Mugabe is a "gandanga" requiring other tactics!

From  nyatsimba_mutota@yahoo.com  
My problem is with employing "tabloid tactics" to bring down Gandanga fanika Mugabe. Now all we see are these so called "analytical" stories that carry too many inconsistencies, misconceptions and even lies. Its a joke to write about Zimbabwe to a Zimbabwean audience and put it wrong. It destroys the whole credibility about the article. This is why we have a serious gap between Africa and the west when it comes to Mugabe/Zimbabwe because such a story lacking in factual truth can fly abroad but not in Africa and SA. I mean tabloids tactics just embarass you, but I would like to see how a gandanga is being embarassed by most of these stories. Maybe Madonna will give up the baby, but even she goes on with her life.

It seems we seem to forget the basics of who we are and how we live when it comes to our own country. Perhaps its because we live in foreign countries, perhaps its because siding with western powers and media is the way to go, but what really does it do to Mugabe save for the fact that such stories add more coffers and time to organizations working in Zim?

When people talk of hunger at home, they do not talk of maize from white farms. Our population is mainly rural with more than 70% living in rural areas. The other 15-20% in town actually rely on subsistence farming for food so what really affects these people is drought not land redistribution. I mean we have had 2 serious droughts before with white farmers in place so whats new?

"The suggestion that drought was and is the cause of crop failures has been proved to be a false story put about by Mugabe in order to account for famine in Zimbabwe. Craig Richardson (Associate Professor of Economics at Salem College in the United States) in a comprehensive independent report tabled at the United Nations, proves conclusively that the only ‘drought’ in recent times was in 2001-2002."

The problem in Zimbabwe is leadership. We do not have concensus in what we want and how we want it. How to move and who we are as a people. We want land reform only in theory not practice. We want democracy in theory and only if democracy means removing Mugabe.

A lot of you Zim guys in SA even think that white people is the answer because you have not been exposed to the notion of doing it for yourself. Most of you attacked Arthur until you beat him into a pulp only for Biti and company to start having HOTEL rallies with Robertson and Robinson. Only for Biti and company to start calling for companies like Barclays to pull out! And we still Mugabe rigs the elections? Who in their right frame of minds would tolerate such nonsense?

In as much as I think its good to solicit for funding, we need to do so with firm understanding, belief and strong will of who we are and what we want as people. Tiri kufarira n'anga neinokwira mai!

" Hysterical reaction to Tekere belies fear" by Prof J Moyo.

http://www.thezimbabweindependent.com/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=30&id=9831&siteid=1


IF there’s anyone who still needed evidence that the world of power is finally collapsing around President Robert Mugabe whose tenure expires in the next 14 months that promise to be very short, nasty and brutish for him and his hangers on, it is the paranoid reaction of his propagandists to Edgar Tekere’s autobiography, A Lifetime of Struggle, published by Sapes Books in Harare last week.

Although it fails to provide new insights into vexing issues such as the deaths of Herbert Chitepo and Josiah Tongogara, the creation of the Fifth Brigade and its Gukurahundi carnage and the Unity Accord negotiations, and while the book does not flow well and fails to fully develop a number of its riveting anecdotes about happenings in the corridors of power during and after the liberation struggle, Tekere’s autobiography makes three history-marking disclosures about how Mugabe rose into and remained in power to the point of becoming a terrible liability to Zimbabwe today.

Using — many would say abusing — the public media, Mugabe’s propagandists have turned the typically dull month of January into one filled with astonishing political drama through their frenzied media defence of their embattled boss.

Yet one does not need to hold a brief for Tekere to appreciate first that he is without doubt one of Zimbabwe’s leading freedom fighters to whom we owe our national Independence, and second that he has written an informative and useful personal account of his life which was all in the struggle as captured by the title of his autobiography.

Equally important to appreciate is that Tekere is entitled to narrate the story of his lifetime of struggle in his own words through his own memory, not least because we know from the public record that his involvement in the liberation struggle was not ordinary but pivotal for better or worse.

Those who have read the autobiography are aware that it is not about Mugabe who is but one out of many individuals, some famous others not, whose lives crossed paths with Tekere during Zimbabwe’s defining moments in history. But the hysterical media reaction of Mugabe’s propagandists to Tekere’s autobiography would have those who have not read the book think that it is all about Mugabe.

Apparently Mugabe’s propagandists are furious on behalf of their thin-skinned boss that Tekere’s autobiography makes three telling disclosures that they see as fatal to whatever is left of Mugabe’s reputation and legacy. As a result, Mugabe’s propagandists have decided to raise foolish dust everywhere oblivious of the fact that raising dust in the rainy season does not work especially when the rain is on you and is pouring heavily.

