Britain has played role in woes Zimbabwe faces

By: James N. Kariuki
[

][Post to BookMarks @ AfroArticles.com]

[ Posted On: 2008-07-15 ]

The current Zimbabwe crisis is a crime against humanity; it should not be happening in the 21st century.

Yet, it may be feeble-minded to believe that the country's woes are due to one 'madman', Robert Mugabe. Britain may be just as implicated in the disaster as Mugabe.

There is a widely held perspective that Mugabe will never voluntarily surrender power because he dreads that the sins of his past will come to haunt him. Memories of former President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire dying and being buried in Morocco as a dejected, tormented and stateless person still linger. Similarly, he is mindful of the agony of Charles Taylor, currently on trial at The Hague for his misdeeds as Liberia's head of state.

Mugabe has been in power for much longer than Taylor or Chiluba were. The winding path that he has trod is much longer, doubtlessly bloodier and more intriguing. He owes it to himself to shield the skeletons in his closet for as long as he can. After all, who on the African political scene can he trust? Poor Robert Mugabe is caged: There is no place to hide.

Fair hearing

Another perspective, while condemning the Zimbabwe fiasco, insists that Mugabe must be granted a fair hearing. How can the national hero for the liberation of Zimbabwe simply tear the country to shreds?

Mugabe's spokesperson, George Charamba, recently stated that, other than war, international sanctions are the worst thing that can happen to any country. Zimbabwe has been under Britain-sponsored international sanctions for years.

To this mindset, Britain is driven by bitterness over Mugabe's land reforms policy. The objective of that policy was to repossess land owned by whites in Zimbabwe and redistribute it to the 'rightful owners' — indigenous Africans. Since the launch of the so-called 'forceful land-seizures,' relations between the Mugabe regime and Britain have deteriorated.

In addition to disliking the British intensely, Mugabe sees the opposition in Zimbabwe as being on a mission to execute British agenda.

That mission is to get rid of Mugabe and give back the farms. Such a scenario Mugabe finds impossible to stomach; indeed he considers it treasonable.

To Mugabe, relinquishing power to the opposition would be tantamount to abdication of his duty to Zimbabweans: To protect them from a new form of neo-colonialism; that of penetrating Africa through indigenous politicians.

Mugabe is condemned widely for collective punishment visited upon his people. He dismisses that charge, arguing that his actions are directed at the enemies of the state. To the extent that the MDC is the 'agent' of outside forces, it is the enemy of Zimbabwe; its members are traitors, not innocent Zimbabweans.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: James N. Kariuki - is head of the African Diaspora Unit at the Africa Institute of South Africa in Pretoria.

| View Profile & All Articles By: James N. Kariuki |

		Post Comment
		Blog This Article!
		Discuss Article in Forum(s)
		Publication \| Reprint Terms

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Africa Articles Via RSS!

| Category Feeds | All-in-one Feed | Other Feed & Syndication Options |

Additional Articles From - Home | Politics | Africa

	Print This Article
	Post Comment
	Add To Favorites
	Email To Friends
	Ezine Ready \| Syndication
	Make PDF Article
	Post To del.icio.us
	Post To Furl
	Add To Google Bookmarks
	Submit To Netscape
	Add To Yahoo! My Web
	Add Main Feed To Outlook
	Post to BookMarks @ AfroArticles.com

	Post To BookMarkAfrica.com

Site Home

Article Categories

More Search Options

Site Map

Submit Articles

Top Authors

Most Recent Articles