Zimbabwe: 2007 till Mugabe resigns

[Rhodesian]

http://zimbabwemetro.com/wordpress/w...gabepapers.pdf

Makes facinating reading, if genuine.

I.R

[davidbfpo]

A fascinating, if long read. An odd mixture of Marxist and Third World ideology with some harsh realism about politics, economics etc. Clearly ZANU-PF did not accept the advice and became a regime of robbery, not revolution. Perhaps Jacob Xuma and the SACP can comment?

davidbfpo

[davidbfpo]

Quite telling passage:

But even in Mbare, some voters defied Zanu-PF's intimidation. At Nharira primary school, in a more affluent part of the suburb, turnout was low as voters stayed away, Bernard Mashonganyika, 47, voted MDC, as he has done in every election since they were formed. A real war veteran, unlike the so-called ones who make up Mr Mugabe's shock troops, he said he was shot in the leg during the struggle for independence. "You know what?" he said. "These thieves, when we went to war they were not there. We only knew about Mugabe in 1978. But right now he is behaving as if he was the one holding the AK [47 assault rifle]."

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-Zimbabwe.html

davidbfpo

[davidbfpo]

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-MDC-says.html

Mr Biti (MDC Deputy Leader) was detained for 14 days and charged with treason. He endured 14 hours of interrogation, by police officers and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). These sessions revealed deep divsions within the regime.

Mr Biti's interrogators wanted to know about his talks in South Africa with two members of Mr Mugabe's cabinet: Patrick Chinamasa, the justice minister, and Nicholas Goche, the labour minister.

"It was obvious they were being used by one faction of Zanu-PF. One part is negotiating, the other doesn't know what is happening," said Mr Biti. "It was quite clear from some of the questions that they asked about particular aspects of the SADC [Southern African Development Community] negotiations that they felt Chinamasa and Goche had been outplayed at the SADC table."

Mmmm and the effect of this was? Nothing yet.

davidbfpo

[marct]

Mmmm and the effect of this was? Nothing yet.

For the nonce. However, there was an interesting quote in a CBC article yesterday.

A meeting of African foreign ministers in Egypt is considering what steps the continent's nations can take to press for change in Zimbabwe.

"I don't think we are going to accept the result but we are still discussing," a minister told Reuters, asking not to be identified.

Marc

[davidbfpo]

From the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7479320.stm

Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula has said sanctions against Zimbabwe are unlikely to work, and that Mr Mugabe and the opposition should instead be encouraged to talk. He was speaking at a meeting of African Union foreign ministers in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheik, before a full meeting of heads of state on Monday which Mr Mugabe is expected to attend. Mr Wetangula, whose own country recently went through a period of political violence before a power-sharing deal was brokered, told reporters: "History has shown us that they (sanctions) don't work because the leadership just dig in and dig in and feel persecuted. "I think we need to engage Zimbabwe. The route of sanctions may not be the helpful one... the first and most important thing is for the people of Zimbabwe and their leadership to sit down and talk to each other, instead of talking at each other."

Sometime ago I suggested the only people who will effect change are the people of Zimbabwe, or some of Mugabe's followers decide time to change. Nothing I have seen, which is all diplomatic froth, indicates different.

davidbfpo

[davidbfpo]

From a Zimbabwean emailing:

Munich, July 1, 2008 - The Management Board of Giesecke & Devrient GmbH, Munich, today decided to cease delivering banknote paper to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe with immediate effect. The company has taken this step in response to an official request from the German government and calls for international sanctions by the European Union and United Nations. "Our decision is a reaction to the political tension in Zimbabwe, which is mounting significantly rather than easing as expected, and takes account of the critical evaluation by the international community, German government and general public," explains Dr. Karsten Ottenberg, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Giesecke & Devrient GmbH. In delivering banknotes and banknote paper, Giesecke & Devrient is subject to strict rules defined by the World Bank. The company continues to rely on the political and moral assessment provided by international trade regulators.

davidbfpo