestic affairs.Well, non-interference is why so many human rights abuses and civil wars are going on around the world.Non-interference is why the Sudanese government continues to kill and starve its own people.And, closer to home, non-interference coupled with so-called quiet diplomacy is the reason why thousands of Zimbabweans are deported every month from South Africa.Let’s hope non-interference will not lead to a civil war in Zimbabwe as Tsvangirai was recently quoted as saying that the recent crackdown on the opposition signalled the end of Mugabe.It is not entirely clear what he meant and it is hoped that whatever extreme meaning he wanted to attach to his utterance could be attributed to the sedatives.What we would like to see is a condemnation of the attacks and an alienation of the Zimbabwean government.The Zimbabwean authorities should desist from their violent crackdown of the opposition.The governments of Africa and especially SADC should take up active roles in resolving the crises in not only Zimbabwe but also other trouble spots in Africa.The targeted sanctions that provide for a bar on travel of government officials to Europe and other places should be extended to Africa too.Mugabe should be made to understand that even if he is popular amongst some sections of the populace, he cannot be president for life.He is at an age where it is normal for senility to kick in and this could probably be reflected in his economic and other government policies that are deepening the economic and political crisis in his country.And his recent ranting and threats of expelling diplomats who do not agree with his policies only confirm his rapid deterioration in lucid thinking.It is, therefore time for Mugabe to step down and give a chance to someone else with fresh ideas to take over.Democracy and the rule of law should be restored in Zimbabwe and the opposition parties should be allowed to operate under conditions that would enable democracy to flourish.Socrates, Via e-mail Note: Name and address provided – EdRather, I want to express my disbelief at the audacity of the Zimbabwean High Commissioner in Namibia who appeared on NBC two weeks ago.She mouthed a number of things, basically to the effect that the Zimbabwean government is not responsible for the brutal attack on Tsvangirai and others, and that the Zimbabwean government does not condone any human rights abuses.She did not say that the Zimbabwean government condemned the attacks.The High Commissioner must be ill-informed and very much out of touch with the realities in her country.For the benefit of the High Commissioner: in recent times, Zimbabwe came to be known, and continues to be known, as a country where democracy and the rule of law have become obsolete concepts.Parties which oppose the rule of Zanu-PF and Mugabe are brutally suppressed by state machinery such as the police and other security agencies.The judiciary is no longer independent, with the government disobeying court orders and challenging the decisions of the courts.Reports have been made of state-sanctioned, though illegal land grabs, and of elections that were rigged to keep Zanu-PF and Mugabe in power.It is further common knowledge that Zimbabwe currently has the highest inflation rate in the world.Meanwhile, South Africa, which reportedly hosts about 3 millio
n Zimbabwean economic refugees, continues to deport thousands of them every month.Of late, the building industry in Namibia has been joined by seemingly over-qualified Zimbabweans who just want to survive.Similarly, there are many street vendors from that country.If the High Commissioner does not know this, please, someone, prepare a Note Verbale (diplomatic note) and pass this information on to her.Now, who assaulted the opposition leaders of the MDC? Through her unclear statements, the Zimbabwean High Commissioner would like us to believe that it was not the Zimbabwean government or its agents, i.e.police or security agents.Further, while she claims her government did not condone the assaults, it did not condemn them either. MDC and other opposition members were arrested by the police and detained.During the arrest and detention, a number of them were assaulted.At the detention centres, the assaults continued.Now, if it was not the police as representatives of the Zimbabwean government, then who assaulted the MDC detainees? Did fellow detainees in the police cells carry out these assaults? And if this was the case, was it not the legal or at least moral duty of the police to maintain law and order by stopping these assaults? Unless of course, the police stood idly by with folded arms and let the assaults continue.Which in such a case would make them complicit in the attacks, and by implication, make the attacks state-sanctioned.I’m really trying hard to go around the glaring pointers in order to understand the High Commissioner but it is really difficult.Whichever way you go, it all points to either the police being directly responsible for the attacks, or being complicit in the commission of these acts.It can therefore reasonably be concluded that the police and by implication the Zimbabwean government, was responsible for the brutal attacks on the MDC members.There is therefore no need at all for an investigation into who committed the heinous attacks, and given the past record of the Zimbabwean government, we should not really be surprised at the treatment of its civilians and especially opposition parties.This trend has been increasing for the last couple of years as the political and economic situation in that country deteriorates.Now, if your country is a democracy, you don’t just beat up your opponents or people who differ with your policies.Similarly, if you are a democracy like Namibia and South Africa, you condemn violence and the oppression of an opposition in what is supposed to be a democracy.The Namibian government first kept silent and later, after public pressure, issued a statement that basically said nothing in terms of condemning the violence and advocating for democratic conditions and the rule of law to prevail in Zimbabwe.All this in accordance with a fairly recent public international law principle of non-interference in a sovereign state’s domestic affairs.Well, non-interference is why so many human rights abuses and civil wars are going on around the world.Non-interference is why the Sudanese government continues to kill and starve its own people.And, closer to home, non-interference coupled with so-called quiet diplomacy is the reason why thousands of Zimbabweans are deported every month from South Africa.Let’s hope non-interference will not lead to a civil war in Zimbabwe as Tsvangirai was recently quoted as saying that the recent crackdown on the opposition signalled the end of Mugabe.It is not entirely clear what he meant and it is hoped that whatever extreme meaning he wanted to attach to his utterance could be attributed to the sedatives.What we would like to see is a condemnation of the attacks and an alienation of the Zimbabwean government.The Zimbabwean authorities should desist from their violent crackdown of the opposition.The governments of Africa and especially SADC should take up active roles in resolving the crises in not only Zimbabwe but also other trouble spots in Africa.The targeted sanctions that provide for a bar on travel of government officials to Europe and other places should be extended to Africa too.Mugabe should be made to understand that even if he is popular amongst some sections of the populace, he cannot be president for life.He is at an age where it is normal for senility to kick in and this could probably be reflected in his economic and other government policies that are deepening the economic and political crisis in his country.And his recent ranting and threats of expelling diplomats who do not agree with his policies only confirm his rapid deterioration in lucid thinking.It is, therefore time for Mugabe to step down and give a chance to someone else with fresh ideas to take over.Democracy and the rule of law should be restored in Zimbabwe and the opposition parties should be allowed to operate under conditions that would enable democracy to flourish.Socrates, Via e-mail Note: Name and address provided – Ed