Sokwanele ["Enough is Enough"], a Zimbabwean human rights NGO, has a flickr photo album that illustrates, rather graphically, the means that Zanu-PF and its fascist affiliates are using to cling to power.
Images copyright Sokwanele
The photos in this album are not of extras in Hollywood’s latest “Afritragedy”. Neither are they the spurious efforts of western imperialist media monoliths to smear what some readers consider to be a “saintly” Mugabe.
They show the results of systematic beatings and torture. They show the stirrings of what could ultimately become a genocide. Mugabe used crack troops for ethnic cleansing in Matabeleland in the early 1980s. It is quite possible he will resort to this sort of massacring again. After all, Angolan troops are allegedly ready for deployment to fight on his behalf. And Sokwanele’s blog has revealed that young men are being armed with AK47s; with a so-called war vet being quoted as saying: “Yes we are all being armed; we are going back to war”.
South Africa has a moral obligation – as a young democracy and a neighbour – to champion democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe.
Some of the readers of my previous post, Our president has blood on his hands, believe that Zimbabweans should be left to sort out their own problems. That is tantamount to claiming that South Africans should have fought the tyranny of apartheid by themselves without the support – in the form of sanctions and political pressure – of the international community.
Indeed, by the very same logic, people are justifying the world’s shocking indifference to the Rwandan genocide in which over 800 000 innocent people were murdered. Why? Because no country was bothered to stop the slaughter.
The Zimbabwean crisis could hardly be considered an “internal” issue anyway – not with approximately 2.5 million Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa and plenty more streaming across the Limpopo each day.
Thabo Mbeki and the rest of the lily-livered leaders that comprise the international community don’t just need to condemn the state-sponsored oppression in Zimbabwe. They need to actively work to resolve this crisis. Quiet diplomacy’s legacy is one third of Zimbabweans having fled their mother country and another third reliant on food aid to survive. The time for diplomacy – quiet or otherwise – is long over.
A few suggestions:
Leaders must ensure that no weapons destined for Zimbabwe enter the SADC.
Send in the AU troops! Mbeki didn’t seem to mind them farting about in the Comoros, deposing Anjouan island’s unofficially elected leader at the behest of the federal Comoros government. Why can’t they be deployed to Harare to ensure the election results are released and respected?
The UN should get involved. This could be in the form of a stern security council resolution or posting blue-helmeted troops to keep the peace and disarm Zanu PF militia. Preferably both (although with China and Russia on the security council this is admittedly wishful thinking).
Impose targeted sanctions and travel bans on Zanu PF bigwigs. Freeze their overseas bank accounts too.
Flick the switch! Eskom should stop providing electricity to power Zanu mansions (virtually no one else in Zim can afford electricity).
The question the world must ask itself is whether the lives of helpless citizens in a distant African basket case are worth caring about.
Let us hope that the verdict is “yes”.
Seriously Alex, stick to blogs about brands and advertising. You can’t seem to even get your facts right, let alone offer any reasonable critisim, analysis or recommendations.
Mbeki made a huge deal about AU troops being deployed in the Comoros, did you miss that one?
Don’t run around shouting “genocide, genocide” – it cheapens the term and complicates the issue. There is nothing to suggest that Zimbabwe in anyway resembles Rwanda.
The UN can’t just “go in”, they have to be invited by the government, or they have to be a serious threat to international peace.
No one is suggesting that the Zimbabweans must be “left to sort out their own problems”. Rather that they should stand up and defend their democracy; have a march, a protest, stage a sit-in at the ZEC offices, something to voice their mild disatisfaction with Mugabe.
I understand you are pissed-off with the situation Alex, we all are, as it appears that nobody seems to be doing anything to help the situation. But the truth is SA is doing more than anyone to bring about a peaceful resolution to the situation. Insipid suggestions derived from SkyNews-depth analysis isn’t helping anyone either.
