Mugabe is a "gandanga" requiring other tactics!

>From nyatsimba_mutota@yahoo.com
My problem is with employing "tabloid tactics" to bring down Gandanga fanika
Mugabe. Now all we see are these so called "analytical" stories that carry
too many inconsistencies, misconceptions and even lies. Its a joke to write
about Zimbabwe to a Zimbabwean audience and put it wrong. It destroys the
whole credibility about the article. This is why we have a serious gap
between Africa and the west when it comes to Mugabe/Zimbabwe because such a
story lacking in factual truth can fly abroad but not in Africa and SA. I
mean tabloids tactics just embarass you, but I would like to see how a
gandanga is being embarassed by most of these stories. Maybe Madonna will
give up the baby, but even she goes on with her life.

It seems we seem to forget the basics of who we are and how we live when it
comes to our own country. Perhaps its because we live in foreign countries,
perhaps its because siding with western powers and media is the way to go,
but what really does it do to Mugabe save for the fact that such stories add
more coffers and time to organizations working in Zim?

When people talk of hunger at home, they do not talk of maize from white
farms. Our population is mainly rural with more than 70% living in rural
areas. The other 15-20% in town actually rely on subsistence farming for
food so what really affects these people is drought not land redistribution.
I mean we have had 2 serious droughts before with white farmers in place so
whats new?

"The suggestion that drought was and is the cause of crop failures has been
proved to be a false story put about by Mugabe in order to account for
famine in Zimbabwe. Craig Richardson (Associate Professor of Economics at
Salem College in the United States) in a comprehensive independent report
tabled at the United Nations, proves conclusively that the only 'drought' in
recent times was in 2001-2002."

The problem in Zimbabwe is leadership. We do not have concensus in what we
want and how we want it. How to move and who we are as a people. We want
land reform only in theory not practice. We want democracy in theory and
only if democracy means removing Mugabe.

A lot of you Zim guys in SA even think that white people is the answer
because you have not been exposed to the notion of doing it for yourself.
Most of you attacked Arthur until you beat him into a pulp only for Biti and
company to start having HOTEL rallies with Robertson and Robinson. Only for
Biti and company to start calling for companies like Barclays to pull out!
And we still Mugabe rigs the elections? Who in their right frame of minds
would tolerate such nonsense?

In as much as I think its good to solicit for funding, we need to do so with
firm understanding, belief and strong will of who we are and what we want as
people. Tiri kufarira n'anga neinokwira mai!

Tsvangirai launches fierce attack on SADC

By Our Correspondent

www.thezimbabwetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=353

HARARE, January 23, 2007 -Morgan Tsvangirai, the president of the Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC), has launched a scathing attack on African
nationalists and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for
inaction on the Zimbabwe crisis and for sacrificing ideals of liberation
struggles for the sake of camaraderie

In a hard-hitting speech, Tsvangirai said African nationalists believed they
could not be challenged while SADC as a regional grouping had let down the
people of Zimbabwe.

He was presenting a paper titled Challenges of the Century: A call for
collective leadership on the Zimbabwean question

Tsvangirai said: "Our heritage, our history has tended to be abused by a
certain nationalistic clique that spearheaded and directed our liberation
struggles. To them, the status quo must be protected despite glaring
inadequacies in our societies and a changing world."

"This clique considers itself unchallenged in directing our societies at the
expense of political, social and economic advancement. Our nationalists in a
number of African countries have sacrificed ideals of the liberation
struggle, delayed national integration programmes and distorted the
sovereign expression of millions of Africa."

He, however, said the SADC region had a regional framework recognising
historical unity. "But critical advances have been hampered by misplaced
solidarity among those in our political leadership at the expense of the
generality of the people."

Tsvangirai said millions of Zimbabweans were languishing in exile, putting
pressure on social and economic systems among Zimbabwe neighbours.

"Despite this anomaly, a united SADC voice on the current political and
economic meltdown in Zimbabwe has been, at best fragmented and muffled, and
at worst, lacking in force and substance," he said.

"The solution to the crisis of governance remains elusive. We allow
political morticians to perfume a corpse in an advanced state of
decomposition with the hope that a miracle shall happen. It is fair to say,
SADC has let the people of Zimbabwe down, given the sacrifices the same
people made to the liberation of the sub-continent.

"We ignore the plight of a desperate nation under siege from a rapacious
clique in the name of non-interference in the internal affairs of a
neighbour and under the guise of protecting a liberation icon, a founding
father of the nation, a national symbol or just a friend."

Tsvangirai said a few years ago Mozambicans were displaced and could be
found in almost all the SADC countries. It took outsiders to bring the
warring parties together while the region watched from a distance.

He said Zimbabwe suffered from a system failure, caused by a ruling clique
that had decided to ignore national and international advice, and failed to
accept adaptive change after years of poor governance practices and an open
dictatorship.

Tsvangirai said efforts to effect corrective measures had attracted brutal
responses, leading to the flight of capital, investment and a national
feeling of despondency.

Elsewhere, he said, regional groupings had put in place monitoring
mechanisms to ensure and extend basic freedoms for their peoples as well as
introducing power to sanction and censure their members in the event of any
infringements.

Such regional block guarded against corruption, political behaviour that
fuelled inflation and economic decay and oppression.

"A regional standard in politics, economics and acceptable behaviour is
necessary to enable our neighbours to sound an early warning system should
the first signs of instability begin to emerge," Tsvangirai said.

"A regional standard offers a single voice, a single position whenever each
one of us faces a serious threat, a natural disaster or a political
miscalculation and misdemeanour."

Tsvangirai said icons of the liberation struggle, the founding fathers of
nations and the national symbols of tradition and heritage, had a coveted
place in the history of the region. They made an invaluable contribution
that no generation could afford to ignore or to forget, he said.

"But, they must let go," he said. "They must give allowances for our
societies to elect governments of their choice; they must give the people
opportunities to take part in their own political and economic activities
and to associate freely among themselves."

