____________________________________
Omowale Clay is a leader of the December 12 Movement, which stands for
reparations and African liberation. He is also a WBAI LSB member. He is
currently
in Zimbabwe
ZIMBABWE UPDATE...JUNE 27TH,
on the ground with the December 12th Movement... Please forward to your
contacts
Today, Zimbabweans went to the polls at over 9,000 polling stations across
the country. The December 12th Movement, International Election Observers
traveled to variest constituencies to observe the balloting. We found the
people
excited and proud to be voting in an atmosphere of peace and security. The
polling stations close at 7PM, Zimbabwe time, and counting will immediately
follow with the reporting of results to begin tomorrow. We had an opportunity
to observe President Mugabe and First Lady Grace Mugabe accompany his
daughter to her polling place to vote in Harare Province. The President was
confident that the Zimbabwean people would vote their interest in keeping
Zimbabwe a
free and independent country. More on this tomorrow.
>From The Herald, Harare, Zimbabwe....
Land has always been core issue
By Peter Mavunga
BRITAIN had the right to intervene in Rhodesia when, on November 11, 1965,
Ian Smith defied the Crown and declared UDI. But it did not because the rebel
was Ian Smith, a white man, and Harold Wilson, the then British prime
minister, could not bring himself to fight against his kith and kin.
These were Dr Davis Gaziâs words on Wednesday night in a speech to an
all-black audience in London where he was promoting his book, "Zimbabwe:
Racism
and the Land Question".
His words were relevant to those in the audience, some of whom had come from
outside London to hear him speak. Britain and her allies are engaged in a
flurry of activity to justify such intervention in Zimbabwe.
So Dr Gaziâs grasp of history and his willingness to share it was just the
antidote to the daily diet of BBC propaganda his audience needed.
Indeed, a Jamaican young woman confided in me: "I am just fed up of the
BBC. I have come to hear an African perspective of the story of Zimbabwe," she
said before the meeting started.
Dr Gazi pointed to "a funny irony of history" that meant that the
Conservative governments, rather than Labour, had done more for Africans than
Labour.
He reminded his guests that it was Harold McMillan, a Tory prime minister
well remembered in Africa for his "wind of change" speech, who had suggested
buying land for Africans in Kenya.
This was a Conservative, said Dr Gazi, expressing disappointment in another
paradox that the Democrats in America â who were supposed to be closer to
black people than the Republicans â had on the whole been the slave owners and
wanted slavery to continue as opposed to the Republican factory owners who
preferred "these niggers" to work in their factories as free men.
He said the only time Britain had the right to intervene in Rhodesia was
during UDI.
Today, no amount of posturing will justify Britain and her allies to
intervene in the affairs of an independent country. Yet morals or ethics had
never
deterred Western countries from interfering in the affairs of other sovereign
states.
In 1960, Patrice Lumumba, who had been elected by his own people, was
removed from office by America, Belgium, Britain, France and others. Here is
an
example of the intervention by those who murdered Lumumba whereupon they went
to defeat the notion of democracy in order to further their own ends.
And after they had murdered Lumumba, said Dr Gazi, they immersed his body
in sulphuric acid to dissolve it. They were not going to tolerate seeing his
grave turned into a shrine lest it might foster unity among the Africans.
Since this brutal intervention in the Congo by the West, more than five
million people have died in the Congo. This is what intervention by the West
means in reality. It is concerned with the violation of an African countryâs
sovereignty; it is about occupation; it is about murder and it is brutal.
In 1971, Milton Obote went to the Commonwealth conference in Singapore where
he was going to object to the British selling arms to the South African
navy. In doing this, the then president of Uganda was opposing the apartheid
regime in South Africa. When he returned home, his country had been taken over
by Idi Amin, who was supported by the British, the Americans and the Israelis.
Dr Gazi went on to speak about farms and farming in Zimbabwe. He inveighed
against the idea often put forward by those who confuse land and one-man
one-vote.
"Never did I hear my mother or father say we were fighting for one-man
one-vote," he said. "They said we went to fight for our land, to get our land
back."
He dismissed the notion often peddled by white supremacists that white
farmers were responsible for more agricultural output in Zimbabwe. He also
dismissed the idea that because of white farmers, Zimbabwe had been "the
breadbasket" of Africa.