Alex
Zimbabwe as a sovereign state has every right to enter into any arms deal with anybody it wants, don’t be fooled by all the hype online, raised by hypocrite looking to ignore the issues. in Shona it’s called “kurova imbga wakaviga mupinyu” -hitting a dog while hiding the stick)i.e remove the log in your first before you rap ’bout the stick in mine. tell me Mnu Nozindaba, what of the countries within SADC (botswana,Mzansi Afrika, Zambia,Tanzania, Malawi,Mozambique &Namibia) on the US Army’s arms assistance programme through Africom? at the end of the day your “liberal imperialist” agenda doesn’t wash, sure enough people voted Bob out but that does not mean we are not for the economic emancipation of our continent, which is why Tsvangirai will fail as a leader because he is not a pan african visionary.
Zimbabge ideologically is way ahead of Mzansi Afrika, and the issues we are grappling with now, the ANC will not be able to handle because it allows itself to be to influenced by white liberals, who are afraid of sharing the economic cake with everybody else.
you talk of 80% unemployment, has anybody not informed you of the SME (small to media enterprises) that are sprouting up all over our country? Zimbabgeans coming to RSA are not refugees, as far back as 1838 when the Ndebele arrived here from Kwazulu Natal, people having crossing the border to and fro, so don’t play yourself, is this not the globalisation that you people often tout for, (albeit of labour)Afrika is moving towards single nationhood within the next 50 led by Mzansi Afrika but the ideology behind that drive will be Zimbabgean,mark my words. “Amandla ngawethu”
So the people are in the streets everywhere. London – stiff upper lip protests and Brown decided not to touch the torch. France – pull off a riot and put out that flame like only the French could. San Francisco – hanging off the bridge to stop the hanging. Maybe we should create a special Oh-Limp-Pics for those not-so-free societies to be paraded every four years. It will give us all a chance to show how we feel about injustice around the world. It is obvious that the media will only report on it if there is a sound-bite and a photo opportunity. Maybe something for tyrant to carry the torch of torture every four years. Mm, I think I have an idea… http://angryafrican.net/2008/04/09/oh-limp-pic-games-celebrating-tyrants-everywhere/
i say, chaps how is one to dewesternise the newsroom at the Mail & Guardian? precision targetting of ‘liberal imperialists’,word for word you say! via blogging you say! …..i wonder,now there’s an idea.
Alex really man words fail me in expressing my disappointment with your take. Your input lacks an in depth analysis of what is happening in Zimbabwe. There is a history to the unfolding political scenario in Zimbabwe. What I can posit is that Mugabe should have stepped down long ago and opened a way for a younger leader who would not sell off the land and riches of the country to forces with nefarious intentions. Now what is supposed to have happened years ago can be fulfilled by perhaps installing a government of national unity. The Anglo American group is salivating wanting to participate in the Zimbabwe debacle. Zimbabweans particularly Mugabe must not allow it. The stakes are very high and the infamous group must not be allowed to be involved. Only African leaders must have a say in charting a way forward for Zimbabwe. Tsivangarai must go back to Zim and be part of the solution. However African leaders must avoid a situation wherein Tsivangarai becomes the president of Zimbabwe. That will have disastrous effects for the freedom of the people of Zim. Despite the mess and the so called violent incidents Mugabe must hand over to a government of national unity that will lead to elections.
According to the reports, with the police raiding the opposition offices and accusations of traitorous foreign intervenion (again), the military coup that SADC is making excuses of looks like its trying to plan a second Gukurundhi to intimidate the MDC for a Unity govt, just like they did with ZAPU.
And as usual everyone is making excuses for Mad Bob and the military coup, because they are Black and so are they, because they are that racist.
Anytime you’d like to notice that this was going on in 2002, and the same excuses were made then.
And that the only friends that the average zim has are European, but we can’t do anything because all the black govts accuse us of racism in order to try and distract from their incompetence and inability to find their arse with both hands and a road map?
Whilst Gono and the RBZ steal our donations to the aids orphans.
Good on Cosatu and the unions, power to the people, now start asking why black South African police beat up black refugees in Churches and arrest Black demonstrators outside of Embassies to protest about sales of arms to oppressive regimes.
And don’t under any circumstances mention that the ANC seem to be taking their guidance from an old National Party textbook about “Sovereignty.”
Nor that that excuse was first used by the Nazi’s at Nurembourg, because then you might like to join the rest of us and our regime change agendas, who believe that there are some standards of humanity that advocate interference with internal affairs of other countries, and direct action, charitable donations, letters to our MPs, demonstrations and being beaten up by police in our country to stop Black People being killed in their.