"The current effort in SADC shall remain a technical move unless we hit the
nail on the head: politics drives most activity. SADC's vision of attaining
a supra-national union where the respective governments completely
subordinate their sovereignty over policies to a supra-national authority,
and which may ultimately lead to the alignment of the countries involved
into a single community depends on the speed with which we move to protect
our people from incipient backwardness and political retardation.

"You can't live in peace as long as your neighbourhood, rightly or
debatably, is seen to harbour some rough elements. Let us clear our
neighbourhood, more so as we prepare to host the World Cup. International
attention shall be on southern Africa in the next four years. Unless we put
our heads together and sort out the Zimbabwean confusion; we shall be asking
our guests to ignore the dangers of a rough neighbourhood at their own
risk."

Enos Nkala and his much-talked-about forthcoming book   http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=343         Former Defence Minister Enos Mzombi Nkala.   By Geoffrey Nyarota   On Sunday, July 30, 2006 The Zimbabwe Standard published an article penned by intrepid former Chronicle reporter Gibbs Dube which, if my memory serves me well, was the first inkling the public had of the forthcoming book by former Defence Minister Enos Mzombi Nkala. Nkala, who during his time was also minister of finance and of national supplies, was named and shamed by The Chronicle in 1988 in its Willowgate Scandal expose, resulting in the instant and premature termination of his career as a powerful and much feared politician as well as an influential cabinet minister. For more than a decade thereafter Nkala maintained an ultra-low profile in his home town Bulawayo, where he reportedly became a born-again Christian. Once in a while he made the occasional foray into the news media, as the subject in interviews with journalists of a younger generation, who obviously did not really appreciate who they were interviewing, judging from the questions asked and the resultant articles. It is unusual for books that are still at the stage of the manuscript to be the subject of public discourse, but that was all before Nkala became an aspiring author and craftily forced his forthcoming book onto centre stage as a subject of debate. Much against my better judgement, I find I am left with no option but to join in the ongoing discourse about a book that noone has seen, let alone read. I join in this dialogue in my sincere hope that my own intervention will help to enlighten some of the participants in this debate on certain crucial historical events that are being overlooked and, thus, hopefully put issues of national importance in their proper context. Dube informed the public back in July that Nkala was burning the midnight oil while working on the manuscript of a book in which he would reveal the identity of the killers of former Zanu-PF chairman, Herbert Wiltshire Chitepo, who was assassinated in a car bomb explosion in the Zambian capital, Lusaka on March 18, 1975. I was under the impression that this particular information, controversial as it is, had long been placed at the disposal of the public. More sensationally Nkala said he was going to name the killer or killers of former Zanla commander, Josiah Magama Tongogara, who died in a horrific road accident on the eve of independence. "I know what happened to Josiah Tongogara, Herbert Chitepo, Jason Moyo, Lazarus Nkala and other senior politicians during the liberation struggle," Nkala said to Dube. "I definitely know some of the people who killed them and this will be exposed in my book." This was riveting stuff or so I thought, begging nevertheless, of the question, "So why have you not sai all these years?". That was until I read towards the end of the article that Nkala had insisted he wanted his book published only after his death. "There are many people who will be exposed for what they did during the liberation struggle," the former minister intimated. "I know that they will say a lot of things about the contents of the book but it is better for them to say these things when I am dead." Just in case he was accused of being a spineless coward, Nkala quickly pre-empted any such speculation. "I don't fear anyone in this country because I am not a coward. My book will correct a lot of impressions, pure lies and evil concoctions peddled by certain quarters of the ruling elite about the liberation struggle. I will even tell all about the deployment of 5 Brigade in Matabeleland and the Midlands provinces, which killed more than 20 000 innocent civilians at the peak of clashes between the then rivals, Zanu PF and PF Zapu in the 1980s." Notwithstanding the fact that few, if any, publishers would agree to publish a highly controversial and possibly defamatory book only after the author is departed and no longer at hand to face the music, I felt a great sense of disappointment and betrayal. If publishers allowed authors to produce manuscripts for publication when they are deceased I would write a book of a million words. As a sign of his good faith and good intentions Nkala must reveal which publisher is the custodian of his valuable disclosures. Nkala's current age is 75. Notwithstanding the fact that the World Health Organisation says male life expectancy in Zimbabwe is down to only 37, there is nothing about Nkala's appearance to suggest that he cannot push on for another ten or so years, at least. For all we care, he could live to the ripe old age of 95, or more. That means his book will only come out in 2027, at the earliest. There is a great likelihood many of those Nkala seeks to expose and many others with a vested interest in his sensational disclosures will be long gone by then. "I am ready to spend the last days of my life in Mugabe's prisons in defence of the legal, constitutional and civil rights of the precious people of Zimbabwe", Nkala declared bravely in a statement published on the internet last November. How can he be jailed if he postpones his revelations until he is dead?   Back in 1999 the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe and the Legal Resources Foundation jointly published Breaking the Silence, Building True Peace, a report on the disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands in the 1980s. The report says in part: "In November 1980, Cde Enos Nkala made remarks at a rally in Bulawayo in which he warned ZAPU that ZANU-PF would deliver a few blows against them. This started the first Entumbane uprising in which ZIPRA and ZANLA fought a pitched battle for two days." The rest is history which Nkala would, presumably, now like Zimbabweans to forget, if possible, under the influence of sneak previews of his pending revelations. Last week Nkala outdid his previous efforts to re-invent himself as a man of the people. He tried, in somewhat strange circumstances, to steal the thunder of a fellow author, who was launching the evidence of his claim to being an author, a published book. Nkala attended the press conference to launch Edgar Zivanai Tekere's book, A lifetime of Struggle. Taking advantage of the gathering of media people, fellow politicians and Tekere's friends and supporters Nkala issued yet another of his now regular statements about his own forthcoming book. A very significant question arises in the minds of astute observers of Nkala's pending dramatic entry into the world of book-publishing. Why has the aspiring author become so obsessed with issuing numerous statements about a book whose manuscript he is still in the process of putting together? On the recent occasion Nkala made even more sensational disclosures about the alleged content of his forthcoming book. "I have documents," he boasted, "that were left by the Smith regime containing names of the sell-outs who worked as informers of the regime. All these names will be published in the book that I am currently writing. Some of the sell-outs run like little fools claiming that they fought for this country alone. I will write about all of this in my book." It appears the former fiery minister still loves calling other people "little". Predictably, in these circumstances, Nkala did not reveal in what circumstances or at which particular time in his checkered career as a government mister he laid his hands on these documents or why he has kept the existence of the documents a closely guarded secret for nearly three decades. He did not say either why he would not leak the list to the media for publication now. What if the documents are dismissed as fraudulent when he is no longer at hand to defend them? The former minister of defence obviously still regards the public as little fools. In the absence of conclusive evidence to the contrary, anyone would be excused for reaching the conclusion that Nkala, as is his proven custom, is being a little economic with the truth. If Nkala possessed any such authentic documents he would not miss an obvious opportunity to revive his political fortunes by making their content public. Judging from his many statements it is clear Nkala is determined to bring President Mugabe down. Why does he not realize that such compromising documents are a powerful weapon in his hands right now? Nkala's strategy is patently clear. He wants to have it both ways - worm his way back into the political limelight while riding on the back of meaningless snippets of the alleged disclosures in his forthcoming book, while at the same time protecting himself from possible suits for defamation, if he makes full disclosure now, in the absence of evidence or documentary proof. In one of his numerous statements so far Nkala touches on "the so-called Sandura Judicial Commission (which) was appointed at Mugabe's initiation and instigation so that he could get rid of us". He claims the Sandura Commission was the initiative of the so-called Zezuru Group of 26. "This group reports directly to Robert Mugabe. It includes Zezuru judges, senior Zezuru army officers and some senior Zezuru CIO," he explains. "It recommends the dismissal of ministers and appointment of ministers who are amenable to Mugabe remaining in power. Should I be challenged over what I have said herein, I am ready to elaborate and defend the position that I have hinted to in this statement." As the journalist largely responsible for investigating the Willowgate Scandal that was the direct cause of the appointment of the Sandura Commission I suppose I am entitled to challenge the former minister. Yes, I became aware of the so-called Zezuru Group of 26, but this was long after the downfall of Nkala in 1989. Details of events leading to the appointment of the Sandura Commission are explained in great detail in my own book, "Against the Grain, Memoirs of a Zimbabwean Newsman," which was published in Cape town last July. I urge Nkala to read this book so that he does not continue to embarrass and humiliate himself in public by making such false statements. If this is the quality of the disclosures that Nkala is preparing to cause some publisher to print then it is just as well that he wants the book published long after he is dead. Meanwhile, since copies of my own book are not readily available in Zimbabwe I undertake to mail an autographed copy to Nkala, if he furnishes me with his address.

