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This Week in Zimbabwe: Mugabe Monopoly
President Robert Mugabe solidified his role as all powerful patriarch of Zimbabwe today, when his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai announced he would be withdrawing from the run-off elections that have spawned unseen levels of police brutality and political violence.
Understandably, he declared the elections would not be fair and too many of his supporters’ lives had already been lost. Zimbabwean Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said Friday’s runoff would go ahead in accordance with the constitution — and to prove Zimbabweans’ support for Mugabe, who has held power since independence from Britain in 1980. Finally, Mugabe has his wish of a Zimbabwe where his dictate reigns supreme.
Tsvangirai won the presidential election back in March, but did not gain an outright majority to oust Mugabe. Since then his attempt at a campaign has been marred by violent attacks and arrests of his supporters and party members. The state controlled media have banned all opposition advertisements and militants loyal to Mugabe have made rallies almost impossible for the MDC. The MDC’s No.2 leader was charged with treason last week, within minutes of arriving in Zimbabwe from South Africa.
These atrocities, not to mention the severe starvation and displacement (apartheid style) of thousands by the government, have finally drawn severe criticism from other African leaders. Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said Sunday that the runoff must be postponed. He has criticized South African President Thabo Mbeki, the region’s designated mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis, for not doing enough to resolve the crisis.
But how should we in Canada respond to the situation in Zimbabwe? In a recent article by Horace Campbell and Eusi Kwayana they tackle the question of Imperialism and Zimbabwe. They claim that the US and British sanctions made Mugabe a ‘hero against imperialism.’ I’m not convinced. Mugabe’s reputation in the Zimbabwean independence struggle far outweighs this latter deism surrounding him.
What Kwayana and Campbell do point out quite rightly is Zimbabwean “political leaders have accumulated wealth in such a conspicuous manner that their consumption of luxury goods stands out in a country where more than 80 per cent of the eligible workers are unemployed.” They go on to mention that even though Mugabe claims to be against US and British imperialism, he is certainly not against capitalism. Unfortunately, neither is his Tsvangirai. In fact, he has actively sought the assistance of foreign powers in helping defeat Mugabe. But this may be despite the initial trepidation shown by some African leaders to speak against Mugabe.
Anyway, what we should be for is a resolution to this crisis that is in the interest of ordinary Zimbabweans—those who are feeling the sharp heel of hunger and political oppression. We should be for the return of journalists, both domestic and foreign, who were thrown out, and the return of those refugees who have fled Zimbabwe. But return to what remains to be seen, and the ‘what’ isn’t looking so great right now.
UPDATE: This makes me a little suspicious. British PM Gordon Brown has pledged to the people of Zimbabwe that he will help with the reconstruction of their country once democracy has been restored. he urged the African Union to ‘withold its recognition of the Mugabe regime.’ Liberal Democratic leader Nick Clegg went further, saying he hoped the international community would look at “all options available” to put an end to Mugabe’s regime. He , idiotically, suggested restricting the supply of electricity from South Africa and Mozambique. The people of Zimbabwe are suffering enough without imperialists telling imposing further hardships on their lives!
We must watch the developing situation in Zimbabwe closely, and pay particular attention to the role imperialist powers take in mediating the conflict.
Cartoon by Zapiro, Photo from EPA
Chris Webb is a journalist and activist living in Toronto. He is currently the Publishing Assistant at Canadian Dimension magazine and a Communications Officer with SEIU-Local 1 Canada. Read more by Chris Webb.
