E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ZI
SUBJECT: The End is Nigh

Classified By: Ambassador Christopher W. Dell under Section 1.4b/d

¶1. (C) Having said my piece repeatedly over the last three years,
I won’t offer a lengthy prescription for our Zimbabwe
policy. My views can be stated very simply as stay the
course and prepare for change. Our policy is working and it’s
helping to drive change here. What is required is simply the grit,
determination and focus to see this through. Then, when the changes
finally come we must be ready to move quickly to help consolidate
the new dispensation.

THE SITUATION

¶2. (C) Robert Mugabe has survived for so long because he is more
clever and more ruthless than any other politician in
Zimbabwe. To give the devil his due, he is a brilliant
tactitian and has long thrived on his ability to abruptly
change the rules of the game, radicalize the political
dynamic and force everyone else to react to his agenda.
However, he is fundamentally hampered by several factors:
his ego and belief in his own infallibility; his obsessive
focus on the past as a justification for everything in the
present and future; his deep ignorance on economic issues
(coupled with the belief that his 18 doctorates give him
the authority to suspend the laws of economics, including
supply and demand); and his essentially short-term,
tactical style.

¶3. (C) While his tactical skills have kept him in power for 27
years, over the last seven this has only been achieved by a
series of populist, but destructive and ultimately
self-defeating moves. In reaction to losing the 2000
referendum on the constitution, a vengeful Mugabe unleashed
his QGreen BombersQ to commit land reform and in the
process he destroyed ZimbabweQs agricultural sector, once the
bedrock of the economy. While thousands of white farmers
saw their properties seized, hundreds of thousands of black
Zimbabweans lost their livelihoods and were reduced to utter
poverty. In 2005, having been forced to steal victory by
manipulating the results of an election he lost, Mugabe
lashed out again, punishing the urban populace by launching
Operation Murambatsvina. The result was wholesale
destruction of the informal sector, on which as much as
70-80 percent of urban dwellers had depended, and the
uprooting of 700,000 Zimbabweans. The current inflationary
cycle really began with Murambatsvina, as rents and prices
grew in response to a decrease in supply.

¶4. (C) And now, faced with the hyperinflationary consequences
of his ruinous fiscal policies and growing reliance on the
printing press to keep his government running, Mugabe has
launched Operation Slash Prices. This has once again given
him a very temporary boost in popularity (especially among
the police, who have led the looting of retail outlets and
now seem well positioned to take a leading role in the
black market economy) at the cost of terrible damage to the
country and people. Many small grocery and shop owners,
traders, etc., will be wiped out; the shelves are
increasingly bare; hunger, fear, and tension are growing;
fuel has disappeared. When the shelves are still empty
this time next week, the popular appeal of the price roll
back will evaporate and the government simply doesnQt have
the resources to replace the entire private commercial
sector and keep Zimbabweans fed. It may attempt to do so
by printing more money, adding even more inflationary
pressure on a system already reeling from the GOZQs
quasi-fiscal lunacy combined with the price impact of
pervasive shortages. The increasingly worthless Zim dollar
is likely to collapse as a unit of trade in the near
future, depriving the GOZ of its last economic tool other
than sheer thuggery and theft of othersQ assets.

¶5. (C) With all this in view, IQm convinced the end is not

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far off for the Mugabe regime. Of course, my predecessors
and many other observers have all said the same thing, and
yet Mugabe is still with us. I think this time could prove
different, however, because for the first time the
president is under intensifying pressure simultaneously on
the economic, political and international fronts. In the
past, he could always play one of these off against the
other, using economic moves to counter political pressure
or playing the old colonial/race/imperialist themes to buy
himself breathing room regionally and internationally. But
he is running out of options and in the swirling gases of
the new Zimbabwean constellation that is starting to form,
the economic, political and international pressures are
concentrating on Mugabe himself. Our ZANU-PF contacts are
virtually unanimous in saying reform is desperately needed,
but won’t happen while the Old Man is there, and therefore
he must go (finding the courage to make that happen is
another matter, however, but even that may be coming closer).
This is not some sudden awakening on the road to
Damascus, but a reflection of the pain even party insiders
increasingly feel over the economic meltdown. We also get
regular, albeit anecdotal, reports of angry and
increasingly open mutterings against Mugabe even in ZANU-PF’s
traditional rural bastions. Beginning in March, the
other SADC leaders finally recognized (in the wake of the
terrible beatings of March 11 and the international outcry
that followed Q another self-inflicted wound for Mugabe)
that Zimbabwe is a problem they need to address. Thabo
Mbeki appears committed to a successful mediation and is
reportedly increasingly irritated with MugabeQs efforts to
manipulate him or blow him off altogether. If Mugabe
judges that he still commands all he surveys by virtue of
being the elder statesman on the scene, he may be
committing yet another serious blunder. Finally, one does
well to recall that the only serious civil disturbances
here in a decade came in 1998 over bread shortages, showing
that even the famously passive Shona people have their
limits. The terror and oppression of the
intervening years have cowed people, but itQs anyoneQs guess
whether their fear or their anger will win out in the end.

WHAT WILL THE END LOOK LIKE?

¶6. (C) This is the big, unanswerable question. One thing
at least is certain, Mugabe will not wake up one morning a
changed man, resolved to set right all he has wrought. He
will not go quietly nor without a fight. He will cling to
power at all costs and the costs be damned, he deserves to
rule by virtue of the liberation struggle and land reform and
the people of Zimbabwe have let him down by failing to
appreciate this, thus he neednQt worry about their
well-being. The only scenario in which he might agree to
go with a modicum of good grace is one in which he
concludes that the only way to end his days a free man is
by leaving State House. I judge that he is still a long
way from this conclusion and will fight on for now.