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Blaming Mugabe alone for Zim crisis is myopic!

Sundayview By Mutumwa Mawere
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=21&id=5692

IS Mugabe a manufactured product? Is he entirely responsible for the
economic decay?
Was the liberation struggle fought on a defined set of values to provide a
reliable compass on who should lead the process? How can more than 15
million people be confused by one allegedly power-hungry individual?
Could it be that the 15 million are more confused than Mugabe? It is equally
instructive that many would want the world to believe that less than 5 000
commercial farmers are responsible for the economic crisis or that targeted
economic sanctions are the root cause of the economic meltdown.
It appears that Zimbabwe is no different in 2007 than it was in 1963 when
ZANU was formed as a breakaway movement from ZAPU, inasmuch as the two MDC
factions have emerged in contemporary Zimbabwe with limited vision on what
needs to happen to make Zimbabwe a working and progressive society.
Clearly, it appears that the appetite exists for citizens to absorb and
accept poor leaders.
It is evident the average citizen of 2007 may not be better off than the
citizen of 1980.
In 2007, the people appear helpless in the face of adversity and confused on
what options to pursue and who to blame.
Yes. Mugabe is now the football of all the disgruntled and yet the
institutional aspects of our quagmire may not be the subject of scrutiny.
I have come to accept that a week can make a big difference in a lifetime.
Only last week I had the shock of my life when I read the judgment handed
down by Judge President Makarau. I have read the judgment over and over
again, trying to put meaning on what has gone wrong and whether the
proposition that it is only Mugabe who must go should be accepted without
contestation.
My personal case may demonstrate the abuse of state power in a holistic
manner than many other cases, not only because its origin can be located in
the Executive but Parliament willingly obliged by rubber-stamping a
Presidential decree.
Now the courts have confirmed that a government can interfere with citizen
rights and then proceed to benefit from such actions. I was specified by
Chinamasa; my companies were also specified.
Makarau has now confirmed that a specified person has no constitutional
rights and his rights cannot be protected under Zimbabwean law.
With respect to the extra-territorial effect of Zimbabwean legislation, this
is what Makarau said: "The Applicant, although a foreign registered company,
is deemed by this court to be a company in respect to which a reconstruction
order has been issued. As such, it cannot bring this suit in the absence of
the leave of the administrator appointed by the respondent (Chinamasa). No
such leave has been obtained and as such, the application was improperly
brought."
To imagine that Zimbabwean law has application to a company governed under
the laws of England will continue to baffle me for the rest of my life.
The conduct of the judiciary as demonstrated by Makarau has led me to the
conclusion that it may not be Mugabe alone to blame. We need to cast the net
wider than Mugabe because ultimately even if Mugabe was not in office, our
problem may be more entrenched that we see at face value. Yes, the buck must
stop somewhere but it is incumbent upon citizens to look beyond the obvious
and seek to establish the underlying source of the political and economic
crisis.
While I accept where Tekere and Nkala are coming from, I do not believe that
their prescription will have any real and lasting impact unless the sick
value system that allows the state machinery to be corrupted by a few
unelected persons who are not subject to the same laws and sanctions that
are subjected to the many is eradicated.

