Opinion / Columnist
The Chinese are in Zim, the Russians are coming but as vultures to join in the plunder
14 Sep 2014 at 16:35hrs | Views
"Both China and Russia have now seen and appreciated Mugabe's thesis that superpowers are born through beneficent relations with the rest of the Third World, never through isolationism, never through a reproduction of imperialism," Nathaniel Manheru tells us. This is just wishful thinking because the reality, the obvious reality, is the exact opposite.
Both China and Russia helped arm and train the various African nations in the fight to end white colonial rule not because they were outraged to see the oppression and exploitation of one race by another. They did not give a damn about that. China was oppressing and exploiting the Tibetans, for example, in its own backyard and has continued to do so to this very day. Russia was doing the same.
The rallying call throughout Africa in the drive to end white colonial rule was "One man, one vote!" I would like to believe that at least some African nationalists subscribed to the notion of that every man and woman regardless of race, tribe or whatever else must have a meaningful say in the governance of the country as the essence of freedom, liberty, human dignity and the only sure guarantee peace, justice and economic prosperity. Sadly those nationalists' voices were very quickly drowned and were never to be heard as soon as China or Russia became the partner is the fight to end colonial rule.
One of the conditions for China and/or Russia assisting the African nationalists was that the independent African nation would replicate the communist totalitarian system of government and NOT adopt a democratic system of government. It was not just a matter of ideology; both China and Russia were looking at turning the African countries into their own sphere of influence. Indeed the two nations competed one against the other to the point of the dividing the nation when they happened to support two different nationalist groups.
Joshua Nkomo and his PF Zapu was sponsored by the Russians and Mugabe and his Zanu PF was sponsored by the Chinese. There was no love lost between these two nationalist parties but superimposing the deadly rivalry between two Asian totalitarian regimes on their proxy Zimbabwean nationalists only made matters worse.
China trained the Zanu PF fighters and supplied the weapons with which to fight on the clear understanding that Zimbabwe will repay the debt after independence and God knows what sweet deals Mugabe has granted the Chinese over the years to repay the debt.
Mugabe and Zanu PF professed to be Maoist socialists and they swiftly moved to impose a de facto one-party dictatorship soon after the nation its independence. Professing to be socialist was one thing but living the like one was a different matter. Mugabe looked to China for his political ideology but when it came to buying his cars, clothes and all the other materials luxuries the tyrant and his cronies looked west! The generosity of the western countries to Zimbabwe in terms financial assistance helped cement Mugabe's relationship with the democratic west.
When Mugabe's relationship with the west started to sour over the former's repeated human rights violations including the failure by up hold free, fair and democratic elections; the Chinese only to please with these developments, because the souring relationship with the west forced Mugabe firmly back into its camp.
Of course there are huge financial gains to be made by doing business with a nation other nations will not do business with; the profit margins are high, very high, because there is less competition and more often than not there is transparency too. There are vulture nations like Israel, Lebanon and, the biggest of them all, Chinese who love doing business tyrants of pariah nation like Zimbabwe. For the last 15 years the vultures have flying in and out of Zimbabwe gorging themselves on the nation's diamonds and other resources whilst millions of our people have been forced to live in abject and grinding poverty.
"RUSSIA is set to launch what could become Zimbabwe's biggest platinum mine when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visits the country next week to sign the deal," reported New Zimbabwe on 12 September, 2013.
Of course the Russians are well aware that many other countries have been shying away from Zimbabwe because the country reeks of corruption, Russia is not itself repelled or unaccustomed to the smell, and there is nothing like the sight of another vulture dropping like a stone to attract others to head the same direction.
The Chinese are in Zimbabwe already and now the Russians too are coming to Zimbabwe and they are coming for one purpose and purpose to join in the pillage of the country. Mugabe has been selling the nation's wealth and resources cheaply for decades for finance his and his ruling Zanu PF elite's lavish lifestyles. Now the nation's ability to generate wealth has ground to a halt the tyrant is selling the nation's land, mineral wealth and anything else he can for a song to these vulture nations whose only interest is to milk the nation as much as they can and as quickly as the can.
Countries like China helped fight and end western colonial rule in Zimbabwe but the people of Zimbabwe having not benefited from having a corrupt and tyrannical communist puppet regime after independence. No amount of propaganda from people like you Manheru will change the facts on the ground that Zimbabwe's economy is but a sorry sight of what it was before independence and that Mugabe has sold nation's future to the Chinese and other vulture nations.
On the political front, Zimbabweans are still to enjoy all the basic human rights and freedoms other people take for granted including the right to a free vote and the right to life itself! In his 34 years in power Mugabe have murdered over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans for selfish political gain.
