No place for rebels in Zimbabwe

The move taken by the Zimbabwean Government to expel former Libyan ambassador to Zimbabwe, Taher Elmegrahi following his undiplomatic move to dump Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the leader who appointed him to his post should be commended by all patriotic Zimbabweans in and outside the country.

Whilst I am not supporting any political party in Libya  I really appreciate how the Zimbabwean government handled this precarious situation.

The position taken by the Zimbabwean government to expel the former Libyan ambassador to Zimbabwe because he had switched allegiance to the Libyan National Transitional Council confirms the notion that rebels have no place in this country.

Zimbabwe is not a haven for rebels and any individual who seeks shelter and sanctuary in the country while supporting  rebels seeking to oust an elected government deserve to be chucked out, setting a precedent to would-be deserters.  

Had the Zimbabwean government allowed him to stay it could have meant Zimbabwe is in support of the rebels who are fighting to remove Colonel Gaddafi from power.

It is very unfortunate that some of the members of  the Inclusive Government of  Zimbabwe are viewing the expulsion as a one party initiative when the issue of diplomatic etiquette has set down procedures.

In such a situation where diplomatic conventions are abused by foreign diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe one would expect all arms of the host government to speak with one voice to thwart any move that might tarnish the image of the host country.

Members of the MDC-T in the inclusive government surprised all and sundry and even their supporters when they said that the expulsion of Taher Elmegrahi from the country was a ZANU PF issue.

However  the other formation of the MDC led by Welshman Ncube was open enough to inform the nation that the expulsion of the former Libyan ambassador to Zimbabwe was discussed in cabinet and an agreement had been reached that Elmagrahi had to go.

Welshman Ncube went on to say that Elmagrahi had put himself in an untenable position by publicly shifting his loyalties, noting that his diplomatic credentials were issued by the Gaddafi government. Ncube further said that Elmagrahi should have bided his time until Zimbabwe had recognized the new government in Libya.

So one wonders who the MDC-T wants to please if they turn something agreed on in cabinet and turn around and say it is a one party decision. The MDC-T has always been suffering from "selective amnesia" when it comes to some issues in a bid to please their handlers in the West.

The fact that the NTC is being assisted by NATO to topple Gadhafi from power has endeared itself to MDC-T as they hope the same drama would also play out in Zimbabwe.

MDC-T must be reminded that even if they are to come in power they will remain Africans hence they must appeal to other Africans whose solidarity is enduring unlike the western countries who use you to their own ends and ditches you if you are no longer useful.

So Zimbabwe as an African country and a member of  Southern African Development Community(SADC) as well as African Union(AU) does not subscribe to ideological framework of any government coming to power through force or coup.

Any leader who harbours ambitions of becoming a president on the continent must come through the ballot. As a result Zimbabwe must not be crucified for following these tenets of the AU and SADC.

SADC and AU are on record that any leader who wants to be recognized by these bodies must be elected by the people through the ballot and any other way is not acceptable.

A case in point is that of Andry Rajoelina, current leader of Madagascar who since 2009 is yet to be recognised by SADC and AU as Madagascar's President because he came into power through a coup.

The fifteen (15) member African Union Organ on Peace and Security Council that met on 26 August 2011in Ethiopia which discussed the way forward on resolving the Libyan crisis did not recognise the NTC as the legitimate government of Libya but called for an inclusive government comprising members of the current government and NTC to be formed. They agreed that they would only recognise an inclusive government in Libya formed by all warring parties.

So the Zimbabwean government's response on the defection of the Libyan ambassador  to the NTC must not be blown out of proportion but must be treated accordingly as Zimbabwe is doing exactly what is required by SADC and AU in terms of the installations of leaders in the continent.

While political views can be entertained in any country but negotiations for a political change through a ballot and not through a gun must take precedence.

It is high time that leaders in Africa must come together and device ways in which they can counter such moves which are now threatening to tear the African continent apart.

Some 13 African countries have been cowed by the West to recognize the NTC but the rest of Africa is standing by its principle, Africa has the mandate to determine its own future.

So Africa wake up.