Message from the "Concerned Zimbabweans Abroad!"

Mugabe is planning another clean -up. This is very unfortunate but I believe
will send a strong messege to the United Nations for its failure to make a
follow up of Anna Tibaijuka's damning report.
Why is nobody doing nothing to stop the madaness that has gripped our
country? On Monday, the chairman of SADC was in Britain and was confronted
by the courageous Free Zim Youths on the plans he had on countries like
Zimbabwe. The reply was wishie washie.He just chewed his words and by the
end of his replying statement, he had actually said nothing.
Who then shall save our nation? Demonstrations are met with live bullets,
beatings and torture. I believe it is time we admit that we have failed to
remove Mugabe democratically. So what now?
We need to stop another tsunami sweeping over our country. In the previous
so called clean-up, children were killed, people got hurt, families broke
up, many were forced into exile and some had to move into the rural areas to
do nothing except retire at tenage stages. As untrained youths, what would
one expect then to do in tyhe rural areas.
We in the diaspora have to act now and thwart any moves by Mugabe to destroy
peple's homes again. I want to believe President Thabo Mbeki could act as
the pivot to thwart the moves by the tyrant to get more people out of the
country.
As CONCERNED ZIMBABWEANS ABROAD, we have already delivered a letter to the
president of S.Africa citing our concerns over the move by the Zimbabwean
governement to destroy more homes and the livelihoods of the poor.
It is very unfortunate that no neighbouring country is prepared to help us
equip ourselves militarily. Not even any other country in Africa. We believe
this is the only option left, if we do not have to wait till he is on the
hearse to the Heroes Acre.
Where many are going wrong is that they think that Mugabe holds all power.
It is a wrong assumption to make. The people hold the power and it is they
who have allowed Mugabe to do what he has done. Many of the people have
actively assisted in destroying the country. For a start, many actively
assisted Mugabe destroy Zimbabwe's food security and supoporting
infrastructure. In this way, they handed their power to Mugabe. Now the
people have to beg Mugabe to provide food to feed their children. It is
inconceiveable to imagine that a nation would not only allow, but its
citizens would actively partake in destroying a country's entire future. We
have brought this upon ourselves. If only we could take the time to look at
ourselves in the mirror and acknowledged this one fact, then maybe we will
finally take full responsibility upon our shoulders and, as individuals, do
something about it. Unfortunately, we are nowhere near the point of
recognising our collective irresponsibility.
There are many things that can be done to speed up change towards a
prosperous and happy Zimbabwe. Of that, we have no doubt. Our future is in
our hands. The problem right now is that we have become totemless and behave
like servants, not citizens.
Jay Jay Sibanda
CONCERNED ZIMBABWEANS ABROAD ( 072 363 0700 )

Zimpolitics opposed to Opposition Unification!

Opposition Unification

The most Zanu like idea and non democratic idea there is!
How do you call yourselves democratic yet embarking on a non democratic
promotional campaign? Anyone who is calling themselves academic or
politician seem to not understand what democracy stands for. What is this
idea about removing choice?
I know and understand what the current administration under Mugabe has not
performed as well as expected and corruption and all that is destructive to
the nation has taken place. We still should not be obsessed by Robert
Mugabe. The focus on the president has taken energy and the ability to be
innovative and creative (which was lacking already). It is not necessarily
the inability for a president to run the country that takes a nation to what
Zimbabwe is and going. It is the millions of Zimbabweans in the diaspora.
Running from their responsibilities. As thinkers and innovators, businessman
and civic organizations should have been creating an environment that is not
conducive to corruption and perpetuation of incompetence.

A coalition is the road to a one party state. Mutambara and Tsvangirai
should remain separate one or two more parties should join the field and
citizens should be educated to vote their conscience and not what someone
else think is the way to go. Mugabe can rule till he dies if Zimbabwean vote
for him. And they should be allowed to vote for him if that is what they
prefer. It is the members of paliament that matter. As long as the president
does not have a majority and the constitution is followed and is for the
people, one should not obsess on Mugabe. If there are crimes committed with
a majority that is not Zanu then Justice should and will take its course.

It however appears to me that until the nation reeds itself of these Zanu
like propensities we are destined to be like Kenya and the rest of the
African States. Change from one dictator to another. As it is we all know
that Tsvangirai and his predecessor from the other group are dictators in
the making.

Businesses need to create jobs, legislators and civic organizations need to
teach job skills and help start small businesses.

Civic organizations in Zimbabwe are little businesses that founders use to
finance their businesses and feed their families rather than do what they
have put themselves to be representing.

As much as mugabe is to blame for the state of the nation, it is time to get
over him already and quit the obsession. We have a judicial system. It may
not be were we want it to be but we have one. Gukura hundi for instance --
We can start prosecuting and filing civil suits and ask the international
courts to start indicting the lowest ranking soldiers that we all know for a
fact that they carried out the atrocities and follow the chain of command
from there. A lot of these will not want to go down on their own so they
will rat on the others and we follow the trail to Mugabe or at least someone
higher up the chain. We can do this with everything - the media, city
council, labor etc.

Lets do something that works and quit the finger pointing and obsessing on
Mugabe. He may die in power and no one will know what to obsess on when he
is gone. Leading to another state of paralysis.
4:16 AM, January 17, 2007
Zimpolitics can be found on www.zimpolitics.blogspot.com .

"GUKURAHUNDI RE-VISITED!"

Compiled by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, March
1997
<http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pix/mugabefrail.cut-copy.jpg> REPORT ON
THE 80S ATROCITIES IN MATABELELAND AND THE MIDLANDS
<http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pix/mugabefrail.cut-copy.jpg>

THE DAMNING EVIDENCE THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SEE

Please kindly note the whole Report is now available on
<http://www.gukurahundi.blogspot.com> www.gukurahundi.blogspot.com

All the material has been got from <http://www.newzimbabwe.com>
www.newzimbabwe.com

and is fully ackowledged.