Manheru the only thesis Mugabe has ever had was to hold on to power at all cost; the Chinese, Russians and all the other vulture nations are in Zimbabwe to exploit Mugabe's pariah status for their own selfish gain. All your talk of them having "seen and appreciated Mugabe's thesis that superpowers are born through beneficent relations with the rest of the Third World", is all propaganda and nonsense.
Both China and Russia helped arm and train the various African nations in the fight to end white colonial rule not because they were outraged to see the oppression and exploitation of one race by another. They did not give a damn about that. China was oppressing and exploiting the Tibetans, for example, in its own backyard and has continued to do so to this very day. Russia was doing the same.
The rallying call throughout Africa in the drive to end white colonial rule was "One man, one vote!" I would like to believe that at least some African nationalists subscribed to the notion of that every man and woman regardless of race, tribe or whatever else must have a meaningful say in the governance of the country as the essence of freedom, liberty, human dignity and the only sure guarantee peace, justice and economic prosperity. Sadly those nationalists' voices were very quickly drowned and were never to be heard as soon as China or Russia became the partner is the fight to end colonial rule.
One of the conditions for China and/or Russia assisting the African nationalists was that the independent African nation would replicate the communist totalitarian system of government and NOT adopt a democratic system of government. It was not just a matter of ideology; both China and Russia were looking at turning the African countries into their own sphere of influence. Indeed the two nations competed one against the other to the point of the dividing the nation when they happened to support two different nationalist groups.
Joshua Nkomo and his PF Zapu was sponsored by the Russians and Mugabe and his Zanu PF was sponsored by the Chinese. There was no love lost between these two nationalist parties but superimposing the deadly rivalry between two Asian totalitarian regimes on their proxy Zimbabwean nationalists only made matters worse.
China trained the Zanu PF fighters and supplied the weapons with which to fight on the clear understanding that Zimbabwe will repay the debt after independence and God knows what sweet deals Mugabe has granted the Chinese over the years to repay the debt.
Mugabe and Zanu PF professed to be Maoist socialists and they swiftly moved to impose a de facto one-party dictatorship soon after the nation its independence. Professing to be socialist was one thing but living the like one was a different matter. Mugabe looked to China for his political ideology but when it came to buying his cars, clothes and all the other materials luxuries the tyrant and his cronies looked west! The generosity of the western countries to Zimbabwe in terms financial assistance helped cement Mugabe's relationship with the democratic west.
When Mugabe's relationship with the west started to sour over the former's repeated human rights violations including the failure by up hold free, fair and democratic elections; the Chinese only to please with these developments, because the souring relationship with the west forced Mugabe firmly back into its camp.
Of course there are huge financial gains to be made by doing business with a nation other nations will not do business with; the profit margins are high, very high, because there is less competition and more often than not there is transparency too. There are vulture nations like Israel, Lebanon and, the biggest of them all, Chinese who love doing business tyrants of pariah nation like Zimbabwe. For the last 15 years the vultures have flying in and out of Zimbabwe gorging themselves on the nation's diamonds and other resources whilst millions of our people have been forced to live in abject and grinding poverty.
"RUSSIA is set to launch what could become Zimbabwe's biggest platinum mine when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visits the country next week to sign the deal," reported New Zimbabwe on 12 September, 2013.
Of course the Russians are well aware that many other countries have been shying away from Zimbabwe because the country reeks of corruption, Russia is not itself repelled or unaccustomed to the smell, and there is nothing like the sight of another vulture dropping like a stone to attract others to head the same direction.
The Chinese are in Zimbabwe already and now the Russians too are coming to Zimbabwe and they are coming for one purpose and purpose to join in the pillage of the country. Mugabe has been selling the nation's wealth and resources cheaply for decades for finance his and his ruling Zanu PF elite's lavish lifestyles. Now the nation's ability to generate wealth has ground to a halt the tyrant is selling the nation's land, mineral wealth and anything else he can for a song to these vulture nations whose only interest is to milk the nation as much as they can and as quickly as the can.
Countries like China helped fight and end western colonial rule in Zimbabwe but the people of Zimbabwe having not benefited from having a corrupt and tyrannical communist puppet regime after independence. No amount of propaganda from people like you Manheru will change the facts on the ground that Zimbabwe's economy is but a sorry sight of what it was before independence and that Mugabe has sold nation's future to the Chinese and other vulture nations.
On the political front, Zimbabweans are still to enjoy all the basic human rights and freedoms other people take for granted including the right to a free vote and the right to life itself! In his 34 years in power Mugabe have murdered over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans for selfish political gain.
Manheru the only thesis Mugabe has ever had was to hold on to power at all cost; the Chinese, Russians and all the other vulture nations are in Zimbabwe to exploit Mugabe's pariah status for their own selfish gain. All your talk of them having "seen and appreciated Mugabe's thesis that superpowers are born through beneficent relations with the rest of the Third World", is all propaganda and nonsense.
Source - Wilbert Mukori
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
