Opinion / Columnist
Amnesty International call on Mugabe to hold talks to end economic crisis
16 Aug 2014 at 07:29hrs | Views
If Mugabe thought the SADC Heads of State meeting was going to be a relaxing time, time to hobnob with his fellow regional leaders he must be disheartened and deflated.
The theme of the meeting is black empowerment and Mugabe, was no doubt, looking forward to lecturing the region's leaders Zimbabwe's indigenisation laws and Zimbabwe's seizure of land from white farms was to be the core of the presentation. He must therefore have been shocked to hear that South Africa had just publicly dismissed his land redistribution as a disaster.
"Zimbabwe was a food basket of Africa but is a disaster today," ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said, according to reports in South African media while responding to questions after addressing a dialogue on land reform and food security in Johannesburg on Wednesday. Talk of stealing someone's thunder!
ANC secretary general's words stopped Mugabe dead on feet, just when he practising his speech complete with chest drumming like silverback gorilla. The Shona have a saying that encapsulates the essence of Secretary Mantashe well-timed comment and its effect "yabaya gudo mukanwa!" Meaning someone who spears the arrogant baboon through the mouth just before it sinks its fangs into its victim!) Perfect timing Mr Mantashe and a firm and strong Spartan thrust; spot on!
The world will have to wait to see if Mugabe is, nonetheless, going to deliver his black empowerment lecture still. If he does, there certainly will be none of the usual chest drum roll!
The call by Amnesty International for Mugabe to hold talks to address Zimbabwe's worsening economic meltdown must have floored our gorilla.
"The Zimbabwean leader (Mugabe) will have no option but to open the door for dialogue. Why do you have to close the door when it's hot inside? Dialogue will have to take place," said Deprose Muchena at a pre-SADC summit press conference in Harare on Thursday. He is Amnesty International Southern Africa regional director.
Of course Amnesty is saying this now because they want SADC Heads of State to start thinking about it if not raise it with Mugabe during the meeting. Zimbabwe's economic meltdown is the big issue in Zimbabwe right now although the regime itself cannot ignore it.
"Hama dzangu hakuna kwatiri kuenda. Iye zvino vatirova matundundu. Kamari kavo kanonzi US dollar hakachawanikwi. Maindustry avhara, mabasa hakuchina, (Fellow countrymen, we are headed for the rocks, they have now hit us where it hurts. Their US dollar is now scarce. Industries have shut down, there are no more jobs)," admitted Provincial Minister for Mashonaland Central, Martin Dinha, at funeral recently.
Mugabe himself has admitted the economy is a big problem although he wanted the nation to sweep it under the carpet, at least during the SADC meeting.
"Mugabe is asking Zimbabweans to "park" their troubles and act like robots that act on instruction," wrote Ken Yamamoto, a Japanese analyst, in response to Mugabe's call for Zimbabweans to smile to SADC Heads.
"Nothing can be more insulting and selfish than a rich 90 year old man with a young wife, with at least eighteen farms, who can give away 1000 tonnes of maize and 30 cows to starving youths at the click of a finger.
"Who can fly away to Singapore fourteen hours away for eye check-ups, who gets his own roads paved ahead of his trips, who can spent $5 million dollars on his daughter's wedding, telling the whole country to pretend to be happy and rig smiles so that the eight or so heads of states coming for the SADC meeting will go back with the false impression that everything is fine in Zimbabwe."
Well the SADC Heads do not raise the issue of how to address Zimbabwe's economic meltdown then they certainly know that this is a big issue that is not going away. If SADC thought by endorsing Mugabe's rigged 2013 elections the region had washed its hands of Zimbabwe they must now know that was a big mistake because the problem is back and worse.
Zimbabwe's economic collapse will affect the whole region and the collapse will have far reaching consequences the longer it is left to grow. It is growing by the day!
The solution to Zimbabwe's economic meltdown is to hold free, fair and credible elections – the solution SADC had proposed back in 2008 but never implemented. This time the reforms must be implemented and not fudged!
Source - Wilbert Mukori
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