Rev M S Hove....The Radical Soldier.Cell: 0791463039 RSA.

_____

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Please click below then go to "Call-back" of Week-end 13 Jan, 2007.

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Thanks.

M S Hove...Rev.

Cell: 0791463039 RSA.

 

Prof A Mutambara.

Leader of MDC (Mutambara Faction).

*****************************************************************

 

Setting the Zimbabwean Agenda for 2007:

Reflections from the Opposition

5^th January 2007; Harare, Zimbabwe

The National Mandate

 

Zimbabwe enters 2007 still embroiled in a crisis that has both political and socio-economic manifestations. The economic aspects are inextricably linked to the political matters.  We are tired of describing the pain of our people. Our challenge and obsession should be on redemptive action: What should be done in 2007? We need to focus on the nexus between politics and economics in identifying lessons from the past as we chart a path into the future. We have a duty and obligation to confront our plight as a nation, and deliver change. We owe it to posterity.

The Political Agenda

The democratic forces in Zimbabwe must take stock of the effectiveness of their efforts in 2006. There is need for clarity on what works and that which does not. It must be understood within the opposition that there is absolutely no alternative to working together. Self-serving bickering and infighting among the democratic forces must be shunned. All political leaders must put national interest before self interest. The two MDC formations have neither monopoly of political wisdom, nor the immutable right to represent the people of Zimbabwe. In 2007 they must quickly resolve and achieve a framework of effective cooperation. If they do not accomplish this as a matter of urgency, the people of Zimbabwe must reject them completely and develop other alternatives. In 2007, it is shape up or ship out.

The people of Zimbabwe must not brook any nonsense that serves the interest of the dictatorship of Robert Mugabe. They must not accept a dysfunctional opposition that seizes defeat from the jaws of victory. None of the political leaders in the opposition are indispensable. Zimbabwe is not short of capable leaders. In any case, leadership is about creating leaders, not followers. All of the current leaders in the opposition can be replaced, and the struggle will continue unabated. The leadership of the two MDC formations must accept this without equivocation. They must pledge to put national interest before misguided personal ambition. There is need to re-energize the core opposition supporters while inspiring and attracting non-core constituencies.

It must be clearly understood that the cooperation of the two MDC formations is a necessary but not sufficient condition for democratic change in Zimbabwe. Even if reunification of the two MDC formations is achieved, it is not enough, to dislodge ZANU (PF). We have to grow the democratic forces beyond the traditional MDC support base. This should be done by attracting reform minded people from within ZANU (PF), other political parties, and those who are not currently in active party politics. Furthermore there should be enhanced cooperation with Zimbabwe civic society organizations, thus unlocking synergies amongst all democratic forces. Organizations such as NCA, Crisis Coalition, ZCTU, ZINASU, WOZA, MOZA, Women Coalition, and the Churches have shown spectacular courage under vicious attacks.

A results driven, broad based democratization alliance should be established. This should be characterized by inclusiveness, transparency, agenda clarity, effective communication, and sustained collusive efforts and activities. Isolated individual acts of defiance, grand standing, sectarian glory seeking, publicity stunts, pursuit of partisan credit, and legitimacy competition should not be tolerated. The agenda should be the immediate democratization of Zimbabwe through effective, collective and direct action. The experiences from Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, and elsewhere clearly demonstrate that the opposition has to break the ruling party before it can contemplate success in an uneven political playing field such as ours. The opposition has to break and destroy ZANU (PF), both as an institution and a culture, as part of our strategy to victory.

The dissension in ZANU (PF) over Mugabe's intention to extend his misrule has presented a unique opportunity to build a national consensus for change. As the opposition we cannot even begin to work on this momentous task when we are a bunch of bickering self-destructive democratic forces. Shame on us! In 2007 things have to be drastically different. We have to quickly put the opposition house in order. Only then can we be relevant and effective in the democratization of our country.

While the apparent discontent in ZANU (PF) should be leveraged, the opposition forces should not base their strategy solely on this aspect. Why would the opposition bank on ZANU (PF) authoring its own destruction? We cannot pin our hopes on 10 ZANU (PF) MPs rebelling in Parliament to support the 41 MDC MPs in blocking insecure and incompetent Robert Mugabe's insatiable lust for power. The fight has to be broader than participating in ZANU (PF) institutions. In 2007 we will take the struggle to the streets, villages, valleys, and jails of Zimbabwe. We must defeat Mugabe and his bootlickers with or without ZANU (PF) dissension. We should never allow the people's revolution to depend on those ZANU (PF) cowards who are, for all intents and purposes, Mugabe's wives.

We believe that the ideal framework for our struggle in Zimbabwe is that we should fight for a people driven democratic constitution before any future elections, followed by an internationally supervised national plebiscite. In 2007 we will pursue this objective by any means necessary. We will not respect any unjust and criminal laws. We will not allow the dictatorship to prescribe to us how we should fight it. We will set the agenda and determine the arena and instruments of combat. The opposition must now lead from the front, by setting the agenda, and not merely responding to ZANU (PF) projects. In addition to participating in electoral and institutional processes we will embrace all forms of democratic resistance. We intend to bring this regime to its knees. 2007 is the year of the people's revolution.

As we pursue the agenda of a new constitution and internationally supervised elections, we should not be naïve and too idealistic. We must have a plan B. Zimbabwean national elections could be held in 2008 or 2010 before a new constitution, and without international supervision. It is hence imperative for us to clearly understand the current flawed and uneven electoral processes.  The issue for us is to clearly establish how they are abused and manipulated, and thus develop anti-rigging mechanisms. In addition we need to carry out comprehensive voter education and registration, protect and guarantee secrecy of the vote, train effective polling agents, and establish functioning party structures throughout the country. The challenge should be; how do we make the flawed electoral processes and institutions work for us? How can we use the rules and laws of the dictator against the dictator? If, for example, the voter turnout was more than 70% in every constituency, and the opposition garners more than 80% of that vote while deploying effective polling agents, it will be very difficult for ZANU (PF) to manipulate such results. One of the rigging opportunities for the regime lies in manipulating the unspent vote and the narrow margins of opposition victory in some constituencies. Thus our challenge in this illustration is: How does the opposition ensure that there is 70% voter turnout throughout the country and that 80% of those voters are against the regime? Only a united, all-embracing, but focused and disciplined opposition can even begin to address this challenge. The struggle in Zimbabwe requires inspiring and transforming leadership, innovation, creativity, and thought leadership. It can not be business as usual.