Dr Gazi, a scientist by training, said there was no evidence suggesting that
white expertise was responsible for more agricultural output in Zimbabwe,
particularly the production of staple food. What evidence there was, pointed
to black people doing this.
Reflecting on life in Rhodesia where he grew up, Dr Gazi recalled that from
primary school, black children were taught carpentry, agriculture and
sometimes metalwork. There was not one, not one, he repeated for emphasis,
school
where white people went to learn agriculture. He himself started learning
agriculture when he was 10.
He dismissed the idea that whites were responsible for feeding Africans as a
myth. It was Africans who had the agricultural know-how, pointing out
examples of Domboshawa, Chivero, Mlezu agricultural colleges and others where
Africans learnt agriculture. And there were many able black farmers, said Dr
Gazi.
On whether President Mugabe had been in power "for too long", as is often
said by those advocating change, Dr Gazi said this depended on the
Constitution of Zimbabwe.
He pointed that President Mugabe had been in office since 1980 while Hosni
Mubarak of Egypt had become president in 1981. While there was clamour for
President Mugabe to be removed from office, no one was asking Mubarak to leave
office.
He went on to say that no one was saying President Mugabe was still in
office because he breached the Constitution of Zimbabwe. If that was the
case,
this would mean he had been in office for too long. But since he was in fact
complying with the Constitution, Dr Gazi urged his audience to reflect on the
reason why there was pressure on President Mugabe and not on Mubarak. He
challenged his audience directly and asked them why, if they were concerned
about
starvation in Zimbabwe, they did not send a container load of food or
medicines to the poor.
Dr Gazi was asked to comment on violence reported in the media. He said he
had no view on this until he had the facts.
He said he would not excuse anybody who violated Africans. That included
South Africa where people were beaten up simply because they were foreigners.
His view on this was that this was meant to frighten Zimbabweans in South
Africa so that they could go back to Zimbabwe and vote or influence the
outcome
of the election. He was driven to this conclusion because of the timing of
the violence. Why did it happen just as preparations for the run-off got
underway?
As regards violence in Zimbabwe, he said he did not know who was committing
the violence against who. He said we had to find out and urged his audience
not to be misled by those who are quick to blame the Government. He referred
anecdotally to a section in his own book in which he described how the MDC
once claimed that one of its members had been murdered by Zanu-PF when, on
closer examination, it turned out it was a member of Zanu-PF who had been
murdered by the MDC. Reality and what is reported donât always coincide, he
said.
A South African woman in the audience asked Dr Gazi whether he would comment
critically on her former president, Nelson Mandela, given what she saw as a
man who was being used by white society?
Dr Gazi would not be drawn to do so, saying Mandela, who was apparently
speaking about "failure of leadership in Zimbabwe" as Dr Gazi was delivering
his
own speech, was a black man. He said there was a danger of concentrating our
criticism against our own people who have got it wrong when there were many
white people to criticise for doing untold damage to our own people.
He went on to say he did not join those who criticised Morgan Tsvangirai for
being "so stupid" for the simple reason that he (Tsvangirai) "is my brother"
who, he went on, "did have the right not to rule Zimbabwe", he said to much
laughter.
People here are confounded by Tsvangiraiâs judgment following his decision
to seek refuge in the Dutch embassy rather than one of the African missions.
One man in the audience remarked, to the amusement of the audience, that he
had to run past the Nigerian embassy to reach the Dutch embassy and our
Nigerian brothers are very upset about this!
The most heated exchange came when Dr Gazi was challenged by a former member
of Zipra who complained that he did not get the land that he went to fight
for. He complained that the Government of Zimbabwe had been discriminating
against those in Matabeleland.
That is when Dr Gazi came to life. He said this was not his experience and
he said this with certainty "because I was there".
He explained in minute detail his own role in trying to persuade people in
Matabeleland to accept land being offered to them by the Government. He
rejected the idea that land was being given by Zanu-PF.
"I know because I took 60 forms myself from the Ministry in Bulawayo, trying
to persuade people to take up land but only six were taken because people
were wrongly advised to reject it on the grounds that ângo kwe Zanu konokoâ."
Dr Gazi was applauded for holding his own ground on this and for winning
over his brothers who later agreed that a discussion about the rights and
wrongs
made by individual personalities like Robert Mugabe at this stage was, in
fact, a distraction from the real issue facing us today.
The issue is that "we want our land and we want to keep it", said Dr Gazi.