¶7. (C) The optimal outcome, of course, and the only one that
doesnQt bring with it a huge risk of violence and conflict, is
a genuinely free and fair election, under international
supervision. The Mbeki mediation offers the best, albeit
very slim, hope of getting there. However, as Pretoria
grows more and more worried about the chaos to its north
and President MbekiQs patience with MugabeQs antics wears
thin, the prospects for serious South African engagement
may be growing. Thus, this effort deserves all the support
and backing we can muster. Less attractive is the idea of
a South African-brokered transitional arrangement or
government of national unity. Mbeki has always favored
stability and in his mind this means a ZANU-PF-led GNU, with
perhaps a few MDC additions. This solution is more likely
to prolong than resolve the crisis and we must guard
against letting Pretoria dictate an outcome which

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perpetuates the status quo at the expense of real change
and reform.

¶8. (C) The other scenarios are all less attractive: a popular
uprising would inevitably entail a bloodbath, even if it
were ultimately successful; MugabeQs sudden, unexpected
death would set off a stampede for power among ZANU-PF
heavy weights; a palace coup, whether initiated within
ZANU-PF or from the military – in which Mugabe is removed,
killed, exiled or otherwise disposed of, could well devolve
into open conflict between the contending successors. Similarly,
some form of “constitutional coup” i.e., a change at the top
engineered within the framework of ZANU-PFQs “legitimate”
structures could well prove to be merely the opening bell
in a prolonged power struggle. None of the players is
likely to go quietly into the night without giving everything
they have, including calling on
their supporters in the security services. Moreover, experience
elsewhere would suggest that whoever comes out on top
initially will struggle, and more than likely fail, to halt
the economic collapse. Thus, there is a good prospect of
not one but a series of rapid-fire Qtransitions,Q until
some new, stable dispensation is reached.

¶9. (C) The final, and probably worst, possibility is that Mugabe
concludes he can settle for ruling over a rump Zimbabwe,
maintaining control over Harare and the Mashona heartland,
the critical forces of the National Reserve Force and CIO
and a few key assets Q gold, diamonds, platinum and Air
Zimbabwe to fund the good times. Under this scenario the
rest of the country, in one of the comradeQs favorite
phrases, could Qgo hang,Q leaving it to the international
community to stave off the worst humanitarian consequences.

WHAT OF THE OPPOSITION?

¶10. (C) ZimbabweQs opposition is far from ideal and I leave
convinced that had we had different partners we could have
achieved more already. But you have to play the hand youQre dealt.
With that in mind, the current leadership has little executive
experience and will require massive hand holding and assistance
should they ever come to power.

¶11. (C) Morgan Tsvangarai is a brave, committed man and, by and
large, a democrat. He is also the only player on the scene
right now with real star quality and the ability to rally
the masses. But Tsvangarai is also a flawed figure, not
readily open to advice, indecisive and with questionable
judgment in selecting those around him. He is the indispensable
element for opposition success, but possibly an albatross around
t heir necks once in power. In short, he is a kind of Lech Walesa
character: Zimbabwe needs him, but should not rely on his executive
abilities to lead the country’s recovery. Arthur Mutambara is young
and ambitious, attracted to radical, anti-western rhetoric and
smart as a whip. But, in many respects heQs a light-weight
who has spent too much time reading U.S. campaign messaging
manuals and too little thinking about the real issues. Welshman
Ncube has proven to be a deeply divisive
and destructive player in the opposition ranks and the
sooner he is pushed off the stage, the better. But he is
useful to many, including the regime and South Africa, so
is probably a cross to be borne for some time yet. The
prospects for healing the rift within the MDC seem dim,
which is a totally unnecessary self-inflicted wound on
their part this time. With few exceptions Q Tendayi Biti,
Nelson Chamisa Q the talent is thin below the top ranks.
The great saving grace of the opposition is likely to be
found in the diaspora. Most of ZimbabweQs best
professionals, entrepreneurs, businessmen and women, etc.,
have fled the country. They are the oppositionQs natural
allies and it is encouraging to see signs, particularly in
South Africa and the UK, that these people are talking,

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sharing ideas, developing plans and thinking together about
future recovery.

¶12. (C) Unfortunately, among the MDCQs flaws is its inability to
work more effectively with the rest of civil society. The
blame for this can be shared on both sides (many civil
society groups, like the NCA, are single-issue focused and
take the overall dynamic in unhelpful directions; others,
like WOZA, insist on going it alone as a matter of
principle), but ultimately it falls to the MDC as the
largest and the only true political party, to show the
way. Once again, however, these are natural allies and
they have more reason to work together than fight against each
other.

STAYING THE COURSE, PREPARING FOR CHANGE

¶13. (C) If I am right and change is in the offing, we need to
step up our preparations. The work done over the last year on
transition planning has been extremely useful, both for
stimulating a fresh look at our own assumptions and plans
and for forging a common approach among the traditional
donor community. But the process has lagged since the
meetings in March in London and should be re-energized. It is
encouraging in this respect that USAID Washington has
engaged the Mission here in discussing how we would use
additional resources in response to a genuinely
reform-minded government . I hope this will continue and
the good work done so far will survive the usual
bloodletting of the budget process.

¶14. (C) The official media has had a field day recently whooping
that “Dell leaves Zimbabwe a failed man”. That’s not quite
how it looks from here. I believe that the firm
U.S. stance, the willingness to speak out and stand up,
have contributed to the accelerating pace of change.
Mugabe and his henchman are like bullies everywhere: if
they can intimidate you they will. But ther’re not used to
someone standing up to them and fighting back. It catches them
off guard and that’s when they make mistakes. The howls of protest
over critical statements from Washington or negative coverage
on CNN are the clearest proof of how this hurts them. Ditto
the squeals over Qillegal sanctions.Q In addition, the regime
has become so used to calling the shots and dictating the
pace that the merest stumble panics them. Many local
observers have noted that Mugabe is panicked and
desperate about hyperinflation at the moment, and hence heQs
making mistakes. Possibly fatal mistakes. We need to
keep the pressure on in order to keep Mugabe off his game
and on his back foot, relying on his own shortcomings to do
him in. Equally important is an active U.S. leadership
role in the international community. The UK is ham-strung
by its colonial past and domestic politics, thus, letting them
set the pace alone merely limits our effectiveness. The EU is
divided between the hard north and its soft southern
underbelly. The Africans are only now beginning to find
their voice. Rock solid partners like Australia donQt
pack enough punch to step out front and the UN is a
non-player. Thus it falls to the U.S., once again, to take
the lead, to say and do the hard things and to set the agenda.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of ordinary Zimbabweans of all
kinds have told me that our clear, forthright stance has
given them hope and the courage to hang on. By this regimeQs
standards, acting in the interests of the people may indeed be
considered a failure. But I believe that the opposite is true,
and that we can be justifiably proud that in Zimbabwe we have
helped advance the PresidentQs freedom Agenda. The people of
this country know it and recognize it and that is the true
touchstone of our success here.