Just like we did when we were members of the old Anti-Apartheid movement.
But now its Black govts killing their black peasants we’re not allowed to interfere, because that is what you fought for. A black Majority govt.
And a Black Hitler.
Whilst Mbeki plays a black Chamberlain stating that there will be “peace in our time”.
Roll on when Zim invades Zululand in its desperate search for farms to bribe the generals with, and starts to talk about “Lebensraum” and land for the people.
In 2000 and 2002 elections, Zanu PF rigged the elections, the case lodged by the MDC is still pending. By then opposition activists were beaten up. Zanu PF denied any existence of violence, Mbeki said the elections were free and fair. 2008: Sokwanele publishes photos of trails violence in Zimbabwe, the (in)Justice Minister, Patrick Chinamasa says there are showing 2002 photos (Now admiting to 2002 violence because we are in 2008?) Then there is our outgoing South African president, Thabo Mbeki(when he was enroute to Zambia, he first took orders from Mugabe), when asked about the delay in releasing the election results by ZEC, he said at least these elections were better than the 2002 ones, it’s amazing how he is giving in to old age at such a young age. Then comes bright Matonga, Deputy minister of misinformation, he says (about the decision by ZEC to recount the ballots), “in Zimbabwe there is a contitutional law that allows any election misapropiations to be addressed in a court of law” Yes Mr Matonga, everyone knows that the law only applies when Zanu PF wants to get grip of fast fast vanishing power, have you forgotten that the MDC’s 2002 case is still pending, if it does still exist at all? It’s so unfortunate that the world waits for the the loss of 1000s before they can label genocide a genocide. To the above writers who say Alex is exagerating, I say it doesn’t have to millions like Rwanda to give genocide its status, whose children do you want to see dying until intervention comes to Zimbabwe? It’s obvious from your statements that you are one of Mugabe’s cronnies, shame on you. Nobody in his right senses can say there is no problem in Zimbabwe, that is a disgrace!!
Mr. Matthews:
You seem to enjoy writing about Zimbabwe, particularly, when its in line with criticizing the government. There is no doubt in my mind that Mugabe’s government has made mistakes; however, his idea of redistribution of land is admirable. I’m black american, I was born in new orleans and all of my life I’ve seen white people dominate blacks. They were able to do it through slavery, and racial discrimination.
When you criticize Mugabe, Mr. Matthews you essentially make him stronger. Whites have no legitimacy in trying to tell Africans who their leaders should be. Why don’t you write articles on how a deal was made to maintain group rights for whites in south africa while negating one man, one vote for black south africans. Why don’t you write about how Africans were abused by colonialism and how Zimbabweans were hered into communal lands. Whites in America stole the land from Native American Indians and in Africa they stole the land from Africans. God did not put whites on earth to dominate the world and own everything.
The more you criticize Mugabe, the stronger my heart is for true African liberation; meaning the end of European settlement in Namibia and South Africa.
Before anyone lifts a finger could Zimbabweans themselves please lift their fat backsides from the chairs and fight.Half of the registered voters did not vote and the MDC supporters who are being attacked are attacked while running away.If 3000 of them have been assaulted maybe its time they stopped turning the other (butt) cheek.
where is the fight in these people.Marauding Zanu PF thugs come in you run away then isolate one or two where they live come back at night and kill them as well. a smuggled gun here and there can do wonders.A stolen gun here and there will make people listen to you.
Look SADC is now looking at Makoni as leader of a government of national unity. They dont respect Tswangirai – the winner of these elections because he doesnot have power- might force.
The world will only care if there is a soundbite. There is nobody outthere in the world (including SA) who will miss a meal because a zimbabwean has been killed by another zimbabwean.
Start with MDC. Arm your people to protect themselves. smuggle guns whatever accross and when Zanu PF thugs come let them have it. kill 6 to 12 at any one time- let them think before they attack anybody again.Where is the Jihad in MDC.
Bob Marley said”He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day”. The word Fight does not exist in MDC- just run away.
Thats one reason why Morgan Tswangirai is not respected among the service chiefs- he chose to run away from the war than fight Ian smith.He is therefor considered a coward.