Road to victory: Key events after March 29
By Stephen T. Maimbodei
ALL registered voters are exercising their democratic right today. But they
are doing so against the backdrop of an onslaught and siege against Zimbabwe
and President Mugabe in particular by the United States, Britain and their
allies.
There is no denying that George W. Bush in particular would want to
"resolve" the Zimbabwe issue by any means possible before leaving office even
if it
means military action using the UN Security Council to rubber-stamp his
actions as they did before the bombing of Iraq in 2003.
They are aided and abetted by their stooge here, MDC-T leader Morgan
Tsvangirai, whose desperation at becoming Zimbabweâs next president will stop
at
nothing including making an absolute fool of himself as he sinks to the lowest
levels of African dignity through the demeaning and embarrassing antics he
has been exposing us to: imaginary killers everywhere, and the best place to
"hide" is the local Dutch embassy. He has also exposed how the West has
delegated their responsibilities in their war against Zimbabwe. Now the Nordic
countries are made to play a visible role. However, the copy of what
Tsvangirai
does is still authored by the British and Americans.
He gave President Mugabe an ultimatum after briefly leaving his "hideout"
at the Dutch embassy, for the international community to intervene militarily
by sending a peacekeeping force that will maintain peace while preparations
are made for yet another presidential poll.
The US and Britain also feel that the time is ripe for a successful illegal
regime change since they have managed to rope in some Africans who are now
"speaking against" President Mugabe.
Their divide and rule tactics were apparent as the US assistant secretary of
state for African affairs Jendayi Frazerâs shuttle diplomacy took her to a
number of African countries whom they believe could be instrumental in the
execution of their "mission impossible" stunt in Zimbabwe.
Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana â would all like to straighten you out. Theyâre
not fooled. Youâre outnumbered and outgunned by a ratio of about 50 to 1 â
just Google "news" and click the thousands of articles regarding your boss
Robert Mugabe and Zanu-PF. Only the state news organisations agree with you â
your credibility decreases each day with this type of juvenile nonsense. It is
my sincere hope that our CIA meets your CIO. Guess whoâll be left standing?
Regards from USA." He trashes my opinion, but has the audacity to write this
message with veiled threats.
This writer is proud to be Zimbabwean and a pan-Africanist. This writer also
takes pride in the revolutions that Zimbabwe waged against settler
colonialism, and we have beaten the system. And this American who threatens
Zimbabwe
with violence will realise that when the Americans and British eventually
decide on this course of action, they will be moving in no manâs land.
Iraq and Afghanistan will look like a picnic. The Americans will realise
that the foolhardy approach of illegal regime change will not stop the "100
percent empowerment and total inpdependence" policy programme. Ask John
Simpson
of the BBC World Services.
After he used to clandestinely enter Zimbabwe, this time he saw the light
and admitted in his own words to a renewed and transformed Robert Mugabe and
Zanu-PF. His admissions came after he had trashed Zanu-PF a few months ago,
writing them off as he had done China after the Tiananmen Square incident.
Soon
China will be the biggest economy in the world. Professor Isheunesu
Mupeperekiâs words of counsel "Takagarigwa pasi" still echo with immense
clarity and
truth. In 2000, a fortnight after the DRC leader Desiree Kabila, a faculty
member in the War and Strategic Studies Department at the University of
Zimbabwe, claimed that he was present when the whole 14-member Sadc team made
a
resolution to intervene militarily.
However, when push came to shove, there were only three countries that went
into the DRC to save Joseph Kabilaâs fledgling government. And the DRC has
become one of the many "sins" that President Mugabe has committed against the
West since they preferred the chaotic situation which gave them during Mobutu
Sese Sekoâs time unfettered access to the DRCâs rich mineral and other
resources, while the owners gained nothing at all.
The academic-cum- soldier cautioned that while people might believe that the
decisions that are usually announced at communiquÃs are binding, they are,
in fact, made at strange hours by phone usually. Is this what the British and
Americans are doing regarding Zimbabwe?
Moeletsi Mbeki, head of the South African Institute of Policy, seems to
concur when he describes the cracks in Sadc. He says that there are three
groups: the pro-Mugabe; the anti-Mugabe and the fence-sitters. Wednesdayâs
summit
on Zimbabwe in Swaziland endorsed this when key members of the troika
boycotted the meeting. What impact will this action have on Sadc and the AU
after
todayâs election?
