SADC must 'resolve Zimbabwe crisis' says SA Bishop - need more than kind words

"Hell is full of good meanings, but Heaven is full of good works" is an aphorism that has echoed louder and louder in Zimbabwe as the nation has sunk deeper and deeper into the economic and political hell-hole this corrupt and tyrannical Mugabe dictatorship has dragged the nation into. We can ignore it as we have done these last 36 years but we can be certain of one thing we will sink ever deeper; hell is a bottomless pit!
 
"In a scathing attack, (Methodist Church and proponent of human rights in South Africa) Bishop Paul Veryn castigated the Zimbabwean government for failing to respect its citizens. He said there were several South Africans willing to help Zimbabweans to find a lasting solution to its current crisis," reported The Zimbabwean.

I agree with the Bishop 100% that there many South Africans and other nationals out there who are willing to help Zimbabwe get out of this hell-hole Mugabe landed us. The question then is: why are all these people not helping then?

Answer: people help those who help themselves. Zimbabweans have again and again not only let ourselves down, when it comes to ending the Mugabe dictatorship, but we have let down those who have invested their time, sweat and treasure to help us. This is the elephant in the room Zimbabweans, and those who really want to help us, must address or we will never get out of the hell-hole.

"Bishop Veryn said what was happening in Zimbabwe was "painful" adding that the South African government ought to act to extricate Zimbabwe from the current social, economic and political crisis," continued the report. "He said it was critical for SADC and South Africa to act in resolving the Zimbabwean crisis as it could become a regional problem if not urgently addressed."

If the truth be told, and it must, SADC did intervene in 2008 and it setup a template for democratic reforms which, if implemented would have ended the corrupt and tyrannical one-party cum one-man dictatorship in Zimbabwe. Not even one reform was implemented in five years of the GNU. Not one!

Zimbabwe's opposition MDC politicians led by one Morgan Richard Tsvangirai who ironically were elected on a ticket to bring change failed to implement even one change. It turns out they were never really interested in bring about any democratic change; they just wanted to enjoy the gravy train luxury of public office which the hallmark of post-independent Zimbabwe.

SADC gave Zimbabwe the get–out-of-jail card and Tsvangirai et al traded it in for gravy train lifestyle and a $ 4 million Highlands mansion for himself!

It has since become clear that MDC leaders, including Tsvangirai himself, did not have a clue what the democratic reforms were about and even now, with the benefit of hindsight, still do not have a clue.

The ordinary people of Zimbabwe have themselves to blame for GNU failing to deliver the free, fair and credible elections because they elected the corrupt and incompetent Tsvangirai et al in the first place. Zimbabweans have never taken the task of electing competent leaders with the seriousness the matter demands. After electing a corrupt and murderous tyrant they elect a corrupt and incompetent idiot; that is being reckless and irresponsible.

Bishop Veryn is asking SADC to intervene in Zimbabwe again but to what end and purpose? If the Zimbabwean people themselves are not ready to implement the democratic reforms – by electing the same corrupt, incompetent and sell-out MDC leaders the people are it very clear that they have learnt nothing from the failed GNU – SADC can initiate another GNU but that too will result in another rigged election as happened in 2013.

"The intellectual capacity of Zimbabweans is amazing and someone up there should find a way that ensures strategic use of the human capital so that Zimbabweans are able to fend for their families while contributing to economic growth in South Africa and the region. We cannot put this human capital to waste", said Bishop Veryn.

If we were so clever then we would not be looking to other nation to make "strategic use" of are human potential whilst our own country is going to the dogs. It is now 36 years since our independence and we yet to hold our first free, fair and credible elections – many of us cannot even agree what constitute free elections. Zimbabweans, clever; yeah right!

There is a reward for doing the right thing just as there is a price to be paid for doing the wrong thing. People get the government they deserve, after 36 years, we cannot deny that we deserve this corrupt and tyrannical Mugabe dictatorship complete with its entourage of corrupt and utterly useless opposition parties.

Bishop Paul Veryn has done a lot to help Zimbabweans in South Africa and I salute his work. But I am sure he would agree with me that we Zimbabweans have been our own worst enemies; that is the home truth we need to hear.

Zimbabwe is stuck in this hell-hole because we, the people of Zimbabwe, dozed off into a comatose like slumber soon after independence confident our political leaders will solve all our problems. When that did not happen, we expected outsiders to solve our bad governance problems without us even lifting a finger. We are ever going to get out of the hell-hole, then we need to be told some home truth not kind words to snap out of the slumber.