Inside Mugabe's World

I have just read excerpts of an interview with President Robert Mugabe, by Heidi Holland, which took place last December.

When the Ms Holland suggested that his policies had caused the economy to collapse, he sat up straight, his eyes flashing.

"Our economy is a hundred times better, than the average African economy. Outside South Africa, what country is [as good as] Zimbabwe? ... What is lacking now are goods on the shelves - that is all."

On his reasoning behind the land invasions, he said: "We had hoped that the British would take notice of it and that they would say: 'Let's meet and discuss this'"

It became clear that Mr Mugabe has arranged himself in a bubble of denial to avoid facing what he has done in Zimbabwe.

What a sad old man he must be ... a despotic, sad old man.

Excerpt from "A glimpse inside Mugabe's world" by South African writer Heidi Holland.

-oOo-

On another tack, I see that Kenyan PM Raila Odinga is urging the African Union to suspend Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe until he allows free and fair elections.

As to the other members:

South Africa's Thabo Mbeki is the key mediator. He has not criticised Robert Mugabe, despite pressure from the ruling ANC.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has taken the toughest line. He's called Zimbabwe a "regional embarrassment". But he has just been rushed to hospital in Egypt.

Angola's President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is one of Robert Mugabe's closest allies. He has urged Mr Mugabe to end the violence.

Botswana has summoned a Zimbabwean envoy to complain about the violence. It has supported Zimbabwe's opposition.

Namibia is an ally of Robert Mugabe. It wants to re-distribute white-owned farms to black villagers. It has not criticised the violence.

Mozambique has hosted some white farmers forced out of Zimbabwe when their land was seized. It is seen as sympathetic to the opposition.

Tanzania's ruling party has a history of backing Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party. Its foreign minister has condemned the violence.

DR Congo's President Joseph Kabila is an ally of Robert Mugabe who sent troops to help his father, Laurent Kabila, fight rebels.

Malawi is seen as neutral. But 3m people from Malawi are in Zimbabwe and many were badly hit by the farm invasions.

As for the EU, Italy has recalled its envoy to Zimbabwe, and called for other members to do likewise.

And the British? Oh, I expect we are making a nice cup of tea to calm the situation.

Sitting on the fence?

From Daily Mail, 24 June 2008

Zim ... Uncle Bob's pledge

I was horrified to read that President Mugabe has promised that, regardless of the outcome of the run-off election, the MDP will never rule Zimbabwe.

It's nice to know that the old boy has such a good sense of democracy!

But then, Mugabe's wife was overheard to say to her hubby that that, no matter what, Tsvangirai will never step foot in the State House.

It makes the recent Kenyan presidential election look like a milk-run.

At least someone, in the shape of Botswana, has dared raise their head above the parapet and lodged a formal complaint against Mugabe. It's about time that South Africa followed their neighbour's lead. But then, shouldn't they have been leading?

Where is Zimbabwe going?

It has been announced, albeit unofficially, that Morgan Tsvangirai has beaten Uncle Bob in the Presidential election. The country is gearing up for a run-off election between the two.

In the meantime, the army and "war veterans" are carrying out a campaign of terror against the supporters of the MDC.

So, let's just assume that after the run-off, Morgan wins outright. Then what?

The army seems to be loyal to Uncle Bob; the war veterans certainly are. So what will the new MDC Government do? How will they bring Zimbabwe back into some sense of normality? Will Tsvangirai and his new government be allowed to rule, or will there be a coup?

Winning an election in a country where violence and repression has been the order of the day for so long, may not count for much.

Back in the UK - again.

Back home, I have brought a lot of "tasks" with me. I have a list of people to contact over here. I have to make up a poster to say a big Thank You from the kids in Kisii to the people in my community for their help. And I have a bit of research to do, too.

The weather is appalling. Two days after my return, it snowed. Bearing in mind that in Nairobi the average daytime temperature is 26C, snow is most unwelcome.

The only good things I can think of to cheer myself up is that I have a fast broadband connection, a car and ... well, that's about it really.

On the downside, the government appears to be in self-destruct mode, fuel prices and the cost of living in general is on an upward spiral. Oh well, I suppose it is better than conditions in Kenya - for the wananchi anyway. There are still thousands of people displaced, unwilling to go back to their homes for fear of violence. There are thousands of children still separated from their families, still not knowing if indeed their families still exist.

Watching the news from Kenya, I am relieved to see that the two main players have agreed to agree and have formed a Government. But it looks so much like the law-makers are more interested in lining their own pockets, and getting comfortable. It appears that nothing is being done to help the displaced people, nothing is being done to avert a food shortage, in fact, as far as running the country is concerned, nothing is being done about anything! From the outside, it looks as if a terrorist organisation, the Mungiki are running the country!

And then, down the road, there is Uncle Bob in Zimbabwe, who seems to be copying Kenya's dash to the brink of civil war. The difference is that Kenya's Kibaki is not a bad man. He is not a despot. And when he saw that his country was about to fall apart around him, he did something about it.

Uncle Bob or Tim as he seems to be known by some (That Idiot Mugabe) is a despot. He is power-hungry. He cannot be holding on for the money. If, after 28 years of rule, he hasn't managed to divert enough money for his own use, he has left it a bit late.

Unlike Mugabe, I believe that Kibaki and Raila care about Kenya and the people. OK, so there is bickering about who should do what, who should get the plum jobs, cars, offices, etc. But they found a solution while Kenya still has a chance to rebuild itself.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, is going to be difficult to rebuild. A large proportion of the population has left the country. 80% are unemployed. And the Government is spending money on arms instead of food for the starving.