The divisions alluded to, and todayâs vote will redesign and redefine the
African political and economic landscape, and Africa will never be the same,
including its relationship with the West.
In addition, as pressure on Zimbabwe mounts, there are now clear signs of
who is in the driverâs seat, and the evidence of the carrot and stick tactic
being used on some Sadc leaders, and an apparent conspiracy of not only
wanting
to disregard Zimbabweâs rule of law regarding the run-off elections, but
also trying to impose a leader against the wishes of the Zimbabwean people.
That violence and intimidation are being used as reasons of not only crying
foul against the Zimbabwean Government is a double standard of the first
degree. Both Zanu-PF and the MDC-T have claimed that there are victims. Why
then
do MDC-T supporters seem like they are the only victims, and so precious?
Are they saints when violence has been a hallmark of the MDC since its
formation.
Individuals like Job Sikhala and Trudy Stevenson are clear testimonies of
the deeply entrenched violent nature within the MDC-T.
Zimbabwe is also supposed to be the benchmark of how elections are
conducted in the Sadc region. We have had elections in many parts of Africa in
the
past eight years, but none of the countries such as Zambia, Nigeria, Uganda,
Kenya and Nigeria got as much scrutiny as Zimbabwe and neither were they
exposed to so much analysis as Zimbabwe. Neither was vilified for carrying out
elections that went against the norms of democratic principles as Zimbabwe is
doing. Some of our neighbours who pass judgment on our democratic principles
and President Mugabeâs leadership do not hold elections and pass on
leaderships as if they are a fiefdom.
Why was a peacekeeping force not sent to Kenya? Why was it also not sent to
Nigeria, Uganda and Ethiopia where the levels of violence and intimidation
were equally high?
All these countries produced disputed elections whose leaders would not be
legitimised anywhere. But only Zimbabweâs Robert Mugabe has to go through this
rigorous and tortuous refereeing process because he dared to stand up
against the Philistines and their giant Goliath.
As Zimbabweans go out to vote under the shadow of doubt and uncertainty we
publish below a chronology of key events on the national, regional and
internal scene that have impacted Zimbabweâs political and socio-economic
landscape
since the March harmonised elections.
It helps the readers to put into perspective the visible presence of the
third force and other key players and the manner in which major stakeholders
on
the Zimbabwean political landscape played out both to the people of Zimbabwe
and those still playing to the gallery.
This by no means is not an exhaustive list the past few days since Friday
when the MDC-T leader announced that he was contemplating pulling out of the
race, the tempo at which the reactions from the so-called international
community has been running at fever pitch.
l March 29: Zimbabweans vote in the historic harmonised elections.
l April 2: MDC-T Tendai Biti announces the MDC-Tâs version of presidential
results giving Tsvangirai a 50,3 percent of the vote, and declaring him an
outright winner. Claims that they would participate in a re-run under
protest.
Soon after Tsvangirai and Biti go into self-imposed exile in the region.
l April 8: ZEC officials arrested for tampering with poll results.
l April 12: Sadc Extraordinary Summit called by President Mwanawasa held in
Lusaka. MDC-T leader and Simba Makoni attend summit as observers.
l April 14: Document exposing alleged MDC-T ballot bribery is published.
l April 15: Mnangagwa says that Mwanawasa erred for unilaterally calling
for the Extraordinary summit.
l April17: MDC-T leader allegedly approached the British government over the
possibility of launching a military offensive to unseat the government
because efforts to depose President Mugabe from within had failed a top secret
MDC-T transitional document Memorandum of Understanding reveals.
l April 21: Government challenges anyone with information demonstrating
that acts of State violence have characterised the post-election period to
furnish the police with details to facilitate full investigations.
April 21: Sadc rejects MDC-T calls to replace South African President Mbeki
as mediator in the Zimbabwe issue and also resist attempts by MDC-T and its
European backers to discuss Zimbabweâs elections at a regional summit on
poverty in Mauritius.
l April 23: China clears air on arms shipment to Zimbabwe.
l April 24: "Arm Zimâs opposition" â Wall Street Journal calls.
l April 27: Zuma rebukes UKâs "extreme position" on Zimbabwe
l May 2: ZEC announces presidential results. No winner with an absolute
majority, automatically setting the stage for a second election between
President Mugabe and Tsvangirai. On May 4, Zanu-PF says it was ready for
run-off poll.
l May 5: War veterans attacked, three farmers arrested.
l May 12: South African President Mbeki say solutions to Zimbabweâs
challenges rest in the hands of Zimbabweans with outsiders only coming to
assist.
l May 13: Anti-violence drive intensifies. Police dismantle political bases
in Masvingo.
l May 14: Zanu-PF Politburo meets and condemns politically motivated
violence.