DELL

Top military commanders, officials and supporters of Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party have stepped farm seizures despite formation of a unity government nine months ago and a ruling by the SADC Tribunal outlawing land grabs.
A devastated Charles Bezuidenhout told of how Mahoso – who ordered the closure of independent newspapers including the Daily News during his time as chairman of the now defunct Media and Information Commission – last month stormed his Welverdien Farm accompanied by an army of AREX officers and announced he was taking over the property.

Offer letter
Bezuidenhout initially resisted Mahoso’s attempts to evict him apparently because the former journalism lecturer did not produce an offer letter from he government showing that he had been allocated the farm.
Mahoso went away only to return this month with an offer letter for the 200-hactare farm and told Bezuidenhout to leave immediately.
When Bezuidenhout attempted to seek help from local police he was simply told that if Mahoso – earmarked by Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party to head the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe – wanted the property then the farmer had to make way.
“Its the law of the jungle really. Mahoso and Agritex people produced an offer letter and just took the farm just like that,” said Bezuidenhout.
Earlier Bezuidenhout had accepted a government offer to subdivide his farm between himself and state-appointed “settlers”, an arrangement government officials assured the farmer would allow him to continue farming. But that was until Mahoso turned up demanding the piece that Bezuidenhout had kept after subdivision of his farm.
Mahoso did not answer his phone when The Zimbabwean on Sunday tried to contact him last Friday for comment on the matter.

Chegutu farms
Meanwhile farm invaders stepped up attacks on four commercial farms near Chegutu last week, SW Radio Africa reported.
In a interview with the radio farmer Ben Freeth described the situation in the farming community in Chegutu as “very tense” as mobs of Zanu (PF) supporters acted with total impunity on the four different properties.
Freeth explained how Tom and Sue Beattie from Umvovo farm have been given five days to leave their property, after months of harassment and intimidation by land invaders came to a head last Thursday morning.
The invaders, led by a man known only as Hanyani, had recently intensified their efforts to drive the family and their workers off the farm, including breaking into the Beatties’ home in August and assaulting Sue.
Last Thursday morning Hanyani, accompanied by Lands Officer Clever Kunonga, arrived on the property demanding that the family leave. By late afternoon the situation had turned threatening, with multiple fires being lit around the family’s thatched homestead.
Umvovo farm used to be one of the area’s most productive pieces of land, growing close to 3 000 hectares of crops when the rule of law in Zimbabwe once prevailed.
But production on the farm has been completely halted, with the land invaders physically stopping any planting, as well as chasing away the farm’s workforce.
Freeth explained that, with this year’s national crop at the lowest ever level of approximately 20 000 tons, “the Beattie family alone could have increased the national crop by 20 percent if law and order were allowed to prevail in Zimbabwe”.
The Beatties used to employ well over a thousand workers, but this year the workers are mostly unemployed, leaving even more Zimbabwean families destitute. The land invaders have since taken over the farm workers’ homes as well as other cottages on the property, holding late night parties as part of their efforts to drive the Beatties off the farm.

Cronies benefited
It is understood that the invasion is being carried out on behalf of Senate President Edna Madzongwe, who also led the lawless attacks and eventual takeover of Stockdale Citrus Farm.
At the same time, Lands Officer Kunonga’s brother, Abel, earlier this year led the invasion on the Keevil family’s Dodhill farm, an attack that eventually saw the Keevils forcibly evicted.
Chegutu police have refused to assist the Beatties or any other farmers in the area who have faced similar attacks, leaving the farmers completely helpless against the unlawful ‘jambanjas’.
Mugabe has defended his government’s chaotic and often violent farm redistribution exercise that saw the majority of the about 4 000 white commercial farmers expelled from the land, saying it was necessary to ensure blacks also had access to arable land that they were denied by previous white-led governments.
But critics blame the land reforms for plunging Zimbabwe into food shortages after Mugabe failed to support the black villagers resettled on former white farms to maintain production.
In addition, the critics say Mugabe’s cronies – and not ordinary peasants – benefited the most from the farm seizures with some of them ending up with as many as six farms each against the government’s stated one-man-one-farm policy.

