The good doctor must accept the fact that we the majority of zimbabweans dont want mugabe anywhere near any post of authority so that he can again manipulate and continue his meglomaniac ways. Mugabe has got away with mass genocide, like Hitler, like Phol Pot and the likes. His time has come to say good bye. I am sure his malawian family will accept him back to his roots. No one after 28 years of ruinious management will any investor who is not out to totally exploit Zimababwe come near Zimbabwe while mugabe is around. The sooner mugabe goes the better for the whole of southern africa. Let him flee to Malaysia better still.

Who told you that your falsely claimed majority is also absolute? Personally I think you are not worth time, because Your positions are a mere restatement of the everyday mainstream prejudices. I want both Mugabe and Tsvangirai out of the picture they represent an unhealthy country and are together causing us problems. Mugabe should have never ruled that country and Tsvangirai should never rule that country.

kubatana6! You're back!! How I missed your fine commentary...

Here we go again, once more with feeling;

Give Me Hope Zimbabwe (sung to the tune of "Gimme Hope Johanna" by Eddie Grant)

Well Mugabe he runs a country, from Beitbrug to Victoria Falls, He makes a few of his cronies happy, But he don't care about the rest at all.

From a city once called Salisbury, Uncle Bob he rules this destruction, He doesn't care that the starving mothers, have no Sadza to feed their sons.

Chorus: Gimme hope, Zimbabwe; Hope Zimbabwe; Gimme Hope Zimbabwe 'fore the morning comes; Gimme Hope Zimbabwe; Hope Zimbabwe; Gimme hope before the morning comes.

Stealing all of the country's riches, to buy the weapons from the China man, Just to keep himself in po-wer, seems to be Mugabe's only plan.

Jailing all of the opposition, killing farmers, rigging elections, Making all of his people wonder, were they better as Rhodesians?

Chorus

I wanna know are you blind Mugabe? Do you need to hear the sound of drums? But I would buy you a sweet banana, if you'd just leave before the morning comes...

Chorus

The only ones blocking the way forward for Zimbabwe is Zanu-PF they can fight but they can't make anything work,they should have a Rich country where no one is hungry yet the Country can barely feed itself,Mugabe's Goons only know how to burn Villages and Crops so that those people are homeless and starving they are Evil and the Country will not heal until they are gone

stop the barking and go to hell useless doctor. u talk shit in and you think we are going to give in to that. whoever has been beaten beaten should concede defeat and move on with life. who said there is no life after state house. Mugabe must go and we are going to see to it that he goes. why would you want to force us to believe that Mugabe is our reference point for a democracy. don't pollute us with your nonsense. the people have spoken. who killed people in matebeleland Mugabe and you think he should not go to Hague for that. why call for the a transitional government when we don't know the results. i ma appealing to the european union and the Americans to remove Mugabe violently.if he is importing weapons then the likelihood of him comiting a genocide is very high

Allan you have a serious bout of sour grapes. Get a life and focus on the 300 000 people that have died in Sudan, the 1000 in Kenya or the 100 000 in Iraq. Thats where humaniterian people like you are needed

Allan, your comment does not make sense at all. Zimbabwe should be a rich country where no one is hungary and none is homeless? That sounds like utopia. Allan, hungry and homeless people are found all over the world. I saw a lot in the UK, South Africa, USA (5% of the population), and Zambia. When you are Rhodesian and anglo everything seem to be so distorted (you people have a serious incurable mental disease). Your white anglo "Rhodesians" have what the physchologist say a "Complex" state. By the way white people are also increasingly homeless in the SADC region, dispite their mummerings of having the right "stuff". To you, efficency is only associated with the "Rhodes". Allan and others never really lived in a normal society, always told they are better than anybody - that was the philosophy of white Rhodesia.

Mr Mugabe is out of date and so are all his backers. They did not use brains to run the economy. They could have kept the ownership of the land and still reaped the harvest, if they used their brains. The non-productive land has only one use. This is to bury the dead. Like "Castro" he can hang on to power by starving the Zimbabweans. Will he take land or mega billion Zim dollars when he dies?

Patel, sorry but you are wrong. Mugabe could have never kept the land and not had this problem. The fact is that white rhodesians will not share the land and the west is using sanctions to overthrow the government because they want the minerals. This 'starvation' thing is nonsense. Inflation rate of 160 000%,85% unemployed - how can anyone anywhere in the world live under those conditions if there was no food. Sometimes if we try to really think about all these so called problems they just DONT ADD UP! Three quarters of the population should have been wiped out by now under those conditions. IT DOES NOT ADD UP - Think about it!