May 14: Government summons US ambassador to Zimbabwe and warns him over his
involvement in the country's domestic affairs.
l May 15: Church leaders, security chiefs discuss political violence
l May 16: ZEC announces run-off date: June 27
l May 17: "I am under pressure": Mwanawasa speaks out; and Sadc says it wonâ
t dump Zimbabwe.
l May 20: US ambassador to Zimbabwe McGee orders Tsvangirai to return home
from self imposed exile and participate in run-off.
l May 21: President Mugabe says price hikes are a regime change tactic.
l May 23: Zanu-PF, MDC-T in frank talks on violence.
l May 24: Tsvangirai returns to Zimbabwe after spending six weeks in
self-imposed exile, after McGee had ordered him back.
l May 25: Zanu-PF launches the presidential rerun campaign.
l June 2: Tendai Biti arrested. Biti had been on self-imposed exile for two
months.
June 2: UK government seeks to engage churches in Zimbabwe and Britain to
boost regime change agenda.
June 2: US government intensifies efforts to aid and abet regime agenda by
trying to have Sadc sideline President Thabo Mbeki as official mediator in
favour of current Sadc chairperson, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa.
June 2: Despite travel ban imposed by the EU and the US, and protests from
certain Western quarters, President Mugabe travels to Rome, the Italian
capital to attend the UNFAO food summit, and addresses the summit on June 3.
l June 3: President Mugabe holds talks with UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-Moon, and tells him that Zimbabwe is alarmed by his statements on Harare,
which
raised concerns of Western countries while completely ignoring the fact that
Zimbabwe is bleeding under illegal sanctions imposed by Britain, the US, and
their allies.
l June 6: Government suspends operations of all NGOs as a clampdown on
incidences of civil society meddling in the countryâs politics ahead of the
June
27 run-off poll. They are ordered to apply for new registration permits.
l June 10: US announces it would give US$7 million for the June 27 poll. The
US, had not been invited to observe polls because of its meddling in Zimbabwe
âs internal affairs and funding of the opposition said it would spend the
money helping "international observers".
l June 17: Ban on NGOs is lifted.
June 17: President Mugabe meets UNâs assistant general for political affairs
Hail Menkerios who is on a tour of Sadc region and is in Zimbabwe to assess
the countryâs state of preparedness for run-off poll.
l June 18: Tsvangirai calls for intervention from Zimbabweâs regional
neighbours.
June 18: President Thabo Mbeki holds talks with President Mugabe in Harare,
evaluating progress made in run-off poll. Also holds talks with Tsvangirai.
June 18: Former Mozambican President Joaqim Chissano takes a swipe on the
West over illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.
June 18: British premier Gordon Brownâs divide and rule tactics are revealed
when he lies in parliament about the Zimbabwe situation saying that Jacob
Zuma is South Africaâs president-elect, and that the ANC would be sending 1000
observers for the run-off.
l June 19: Visiting Namibian Defense Forces Chief, Lieutenant- General
Martin Schalli assures Zimbabweans that it was not in Africaâs interest to
interfere in another countryâs internal affairs, and that Namibia would
continue to
assist Zimbabwe to resolve its problems through Sadc.
June 19: Tsvangirai tells the media of his intentions to withdraw from
presidential run-off poll. Cites escalating politically motivated violence
against his supporters, intimidation and harassment by the Police.
l June 20: Public broadcaster Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings explains why it
could not flight MDC-T campaign advertisements pointing out that they
contained inappropriate language and information.
l June 21: MDC-T wins a High court order to allow them to hold rally in
Harare on June 22. Rally is marred by violence between MDC-T and Zanu-PF
supporters.
l June 22: Tsvangirai announces to media and election observers about his
withdrawal from the poll.
June 22: Cde Patrick Chinamasa challenges Tsvangirai to put the withdrawal
in writing.
l June 23: Tsvangirai seeks "refuge" at the Dutch Embassy in Harare, and
Police Director General warns that Tsvangiraiâs actions were a dirty political
antic to stir international anger and further damage the countryâs image.