The first disclosure that has annoyed Mugabe’s cronies is that Tekere says he played a leading role in paving the way for Mugabe’s rise to the leadership of Zanu PF.

Imagining itself to be correcting this disclosure, the Sunday Mail (January 14) wrote that: "Mr Tekere is … reported to have claimed that he was instrumental in catapulting President Mugabe to the helm of Zanu PF, yet the party’s wartime supreme council, the Dare reChimurenga, popularly endorsed his ascension to the party’s top post." To buttress its inane claim that goes against the grain of truth, the Sunday Mail sought the laughable rant of a hopeless polygamist clad in shabby youth service camouflage called George Rutanhire, who was exhumed from his political grave in rural Mashonaland Central and suddenly and very conveniently remembered as a veteran nationalist, former government minister and war veteran who was one of the authors of the famed Mgagao Declaration.

Betraying the ignorance of Mugabe’s propagandists who deep-throat it with defamatory nonsense, the Sunday Mail confidently but falsely reported that: "According to the war veteran (George Rutanhire), President Mugabe’s road to power began following the Mgagao Declaration which Zimbabwe’s freedom fighters wrote, denouncing the leadership of the then Zanu president the late Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole."

In the ensuing childish excitement over the political resurrection of Rutanhire, the Sunday Mail went overboard and allowed their newly found Mgagao hero to gratuitously insult and defame Tekere by alleging that he "went mad and formed his own party (Zum) in the past". How Tekere’s exercise of his protected constitutional right to form or join a political party of his choice could be said to be evidence of mental disability was of course not explained because it cannot be.

Given that the Mgagao Declaration was made in October 1975, anyone who believes that Mugabe’s road to power started then, or who believes that Sithole was deposed from the leadership of Zanu as a result of the Mgagao Declaration, is a dangerous ignoramus.

Tekere recalls in his autobiography that Mugabe’s road to power started after his return to Zimbabwe from Ghana, when he was approached and incorporated into the nationalist leadership under the NDP. To attract his incorporation, Mugabe had not demonstrated any notable leadership qualities besides his impressive proficiency in pronouncing English words with an acquired if not exaggerated accent that leaves the uncanny impression that he is a highly learned person when he is not.

As to how and when Mugabe came to head Zanu, Tekere’s autobiography recalls a fact, which has been corroborated by various independent sources, that he was elevated after the Kwekwe prison sacking of Sithole by his fellow leaders in mid-1974 in a vote spiritedly moved by Tekere and supported by Enos Nkala and Maurice Nyagumbo but opposed by Sithole himself with a cowardly abstention from Mugabe while Moton Malianga did not vote as he chaired the meeting to sack Sithole from the leadership of Zanu.

About this Tekere recalls that "the votes were cast with three in favour of the sacking, one against (Sithole), and one abstention — Mugabe. Once more Mugabe did not want to "break" with his leader. His abstention was total. He sat silently in the meeting and did not raise a finger. This is when he was appointed to head the party. For the structure was clear on this. Since the Vice-President, Leopard Takawira, had died, Mugabe, as secretary-general of the party, was the next in line."

Sithole’s dismissal from the presidency of Zanu by his colleagues in prison was communicated to all party structures, especially guerilla fighters, within and outside the country. Therefore subsequent seemingly landmark events, including the December 1974 "Nhari Rebellion", Chitepo’s assassination in March 1975, the crossing into Mozambique by Tekere and Mugabe in April 1975, the October 1975 Mgagao Declaration and the letter of January 24, 1976 from the Dare reChimurenga signed by Josiah Tongogara, Kumbirai Kangai and Rugare Gumbo, were footnotes to the sacking of Sithole and his replacement by Mugabe through an indubitably courageous motion that was moved by Tekere in the presence of both Sithole and Mugabe.

As such, only those who have been blinded by the whims and caprices of Mugabe’s personality cult and who because of that have become either malicious or sycophantic can deny that Tekere "was instrumental in catapulting Mugabe to the helm of Zanu-PF". The supporting evidence is unimpeachable.

In any event, it is clear from the public record that the October 1975 Mgagao Declaration sought to make Mugabe, who had already crossed into Mozambique with Tekere, only a spokesman and caretaker leader pending the release from prison in Zambia of Dare reChimurenga members who had been accused of murdering Chitepo and who were seen by the comrades in Mgagao as the real true leaders of the armed struggle who had inspired their declaration. That is why the Mgagao Declaration referred to Mugabe as the "…only person who can act as a middleman". The difference between a middleman and a leader is like that of night and day.

