Mad Bob has taken the insanity in Zimbabwe to new levels, claiming that only God can remove him from office and he won’t be leaving until he is sure that Zimbabwe is safely in the hands of the black majority. The United Nations Commissioner for Refugees meanwhile is estimating that neighbouring countries are about to be swamped with tens of thousands of new refugees, with some putting the figure as high as a million or more.
While Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC decide whether to continue with this charade the country is quickly descending into anarchy. As I pointed out weeks ago Tsvangirai would have to be as mad as Bob to run with this. Unfortunately he has had to because the alternative would have been to allow the worst criminals in Africa, Mugabe and the Zanu-PF, to claim the election.
As things stand now there is no way that Mugabe and his thugs will be allowed to continue, while had Tsvangirai pulled out weeks ago, the world may have grudgingly bowed to the technicality of Mugabe continuing by default. The MDC position will be known tomorrow or Monday.
While the United States gave president Mbeki the go-ahead to continue trying to mediate the deadlock, Helen Zille says that a government of national unity would vindicate the reign of terror. The Democratic Alliance leader is absolutely right – the last thing Zimbabwe and Africa want or need right now is to send a message to leaders on the continent that replacing elections with hostage dramas is the way forward.
President Mbeki must go back to the SADC and confirm that despite best efforts mediation is not working.
The UN must convene an urgent Security Council meeting and call on Zimbabwe to halt the forthcoming elections while peacekeepers are being arranged as matter of urgency. African countries must confirm their full backing and willingness to support the initiative because it is in their interest.
An urgently arranged run-off can then be implemented although Bob is unlikely to stand because his single voter, Joe Chimbaba of Bulawayo is in Italy on business and might miss the date. Even Bob needs to know he’ll get one vote.
This would allow the transition that Africa desperately needs to see. Right displacing wrong despite the worst that tyrants and thugs can muster.
God help Zimbabwe.
Please!
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