The Economic Agenda

On the economy the opposition must debate and establish clarity and consensus around their economic vision and its corresponding strategy. In the year 2007 as a country we must establish what we want to be known for; our national brand. In order to establish a globally competitive economy the notion of country branding is vital. We must seek to be known for clean and competent government, efficiency and commitment to excellence. This will attract and retain both domestic and foreign investment. Investors should do business with Zimbabwe because they know that the government is clean, competent and transparent. Our laws should be predictable and not selectively applied. There must be demonstrable respect for property rights, the rule of law, and security of tenure. We must be known for meritocracy; i.e., Zimbabwean life chances and business opportunities must be based on talent and ability. Foreign and domestic investors can bid for projects not on the basis of patronage but on merit. For all our citizens, we must guarantee equal opportunity, not necessarily equal outcomes. It takes time to build a country brand. The starting point is that we must have a country, products, and services worth branding. We must be "famous for something" and focus on brand delivery, not advertising slogans. There is need to find the brand-building triggers, and make these happen. Once a country's brand is damaged and compromised, its global competitiveness is severely undermined. The ZANU (PF) regime has immensely damaged the Zimbabwean brand. In 2007 we have to embark on a Zimbabwean brand development strategy. The stage for country's branding on a global scale is already well laid out with the large number of successful Zimbabwean professional and business people in significant and strategic locations across the globe. These are the vehicles for marketing a branded global Zimbabwe.

We need to develop and own our economic models. The starting point is learning from those countries that have successfully transformed their economies such as Mauritius, Ghana, Singapore, Malaysia, India and China. We must also consider the traditionally strong economies of the US, Western Europe, and Japan. In these case studies we need to focus on the interplay between politics and economics in identifying lessons for high economic growth. More significantly, we should learn from ourselves (inside out approach); our local business experience, entrepreneurial instincts, work ethic, institutional memory, values, culture, wisdom, and indigenous knowledge systems. We need to understand and leverage our strengths: excellent human capital, strong natural resource base, and robust physical infrastructure. In this way, we can establish our own unique economic signature processes and institutions. Countries adopt industry best practice to stay competitive, but high-performing economies do more. They embrace unique signature processes that reflect their values and strengths. While adoption of global best-practice provides a level playing field, it is necessary but not sufficient. Signature processes, are idiosyncratic, part of national and local institutional culture & heritage; hence very difficult to replicate. A combination of signature processes and global industrial best practice enhances competitiveness and economic performance of a nation.

Innovative and creative strategic thinking must always inform our approach, so that national weaknesses can be turned into opportunities. For example, rather than continuously mourn about the brain drain and how to reverse it, why not think in terms of how we can benefit from the export of human capital and thus build an export industry centered around educational products and services. Under globalization no country can totally reverse the brain drain. We are living in an age of the global citizen and sovereign individual, where geography, national boundaries, and distance are of less significance. The logical conclusion of a completely global economy is a world without national citizens, but global customers. National governments will just be competing service providers. The challenge is how to turn national loss of human capital into an economic opportunity. In 2007 we must think outside the box. In fact, we must think as if there is no box!  The thought processes that got us into a crisis cannot constitute the framework of redemption.

For any economic model to work there must be total ownership and buy in by the nation. We cannot borrow economic systems lock, stock and barrel. There has to be customization and adaptation. However, once a national economic model has been designed it cannot be static or stagnant. There must be continuous reinvention, and improvement. It is innovation or death. What makes a nation successful today will not be necessarily effective in the future.

Currently Zimbabwe is completely out of step with the economic vision, value system and frameworks that are being developed regionally and globally. Clearly the dysfunctional Zimbabwe economy cannot be properly integrated into Comesa and SADC, with regional inflation benchmarked at 20% while Zimbabwe experiencing four digit inflation levels. SADC as a grouping will continue to be affected and the success of COMESA is put in jeopardy. Equally significant and important to note is that countries in the region are also experiencing social impacts from mass migration from Zimbabwe into those countries.

It is imperative for SADC and the AU to realize that Zimbabwe's failure is their demise too. They must understand that when Zimbabwe coughs, SADC catches a cold. Under globalization there is no country that can prosper and stay competitive without effective regional integration. The global survival paradigm is regional economic integration predicated upon regional sovereignty that supersedes national sovereignty. Any economic meltdown in one regional member is catastrophic to the group's strategic, economic and political interests.

A Clarion Call for Revolution

We remind the generality of the people of Zimbabwe of the saying that "people get a government that they deserve." Is this ZANU (PF) tyranny, misrule, corruption and economic mismanagement the best leadership this country can offer? Surely Zimbabweans can do far much better than this. The power is within us, to stand up and be counted. We must be masters of our own destiny. This is a clarion call for revolution. Lets all participate in the democratization and economic transformation of our country. History will never absolve us if we abscond.  Ask not, how others will change Zimbabwe, but rather what you can do in your own personal way to deliver change. Be a player, not an observer. We must all play a role in the development of political and economic solutions for our country. There is no activity or contribution that is insignificant. 2007 is the year of national action; the year of people driven political and economic change in Zimbabwe. We must restore our sense of duty and national pride; concern ourselves not only with our personal well-being but also the interests of our entire nation. There is strength in unity of purpose and action. That is the only way forward. We all have to be risk takers, and abandon risk aversion. There is nothing as irresponsible as sleeping through a revolution.

The Struggle Continues Unabated.

