By Garikai Chimuka
If recent media reports carried out by leading international press to the effect that South African president, Thabo Mbeki was arguing that a government of national unity to be born under his mediation is the panacea to the Zimbabwean crisis are true, then Mr. Mbeki is clearly misleading the world. What makes the whole issue laughable is his argument that tough global targeted sanctions on the regime that is murdering its on people will lead to civil war in Zimbabwe. Moreover, his assurance that Mugabe is on his way to retirement soon is at best a serious expression of his failure to appreciate the dynamics of the Zimbabwean crisis or at worst a frivolous attempt to defend his friend Mugabe against the people of Zimbabwe. It is in this context that Mr Mbeki must now publicly tell the whole world that his mediation efforts has failed and thus let the African Union and SADC appoint other serious and impartial mediators who can extricate Zimbabwe from the Mugabe –Mbeki made crisis
Mbeki is widely reported to have warned the G8 leaders that any global targeted sanctions against the regime will lead to a civil war in Zimbabwe. This is clearly misplaced.Mr Mbeki must understand that civil war can only break out if there are two or more protagonists who are armed. The truth of the Zimbabwean issue today is that we have a ruling party that has armed and unleashed the army, state security agencies, the militia and so called war veterans against the unarmed people of Zimbabwe whose only crime was to vote for the opposition MDC.It is instructive that even Mbeki clearly knows that the MDC does not have any arms and neither has it any army. Thus what surprises everyone is how Mbeki can predict civil war. He should clearly explain that the illegitimate junta will intensify the genocide that is currently underway in Zimbabwe out of frustration because they stole the people‘s vote but have no capacity to solve the economic problems which are a result of policy kwashiorkor of the Mugabe regime. Such a scenario can never be called civil war. The MDC is clearly committed to a peaceful democratic transition which Mugabe and Mbeki are denying. Mbeki is actually complicit in the genocide that is taking place in Zimbabwe through shielding the regime and even arming them when he knows that biologically and politically, Mugabe and ZANU PF ‘s time is up
As the leader of the biggest economy in SADC and indeed in Africa, Mbeki is showing his clear poor grasp of regional, continental and global geopolitics. One does not need to be a rocket scientist to understand that the current configuration of politics in SADC, AU and the world makes it impossible for the people of Zimbabwe to militarily confront Mugabe and his junta even if they wished because no one will supply them with the bases and weapons. Therefore talking of civil war by Mr Mbeki is clearly reckless and exposes the extraordinary paralysis of analysis on the part of Mr Mbeki who throughout his 10 years at the helm of South Africa had been trying to project himself as a leading African statesman
His other assertion meant to assuage the G8 was that Mugabe will be retiring in the coming few years. Mbeki does not know Mugabe and his insatiable appetite for power. For indeed Mugabe has delusions that the title deeds to Zimbabwe are in his pocket. Was Mr Mbeki not listening when Mugabe declared that he was anointed by God and only God will remove him? Even someone who at 84 years does not feel any remorse or shame sponsoring goons to main , kill , torture and rape long suffering and unarmed villagers. Mbeki, your friend Robert Mugabe will not retire in his lifetime in the same way you wanted to remain the de-facto South African president had you not been defeated by the courageous ANC comrades led by Zuma at Polokwane..
When history or infact, God eventually deals with the dictator and his junta north of the Limpopo, Mr Mbeki you are sure to go down in history as an accomplice in the horrific suffering the innocent people of Zimbabwe are going through at your watch. It is therefore not too late for you to make a deep self introspection and quit immediately as the mediator to the Zimbabwean crisis and declare publicly your support for the Zimbabwean junta rather than blocking those with well meaning efforts to liberate the suffering masses from the illegitimate dictatorship under your nourishment. For history and indeed the unborn Zimbabwean and African generations will never forgive you for commission and omission at the people’s greatest hour of need
Garikai Agenda Chimuka writes from the Netherlands
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