The second disclosure of Tekere’s autobiography that has sent Mugabe’s propagandists running in all directions while making fools out of themselves is that, because Mugabe is basically an insecure heartless person given to brutal vengeance, he has over the years used the political power he got with a whole lot of help from his senior nationalist colleagues to marginalise and ostracise those very same colleagues who helped him rise to the helm of Zanu PF in the first place. This is what accounts for the political misfortunes of the likes of Zanu stalwarts such as Nkala, Nyagumbo, Eddison Zvobgo and Tekere himself not to mention similar misfortunes of many others in Zapu including the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo who was humiliated by Mugabe into submitting to a treacherous unity accord.

In the circumstances, Mugabe has come to be surrounded by dodgy political characters along with other bureaucratic and media sycophants who are known for their malice and incompetence.

The third disclosure from Tekere’s autobiography that has particularly rocked Mugabe and his propagandists beyond belief is the book’s conclusion that the blame for 90% of Zimbabwe’s ills should go to Mugabe, not the much touted economic sanctions, and that there is now a critical and urgent need for bold leadership within Zanu PF with courage to tell Mugabe that he is now a liability to Zimbabwe and that he should retire and pass the baton to a younger and more imaginative leader.


* Moyo is independent MP for Tsholotsho.

Message from the "Concerned Zimbabweans Abroad!"

Mugabe is planning another clean -up. This is very unfortunate but I believe will send a strong messege to the United Nations for its failure to make a follow up of Anna Tibaijuka's damning report.

Why is nobody doing nothing to stop the madaness that has gripped our country? On Monday, the chairman of SADC was in Britain and was confronted by the courageous Free Zim Youths on the plans he had on countries like Zimbabwe. The reply was wishie washie.He just chewed his words and by the end of his replying statement, he had actually said nothing.

Who then shall save our nation? Demonstrations are met with live bullets, beatings and torture. I believe it is time we admit that we have failed to remove Mugabe democratically. So what now?

We need to stop another tsunami sweeping over our country. In the previous so called clean-up, children were killed, people got hurt, families broke up, many were forced into exile and some had to move into the rural areas to do nothing except retire at tenage stages. As untrained youths, what would one expect then to do in tyhe rural areas.

We in the diaspora have to act now and thwart any moves by Mugabe to destroy peple's homes again. I want to believe President Thabo Mbeki could act as the pivot to thwart the moves by the tyrant to get more people out of the country.

As CONCERNED ZIMBABWEANS ABROAD, we have already delivered a letter to the president of S.Africa citing our concerns over the move by the Zimbabwean governement to destroy more homes and the livelihoods of the poor.

It is very unfortunate that no neighbouring country is prepared to help us equip ourselves militarily. Not even any other country in Africa. We believe this is the only option left, if we do not have to wait till he is on the hearse to the Heroes Acre.

Where many are going wrong is that they think that Mugabe holds all power. It is a wrong assumption to make. The people hold the power and it is they who have allowed Mugabe to do what he has done. Many of the people have actively assisted in destroying the country. For a start, many actively assisted Mugabe destroy Zimbabwe's food security and supoporting infrastructure. In this way, they handed their power to Mugabe. Now the people have to beg Mugabe to provide food to feed their children. It is inconceiveable to imagine that a nation would not only allow, but its citizens would actively partake in destroying a country's entire future. We have brought this upon ourselves. If only we could take the time to look at ourselves in the mirror and acknowledged this one fact, then maybe we will finally take full responsibility upon our shoulders and, as individuals, do something about it. Unfortunately, we are nowhere near the point of recognising our collective irresponsibility.

There are many things that can be done to speed up change towards a prosperous and happy Zimbabwe. Of that, we have no doubt. Our future is in our hands. The problem right now is that we have become totemless and behave like servants, not citizens.

Jay Jay Sibanda
CONCERNED ZIMBABWEANS ABROAD ( 072 363 0700 )

Zimpolitics opposed to Opposition Unification!

Opposition Unification

The most Zanu like idea and non democratic idea there is!
 How do you call yourselves democratic yet embarking on a non democratic promotional campaign? Anyone who is calling themselves academic or politician seem to not understand what democracy stands for. What is this idea about removing choice?