A WEEK LATER

Mahoso did not give farmer 48-hour eviction order
Written by The Zimbabwean
Saturday, 05 December 2009 14:24
tafataona_mahosoHARARE – Former Media and Information Commission boss Tafataona Mahoso (pictured) will occupy only half of the 400-hactare Welverdien farm near Mutare with the remainder of the property remaining in the hands of owner Charles Bezuidenhout, according to the latest information made available to The Zimbabwean on Sunday.
Mahoso, who visited Welverdien farm last October, has an offer letter for 200 hectares of the property. The latest sub-division of Bezuidenhout’s farm is the second time that the farmer will cede land under the government’s land reform programme after he gave up 133 hectares of his originally 533-hectare farm in November last year.
When the land was sub-divided last year provincial land officers told Bezuidenhout that no one would interfere with his property again. Asked why they were going back on last year’s promise, the officers simply said they were “following orders”. However the land officers told Mahoso that Bezuidenhout was to keep the section of the farm where he carries out his dairy operations, during a transaction that was not as acrimonious as we erroneously reported last week. In our report last Sunday we incorrectly stated that Mahoso stormed Welverdien farm accompanied by an army of land officers and that he gave the farmer 48 hours to leave.
According to Bezuidenhout: “Mahoso did not arrive and give me 48 hours to leave the farm. I did not contact the police and ask for help as it was not needed.” Meanwhile provincial land officers are expected to return to Welverdien farm to finalise demarcation of the property following a misunderstanding between Bezuidenhout and Mahoso after the former journalism lecturer had indicated he wanted the section where the farmer grows maize and sunflowers for his dairy cattle.
We apologise to Bezuidenhout, Mahoso and Manicaland provincial land officers for any inconveniences caused by the inaccuracies in our report last week.
While it is common cause that the fast-track land reform programme has largely been chaotic and often violent there are a few instances – as appears to be the case with Welverdien farm – where commercial farmers and new settlers have with assistance from land officers been able to amicably agree on how to share a property.

REF : http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:aeFHb4h7B58J:www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/2009112727075/sunday-top-stories/mahoso-invades-mutare-farm.html+ZIMBABWEAN+ON+sUNDAY+:+MAHOSO&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=zw

AND

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/2009120527263/sunday-top-stories/mahoso-did-not-give-farmer-48-hour-eviction-order.html?q=mahoso

http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=13262&cat=10

EDITOR — Zimbabwe finds itself in a situation where a few power-hungry individuals sought to sacrifice the whole nation in a bid to appease disgruntled former colonial powers, who couldn’t fathom losing two wars in succession, the Second and Third Chimurengas.

We hear grumbling from certain quarters that in the ongoing inter-party negotiations Zanu-PF is ‘‘burdening’’ MDC-T with issues that are not within MDC-T’s powers to resolve.

A case in point being calling for the lifting of illegal and racist economic sanctions imposed by some Western nations at the instigation of MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his party.

Pause a moment and think, Tsvangirai and MDC-T have confessed to courting the sanctions, the onus is certainly on them to lead the anti-sanctions lobby.

Sanctions have given them what they wanted. They have landed jobs that could never have come their way without the aid of the goblins and tokoloshis (the illegal sanctions). The same goblins and tokoloshis have been wiping away and persecuting his own family, his children and relatives, his own kith and kin.

Not even Morgan’s brother Casper is exempt from the effects of the sanctions.

The goblins that you sought, Prime Minister, are haunting the whole nation.

Should Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his MDC-T be relieved of the burden to get rid of the goblins they sought, merely because they do not have the powers to rid themselves of them?

So whose burden should it be?

PM Tsvangirai and his party should go back and plead with their sangoma to take back the tokoloshis. The sanctions are illegal, racist and ruinous, they do not deserve glamorising, and they are hampering our country’s potential.

Peace-loving, progressive, hardworking and innocent Zimbabweans have condemned the sanctions.

Cde Cad Mash.

United Kingdom.

http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=13261&cat=10

AS MDC-T celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 29, they did so amidst questions from many stunned and angry Zimbabweans: What really was there to celebrate? Celebrating 10 years of existence that have destroyed livelihoods of millions of Zimbabweans?

Does it need a genius scientist for MDC-T leaders to see that all is not well, and that the people are suffering?

Was this the same MDC-T who always rapped Zanu-PF for being spendthrifts, and being insensitive to the people’s plight, while they painted themselves as saviours?

Or could we just conclude that despite their claims, MDC-T finally proved that it is and has always been detached from realities on the ground and their 10th anniversary was nothing but lack of sensitivity?

Since they held their anniversary in Highfield, the home of national politics, were they telling Zimbabweans that they are so blind to their needs?

Recently, MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai chose to play golf when other members of the inclusive Government and the people were at the National Heroes Acre burying national hero Cde Misheck Chando, who was not just a member of Zanu-PF, but was also a parliamentarian?

At that time, questions were asked on what constitutes leadership, when a leader could not respect the death of a parliamentarian just because that person was from Zanu-PF whom they claimed to have “disengaged” from?

And, the political script will still not spare the MDC-T as it will forever point to the undeniable fact that the socio-economic challenges faced by the majority of Zimbabweans is a result of sanctions they requested the West to impose on Zimbabwe.

Their leader could have made an about turn on sanctions, but has that U-turn echoed in the White House, Whitehall and many other Western centres where they sold out by begging for sanctions?

Lest we forget, it was MDC-T that assisted in the drafting of the heinous Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, the US sanctions law that has blocked our access to lines of credit. They also helped the West in the implementation of the sanctions regime, because their faith in NGOs, most of which are run like personal fiefdoms, did not only result in many Zimbabweans losing jobs, but it also resulted in the closure of our vibrant manufacturing and commercial sectors.

There is this false notion that just because Zimbabwe is using multiple currencies, then all is well with the people, and the economy is really turning around for the better.

Maybe Minister Biti, MDC-T’s secretary-general, will spring surprises when he presents the 2009/2010 budget. Real Christmas surprises, other than thinking that the RBZ Bill is only meant to score points in his personal conflict with Dr Gideon Gono. It is as if the Bill, which eventually has to be an act of Parliament, should not outlive Dr Gono’s tenure.

One does not also need to be a Nobel laureate in economics to see that even the overpriced basic goods and services such as transport, bread and maize-meal are actually beyond the reach of most people — countrywide.

Public transportation is one of the major indicators of a working economy, so maybe the MDC-T leadership should find out how much commuter bus owners are making per day, despite the argument that 50 cents per trip in Harare is “cheap”.

We should hope that their meeting was not one-sided: them speaking to the people, but that their supporters, but that the latter clearly told them that life is unbearable. Were they told that even the dollar-for-two loaves of bread are not selling?