June 23: Justice George Chiweshe, ZEC Chairperson confirms that Tsvangirai
had not yet formally withdrawn from the race and that elections would go on
as scheduled.
June 23: A non-binding statement by the UN Security Council in New York
condemns "the campaign of violence against the political opposition".
June 23: Sadc foreign ministers discuss Zimbabwe situation in Luanda,
Angola.
June 23: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says campaign of threats and
intimidation, is against spirit of democracy.
June 23: Zimbabweâs opposition withdrawal from the presidential election
run-off unconstitutional, the Zimbabwe electoral body has said.
June 23: US ambassador James McGee says Sadc must declare both the election
and President Mugabe's government illegitimate.
lJune 24: President Mugabe tells supporters that Government was open to
negotiation with anyone, but legal process has to be logically concluded.
Declares that the June 27 poll would go on as enshrined in the constitution.
June 24: U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee issues a veiled warning
that if Government goes forward with its planned Friday electoral run-off - in
the absence of an opposition candidate - the U.S. would view the resulting
government as illegitimate and take the "expected" steps.
June 24: Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade and ANC leader Jacob Zuma say
the presidential run-off must be postponed as Tsvangirai had withdrawn. Zuma
says the run-off is no longer a solution.
June 24: Zimbabweâs UN Ambassador maintains the international community has
been duped into believing that there is lawlessness in Zimbabwe.
June 24: Britain, current president of the Security Council, tries to use
Belgium to halt run-off election and illegally install Tsvangirai as
president, but South Africa blocks the attempts.
June 24: South Africaâs ruling ANC party rejects foreign intervention in
Zimbabwe, especially from erstwhile colonisers.
June 24: Tsvangirai officially withdraws from the June 27 presidential
run-off. He also called on world leaders to isolate President Mugabe.
June 24: Constitutional law experts say that Tsvangirai cannot pull out of
race.
June 24: President Mugabe says Zimbabwe will go ahead with the run-off
election and that no amount of pressure from Britain and the US will stop the
election.
l June 25: Tsvangirai briefly leaves sanctuary of Dutch embassy to do a
press conference at his house where he gives an ultimatum to President Mugabe.
After addressing the brief press conference, he returns to the embassy.
June 25: Tsvangirai repeats his call for a new presidential election.
June 25: A meeting of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defense and Security in
Swaziland to ratchet up pressure on Zimbabwe to call off todayâs election
flops
after Angola, the chair, and South Africa the mediator boycott summit.
June 25: United States presidential hopeful, Barrack Obama adds his voice to
international condemnation of President Mugabe, declaring that his "regime"
in Zimbabwe "is illegitimate and lacks any credibility" .
June 25: UK Conservative party urges military action against Zimbabwe, but
Brown says military action was not an option at the moment.
June 25: Sadc election observers to remain in place for the run-off poll,
despite the withdrawal announcement by Tsvangirai.
l June 27: Zimbabweans vote in the run-off poll despite Tsvangiraiâs
withdrawal.
Letâs consign Morgan to the dustbin
THE hour for which our heroes and heroines sacrificed their lives is nigh,
let us honour their memory by defending their ideals.
The peopleâs victory ushers in the dawn that will eclipse the nights we
endured over the past 11 years, since the day the British reneged on their
obligations to fund the land reform programme, and in so doing precipitating
the
bilateral dispute that has drawn in much of the Western hemisphere.
This is why this fight has never been between Morgan Tsvangirai and
President Mugabe, Zanu-PF and MDC-T, but between Zimbabwe and the Anglo-Saxon
alliance led by Britain and the US.
This is why though today Tsvangirai is holed up in the Dutch embassy,
claiming to be boycotting the election, we vote regardless because the fight
was
never about him anyway.
He was just imperialismâs catâs paw.
This is the election that should deliver the death blow to the neo-colonial
project and usher in the holistic independence we struggled for since 1896
when our forebears took up arms against the settler brigands.
It is, thus, providential that on the eve of this historic election, after
having divested ourselves of much of the colonial baggage we inherited in
1980, the British High Priestess, Queen Elizabeth II, stripped President
Mugabe
of the honorary knighthood she conferred in 1994, accusing him of ââabuse of
human rights in Zimbabweââ as we report elsewhere in this issue.