 I know and understand what the current administration under Mugabe has not performed as well as expected and corruption and all that is destructive to the nation has taken place. We still should not be obsessed by Robert Mugabe. The focus on the president has taken energy and the ability to be innovative and creative (which was lacking already). It is not necessarily the inability for a president to run the country that takes a nation to what Zimbabwe is and going. It is the millions of Zimbabweans in the diaspora. Running from their responsibilities. As thinkers and innovators, businessman and civic organizations should have been creating an environment that is not conducive to corruption and perpetuation of incompetence.

A coalition is the road to a one party state. Mutambara and Tsvangirai should remain separate one or two more parties should join the field and citizens should be educated to vote their conscience and not what someone else think is the way to go. Mugabe can rule till he dies if Zimbabwean vote for him. And they should be allowed to vote for him if that is what they prefer. It is the members of paliament that matter. As long as the president does not have a majority and the constitution is followed and is for the people, one should not obsess on Mugabe. If there are crimes committed with a majority that is not Zanu then Justice should and will take its course.

It however appears to me that until the nation reeds itself of these Zanu like propensities we are destined to be like Kenya and the rest of the African States. Change from one dictator to another. As it is we all know that Tsvangirai and his predecessor from the other group are dictators in the making.

Businesses need to create jobs, legislators and civic organizations need to teach job skills and help start small businesses.

Civic organizations in Zimbabwe are little businesses that founders use to finance their businesses and feed their families rather than do what they have put themselves to be representing.

As much as mugabe is to blame for the state of the nation, it is time to get over him already and quit the obsession. We have a judicial system. It may not be were we want it to be but we have one. Gukura hundi for instance -- We can start prosecuting and filing civil suits and ask the international courts to start indicting the lowest ranking soldiers that we all know for a fact that they carried out the atrocities and follow the chain of command from there. A lot of these will not want to go down on their own so they will rat on the others and we follow the trail to Mugabe or at least someone higher up the chain. We can do this with everything - the media, city council, labor etc.

Lets do something that works and quit the finger pointing and obsessing on Mugabe. He may die in power and no one will know what to obsess on when he is gone. Leading to another state of paralysis.

4:16 AM, January 17, 2007
Zimpolitics can be found on www.zimpolitics.blogspot.com .

"GUKURAHUNDI RE-VISITED!"

 

Compiled by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, March 1997
	REPORT ON THE 80S ATROCITIES IN MATABELELAND AND THE MIDLANDS
THE DAMNING EVIDENCE THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SEE   Please kindly note the whole Report is now available on www.gukurahundi.blogspot.com   All the material has been got from www.newzimbabwe.com and is fully ackowledged.   Rev M S Hove....The Radical Soldier.Cell: 0791463039 RSA.

 

 

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New Yahoo! Mail is the ultimate force in competitive emailing. Find out more at the Yahoo! Mail Championships. Plus: play games and win prizes.

Please click below then go to "Call-back" of Week-end 13 Jan, 2007.

 

http://www.swradioafrica.com/pages/archives.php

 

Thanks.

 

M S Hove...Rev.

 

Cell: 0791463039 RSA.

Please listen to SWRADIOAFRICA on Sat evening!

I've been recorded by SWRADIOAFRICA for "CALLBACK" and it will be aired on Saturday Evening at about 19.10 Zim time.

 

If you miss it, click on www.swradioafrica.com and go "Archives".

 

There go to "Sat 14th January, 2007" and click on "Callback."

 

Their "archives" is kept for 14 days so you can get it even up to the 27th of Jan.

 

But, of course, listen to the said Station every evening.

 

God bless us all!

 

The Radical Mindset.

 

A disclaimer:

If I post any views I get from the members of the public, IT DOES NOT MEAN I AGRRE WITH THEM!

 

Its only Democracy at work!

 

Your duty is to contribute to that debate and present your views.

 

Thank you.

 

The Radical Mindset.

From the Radical's In-box:

 

From: CHANDA MATEMAI [mailto:nyamuhumbe@yahoo.com]

Hi,

Its nice that some people out there see things without blindfolds.

Only a man with stature can unsit undoubtedly a true Hero of Zim, Africa and the world over, Comrade, Commandant (Cubans say), RG Mugabe.Its only that too many enemies are ganging around him.Tsvangirai stands no chance at all, all the dead in Zim will turn in their graves.

Mugabe has set the Standard and quality of a leader that ZIM should have and deserves.Kwete vanaTsvangison, ngavaende vanofudza mombe, or to join maDiasporan on menial jobs to survive, its better that way, than to be paid for destroying what some men are building.

nyamuhumbe@yahoo.com