It is not because their supporters do not like bread. They cannot afford it. They cannot even afford to pay rentals. The Mayor of Harare and Zesa Holdings must have also given them the true picture about the current payment of bills for goods and services they offer.

We had hoped that before the rally, Tsvangirai could also move around Highfield and experience first hand the potholed roads, the vendors who are hardly selling anything.

He would also have seen “tumatsaona”, where even the green bar is cut up into small pieces and sold from one rand and above depending on size.

If his supporters wanted to be honest, he should randomly ask them to produce a dollar note, and he would have seen that the majority did not have although it was month end and despite the fact that most of them wanted to go to Rufaro stadium to watch the match between Dynamos and Shooting Stars. Yes, the US dollar has purchasing power, but only when you have it.

These were therefore celebrations that also exposed MDC-T’s political infidelity that saw them “going to bed” with the country’s detractors, because they were not happy that Zanu-PF was reclaiming land, which was in the hands of a small group of people who used their race and superiority as power leverages.

And, was it not a bit odd that their handlers did not really make much of an issue of those celebrations in their news reports? Was it because of what the MDC-T leadership said or it was a plan whose results we still have to see? Zimbabwe realised way back that with the West, it is not over until it’s over? Only time will tell.

The celebration also exposed the tired rhetoric, where MDC-T always blames Zanu-PF and President Mugabe for its misfortunes, as they cling to the so-called outstanding issues in the GPA, while refusing to admit that the number one outstanding issue is the removal of the illegal sanctions.

The media reported that Tsvangirai made an about turn, but for an occasion this important to MDC-T, was it not a bit odd that none of the speeches made by the leadership was on their website by Monday, and that pirate radio stations that normally quote Tsvangirai verbatim, did not do so this time.

This is why it is important to read between the lines. They could have called them sanctions that Sunday, for purposes of making a pretence at fulfilling their obligations under the GPA, while at the same time they remain “restrictive measures”.

People must recall what the US government said: they imposed the sanctions, and they will remove them when they see fit?

This is despite the fact that the sanctions are also strangulating even MDC-T, including some of its leadership.

The argument that sanctions are travel bans remain an insult to the people, because they are now travel bans on people who cannot move freely, even for short distances like Highfield to the Central Business District.

Surely, they must have heard some cheeky Kombi rank marshals calling out for passengers, “Handei City/Copacabana! Handei kutown kwatakabhanwa!” These are the hidden nuances in ZDERA — outlawing people (to travel at will).

Celebrating at a time like this also means that they were doing it for the West who imposed the sanctions using hypocritical claims — bringing democracy to Zimbabwe when all that they wanted was to pursue their selfish interests.

Doing it also on behalf of a recession hit West, who must wonder why Zimbabwean people could indulge in such luxuries when they cannot even afford to heat their homes.

Progressive minds worldwide also wonder why MDC-T had this bash when they have made it impossible for Zimbabweans to have decent services like electricity, water, food, and clothing, among other basics, whose failure to access they blame on President Mugabe.

Even Studio 7, the pirate radio station, and MDC-T’s mouthpiece also reiterated a Herald story of November 24, where Health and Child Welfare Minister Henry Madzorera; an MDC-T member, confirmed reports of cholera cases.

Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations started a few days ago, amidst threats from invigilators, regarding payment. And, media reports also say that Grade 7 examinations have not yet been marked. To MDC-T, this obviously is President Mugabe’s fault?

Thanks also to MDC-T and their Western sponsors for trying as much as possible in the past decade to derail the milestones achieved in education.

And some of them would not care less since their children are educated outside the country. Thus they do not care about the future of most children who are unable to access decent education services that would lead them to a better future.

Most people are still unemployed and cannot afford basic foodstuffs although they are now readily available. The festive season is also a few days away. How many families will afford Christmas goodies? After Christmas, how many parents will afford school fees for the 2010 school calendar?

Despite the onset of the rainy season, farmers are facing immense challenges ranging from inputs and lack of funding. Since land is a central issue to the West’s quest in the illegal regime change using MDC-T, the usual blame game was quiet evident, using toned-down language.

After painting such a grim picture, we still wonder what was there for MDC-T to celebrate about. Was this an anniversary etched in blood and on stone tablets, which was impossible for them to defer until a later date when the picture was better?

The good thing is that most Zimbabweans are now seeing through them as they continue to assess their election promises. They still wonder when the delivery of the free buses, the 10 billion pounds, free education and “real” salaries would start.

People now know full well that MDC-T has failed to bring the “good times” they promised. People cannot continue lives of unfulfilled promises, promises made by a political party that bound the country using sanctions as a weapon to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle.

Only time will tell before Zimbabweans experience reality: MDC-T going down the political drain due to lack of judgement at critical moments, as they did on November 29.

It is time that the other Zimbabweans see the light, and see MDC-T for what it is, a Western Trojan horse.

Thus to Zanu-PF, I say, be wary of the sincerity of the MDC-T leadership’s statements because, the mutation in the MDC-T’s DNA is fast.

The unsanctioned trip of the ambassadors-designate is a case in point. When a country’s representative-to-be acts this way, then what will happen when they are in the line of duty? Can they be trusted to faithfully represent the people?

At one time he wrote a letter to all judges and magistrates defending an accused Roy Bennet.This was one of the most glaring blunders he has made.This indeed showed Zimbabweans how naive and uneducated this minister is.Here the state (Dick included) had a case againstBennet accused of possesing mass weapons for purposes of banditry and insurgency and we see our supposed “Prime ” minister (although he is only 4th in the hierarchy after The President and two Vice Presidents) going against his own chief lawyer the Attorne General to scribble a badly written letter instructing the whole judiciary system to ” hands off ” Bennet.

He is the same man who preaches freedom of the Judiciary!

Today Dick is in a predicament with the issue of Bennet.He has announced a soft ” dissengagement” from the Temporary Political Agreement which has been also named the Global Political Agreement by the Movement for Democratic Change.