Defeat is not on the agenda & Victory is certain.

Arthur G.O. Mutambara
MDC President

---

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Please listen to SWRADIOAFRICA on Sat evening!

I've been recorded by SWRADIOAFRICA for "CALLBACK" and it will be aired on
Saturday Evening at about 19.10 Zim time.

If you miss it, click on www.swradioafrica.com and go "Archives".

There go to "Sat 14th January, 2007" and click on "Callback."

Their "archives" is kept for 14 days so you can get it even up to the 27th
of Jan.

But, of course, listen to the said Station every evening.

God bless us all!

The Radical Mindset.

A disclaimer:

If I post any views I get from the members of the public, IT DOES NOT MEAN I
AGRRE WITH THEM!

Its only Democracy at work!

Your duty is to contribute to that debate and present your views.

Thank you.

The Radical Mindset.

From the Radical's In-box:

From: CHANDA MATEMAI [mailto:nyamuhumbe@yahoo.com]

Hi,
Its nice that some people out there see things without blindfolds.
Only a man with stature can unsit undoubtedly a true Hero of Zim, Africa and
the world over, Comrade, Commandant (Cubans say), RG Mugabe.Its only that
too many enemies are ganging around him.Tsvangirai stands no chance at all,
all the dead in Zim will turn in their graves.
Mugabe has set the Standard and quality of a leader that ZIM should have and
deserves.Kwete vanaTsvangison, ngavaende vanofudza mombe, or to join
maDiasporan on menial jobs to survive, its better that way, than to be paid
for destroying what some men are building.

nyamuhumbe@yahoo.com

Who is this lady? Where was this?

Please send your answers to mufarostig@yahoo.co.uk

 

Rev M S Hove....The Radical Soldier.

 

Cell: 0791463039 RSA.

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Who can replace Robert Mugabe just today?

Who can replace Robert Mugabe just today?


Does Zimbabwe have a single individual who can counter Mugabe's stature and replace him just today?

Those that are in the fore-front seriously lack many vital qualities and those that would qualify are scared stiff to even cough or sneeze to announce their presence.

Anyone who expects to replace the stature of Robert Mugabe must not lack in charisma, intelligence and firmness (which must definitely border on ruthlessness.)

That firmness must uphold the required consistency but that also can be counter-productive if it is not matched by an intelligent ability to change direction depending on the shifting and changing circumstances. Inflexibility sometimes depicts dullness and not intelligence.

I unreservedly acknowledge and admit that Robert Mugabe made all efforts to suppress (and even assassinate) his colleagues and contemporaries so that only he (and he alone) would remain and indeed did remain as an "icon" while everyone else stood out as confused, lacking in various leadership qualities and at worst, and appeared as criminals or "sub-standard" human beings who had to perpetually depend on Mugabe for patronage, guidance and "forgiveness and mercy" (where need be.)

To the simplest ZANU-PF supporter, Mugabe must even now be allowed to "rule" Zimbabwe for another 100 years even if that meant him being 183 years old at the end of that period.

Robert Mugabe himself created that sorry scenario and we will pay very heavily and very soon for singing that simplistic song, "Long live President Mugabe…."

A look at a few revolutionary heroes brings out the following:

The late Rev Ndabaningi Sithole had a great stature, charisma etc but Robert Mugabe made sure he was "brought down to size."

The late Sithole's idea of parcelling out a few farms at a time and settle families on them was a brilliant idea and deserved the support of all patriots.

That noble idea was "crushed" as evil and the only possible reason why it was evil was because it had not originated with the country's "Pope" ie His Life Presidency and Excellency, Cde R G Mugabe.

It had to be "crushed" without delay and , for sure, "crushed" it was!

The late Dr Joshua Nkomo in 1980-81 organized the former ZIPRA Combatants and encouraged them to pool their resources together and buy farms with their meager "de-mob" pay-outs and it was an excellent idea!

They did buy various farms and called them "NITRAM FARMS." They were very much affordable because many white former farm-owners were fleeing "black rule" and were selling these said farms for nearly "peanuts" as they took the "chicken run" down to the then- Apartheid South Africa.

Any honest analyst will agree with me that as far as the land question is concerned, Dr Joshua Nkomo and his ZAPU were very clear and very consistent.

It was Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF who were rather confused and inconsistent.

They failed to match ZAPU's NITRAM programmes and their desperate HUNZVI and his ZEXCOM failed dismally because the war-veterans had been disappointed many times before and could not trust anyone to administer their then- Z$50 000 payouts.

Hunzvi's ZEXCOM devoured their monies and many of them are now destitutes after the confirmation of their worst fears.

Dr Patrick Kombayi seems to have a point when he said many ex-fighters suspected that the late Guy Clutton-Brook and others had "planted" Robert Mugabe within the Revolutionary Movements to dilute their thrust towards the land question.

Politics being the "dirty" game that it is known to be, Nkomo "kaNyongolo" had to be "crushed" and 20000 lives later, in 1987, there was no ZAPU and Nkomo (as said by the then- Minister of Information Joice Mujuru a.k.a. Teurai Ropa Mujuru) was just a "senile" person who needed to be accommodated in the high echelons of Government solely to "consolidate" the "Unity" born on the 22nd of Dec, 1987.



In Dec 2007, this so-called "Unity Accord" will celebrate its 20 years but the Ex-ZIPRA Combatants have not yet got back their NITRAM farms. The majority of these ex-fighters have since died and their families are wallowing in poverty.



Joseph Msika (Co-Vice-President) and John Nkomo (Speaker of the House of Assembly)sip their whiskeys and inhale their snuff and have nothing to say on that very sad issue.





Within ZANU itself, Mugabe has mocked everyone who attempted to lift his head to challenge his leadership of the Political Organization.



Qualified rivals like Eddison Zvobgo had their own glaring faults eg pride, arrogance, drunkenness, etc and they were easy to brush aside.



Edgar Tekere developed into a character that appeared perpetually drugged and drunk and dismally failed to really make the mark.