You keep talking nonsense about there being an abundance of food in Zim. If that's the case why are there so many new companies springing up who cater for people outside of Zim sending food to their families from places like SA?

Look up "diaspora" in the dictionary Kuba, it's time for you to face facts.

I am absolutely disgusted at this article. The West is not blocking the cevelopment of Africa. It is dictators like Mugabe who are. The people of Zimabwe are suffering- 99% of whom are black. This is a direct result of Zanu- PF's govt.

You don't need to have a doctorate to realise that the Zimbabwean people have been exploited once again with an election stolen from them. It is clear that the results have not been declared as MDC are the clear winners. Zanu-PF will now rig the electoral results to suit themselves.

DR I am sure like the rest of Mugabe's cronies you are being paid off for being loyal. Stop being infantile and using the same old excuses about how the west are to blame. Mugabe and his party have to take responsibility for the destruction that they have caused.

Your time will come when the party is over. In the meantime your own people are suffering terrible injustices everyday.

Thank god for the ordinary people like the dockworkers in South africa who have shown solidarity for the long suffering Zimbabweans. You are nothing in comparison.

Kelly, if 99% OF Zimbabwe's population is black why is there sooo much interest from the west? There is so much interest in the west and yet recent figures released this week indicate that 300 000 people have died in Sudan - It seems so strange that Zimbabwe gets so much attension and others dont.

Firstly, how can you claim Zim is getting more attention than Iraq or Sudan? That's a blatant lie. Zim got a lot of western media attention around election time but now it's a minor issue. Iraq is in the news daily.

Secondly, you deny that Zim is 99% black? Seriously Kuba, you must be pretty dumb if you don't realise how easy it is for anyone to look up population demographics. Zim has always been over 98% black.

Mindy, Kub wouldnt understand that because he cant stop the comparisons and the blaming of others. the fact is, the crisis we are all talking about is Zim and that alone.

The article declares hands off Zimbabwe to the Western powers. This is a good approach but it should be hands off to all others SADC, AU, Mbeki, Mwanawasa, Ghana, Khama, Brown and so on and so forth.

Thereafter, Zimbabweans should not push Mugabe ahead of Tswangirai or vice versa because this is a recipe for disaster.

Should Zimbabweans (minus Mugabe and Tswangirai) agree to this approach then we should look beyond both Mugabe and Tswangirai.

Icho,...

I understand that Nkomo's Trust holds 1% of the total land area in Zimbabwe, and that Mugabe is one of the beneficiary. If this bomb shell is true, then the mist-steps of MDC pale in contrast. Tsvangirai has bad political advisers. I am not sure if he know how to pick and evaluate people. Whether one is picking up people to operate a bus,or to run a mass movement, one has to develop talent for that. So far, no Zimbabwe leader has passed that test. Yes, mass mobilization can remove any Government. Imagine this: Our people do not believe in killing other human beings because we believe that

their spirits will visit and wrought havoc on us. Others among us believe in one of the main commandments: Thou shall not kill. Can you visualise it was

to recruit the first members of ZANLA? Problem was: How would one get young men to agree to do that? How could we get them to Ghana or Ethiopia when the borders with Zambia, Malawi and Botswana had been sealed? Mozambique was still under the Portuguese in 1994. South Africa was still under white rule. The first group had a fierce gun Battle in Chinhoyi. Our boys downed two Fighter planes and an escort. Recuitment continued until Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown, and General Ironzi and other coup leaders, arrested our chaps at the milary training camps in Ghana. Late, as some of guys got arrested, Chen Chimutengwende turned state witness and testified against others. He named names .I recite this story to let you see how one might plan a revolution. But, I am afraid, Tsvangirai is too open, and too careless. Mugabe's intelligence people literally know what he is doing. Otherwise I believe that a mass action, coupled with the threat of actual or perceived violence, can bring down Mugabe. No, I am not talking about Mahatma Ghandi's style of

passive resistance. Mugabe would shoot. until all the bullets are gone.

Well, Only God can save Zimbabwe. Those who live in Zimbabwe and are close to God should really pray hard. There's no political organization or any president. Whether existing or to exist greater than God. On any given day and time God can change and replace authority.

Not even South Africa can help, it takes God to defeat a heart of a man.

Please pray & Ask God to intervene.

Kdod, dont worry God's undivided attension is focused on Zimbabwe. How can 12 million people live with 160 000% inflation,85% unemployment and NO food? God is working - he must be dropping food from the heavens every morning because recent footage of the elections show pretty healthy looking people.

What government of national unity?