This so called ” dissengagement” is meaningless as they continue to use state vehicles , offices and funds.This shows how much of a coward this minister , Dick is.He can’t stand up and make a bold statement on weather he is still IN ou OUT of the coalition government.

This cowardice is from the fact that he is playing to the tune of his Western and Ex-Rhodesian paymasters (represented by the indicted Roy ” Pachedu ” Bennet , whose family is notorious fro attrocities commited on Black African s in the Manicaland Area)

Ex-MDC member Gabriel Chaibva has put it on record that Dick  Tsvangirai and his corrupt cronies were the authors of the ZDERA sanctions Bill.

Below is an extract from the Zimbabwean HERALD.

http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=11876&cat=10

‘Disengagement’ a damp squib

Campion Mereki

EDITOR — When will the MDC-T leadership outgrow the politics of boycotts?

Even the most ardent of the party’s supporters now find it hard to define what the party stands for. I was speaking to an old friend of mine who is an avid MDC-T supporter who confessed his growing disillusionment with Morgan Tsvangirai’s antics.

He told me that he had believed that the MDC-T was nationalistic in outlook but it has since dawned on him that, this was not the case. The party, he says, was showing more and more that it stands for the defence of white interests.

All that Tsvangirai says or does comes from Whitehall with some input from Capitol Hill.

Those who advise Tsvangirai and the party that bears his name are leading them astray. They thought this so-called partial pullout would lead to a ‘‘constitutional crisis’’ but it is business as usual. To the majority, the ‘‘disengagement’’ has been a damp squib.

Zimbabweans are not concerned about the little emotional thoughts of the politically green; they are more concerned about building the economy that the MDC-T leadership helped to destroy by calling for ruinous economic sanctions.

My old friend said his party was a victim of circumstances. The party leaders can’t do anything or decide anything on their own. They claimed that they consulted their supporters about pulling out of the inclusive Government. They said their supporters asked them to stay on. Surprisingly, a few days after ‘‘consulting’’, Tsvangirai announced the ‘‘disengagement’’.

Which constituency asked him to pull out of the inclusive Government? Is it the one he claimed to have consulted nationwide or the staffers seconded to his office by Western embassies?

It is now clear that Tsvangirai only listens to the voices of his handlers in Europe and the United States. His supporters here only matter when it comes to the polls since the British and Americans do not vote.

I hope MDC-T supporters are watching and learning from these sad but hilarious developments.

Campion Mereki.

Harare.

Nomagugu M’simang.

EDITOR — “If Nestlé is convinced about its actions, then it must stop doing business in Zimbabwe because the First Family is also likely to be buying its products.”

This was part of a recent statement issued by the Affirmative Action Group.

This probably is one of the few succinct statements that define the nature of the economic sanctions regime imposed on Zimbabwe by the West, which others prefer to misrepresent as ‘‘restrictive measures’’.

Just like AAG, it is incumbent upon all Zimbabweans to realise that sanctions are not about travel bans and all that baloney floated around, but they are more about doing business between nation states — inter and intra-country trading — growing wealth and ensuring livelihoods, irrespective of which part of the globe they are from.

The irony is that while citizens of countries that imposed sanctions on us have had no problems coming to Zimbabwe, selling their goods and services because Zimbabwe had no option but to buy from them, it is not the same with Zimbabweans.

We use the little that is available to buy from them, but they do not do the same. Therefore, while they can freely choose whom to trade with, we do not have such options, just because they set the rules. But they continue to call themselves democrats.

Nestlé is not the only company. Some among us say they have “disengaged” from Government because they want President Mugabe and Zanu-PF out of office.

But I wonder why Zimbabweans should continue to be treated as second class citizens under the pretext of good governance, although the reality is the West’s desire to access our resources, and use our unique and central a location as an entry point for trading with African countries.

Nomagugu M’simang.

Harare.
www.herald.co.zw

MDC-T have got President Mugabe’s political maturity, astuteness and intellectual prowess — which scaled new heights recently — to thank when he partially saved them from the political embarrassment of admitting they could not get the sanctions they called for to be lifted.

The President, in his typical exhibition of political wisdom, told Reuters on the sidelines of the recently held United Nations General Assembly that he was giving the Obama administration time to reflect on the sanctions regime they inherited from the war monger Bush.

By stating this position, President Mugabe was also giving MDC-T a window period to search their consciences on the role they played in getting sanctions imposed.

It is understandable that Obama’s hands are tied because sanctions can only be lifted by Congress, which is a process and not an event.

President Mugabe also said the same in his annual independence interview with ZBC on 17 April, 2009, when he said we should be patient with MDC-T over sanctions.

It is understandably difficult for MDC-T to go back and lobby for the lifting of the illegal embargo.

As Zimbabweans, we all believe MDC-T wants the sanctions — which PM Tsvangirai prefers to call restrictive measures — to go quickly but things are not that easy.

However, there are people in MDC-T who in recent weeks have been trying to run away from their shadows by either denying the existence of sanctions or by denying their imposition.

But President Mugabe gave both them and the US a chance to redeem themselves and it is hoped that this is an opportunity they will not spurn.

This is moreso for Obama who has just won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Under normal circumstances the sanctions removal lobby should be MDC-T’s sole responsibility because we all know what role they played in their imposition.

MDC-T, ably supported by their friends in the West has been at pains in trying to deny the existence of sanctions by calling them “restrictive measures”.

They have literally been stepping over each other, going on the defensive, apparently trying to suppress the shame that comes with exposure where one’s past deeds return to haunt them.

Despite these spirited denials, which smack of political immaturity and dishonesty, the hard-hitting fact and stark reality of this whole sanctions issue is that they are real and they are causing untold suffering to the people of Zimbabwe.

Denying their existence does not minimise the suffering they cause.

A brief history will help readers understand why this country, tiny and innocent as it is, is burdened with the heavy load of such punitive measures as sanctions.

This is the story.