But we know better. We know the reason is President Mugabeâs refusal to live
up to the expectations of the British, refusing to be their knight in
shining armour who safeguards their ill-gotten gains.
That is what is expected of a knight of the British Empire, one has to
dedicate oneâs life to serving the empire.
We salute President Mugabe for doing the exact opposite, dedicating his
life to serve Zimbabwe, which is why he has drawn the wrath of the British
after
taking land from their kith and kin for onward distribution to landless
black Zimbabweans.
We can only say good riddance, because the award was never solicited anyway,
let alone ever used.
At no point in his political life did President Mugabe refer to himself as ââ
Sir Robertââ.
The man deserving of that award today is Tsvangirai, a faithful British
servant. They can as well confer it on him as he represents everything
expected
of a ââgoodââ African.
Over the coming months, President Mugabe leads the charge to the mines and
factories to ensure that we own everything down to our ants and reptiles,
which is why he ran his campaign under the theme: "100 percent Empowerment,
Total Independence" .
As such, the stripping of the knighthood, which was meant to humiliate him,
has actually honoured him.
The symbolism is not lost to us.
What it means is Zimbabwe has been divested of the last vestige of
colonialism and President Mugabe enters this decisive election a free man.
The mantle is now on our shoulders to strip this country of British puppet
politics by consigning Tsvangirai to the dustbin.
âKnighthood withdrawal on President a blessingâ
Herald Reporter
QUEEN Elizabethâs decision to withdraw an honorary knighthood bestowed on
President Mugabe in 1994 is actually a blessing in disguise as it removes one
of the last vestiges of colonial titles on an outstanding African statesman
and revolutionary, analysts said yesterday.
While the rabid western media ranted and raved about the event because of
their warped value system, progressive Zimbabweans saw it as signifying the
further decolonisation of Africa.
A social commentator said Zimbabwe was independent and has its own value
systems that protect African humanism, integrity and empowerment.
"The decolonisation process was a rejection of British value systems and so
as Zimbabweans we simply see this as the removal of one of the last vestiges
of colonialism. No one has ever referred to our President as âSirâ Robert
Mugabe. He is known as âComradeâ Robert Mugabe and that says it all," he said.
The analyst said the move should be seen as further proof of the British
Empireâs brazen interference in Zimbabweâs internal affairs, as if the
country
is still their colony.
Observers said it was shameful that the Queen still thinks the knighthood
has more meaning to Zimbabweans than the 100 percent black empowerment
programme that President Mugabe has embarked on.
The Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity, Cde Bright Matonga
yesterday laughed off the development, saying the continued existence of the
knighthood had given the British the mistaken impression that they still held
some
form of sway over the country.
"My President never used that knighthood. It meant nothing to him and it
means nothing to us as Zimbabweans and this is why it was never talked about
here.
"Zimbabwe is not a part of the British Empire and their titles and honoraria
mean nothing to us unless they promote the values and virtues of our
existence in the form on protection of our land rights and our right to
exploit our
resources.
"My President has nothing to benefit from being considered a subject of the
British Queen. It is something we rejected and that is why Britain today is
trying to meddle in our affairs. The same goes for the honorary degrees that
various Western institutions gave him.
"Cde Mugabe is a very educated man with seven degrees of his own that he
earned through his own sweat. You will not hear him talking about his honorary
degrees and in fact, they can take them away along with the knighthood," Cde
Matonga said.
The withdrawal of the knighthood comes at a time when Britain, America and
their allies have upped pressure to divide Sadc by clandestinely engaging
individual regional leaders to isolate Zimbabwe and effect regime change.
The Americans, which fully understand that the impasse between Harare and
London is strictly from the failure by London to honour Lancaster House
agreements over the land reform, has joined in the fight disguised as a
democracy
lecturer yet it is looking for soil to establish its military base for Africom
in the region.
"The whole American story is that of trying to establish military base in
Africa and President Mugabe is a threat because he would certainly reject such
a move. The British story is a bilateral problem emanating from the
historical colonial land issue.
"This knighthood is meaningless to land hungry black Zimbabweans. It should
also assume the same meaningless form in the rest of Africa because Africans
do not survive on knighthood but on their resources, such as land.
"Knighthood did not bring independence to Zimbabwe and to Africa. It was the
war waged by comrades that brought independence to Zimbabwe and it is the
land revolution that makes sense to President Mugabeâs supporters not
knighthood.
