Mugabe offers no solutions to crisis on Independence Day

By Tererai Karimakwenda
18 April 2006

Independence Day this year saw a flurry of messages from officials of the ruling party and from both factions of the opposition. Mugabe addressed the nation on state television and radio and used the opportunity to renew his threats against any planned mass action by the opposition. He said: "Anyone who dares lead any group of persons to embark on a campaign of violence will be inviting the full wrath of the law to descend mercilessly on him or those who follow him," and "I want to warn them that they are playing with fire". Little did it matter to him that 26 years after independence he was still denying Zimbabweans their constitutional right to demonstrate in public. And more importantly, he offered no solutions to the ongoing economic crisis that has paralysed the country.

The man he was directing his threats to was MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai, who called for street protests to remove Mugabe at his party’s conference last month and at rallies around the country since then. In a message to the people of Zimbabwe Tsvangirai repeated his call for mass action. He said: “We cannot allow this regime to impose its false supremacy over the people. Only action and political pressure shall bring in the desired results and lead us to resuscitate our failed state and our dying institutions.” Many analysts believe Mugabe is worried about the planned protests. He usually blasts the UK and United States in his speeches but he has focused on Tsvangirai since he began rallying supporters to act against the government.

Professor Arthur Mutambara who heads the other faction of the MDC also put out a message to the people of Zimbabwe. He summarised the deteriorated state of the economy and all the abuses by the Mugabe regime. He said: “We demand an end to the national economic crisis today. We demand the immediate resignation of the entire ZANU(PF) government today. The people of Zimbabwe must rule themselves again.”

Provincial ZANU-PF officials read Mugabe’s message at stadiums around the country. By all accounts nothing earth shattering was said by any of them and Mugabe’s message received harsh criticism for it’s failure to convey anything meaningful to desperate Zimbabweans. A retired teacher in Harare who listened intently described it as embarrassing. She said Mugabe moaned about the mass exodus that has seen millions flee to other countries in search of better opportunities. She said: “How could he speak as though he does not know why people are leaving.” The teacher said Mugabe used the term “my children” and then asked how he is expected to solve our problems by himself.

In Bulawayo our man on the ground Themba Nkosi reports that less than 2000 people attended festivities at Barbourfields Stadium. He said the crowd was mostly civil servants who had been forced to attend, plus school children and those who hoped to take advantage of the free beer and food that had been promised. Nkosi said many people just stayed home and went about their daily chores of cleaning and looking for basic necessities. He added that there had been confusion as to whether the guest of honour would be vice president Mujuru or Msika.

Our Mashonaland West correspondent Mike Mutasa made it to the celebrations in Chinhoyi, where he reported that crowds packed the local stadium to see the police and military displays and of course, the football. Mutasa said resident governor Nelson Samkange addressed the crowd, giving a mixed message about the meaning of this day. The governor said Independence Day is a celebration of the freedom of Zimbabweans from colonialism and a day to unite, not a day to acknowledge any political parties. But according to Mutasa, ZANU-PF slogans were then chanted as usual.