Take the old Zapu they were prepared to take mugabe on in a fight and some of them became the so called disssidents of the early 80s. It produced a massacre of 20000 people but it showed it had people who were prepared to fight- stand up to Mugabe.
Mdc people just run and run and run.maybe they want to go to the olympics????!
Alex,
I think you aew wasting your time.
It’s fairly obvious from comments like Mnumzana’s and Luddite’s that the issue is not Zimbabwe ! After all, as Mnumzana so rightly says, the fact that Zim has 80% unemployment and they are all starving is just evidence of “Amandla ngawethu” in action…
No – the issue is South Africa’s future, because Zim has always been the forerunner of SA. Unless SA politicians are held accountable for their actions, SA is headed for the same trough.
Fortunately though Mnumzana will still be able to blame the Luddites of the world; and the Luddites will be wondering why it happened…
What I don’t understand is why Mnumzana doesn’t go to Zim to live out this wonderful ideology? Ideology for breakfast, lunch and supper instead of food. It’ll suit him to a T !
Yes. Zimbabwe is reeling under the One man rule for ten decades. There is no such democratic country in the world which was ruled for such long years. Sudan is also same as Zimbabwe which create difficulties for its people. But the most guilty is Chinese Communist govt who supports for these two country through military and economic aid which is used for their political power. No country dare to criticize China,but instead criticising these two country.
@Luddite, Mnumzana, Angry African – If a man goes to play soccer then he should live by the rules of the game (even the ones he set). Would you support a man who goes to play soccer and when he loses he throws a tantrum and beats up the other players?
So why do you support a man who does not follow through on his word?
Is this the sort of africa we can be proud of?
Don’t do democracy if you cannot live by the legitimate results thereof.
Have ubuntu to be part of your african brother’s beliefs especially when they differ from yours.
Wow Mnumzana, Africa is in for a real sweet future if your predictions come true.
I wonder how your black racist nationalism will find sharing power or possibly being subservient to the Chinese?
Mnumzana – I award you Optimist of the Century for your statement: “Afrika is heading towards single nationhood within the next 50 led by Mzansi Afrika.”
In 50 years it will still be carved up by tribal alignments, dictators and the visage of democracy. All the evidence points to that I’m afraid. But enjoy your dream whilst you can.
The term Anglo American group refers to the English and American governments and not the industrial company. I hope I am being understood. Bush and Brown have been shouting from roof tops. How is the situation in Iraq?
@Alex I am saddened by the responses to your blog.
The reality is that the people of Zimbabwe are really suffering more especially those who want Mugabe to be replaced by somebody else because they specifically are being persecuted.
The people are suffering because of massive mis-government over many years by ZANU-PF and ZANU-PF is headed by Robert Mugabe who wants to cling on to power at any cost.
ZANU-PF has strayed far from not only the democratic road but also any road of reasonable governance so to talk, as some do, of it forming a government of national unity with the MDC seems to me to be akin to calling for a marriage of reconciliation between a convicted and unregenerate paedophile and a divorcee with small children.
The following from M&G online sounds like Bob is not the only one who goes in for election gerry-mandering but hopefully it would seem with the eyes of the whole world on him it looks as though he is not going to succeed in rigging the parliamentary recount. We now await the presidential vote results.
- Iran’s conservatives head for crushing poll win
————————————————
Iranian conservatives were on Saturday heading for a crushing victory in parliamentary elections over reformists who were sidelined by mass pre-vote disqualifications, partial results showed. Eighty-two seats in the 290 seat Parliament were at stake in the run-off voting on Saturday after the first round on March 14 left conservatives assured of taking a majority in the next Parliament.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/&articleId=337896
Mugabe has created an internal problem for SA: 2.5 million plus Zimbabweans who have come here (historic migration is a drop in the ocean compared with the present numbers). It’s an SA problem, which SA has every right to take radical action to solve. The time for “quiet diplomacy” is way, way over.