When about 30% of the Electorate voted for him in that Presidential Election of 1990….were we serious? Did we really expect that guy to be "His Excellency"?



Did we just want to make a point? Is History repeating itself?



Emmerson Munangagwa's name was (or is ) associated with the dreaded "Mid-Night" Functions of the CIO (assassinations, disappearances of Opposition members) etc.



He was the Chief (or one of the Chief) planners of the Gukurahundi Massacres in the Midlands and Mandebeleland.



His name has also been associated with corruption, illegal dealings in diamonds both within Zimbabwe and in the DRC (during that stupid war.)



He caused a handsome, young man called Godfrey Majonga to be a cripple now "half-asleep" at Danhiko Centre (who suffered for being in a love triangle with this man who describes himself as "soft-as-wool.")



The few other "icons" eg Dr Nathan Shamuyarira always sing the song that the succession issue cannot be discussed because there is "no vacancy" at the highest office of the land.



What "bullshit"!



Will we discuss the succession issue when Robert Mugabe's corpse is lying "In-State" at some Hall at Mbare (awaiting burial at the National Heroes' Acre….if the bloke will be buried there or at all because of the chaos that will ensue at his death!)



I think that corpse will be cremated in public in Mbare or Highfields and I, Mufaro Stig Hove, will be there to provide the coal for the fire!




The problem also with characters like Nathan Shamuyarira is that he is not the highest in the real line of ZANU.



Robert Mugabe has a plan of confusing his real challengers by "promoting" or "causing the promotion" of undeserving characters.



This I will discuss in detail when I tackle my favorite subject: "THE DYNAMICS OF RGM/ZANU-PF POLITICS."



In passing, look at how Masvingo was led by a former "PADARE" presenter, Cde Josaya Hungwe. To those who are "born-frees" etc…."PADARE" was a Propaganda Programme which glorified "white rule" and they were "wondering" if the black man knew what he was doing when he said he wanted "BLACK MAJORITY RULE."



Those rather simplistic in your midst will say,…"Ah…was that not putting the Policy of Reconciliation to work?"



But it was more complicated than that!



Wily Bob's primary objective was to "demoralize" and frustrate Dr Eddison Zvobgo. And to "neutralize" him.



More on that when I tackle that subject in full!



Look also at this present Minister of Home Affairs! That Beit Bridge guy!



He was being investigated for murder…that Kembo Mohadi guy!



When the dockets were very ready and were about to be actioned by the Attorney-General…..Lo and Behold….Bob called a Press Conference and announced that Kembo Mohadi was the brand-new Minister of Home Affairs!



So what would the Police and the Attorney-General do now about the said murder docket?



By God….naMwari….Bob akapenga!
We have looked at how Robert Mugabe has managed by various foul means at keep at the helm of both ZANU-PF and the Government of Zimbabwe.



I invite you to agree with me that all the men and women that inter-acted with this small man (RGM) became scared stiff of even mention of the name ROBERT MUGABE.



They attended many funerals of men that were assassinated by that evil, “British-suited” dictator.



But the raw truth that stares all in our perplexed faces (whether in ZANU-PF or in the Opposition Parties) is that this Robert Mugabe is 83 years old (or even older.) That’s 20 years after the Retirement Age of many Organizations. Which Company has on its Payroll an Accountant or Personnel Officer who is 83 years of age?



The man’s heart can just stop at any time and that would be perfectly okay because 83 is really a very “ripe old age.”



But ZANU-PF has given the man the lee-way to continue up to 2010 (and he will be 86 then!)



On the Opposition side we have men and women who will not sit down and present a single individual to replace that Octogenarian!



We have (on the one side) an inflexible individual who claims that the whole Opposition Movement is “in his pocket” ( to use his own words.)



He scolds his subordinates and swears by their mothers’ private parts if they “dare” differ with him on certain policy issues eg whether to participate in the (of course, useless) Senate Elections or not.



The desperate Nation “clings” to him because apparently he is the “bravest one” in a Nation “immobilized” by fear.



Prof Arthur Mutambara was “imported” as a Shona to try and salvage a desperate situation.



Unfortunately, he is viewed by some emotional, misguided MDC supporters as a “muchekadzafa”, ie one that has come to harvest where he did not sow.



“Milk-on-the-nose” Nelson Chamisa arrogantly asks “Mutambara ndiani?” as if the 12 October, 2005 split was a non-event. That is the type of “rigidness” which I was referring to at the beginning when I said, “ Some inflexibility may not reflect intelligence, but dullness.”



Also, is Tsvangirai of that height and depth that he is prepared to step aside if it were in the best interests of the Nation of Zimbabwe? Can he understand the need for that, if it were suggested to him?



Would he not shout that it was a “CIO” plot to “chop off the ‘head’ of the MDC”?



That’s the problem we are facing in Zim Politics today.



Mugabe has duplicated himself in nearly ALL OF US (perhaps including me too) and we will, perhaps, need to “import” a President from another country, say, Namibia to come and run our country for us when the tyrant “kicks the bucket.”



ZANU and ZAPU were intelligent enough in the 70s to ask the Methodist Bishop Abel Muzorewa to be their “new and fresh face” in their struggle against the evil, racist Ian Smith regime.



The expiry of Robert Mugabe will bring real chaos to Zimbabwe and the South African Government may have to send in troops to restore order.



Is it not long before I am proved either right or wrong!



Hey, fellow Zimbos, we need a man of great stature NOW to challenge Robert Mugabe’s madness and unite all the forces (incl. Enlightened ZANU-PF members and the Military and Intelligence wings of our troubled Nation of Zimbabwe.)



If it means raising money to “buy out” Morgan, let every avenue be explored!



I rest my case and declare the debate open to all of us as CONCERNED ZIMBABWEANS.



I LOVE YOU ALL!



Rev Mufaro Stig Hove….The Radical Mindset.



Cell: 0791463039 RSA



mufarostig@yahoo.co.uk



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