Upon the realisation that the West could not take over power through the MDC-T as they had thought, they decided — with MDC-T’s complicity — to put the country under sanctions.

MDC-T set foot on almost every city in Europe and the United States calling for their imposition so that the people of Zimbabwe would turn against President Mugabe, which would result in his removal from power.

They blindly thought that the sanctions would swiftly result in their lightning ascendancy to power.

Those with political foresight warned the agitated Americans and the West from punishing the innocent souls of Zimbabwe.

One such person is US legislator Cynthia McKinney who said in 2001: “Those who knew did not want to admit the truth and those who didn’t know should have known — that land was stolen from its indigenous people through the British South Africa Company and that any “titles” to it were illegal and invalid.

“Whatever the reason for this silence, the answer to this question is the unspoken but real reason for why the USA Congress is now squeezing an economically devastated African state under the hypocritical guise of providing a ‘transition’ to democracy.”

McKinney went on: “I have not heard anyone proposing a United States Democracy Act following last year’s presidential electorate debacle. (That saw George Bush elected US president by a Republican judge despite losing the popular vote to Al Gore by over 400 000 votes).

“And if a foreign country were to pass legislation calling for the United States Democracy Act which provided funding for the United States opposition parties under the fig leaf of ‘voter education’, this body and this country would not stand for it.

“When we get right down to it, this legislation (ZDERA) is nothing more than a formal declaration of the USA’s complicity in a programme to maintain white skin privilege.

“We can call it an ‘incentive Bill’ but that does not change its essential sanctions nature. It is racist and against the interests of the masses of Zimbabwe. In the long run ZDERA will work against the USA having a mutually beneficial relationship with Africa.”

What should be known to the readers also is that the imposition of the sanctions against Zimbabwe was as a result of the West’s anger over the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme that President Mugabe initiated in 2000.

The West was never going to accept reality that this country had its owners and they would not be stopped by anyone in asserting this fact.

Further to this, the US would stop at nothing at nipping this self-assertion in the bud — at whatever cost.

This was confirmed by the former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Chester Crocker, who in September 2001 called for the annihilation of the Zimbabwe economy by imploring the US Senate to “separate the Zimbabwe people from Robert Mugabe, we are to make the economy scream. And I hope you senators have stomach for it”.

Having looked at the history of sanctions it is now of paramount importance to look at the impact of the sanctions against the country.

Section 4(c) of ZDERA states: “The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive director to each international financial institution to oppose and vote against:

a) “Any extension by the respective institution of any loan, credit or guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe”, or

b) “Any cancellation or reduction of indebtness owed by the Government of Zimbabwe to the United States or any international financial institution.”

Through the enactment of the sanctions the country was put under the spotlight for the wrong reasons through the gross misrepresentation of facts on the ground by the Western media.

Zimbabwe was portrayed by BBC, CNN, Sky and other television stations as a war zone.

Zimbabweans were said to be eating rats by the Western media.

Successive droughts did not help our cause either but everything was blamed on President Mugabe.

In August 2008 a serious cholera outbreak hit the country and again it was blamed on President Mugabe.

Travel warnings hit the tourism industry.

Zimbabwe was shunned by potential investors, which affected our economy.

People like Prime Minister Tsvangirai, Finance Minister Tendai Biti, MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa, Tichaona Sibanda of the “genocide in Zimbabwe” fame and clown priest John Sentamu among others almost became permanent features of the BBC.

They were said to be presenting the “real” Zimbabwean situation through statements that only made the situation worse.

Companies shut down, workers were laid off and hospitals ran out of drugs.

And in the midst of all this President Mugabe and loyal nationalists like Dr Gideon Gono soldiered on.

The Americans even hypocritically offered Dr Gono’s a job at the World Bank!

The visible effects of the sanctions came to the attention of the progressive forces of the world who collectively sought to lobby for their removal.

At regional, continental and gatherings, the debilitating effects the sanctions were acknowledged, but some people still insist they are “targeted” or “restrictive measures”.

It is important to take stock of possible reasons of why MDC-T and the West are not in a hurry to have sanctions removed.

Firstly, it could be because they have realised — like many people in the world — that they were wrong from the word go and are embarrassed to backtrack.

Biti appeared to have realised the gravity of their error when in a May 4 interview with SW Radio he said: “The World Bank has right now billions and billions of dollars that we have to access, but we can’t access those dollars unless we have dealt with and normalised our relations with IMF.”

We cannot normalise relations with IMF because ZDERA ensures that Americans block any co-operation.

When Tsvangirai went to take the West to solicit funding for the inclusive Government, he was told of “reforms” and “benchmarks”.

Now the “reforms” and “benchmarks” have morphed into “outstanding issues”.

Secondly, MDC-T and the West refuse to accept that what are in place are sanctions and not “restrictive measures”.

In essence, they are telling us that the sanctions are here to stay because they will only deal with “restrictive measures”.

On September 10, 2009, the recently tax duty-freed Western propaganda tool called The Zimbabwean published an interview held by another propaganda tool — SW Radio — in which Violet Gonda talked to a Geoffrey van Orden, who is a member of the European Parliament.

Van Orden shamelessly and hypocritically claimed that Zimbabwe was not under sanctions.

He said: “Well first of all, let us be clear there aren’t any sanctions on Zimbabwe right? And there never have been. The sanctions, the restrictive (note restrictive measures) are against a small number of leading elements in the regime in Zimbabwe . . .”

On September 4, 2009, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Gorden Moyo denied the existence of sanctions, calling them “restrictive measures”.

Then came the revelation.

On September 15, 2009, ZBC TV’s programme Melting Pot then accorded Zimbabweans an opportunity to hear it for themselves as MDC-T Senator Obert Gutu and MDC’s Gabriel Chaibva talked about sanctions among other issues.

The debate nearly degenerated into a pub brawl as Chaibva threatened to expose the real authors of ZDERA.

