2008 Articles 25 Dec Kingdom Come 21 Dec Christmas 15 Dec Step Forward 5 Dec Beginning 1 Dec Amendment 30 Nov Facilitation 26 Nov Genocide 24 Nov Running Out 17 Nov Crisis 15 Nov Somalia 12 Nov What Next? 8 Nov Leadership 2 Nov Chipo 1 Nov Rome Burns 29 Oct Failure 25 Oct High Noon 19 Oct Never Easy 10 Oct Abyss 8 Oct Filibustering 4 Oct Chaos in Zim 29 Sept A Mule? 21 Sept On Step 16 Sept The End 12 Sept New Beginning 11 Sept Deal? 6 Sept Consequences 3 Sept Need a Deal 2 Sept Dollar Died 31 Aug Steering 29 Aug Unstuck 23 Aug Betrayed 18 Aug The Devil 13 Aug 13 Aug 08 12 Aug Today 11 Aug Cliffhanger 8 Aug Whats Going On 27 Jul Progress 22 Jul Agree to talk 21 Jul Mbeki kicks 16 Jul Crunch Time 13 Jul Economics 9 Jul Reality Looms 2 Jul Where? 30 Jun Looking Glass 26 Jun Battle 22 Jun What Now? 21 Jun The Commitment 16 Jun Do or Die 13 Jun Morning After 10 Jun Closing Doors 26 May Current Outlook 24 May Fan Club 19 May Tyranny 17 May End Game 15 May Flushing 8 May Violence 6 May Bizarre Process 25 Apr Cornered 20 Apr Electoral Fraud 19 Apr Jesse 17 Apr This Farce 11 Apr The Devil 6 Apr Wounded Buffalo 1 Apr Dying Kick 31 Mar Politcl Tsunami 27 Mar Current Situ. 26 Mar 4 days to go 21 Mar 8 days to go 15 Mar Election Time 27 Feb Games Begin 17 Feb Public Office 11 Feb Choices 4 Feb Decision Time 26 Jan Ambushed 25 Jan The Struggle 20 Jan Truth or Fiction 12 Jan Mugabe Mistake 8 Jan Surprise 2 Jan Kenya Lessons
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Reality Looms
I attended a meeting of supporters recently and asked them why they were so
down? I said we could look back on the last six months and record a number
of major achievements. We can say that we won the elections on the 29th
March, we have won the media war, we have won the diplomatic war and
reunited SADC for our cause and now we have the great majority of the AU
leadership rooting in our corner. That's quite a bag!
Mugabe by now must know that what he bought for himself and Zanu PF on the
27th June is in fact a nasty concoction of things that are reacting in all
sorts of unexpected ways. His Presidency has not been recognised and he
leads a regime that has lost all its credibility. The ensuing media blitz
has revealed every detail of his nasty plot to rig the election and to beat,
maim and traumatize our entire population. He has become an embarrassment to
Africa and the meeting of the G8 leaders in Japan this morning revealed how
damaging that can be to the wider interests of the continent.
By behaving as he has, he has destroyed the credibility of his closest
friends and condemned many to an uncertain future on the run from the law.
Included in his list of casualties is Thabo Mbeki who now carries the
rotting carcass of Zanu PF around and he cannot escape its foul odor. Any in
South Africa who thought that they were immune from the contagion must be
watching the floodtide of Zimbabwean refugees crossing the Limpopo with
apprehension. If this tide is not halted and reversed they know full well
what will follow.
Just to compound his problems, Mugabe's thugs have not yet woken up to the
fact that the situation has changed 'out there' and are continuing to obey
their orders to kill, maim, displace and intimidate. The picture of a young
MDC activist who was abducted two weeks ago and was found this morning
outside Harare says it all - he was shot twice and then his body burned
beyond recognition. We only found him because his companion survived a shot
to the head and crawled 6 kilometers to a road and fell into a coma from
which he has just recovered and could tell us what had happened.
I remember this young man because he came to my house several times to
collect material for his Province. I can tell you I can hardly write about
this stuff without tears.
So when Mr. Mbeki arrived in Harare on Saturday and sent a message to Morgan
Tsvangirai requesting him to attend a meeting with Mugabe, Mutambara and
Ncube, he was mystified? On what basis was this meeting being held, he
asked, what was the agenda? What about our preconditions? No answers - he
refused to be drawn into yet another diplomatic trap and be used by Mbeki at
the G8 summit in Japan. MDC will not recognise Mugabe as the legitimate Head
of State in Zimbabwe, we will not talk to Zanu PF until the present campaign
of violence directed at the general population and the MDC in particular is
halted and arrangements made to meet the needs of those affected.
On Monday the G8 leaders and 7 African Heads of State spent 3 hours
discussing Zimbabwe. What a tragedy that when we have such urgent global
needs that require addressing, we have to spend valuable time on a
delinquent regime in Zimbabwe. Still the mere fact that the most powerful
leaders in the world, together with the key African leadership, spent so
much time on the issue must encourage us. It would have reinforced the
decision by the African Union last week to get talks underway with the
Parties in Zimbabwe so that a political resolution of the crisis can be
negotiated.
We spent Friday and Saturday working on our approach to the negotiations
that are coming and cleared what our preconditions are and what our stance
in the talks will be. We received a very positive report from those who
attended the AU summit and felt that we were at last in a strong position
when it came to talks. Certainly the pressure on Mugabe and Zanu PF has
become enormous.
I have always said that the key to any resolution of the crisis here is
South Africa - it alone has the power to be able to dictate to Zanu PF and
if they did so they would get compliance immediately. This was the case in
September 1976 when South Africa eventually had to confront Ian Smith with
the harsh reality of his position. It could be the same today.
I really do not think South Africa has any alternative now but to facilitate
dialogue between Zanu PF and the MDC and when necessary to tweak Mugabe's
tail. As for us, we really can force the issue by simply withdrawing from
the process when unacceptable demands are being made on us. There can be no
resolution of the crisis without our participation, no way forward and the
status quo is just not tenable in any way.
The economy is now in an advanced state of meltdown - major business
organisations are closing down or halting operations. The administration is
collapsing and it has become impossible to maintain even the most basic and
essential of services. This, coupled to the continued violent physical
assault on the MDC and the people is driving people out of the country in
unprecedented numbers threatening the stability and security of all our
neighbors. This simply cannot go on for much longer, a solution has to be
found or the consequences for the whole region will be dire.
Inflation continues to accelerate fed by the activities of the Reserve Bank
and the State. It is now almost impossible to operate in local currency -
the price changes are so frequent and significant that locals simply cannot
afford what little is available and supplies are dwindling. We are surviving
on cross border shopping trips to find essentials.
There is plenty of evidence that those in power continue to loot the country
and take as much out as they can - they are clearly nervous about the future
and are trying to lay aside what they can find here. If you are one of the
select few who have access to the Reserve Bank you can now by a luxury car -
brand new - for the price of a single cigarette.
Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 8th July 2008
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