Opinion / Columnist
AU has neither moral Courage nor political will to disapprove of what is wrong in African Nations: The Zimbabwe case
19 Mar 2018 at 18:22hrs | Views
We examine in brief how Africa has failed correcting issues by adopting silent diplomacy as a strategy of dealing with each other even in times of extreme hardship on the masses of a particular nation. The western Nations are no different except that if they do intervene they seek to install their own stooges often. Zimbabwe coup in November 2017 was internally motivated from and for the survival of Zanu. It's not for certainty whether the crew that sought to protect itself against Mr. Mugabe may have had consultations with China in particular.
In November 2017 Zimbabwe was under the global mirror because Mr. Robert Mugabe had miscalculated the discharge of a man who served him for fifty years and fired him. To start with, the overzealousness with which accumulation of power in the executive presidency had reached its climax and showed her ugly head in Mr. Mugabe's unilaterally dismissal of Mr. E.D. Mnangagwa.
The fact in this paper is not on the good or bad of the Coup, a coup is always bad no matter how it is schemed because it nullifies the legitimacy of power transfer and sometimes ends breaches constitution. May be the issues is in Mr. Mugabe's timing given that Mr. Mnangagwa had saved him selfishlessly for fifty years. It baffles any common sense persons let alone any justifications by politicians or social scientist as to why anyone would do that except for his old age and the bad and amateurish influence compounded by the blind ambition of a very ambitious wife.
It was then very clear that Mr. Mugabe had a plan to salvage her politically novice wife, Mrs. Grace Mugabe into the way of power by creating room first into Zanu women league leadership and then through the G40 group pretext. Perfect timing this was, with a Zanu congress soon to come so Mrs. Mugabe may ascents into a powerful role constitutionally since the presidency had powers to appoint and remove Vice Presidents. In the background, the women league was leading in advocating for the women into leadership role after the disappearance of Mrs. Joyce Mujuru from the Vice President position.
Truthfully the debate on terms of the presidency and their age had done its turns in the AU even though very passively since both Do Santos of Angola and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe were scare crores who pride in having been mentors for the liberation struggles. At the AU 11th summit in 2008 at Egypt's desert city of Sham el-Sheikh, a lot of background work had been done prior the meeting in which I went around visiting African leaders for them to know and take decisive decision on isolating Mr. Mugabe's regime for rigging the 2008 elections .
We knew our battle as opposition party had been lost when suddenly the announcement of the Zambian president departure to England for treatment was circulating among delegates. Mr. Mwanawase had become a jewel to understanding the dirty politics Mr. Mugabe played and hated it to the core. Being a diplomatic delegate for the opposition political party of the MDC I had done small but effective running around to pave the way for Africa to understand her role in leaving the masses suffering while these leaders stand isolated in support of tyrants.
To the best of my memory, this was one of those Summit meetings when African leadership almost talked into a resolution to force Mr. Mugabe into surrender where it not for Angola powerful role in talking Africa not to dislike the meriting role of the liberation struggle on the continent. Mr. Mugabe escaped the fate of shame and embarrassment through the needle's whole. He never learnt anything though against his poor Machiavellian strategy worked out for him by the same guys who later applied the method to his removal nine years later.
During the Kigali Rwanda conference of 2014 on " Africa: Choosing leaders we want," the former president of South Africa Mr. Thabo Mbeki had openly declared that Africa could not make progress on choosing the leader of their choice because leaders themselves were not honest with each other on where they grieve masses while still in power.
At no point in time had Africa ever pursued a retired leader for crimes while they were in office except when they are militarily removed and are in exile. There appears to be a new wave of change in both perception and outlook and a development on constitutionalism as we watch former President of South Africa Mr. Jacob Zuma being pulled into courts for crime he committed prior to his nomination as a presidential candidate for the African National Council Party.
No doubt Mr. Mugabe excitement in hoping to push a case against Mr. Emmerson Mnangagwa and the army of Zimbabwe of having removed him out of power is ill advised, naïve and very mean and suffers from political myopic in lacking foresight. Mr. Mugabe risks being condemned even by the AU once Zimbabweans make another declaration that Mr. Mugabe was the most brutal African, outside the military regime, whoever ruled?
Zimbabweans are very annoyed and angry on the role Mr. Mugabe played in undermining democracy to build his legacy bankrupting the country and denying the children a stable future. Above all if Mr. Mugabe and his relative including his former ministers were subjected to a simple audit it will be a sorry state when revelations show gross mismanagement and corruption. Mr. Mugabe needs to go quiet and peacefully thanking God he escaped shame and embarrassment.
Africa needs to wake up to its responsibilities on building democracy for the peace and stability of countries and change her charter so she can have more substantive authority in dealing with former dictators. Africa perhaps needs her African Continental Criminal Court (ACCC) to try dictators and pass sentences proving she is not silent but slowly working her way into abusing of power in corridors of powers for Executive Presidency. More scrutiny of past administrations must be encouraged if some outstanding issues exist so rule of law will be adhered to than flouted. Mr. Mugabe latest video remarks are an insult to the masses of Zimbabwe who bore his monotony of incompetency only to peacefully voice their concern that he must retire.