"I am sure that given a choice between knighthood on one side and his country
âs independence, sovereignty and 100 percent empowerment any reasonable
Zimbabwean would never go for knighthood,ââ said a social commentator.
Social leader Bishop Trevor Manhanga, the chairman of the Heads of Christian
Denominations in Zimbabwe, added to this saying the knighthood had no value
whatsoever to President Mugabe and to Zimbabwe.
"It is totally of no significance. Of what value is a British knighthood to
a Zimbabwean? I donât think the majority of Zimbabweans even know or care
what criteria is used to bestow these things," he laughed.
Interestingly, on the same day that Queen Elizabethâs decision was made
public, the British monarch was knighting Mr Salman Rushdie, an Indian-born
writer who for 10 years was wanted in his homeland for blasphemy after
authoring
the novel, The Satanic Verses.
In 1989, the Supreme Leader of Islam Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini passed a
death sentence on Mr Rushdie for desecrating the Moslem faith and the writer
has since lived in the UK under the protection of British special agents.
Defend Zimâs sovereignty: Nkomo
Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWEANS should go in their numbers to vote today as the right to vote
and the sovereignty they currently enjoy came through the liberation struggle
and cannot be subverted, Zanu-PF National Chairman Cde John Nkomo has said.
In a statement televised on Wednesday night, Cde Nkomo said no one could
overturn the sovereignty of the Zimbabwean people by dictating how and when
they should vote.
He said events of the past few days had exposed the intimate links between
the opposition and Western political establishments.
"Our statehood and our nationhood are under severe threat. The question
before each and every one of us is whether, advertently or inadvertently, we
will go down in the annals of history as defenders of our motherland or as
traitors who unabashedly volunteered for servitude.
"They have jointly agitated for international punitive measures against
Zimbabwe with a view to dislodging the progressive Government of President
Mugabe. The ferocity of the anti-Zimbabwe campaign underscores what is at
stake â
our independence and future as a nation. Evidently this onslaught is being
directed from London and Washington," he said.
Cde Nkomo said Zanu-PF has continuously reaffirmed its credentials as the
peopleâs party since independence.
It was imperative, Cde Nkomo said, that as the electorate cast its vote it
be imbued with a sense of history and destiny as June 27, 2008 was a direct
result of April 18, 1980.
Cde Nkomo said it was travesty of natural justice for those who colonised
Zimbabwe and denied its people basic human rights for centuries to suddenly
change into champions of democracy.
"It is also disheartening to realise that fellow Zimbabweans, especially
those who shunned the liberation struggle, are eager today to serve the
interests of our sworn enemies.
"The domestic vote we take for granted today was earned through the blood,
sweat and tears of the gallant sons and daughters of Zimbabwe. Zanu-PF
Presidential candidate Cde Mugabe is the embodiment of our arduous struggle
for the
independence and liberty. He is a man of the moment and future," Cde Nkomo
said.
The land reform programme, he said, which democratised property relations
in the agricultural sector has brought economic empowerment to the indigenous
people and made them masters of their own destiny.
"It is no coincidence that the 100 percent Empowerment and Total
Independence are twin thrust of our electoral campaign. These underline our
unflinching
commitment to social and economic justice.
"We realise that the essence of governance also entails the total and full
empowerment of our citizens. The economic challenges that we face today can
only be resolved with the full participation of our citizenry," Cde Nkomo
said.
He said Cde Mugabeâs revolutionary zeal and patriotism had attracted
attention from those who had unfettered access to resources and have mobilised
opposition both domestically and externally to scuttle the Zanu-PF
empowerment
agenda.
"We are all aware of the untold brutality and pain inflicted by the
Rhodesian forces at home and in our liberation camps located in our
neighbouring
countries.
"It never crossed our minds to abandon the struggle and our people to seek
sanctuary at foreign mission. It was a fight we had to fight to finish," Cde
Nkomo said.
He said Cde Mugabe had stood by his word and has never shortchanged his
people for the sake of filthy lucre.
Cde Nkomo scoffed at Tsvangiraiâs theatrics that had seen him dash in and
out of a foreign mission saying they reflected on his character.
omowale clay
____________________________________
Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient _used
cars_ (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007) .
**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for
fuel-efficient used cars.
(http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)