First, this Mazombwe should not burden himself with the useless handle of “Doctor.” Whether educated or not, the opinion is what is important and Mazombwe’s opinion is the kind one gets from obedient circus trained animals. Recycling and repeating all the words and moves. Yes, Mazombwe, one Robert Mugabe should not ever be part of a government of national unity. The man has done everything to bring misery to the Zimbabweans and he is not apologetic of that. For years, we Zimbabweans have tried to get rid of the murderous dictator through legitimate means and he always foiled the people’s efforts but Zimbabweans were resilient. Now Zimbabweans, after so many deaths, managed to dislodge the tyrant and instead of packing his things and go, he wants to lead a government of national unity. Who is he going to unite with? Certainly not the people of Zimbabwe. If the MDC is in a hurry to rule and agrees to such hogwash, it will have achieved the greatest betrayal of the people, greater than Mugabe’s betrayal and they should not even think it. People voted for change and that is what they should get. Nothing more. Should there be need for a government of national unity, that is the prerogative of the winners. Mugabe, along with his PhD stooges cannot demand inclusion in such a government. Any president chooses into cabinet those people he feels he can work with. No one should be appeased except the Zimbabwean people. Regardless of what MDC does, one day Mugabe will stand trial for what he did. You see, Mazombwe, no one has the capacity to forgive a wrongdoer except the person who was wronged. Now, who was wronged by Mugabe and ZANU-PF? Go to those citizens and apologise to them. They need closure; they have questions to ask so give them that. Unless that is done, we can pretend all we want and promise Mugabe immunity from prosecution but we know very well that, in the end, Mugabe will be called upon to answer for his excesses. No he can neither lead nor be a part of a government of national unity. Zimbabweans are hurting socially, physically, mentally and psychologically from the activities of this man. And Mazombwe, one thing you should keep in mind is that NOONE, and I mean no one will ever be able to rule Zimbabwe as long as Mugabe is roaming and living freely on his pig farm. The people will just not let that happen and there will be unavoidable pressure inflicted on whoever is president to do something about Mugabe and this is not from the White House or Downing Street; this is from parents, husbands, orphans, children and relatives scattered all over Matabeleland, Midlands, and from areas as far flung as Murambinda to Rushinga. This is not neo-colonialism. This is called closure.

“Mugabe's thought, in its purest form, and Zanu-PF's land/sovereignty-centered ideology, past challenges with transforming these into viable programmes notwithstanding, have huge resonance with the majority of Zimbabwean and African masses. These are also the core values around which the Zimbabwean State was founded.” The above are your own words. Just tell me what you know about “the core values around which the Zimbabwean State was founded.” You wouldn’t dare, would you because those ‘core values’ were meant to just gain a foothold and then deal with the masses later. Which of these so-called core values were upheld and for how long? So don’t talk about core values in the same breath as ZANU-PF or Mugabe. I don’t care how old you are but, how old were you when I had my very first ZANU membership card in 1964? If you were awake then, let’s talk about it buddy. Which core values are you talking about? ZANU’s core values? Mugabe doesn’t even know them for he was not even there when the party was formed (he was in Tanzania having skipped bail). Or are we talking about the core values Mugabe introduced on arrival from Mozambique? My friend, eat and be merry you and your bosses’ time is nigh.

This article's conflation of land and sovereignty to make an argument for the primacy of ZANU PF's current ideological premise is questionable. Yes, land was a central part of the Second Chimurenga, but so was its equitable redistribution. So was "one man one vote". Mugabe and ZANU PF are respecting neither of these principles. The gist of all the so called Biti "hysterics" as the Dr. erroneously terms them, is that ZANU PF and Mugabe have lost moral and legal legitimacy. Zimbabweans have voted them out and now they are being punished for exercising their electoral voice. Also, Mugabe has himself also perpetuated this "all or nothing" status quo the esteemed Dr. ascribes to the West. I would rather not have Bob anywhere close to a new political dispensation lest he taint it. Mugabe is no longer relevant to Zimbabwe. He has performed his part of "the struggle" and its time for him to relinquish the reigns and go herd cattle kwaZvimba uko!

This article's conflation of land and sovereignty to make an argument for the primacy of ZANU PF's current ideological premise is questionable. Yes, land was a central part of the Second Chimurenga, but so was its equitable redistribution. So was "one man one vote". Mugabe and ZANU PF are respecting neither of these principles. The gist of all the so called Biti "hysterics" as the Dr. erroneously terms them, is that ZANU PF and Mugabe have lost moral and legal legitimacy. Zimbabweans have voted them out and now they are being punished for exercising their electoral voice. Also, Mugabe has himself also perpetuated this "all or nothing" status quo the esteemed Dr. ascribes to the West. I would rather not have Bob anywhere close to a new political dispensation lest he taint it. Mugabe is no longer relevant to Zimbabwe. He has performed his part of "the struggle" and its time for him to relinquish the reigns and go herd cattle kwaZvimba uko!