He said the people were in MDC-T and are occupying top positions both in the party and in the inclusive Government.

These are probably the same people being paid US$7 000 salaries by the World Bank for working in the PM’s Office.

What is important here is the fact that some of the people who called for the imposition of sanctions are pretending to be representing the interests of the majority when they are actually perpetuating their suffering.

Now, in light of these points what can be done to make sure that Zimbabwe is freed from sanctions?

There are two options.

First is to shun the West’s interference in our domestic affairs like what President Mugabe highlighted in his address at the just-ended 64th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in the United States.

Regrettably, while countries in Sadc have made great sacrifices and given Zimbabwe financial and other support at a time when they too are reeling from the effects of the global economic crisis, the West has refused to remove them.

Indeed, some of them are working strenuously to divide the parties in the inclusive Government (like what the World Bank is doing through their parallel government initiative).

President Mugabe went on to give them a stern warning when he said: “If they will not assist the inclusive Government in rehabilitating our economy, could they please stop their filthy clandestine divisive antics.”

Need I say more when the President has spoken so clearly?

President Mugabe has eased MDC-T’s task by giving them and the West time to review their actions.

Zimbabweans have to push for MDC-T to engage the West to remove sanctions.

We hope they take President Mugabe’s message seriously and use this opportunity wisely.

The same way they asked for sanctions is the same way they should ask for them to go.

We continue to pray for our nation so that we may all see the light.

Long live Zimbabwe!

www.herald.co.zw

Harare City Council is set to slash its “overzealous” budget which stood at US$185m with 55% covering salaries. This percentage was to be derived from rates paid by the residents. This had raised rates to unaffordable levels. Residents in high-density suburbs for example were to pay US$24 and those in the lower density areas would have to fork out between US$57 and US$97 and an additional US$10 for refuse collection, these are monthly charges.

Comrade Tindo, the finance minister has also had to revise the national budget from US$1,9b to US$1b a clear sign that there is no DONOR FUNDING coming our way. Comrade Tindo Beatty however appeared before Senate recently and the explanation he put was that the recently introduced STERP (Short Term Economic Recovery Programme) necessitated the budget cut as it was “short term”.

The MDC coming into the Inclusive Government (IG)had promised their supporters FOOD, JOBS and MASSIVE DONOR FUNDS to be poured in. This had also been taken into consideration when the then acting Finance Minister Comrade Chinamasa crafted the US$1,9b budget. Now because the MDC’s western donors have closed the zip to their purse because of financial mayhem in their own countries we have seen the cutting of the National and Harare budgets.

Many young people had been taken for a ride by the likes of Comrade Tindo to think that the west were ready to pour in Billions into Zimbabwe. They had not taken into account the state of the world economy which will see a slowdown this year. The USA has seen over 5million jobs being lost. Now Obama has to strategize on the US’s way forward. Now do you think there will be “change from the US Economy” for Zimbabwe to benefit from. NO! , and we need to live with that fact.

Comrade Tindo seems to have taken a cue from his supposed “enemy” Dr Gono and recently his language is full of the “ Failure is not an option” rhetoric and the need to “ find indigenous solutions” to our economy. This is in contrast to their MDC campaign manifesto that promised JOBS, FOOD, and QUALITY HEALTHCARE but slammed the Land Reform Program that is meant to increase agricultural productivity. It is fact that Agriculture employs the largest number of people in Zimbabwe! Hypocrites!

We also should not forget that these people are the ones that have to a great extent caused 10years of misery and economic strangulation in Zimbabwe by calling for the imposition of sanctions that resulted in the cutting of Credit Lines and other Help to the Economy. The ZDERA act in the USA was also crafted under the influence of forces like the MDC. Today it is surprising to hear MDC officials like the Deputy PM, Comrade Thoko speak like she is ignorant that sanctions are real. Recently she toured Manicaland health institutions and in an interview expressed how shocked she was to see the deterioration of health institution standards. These are same people who for a long time denied that Zimbabwe was under sanctions and blamed all ills on the Zanu-Pf Govt. for corruption and bad governance.

Sanctions are the bottom cause of the escalation in corruption and bad governance as resources become scarce.

Woza 2010!

Zimbabwe has been given an opportunity to asses their readiness for the 2010 World Cup as the Indian (Cricket) Premier League (IPL) comes to South Africa this year. This can be an opportunity accommodate some of the high profile Cricketers who will descend on Southern Africa for the multi million dollar league. The games had to be moved from India for security reasons as Indian police could not guarantee security as they would also be monitoring the Indian General Election at the same time as the IPL.

African Sun C.E.O Shingi Munyeza was interviewed recently by Supa Mandiwanzira and said Zimbabwe was not ready for 2010 but was working flat out to make sure all systems are ready come year end. However he was optimistic that his company and the tourism sector would benefit from 2010.He also made an interesting point that Zimbabwe should prepare itself as a tourist venue for 2010 and not as a Training Venue for teams. He stressed that iit is too late to start building stadia for 2010 but it was feasible to work on the sprucing up of hotels and the increasing of rooms available for tourists come 2010.

Harare however is under Economic sanctions so regaining the Sunshine City Status of the 90′s will be an uphill task.With a new Inclusive Govt. in place Harareans are optimistic that the once saboteurs of our economy , now in Govt can at least help by calling for the removal of these repressive sanctions on us.Barack Obama has however extended the Bush era sanctions under ZDERA.

I was in the Harare Gardens (Our Central Park) recently and had a vision of what this place was like in the 80′s amd 90′s…but now alot has pallen apart.If we are to make the most of FIFA 2010 we have to spruce up our city.Unfortunately our so called” city fathers” in Council are letting us down by demanding hefty perks while charging excessive charges for services that theu have not been able to provide.

One thing that these councillors have not done is accept that sanctions have hurt us so bad and hence they have to be removed.
Thay have gone ahead and added more pain by charging exhorbitant fees.Imagine a 20 minute parking fee of US$ 2.00 !