Enough for the day is born on wisdom. Whoever is behind Mr. Mugabe stammering political innuendos need to understand Mugabe committed a crime against humanity on Gukurahundi and Murambasvina when he brutally abused people seeking his protection to death without apology and/or compensation. It's sad to realize that once again Africa Union puts her silent diplomacy ignoring the harm caused to people of Zimbabwe for thirty-eight years seeking for a peaceful solution from within and with the AU assistance in vain.
In November 2017 Zimbabwe was under the global mirror because Mr. Robert Mugabe had miscalculated the discharge of a man who served him for fifty years and fired him. To start with, the overzealousness with which accumulation of power in the executive presidency had reached its climax and showed her ugly head in Mr. Mugabe's unilaterally dismissal of Mr. E.D. Mnangagwa.
The fact in this paper is not on the good or bad of the Coup, a coup is always bad no matter how it is schemed because it nullifies the legitimacy of power transfer and sometimes ends breaches constitution. May be the issues is in Mr. Mugabe's timing given that Mr. Mnangagwa had saved him selfishlessly for fifty years. It baffles any common sense persons let alone any justifications by politicians or social scientist as to why anyone would do that except for his old age and the bad and amateurish influence compounded by the blind ambition of a very ambitious wife.
It was then very clear that Mr. Mugabe had a plan to salvage her politically novice wife, Mrs. Grace Mugabe into the way of power by creating room first into Zanu women league leadership and then through the G40 group pretext. Perfect timing this was, with a Zanu congress soon to come so Mrs. Mugabe may ascents into a powerful role constitutionally since the presidency had powers to appoint and remove Vice Presidents. In the background, the women league was leading in advocating for the women into leadership role after the disappearance of Mrs. Joyce Mujuru from the Vice President position.
Truthfully the debate on terms of the presidency and their age had done its turns in the AU even though very passively since both Do Santos of Angola and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe were scare crores who pride in having been mentors for the liberation struggles. At the AU 11th summit in 2008 at Egypt's desert city of Sham el-Sheikh, a lot of background work had been done prior the meeting in which I went around visiting African leaders for them to know and take decisive decision on isolating Mr. Mugabe's regime for rigging the 2008 elections .
To the best of my memory, this was one of those Summit meetings when African leadership almost talked into a resolution to force Mr. Mugabe into surrender where it not for Angola powerful role in talking Africa not to dislike the meriting role of the liberation struggle on the continent. Mr. Mugabe escaped the fate of shame and embarrassment through the needle's whole. He never learnt anything though against his poor Machiavellian strategy worked out for him by the same guys who later applied the method to his removal nine years later.
During the Kigali Rwanda conference of 2014 on " Africa: Choosing leaders we want," the former president of South Africa Mr. Thabo Mbeki had openly declared that Africa could not make progress on choosing the leader of their choice because leaders themselves were not honest with each other on where they grieve masses while still in power.
At no point in time had Africa ever pursued a retired leader for crimes while they were in office except when they are militarily removed and are in exile. There appears to be a new wave of change in both perception and outlook and a development on constitutionalism as we watch former President of South Africa Mr. Jacob Zuma being pulled into courts for crime he committed prior to his nomination as a presidential candidate for the African National Council Party.
No doubt Mr. Mugabe excitement in hoping to push a case against Mr. Emmerson Mnangagwa and the army of Zimbabwe of having removed him out of power is ill advised, naïve and very mean and suffers from political myopic in lacking foresight. Mr. Mugabe risks being condemned even by the AU once Zimbabweans make another declaration that Mr. Mugabe was the most brutal African, outside the military regime, whoever ruled?
Zimbabweans are very annoyed and angry on the role Mr. Mugabe played in undermining democracy to build his legacy bankrupting the country and denying the children a stable future. Above all if Mr. Mugabe and his relative including his former ministers were subjected to a simple audit it will be a sorry state when revelations show gross mismanagement and corruption. Mr. Mugabe needs to go quiet and peacefully thanking God he escaped shame and embarrassment.
Africa needs to wake up to its responsibilities on building democracy for the peace and stability of countries and change her charter so she can have more substantive authority in dealing with former dictators. Africa perhaps needs her African Continental Criminal Court (ACCC) to try dictators and pass sentences proving she is not silent but slowly working her way into abusing of power in corridors of powers for Executive Presidency. More scrutiny of past administrations must be encouraged if some outstanding issues exist so rule of law will be adhered to than flouted. Mr. Mugabe latest video remarks are an insult to the masses of Zimbabwe who bore his monotony of incompetency only to peacefully voice their concern that he must retire.
Enough for the day is born on wisdom. Whoever is behind Mr. Mugabe stammering political innuendos need to understand Mugabe committed a crime against humanity on Gukurahundi and Murambasvina when he brutally abused people seeking his protection to death without apology and/or compensation. It's sad to realize that once again Africa Union puts her silent diplomacy ignoring the harm caused to people of Zimbabwe for thirty-eight years seeking for a peaceful solution from within and with the AU assistance in vain.
Source - Andrew M Manyevere
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