Thursday 20 August

Zuma must be firmer with Mugabe

Any visiting head of state allowed to enter Zimbabwe has to endure Robert Mugabe’s “affectionate” hand clasp as Mugabe walks down the airport tarmac with the visiting head of state, holding on to the visitor like brides continuing their honeymoon in another exotic country.

He always does that and it always works for him.
Robert Mugabe, like he does with all visiting presidents, held Jacob Zuma’s hand when Zuma got off the plane last week.

Mugabe did that to indicate that the visiting head of state was his and the MDC better stand back.
Mugabe does that with many heads of state, and it always works for him.
It actually worked on Jacob Zuma too!

The old Zulu warrior was so overcome by affection that he got back on his plane and went back home after issuing a lot of silly statements that meant nothing to Zimbabweans but a lot to Mugabe, making me wonder why Zimbabweans had to foot the bill for such a meaningless high profile state visit.
Poor Tsvangirai!

There were high expectations that Zuma would use his influence as the chairman of the Southern African Development Community “to unlock a political deadlock that continues to haunt Zimbabwe’s six month old unity government”.

That anticipation was dashed when Zuma flew out of Harare headed for home last Friday evening with no indication that anything of note had been achieved.

Like all other presidents on the African continent, Zuma used diplomatic language to camouflage failure, fear and an un-understandable reluctance to confront Mugabe.
Zuma is already sliding into Thabo Mbeki’s abominable silent diplomacy in which public killings of Zimbabweans is discussed behind closed doors, if at all.

Zuma has already joined what Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade once called “a trade union of African despots”.
Whenever we need a little momentum, it is South Africa that slows us down.
No one doubts that South Africa is one country that can force Mugabe to listen and behave himself. It will be interesting to Zimbabweans to see the difference between Mbeki and Zuma.
Zuma repeated the mantra that Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara, who he called former rivals, are agreed on the urgency of resolving their differences.

What fool would say otherwise?
Apart from opening the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, all Zuma achieved was to invite the “three Zimbabwean leaders” to next month’s SADC Summit in the DRC and hope that the Community will, once again, arm twist or hammer out some sort of compromise.
“We discussed the critical issues relating to the implementation. The parties are in agreement on the need to speed up implementation and to find solutions to the current points of disagreement,” Zuma said. “The important factor is that there is commitment amongst all parties, which will make the movement forward possible.”

You would think Zuma does not know Mugabe well enough! This is exactly what Mbeki left on the table!
The MDC is keen on the issues concerning the unilateral re-appointment of the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Gideon Gono, and the appointment of Attorney general, Johannes Tomana.
Zimbabweans believed that Zuma would make a difference on these issues since the MDC has always said that the appointments were made outside the parameters of the Global Political Agreement and should, therefore, be rescinded.

Zuma was more interested in the pumpkins on the stalls at the Agricultural Show than about the suffering Zimbabwean people.
Apparently, Zuma never heard of the continuing farm invasions and abuse of the citizenry, the unnecessary arrest of MDC MPs or how ZANU-PF is stalling the GPA.
Meanwhile, Mugabe turned the tables on the MDC, saying that the MDC must also play its part.
Zanu-PF deputy secretary of Information and Publicity, Ephraim Masawi, told journalists that, “The GPA has been there in the past six months but nothing has been done to address the central question of the removal of the illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe and Zanu-PF.”

It is interesting that Mugabe accuses Tsvangirai of failing to influence what he calls Tsvangirai’s western friends to lift sanctions imposed on Mugabe and his lieutenants.
Mugabe says that the MDC “is not doing enough to ask the foreign media to tone down its harsh reportage on the Zanu-PF leadership”.

Masawi said, “The vilification of Zanu-PF and its leaders by special targeted broadcasts continues on a daily basis unabated. The MDC, which urged its international supporters to impose the illegal sanctions, has the sole responsibility to ensure that its international supporters remove the sanctions forthwith. The implementation of the GPA cannot be a one-sided affair.”

A few days before Zuma jetted into Harare, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration and staunch Mugabe ally, Didymus Mutasa, said that Zimbabweans should not be fooled into believing “that power in the current inclusive government was meant to be shared equally between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai,” adding that Mugabe “is the one who tells all of us, including the Prime Minister, what should be done”.

Government of national unity, indeed!
The MDC still wants Mugabe to swear in its officials to take up provincial governorship posts currently occupied by Zanu-PF loyalists, including the swearing in of MDC national treasurer, Roy Bennett, as deputy Minister of Agriculture, and an end to fresh farm invasions and the continued arrest of its officials on trumped up charges.

At the end of his state visit, Zuma said he was encouraged by the performance of the inclusive government.
As soon as Zuma left Harare, Tsvangirai, who, for a year, has been telling the world that he is in the GNU to stay and that the GNU is irreversible, said that his party can quit the unity government if it fails to work to its satisfaction.

Tsvangirai, who used to say that they were arm-twisted into the GNU, now says that he and his party volunteered to be part to this and that nothing can stop them from quitting the GNU.
How can he quit if he says it is irreversible? Honestly, Tsvangirai’s inconsistency and flip-flopping is cause for concern.

Tsvangirai threatens to walk out a year after joining this atrocious charade and after just about everyone warned him not to be party to this ridiculous unworkable arrangement.
If he walks out after a year of fooling the people then what? What will he do? Expect people to follow him into another wilderness?

There is no doubt in my mind that Tsvangirai’s utterances were prompted by Zuma’s failure to give Tsvangirai the sort of support he expected.
It is astonishing how African presidents have a tendency to ignore bushfires while they battle to extinguish a flame on a candle stick.

I cannot, for the life of me, believe that Zuma, with all the intelligence services at his disposal, is not aware of the chicanery and delaying tactics employed by Mugabe, while the nation is being abused.
I don’t believe the Zumas of Africa don’t see the hopelessness that imbues the lives of Zimbabweans whose only wish is to be left alone to rebuild their lives and care for their families.

South Africa and SADC have done the Zimbabwean people a great deal of disservice and their continuing to toy around with such a debilitating situation is very unfortunate, to say the least.
Jacob Zuma’s trip to Zimbabwe and his subsequent utterances only galvanized Mugabe and his party, but ridiculed those who are honest in this undertaking and those who still suffer under ZANU-PF, as can be evidenced by the continued violence against innocent people.

If such serious things are not apparent to a president of one of Africa’s model democracies, then Africa will continue to wallow in misery and directionless leadership.
This is the reason why imbeciles like Muammur Gaddafi actually consider themselves not only African, but African leaders.

Accommodating murderous presidents ought to be a thing of the past.

Zimbabweans had hoped for better consideration from Mr Zuma because even the MDC itself is not safe from the rampaging lawless ZANU-PF operatives.

Zuma must change tactic and be firmer with Mugabe for the emancipation of the people and justice in Zimbabwe.

It’s not only about Zimbabweans; it is about South Africa, it is about Botswana, SADC and the entire continent.

For goodness sake, someone must teach African presidents to turn new pages.