As usual, the news coming out of Zimbabwe are not good. Images of armed youth chasing and beating opposition supporters and reports of whole villages being overrun by government operatives for the simple crime of voting for the opposition are in the least very sickening. Robert Mugabe, the ancient independence hero of the republic of Zimbabwe has vowed to stay in power and told his opponents that only God can remove him from power. Perhaps it is time Zims remembered the Biblical note that God works through the hands of men and do the necessary. The old man should be removed from office and exiled to some island in the indian ocean, or better still he should be exiled to Britain – the land that he has grown to hate and blame for all the ills affecting his people.
The problem in Zimbabwean has again exposed the dysfunction that is the continent of Africa. The de facto leader of the continent, one Thabo Mbeki of South Africa is on record as to having said that there is nothing wrong with Zim and that the international media should tone down on the negative reporting. Mr. Mbeki must be mad. The other presidents on the continent couldn’t care less. A few of them have voiced concern but without offering any concrete solutions. For now they seem to be bent on protecting one of their own. A real dirty shame.
The wider international community has also bought into the tactic of all barks and no bite. It has been left to the BBC, CNN and the spokespeople of the state department in the US and foreign ministry in the UK to condemn the actions of ZANU-PF and their supporters in ZIm.
I think it is time civil society groups across Africa held demonstrations to force their leaders to step in and talk old Rob out of power. The man is 84 and has been in power since 1980. In this period Zim has descended from being a food exporter to a country where millions depend on international food aid. It is time for him to go. And it is a real dirty shame that Africa and the rest of the world continues to sit back and watch as old Rob continues to sink his country deeper into the ground.
kenopalo.com 
Most of Zimababwe’s troubles are caused by the trade and economic embargo brought upon by Britain and it’s cronies. They want to turn people against mugabe so as to change their voting behaviour.
They want the soil and soul of Zimbabwe and Mugabe isn’t prepared to give it to them.
THANK GOD FOR ROBERT MUGABE AND SHAME ON YOU.
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80% unemployment, a useless currency, violence galore, hunger and lunacy that is fast approaching that of “Emperor” Bokassa. These are the things against Rob.
It is time Africans took responsibility for their failures and not blame the West. We are not the first people in history to have been colonized. So get over the Brits and see Mugabe for the tyrant that he is.
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How can Africans take responsibility when US/UK are so deeply involved in it’s affairs. It’s not something that has happened centuries ago and stopped, it’s been continuous. They have never went away.
It is difficult of get over them, when they are the ones imposing the sactions. They can rely on their media not to focus on this too much. Sadly, as I write, they are not short of Uncle Toms; pleading for them to send “peace keeping” forces into Zimbabwe.
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Sorry to inform you that in this day and age, US/UK involvement will not go away. The world is getting smaller so their involvement can only increase. It is up to Africans to learn how to game the system in their favor.
If it is the media, why not have our own “Al-Jazeera” ? On the economy, why not allow free enterprise to flourish, allow (controlled) democracy and proper governance, reduce corruption and get rid of tyrants?
I am not a fun of open democracy US-style. African states are still too young and divided to afford that. But I am for respect of human rights, freedom of speech and basic human decency. Mugabe does not pass any of those tests and it is precisely because of that that I wish he got into a capsule and went to Pluto.
For centuries the Spaniards were ruled by Arab conquerors – because they were weaker (economically and militarily). Spain can now conquer quite a few Arab states. Africans were conquered by a handful of Europeans for the same reasons. Africans will continue to be dominated by other peoples as long as we refuse to acknowledge our weaknesses and shift blame on others.
What the likes of Mugabe, Amin, Bokassa, Obiang and the rest have done to their people is inexcusable. I don’t care that they, like me, are black. It’s basic common sense.
Fact: Africa is the most illiterate, sick, poor and remote region in the world. Africa also has oil, smart people and lots of other natural resources. The same Africa also has Mugabes, Obiangs, Eyademas, Zenawis, Al-Bashirs etc.
The West is the villain just because they dominate the system. African leaders do not seem to want to dominate the system. They are content with getting 10% as they sell their land, minerals and people to other nations – the same Westerners and more recently the Easterners.
You see, in rational societies, when governments do not perform on the economy, security, education and what not they resign or get voted out. As I mentioned earlier, 80% unemployment, state violence, a dead economy and super-duper-hyper inflation ought to be enough reasons for the old man to call it a day. He lost in the first round already and should have bowed out to preserve his legacy as an independence hero. Even Madiba would have lost his luster if he had opted to irrationally cling to power the way Bob has.
I am sorry my brother, I cannot defend Mugabe or Eyadema or Obiang or Mbeki simply because they are African. We need to call spades spades. Mugabe is a strong-armed dictator. Period.
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It’s simple; Zimbabwe with British (and other parties) interferance will never be at peace. That goes to the whole of Africa.
You seem to think there is some sort of game that you can play with the pirate. I could go through the whole continent of Africa and point out crimes committed and continue to be committed by the British and their like.
The US/UK are loosing their wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and have instructed their media focus on Zimbabwe. This is a dying empire.
This is a war between revolutionaries and counter-revolutionaries; between nationalists and quislings; between Zimbabwean patriots and the US and Britain.
You and your like are doing their dirty work for them; like the slave trying to please their master.
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Alfie, call me all you want, but I think on this issue I am on the side of the majority of humanity – African and non-African alike.
I am not trying to please anyone. I am just being realistic. You can cry all you want over spilled milk but that will not change a thing.
We were colonised. Yes, but so what. India was also colonised, Thailand, The Philippines, Morocco, Algeria and other more prosperous places that seem to have direction were also colonised. The only special thing about Post-Colonial Africa has been its ability to breed more Mobutus, Bokassas, Amins and very few Mandelas.
You choose to play victim, crying and hoping that Europe and its off shoots will hear your cry and have mercy on you – and give you some crumbs. Good luck with that. It is time Africa stopped playing victim and took charge of its own destiny.
One last thing, soon enough the economic centre of gravity will shift eastward and southward – China and India and the other emerging economies will increasingly become more powerful economically and politically. To people like you I pose the question : what card will you play then, now that the ‘ooohh you colonised us’ card will no longer be valid ?
How will you play victim to south Asia, Eastern Europe, Arabia and Latin America when they also gained REAL independence at roughly the same time that Africa did?
Will you then resort to the only card left – that of race?
But even race won’t fly as a card since Botswana, Rwanda, Senegal and a few others will have gone ahead to transform themselves into modern, post-tribal economies.
I am not trying to please any ‘Westerner’ here. (It really hurts my pride that a handful of them conquered several million of our ancestors, and you can’t imagine how mad I get when I see emaciated African children in dusty villages with flies in their mouths and eyes on the pages of the Times or the Economist). All I am doing is pointing out faults.
The West will not criticize us because of their fear of people like you who will be quick to play the race card, so it is up to Africans to criticize themselves.
You may be having it good under Mugabe, but I doubt that the millions in Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and even within Zim who’ve been displaced or lost their loved ones would be willing to defend this man.
I rest my case on this topic.
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yes, you have made it clear where you are coming from.
For what it’s worth, I am white and Irish.
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