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3 April 2007
I write as I please - biweekly column by Wilf Mbanga

When Mugabe sent his storm troops to beat senseless the leaders of opposition and civil groups, as well as defenceless members of the public, even he did not anticipate the consequences that would reverberate around the world.

These brutal actions were greeted with shock and anger – and demands for action. Even Mugabe’s friends in SADC are beginning, one by one, to distance themselves from him. For example, the Zambian president has for the first time referred to Zimbabwe as a sinking titanic and has called for action to save the country. Most interesting – he made these remarks in Namibia, the country that is perhaps closest politically to Zimbabwe.

In an unprecedented move Botswana members of parliament openly attacked Mugabe and his government this week. They blamed him for the mess in Zimbabwe and criticized their own government for its failure to condemn him or take positive action against him.
Even the African Union has at last seen fit to speak words against of censure, expressing their embarrassment at what is going on in Zimbabwe.
All these are by far inadequate responses to the brutal excesses and abuse of human rights by the Mugabe regime. However, they are significant in that they mark the beginning of a new trend.
Formerly, African leaders were totally committed to solidarity – turning a blind eye to even the worst excesses of their club of dictators. These included Idi Amin and Bokassa, both confirmed cannibals, as well as Mugabe’s genocide in Matabeleland more than 20 years ago.

The only African leader who is resolutely sticking to the solidarity principle even at this late stage is, of course, South Africa president Thabo Mbeki. Countless theories have been put forward to explain why he persists in his silent diplomacy while his own country staggers beneath the burden of a quarter of Zimbabwe’s population who have fled south to escape the beatings and the hunger brought about by Mugabe’s rule.

However, today’s developments seem to point at a crack forming even in the Mbeki front. A correspondent for The Zimbabwean newspaper and a Channel 4 reporter just happened to see Zimbabwean vice president Joice Mujuru in a Johannesburg hotel this morning. A few minutes later they were amazed to see her South African counterpart Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka entering a room after her.
Later in the day reports emerged that Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube, senior members of both factions of the opposition MDC, were en route to South Africa for meetings with government officials. It appears the South Africans had requested assurances from the Zimbabweans that the opposition leaders would not be beaten to a pulp at the airport if they sought to leave the country.
Something is definitely brewing. But officially the only South African voice raised against the tyrant so far has been that of the saintly Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

We wonder when the world will run out of patience with Thabo Mbeki? Or will he, miraculously, pull a rabbit out of the hat at the 11th hour as a result of these behind-the-scenes activities? Watch this space!


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Wilf Mbanga, one of the founders of the independent Zimbabwean daily newspaper "The Daily News", is currently living in the UK. He writes about the current situation in Zimbabwe.

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