Al,
100%. The SA governemnts inaction is actually a “crime against the people” of Zim and SA. For all the sycophantic Mugabe supporters, this blind support for dictators who play the Goebbels-like tune of whites, colonialism, apartheid etc being to blame for everything, you are helping perpetuate the myth that black people are stupid.
i am not, have never been and am incapable of being a RACIST my primary identity first and foremost is that i am Afrikan, and as such i am should feel at home in any Afrikan country, both on the continent and in the Carribean and vele fo sho i am living in Zimbabge.i believe the continent will belong to those who will make the best use of it (for as long as they are not white,arabic or chinese)
look, the point of the matter is White hegemony is on the way out in SADC but that is not to say whites,coloureds and indians have no future in SADC.you are all just as Afrikan as i am but you need to learn to acknowledge that identity marawyz you’ll become irrelevant in the long run. the new black thought rejects domination and detrimental influence from previously advantaged minority groups.believe me Bob might be going now but no self respecting Zimbabgean will ever allow himself to be dominated by whites in the way South Afrikans do.
I also believe in the concept of responsible leadership renewal and in respecting the will of the people, we voted the dude out but that does not mean because he’s going let’s all now give up our sovereignty and sell our souls to the devil and embrace Bretton Woods and or Beijing.therein lies my nkinga with the MDC. with the removal of the “evil strong men” Afrika seems to be breeding a new crop of idiotic leaders in the mould of John Kuffour, Raila Odinga, Jacob Zuma, Mwai Kibaki, Laurent Gbagbo, King Mswati and of course our very own Morgan “teaboy swankson” Tsvangirai, who are ideologically unsound and devoid of the ideals of Uhuru as defended by Presidents Kikwete, Guebuza,Yaradua,Wade and WaMutharika.the struggle ain’t over yet until the whole of SADC is finally free.
Now there’s a statement ! Mnumzana is not racist but believes that Africa belongs to those who make the best use of it – so long as they are not white, chinese or arab. Who does that leave?
Mnumzana – surely you expect white racists to acknowledge that they were/are racists ? Yet you don’t measure yourself by the same yardstick ?
Nice. Thank you Alistair Budd who seems to comprehend the true extent of the irony.
@ todd kidd
You criticize Mr Matthews about writing about Zimbabwe as a white person, yet you are an American, not an African. What gives you the right or makes you an authority on Africa and Zimbabwe? Brother, either move to Zimbabwe, or stick to what you know. Anyway, the Western empire is on the wane in my pov. The centre of power is – no, not moving to Africa, but east, to China. In the mean time, Africa needs to get its house in order.
@ Mnumzana Mongameli
Your illogical, poorly-written ranting makes little sense. Perhaps Mr. Kidd can join you and XNM in Zimbabwe, if you are so much in favour of mad Bob’s pan-African vision. Good luck with that dream. Really.
@XNM
As for Bush, yes, like Mugabe he is as another dangerous idiot in my pov. Difference being that Bush screws up other countries rather than his own. And for the record, I distrust the large corporates immensely, but is does that give Mugabe the right to subjugate his own people? What make him better than Anglo American when he is stealing from his own people, while the latter is only “salivating”?
I suppose it is okay for a brother to be oppressed by another brother – as long as the crimes are not perpetrated by a “white, chinese or arab”, then all is fine.
“So-called violence”? You guys make me ashamed of being an African. Let us stop with the excuses. Wrong is wrong, as Moyo said in another blog.
Toddkidd,
If whites have no right to speak up in Africa, then – by your logic – blacks have no rights to speak up in America ? Presumably you should emigrate to Africa ?
I assume you don’t believe in Martin Luther King’s philosophy ?
Logic 101 was not taught at your college, right ?!?
Haiwa Tigere
What will civil war achieve – except more dead people? However, if you think it will work, leave the comfort of your computer and come and help start it. Risk your own life – not other peoples lives.
Listen up, Mr Todd Kidd: At the heart of the matter are people, and so let’s try to grow up and overcome the useless and and destructive loop of race talk. Would you care to explain how you can put your fond abstractions before the fundamental and dire needs of suffering millions? Now, Mr Kidd, you do not know my race or my nationality, whether I am black, brown, white, spotted, striped, African, Martian, European, American, Asian, or Inuit. So you needn’t feel obliged either to attack or defend me on these grounds. Instead, I invite you to clarify whether it’s just that you prefer to defend deadly conservative political thuggery — that your preference is for government by dictatorship and cronyism, and complete disregard for democracy and the actual people who constitute a poplation an a country. Please let us all know what political or sociological profile you are shielding beneath your outdated, meaningless and obfuscatory race talk.