Zimbabwe’s future lies in the hands of its citizens

By Tichaona Sibanda
19 July 2006

The secretary for International Affairs in the Tsvangira led MDC has expressed deep surprise and amazement over comments made by former Namibian President Sam Nujoma that he will intervene militarily if anyone tried to remove Robert Mugabe from power.

Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro said fortunately the future of Zimbabwe will not be determined by views of the likes of Nujoma. In a diplomatic gaffe Nujoma surprised all and sundry when he threatened to instruct Swapo forces to go into Zimbabwe to defend the regime from foreign aggression.

‘Not very many politicians regionally and internationally have taken Nujoma as a leader or statesman who is schooled in diplomacy or the arts of handling a crisis situation,’ Mukonoweshuro said.

He said since Nujoma was expressing solidarity with an individual (Mugabe), his party was not worried by such comments. Despite Nujoma’s outburst Mukonoweshuro reiterated that the MDC enjoys fairly cordial relations with the majority of countries in the SADC region.

‘We compare notes with the SADC leaders on a regular basis, we brief them about our perception of the Zimbabwe problem and its impact on the population,’ he said.

Commenting on an initiative by former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa to mediate in the current fall-out between Mugabe and the British government, Mukonoweshuro poured scorn on the idea, labelling it ‘mission impossible.’

He said of Mkapa’s mission; ‘Any intervention or mediation in the Zimbabwe crisis is welcome in principle. But first it would have to be an intervention based on a collective reading of the situation.’

The position of the MDC on this issue, said Mukonoweshuro is that ‘the correct reading of the situation would yield a picture of which, any mediation required would be between the regime on one hand and the oppressed people on the other.’