Well said Rev- Doctor, but there is a lot that you are missing out as you try to show the world the level of your intelactuality. If you learn to realise the actual core of the Zimbabwean problems and be man enought to stand up and address them amicably without taking sides,then you we can acknowledge the fact that it means you still care a little about Zimbabwe as a country for everybody not only for Mugabe and his chosen few.

You have to realise that the sanctions that were impossed on the Mugabe regime were not imposed after the elections or two years before the elections. People now talk as if the problems in Zimbabwe were started by the refusal by Mugabe to publish the election results. No, these problems started the day Mugabe chose to view himself as the little God of Zimbabwe. They started the day he put it in his pea sized mind that he was going to be a life president. They started the day he chose to kill some of the liberation struggle leaders like Josiah Tongogara,Sydney Malunga and persecute guys like Josuah Nkomo, Lucas Masuku etc, to create his little kingdom on earth based on the theory of stupid idiology. He has always been a greedy leader who does not want to share wealth or power with anybody but his submissive little people who will worship him for few gains. They started when he sent the Gukurawundi to Matebeleland to kill over 2000 Ndebeles without any viable political reasons. Just to send a massage of dominacy. They spread when he introduced ESAP, they spread when he decided to cover his political blunders by invading the farms from whites, even the most productive ones. They spread when he refused to realise that he is also human, he can make mistake. The fact that he protraid himself as a little god made him to feel he like cant make mistakes and he cant be corrected. He is beyond the human level according to his little mind, hence we find him trying to belittle other presidents little Bush and priminister Gordon Brown calling then stupid names. He cant acknowledge that someone can be better than him let alone correct him. Those are facts that dont register well in his troubled mind. Thats why in his speaches he tries so hard to even belittle Tswangirayi and anybody who tries to oppose him. That made him to resort to killing any form of opositions. Thats what he still does even today.

So how do you deal with such a person especially when he is a leader like Mugabe? SANCTIONS, HONESTY, PSYCHOLOGY. The west has played its part of sanctions, now its up to the Africans like this sad Doctor, Zanu leaders and African leaders like Mbeki and others to come out clear and show Mugabe that enough is enough. They have to be honest to him that he is not doing any good to the country anymore. He might have before indpendance, but certainly not now. He has to know that he is hurting Zimbabweans and the whole region. His leaders have to stand up for the trueth and be honest to him for once. Somebody has to say NO to him. No, is the word that dont feature in his vocabulary for now, and thats a huge problem. That makes him to make decisions based of what he wants not how it will come out to others, whether it affects them or not. The next step is for him to realise that he is nolonger "normal" and consult a psychologist. I would never want to see as a patient, but some will. At his age , a lot is involved!!

If there is any form of a formation of a new government that is inclusive, Mugabe should never be apart of it. Let alone to be its leader. People should just accept that his time is over because will also be a great favour to him also. Until someone does that, he will never know. Its Zanu leaders look for the interest of the nation not for their personal gains only. That country is in huge trouble, and it will stay that way until honest sinks in.

Citizens should take their votes as the only way(voice they have) of sending a massge to Mugabe, that they want their country back and they want peace.

I smell a rat here. Either the learned doctor has just landed from Mars or has been in a deep sleep for the past 3 weeks!The problem in Zimbabwe is Zanu(PF). Why should there be a negotiated settlement when the people's voice and choice is not being respected? The only solution is to announce the results of the election (which are already known to the public). To try and give Mugabe a respectable exit or an extension to his ruinous rule amounts to disrespect to the masses who voted against him!The constituition is very clear on the conduct of elections and by disregarding the same is a flagrant breach of the rule of law which Zanu(PF) is/has been notorius for, for the past 9 years.MUGABE MUST RESPECT THE WILL OF THE NATION AND LEAVE NOW. HE SHOULD NOT TRY AND BUY TIME THROUGH ASKING FOR RE-COUNTS ETC. AND A STRONG WARNING TO THOSE WHO TRYING TO PROLONG THE DICTATORSHIP (THE CHINAMASAS,MATONGAS,THE ARMY ,POLICE AND THE INTELLIGENCE SERVICE) YOU CANNOT STOP THE PEOPLE FROM CLAIMING THEIR RIGHTS!YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF WITHOUT A PLACE IN A FUTURE ZIMBABWE.

I don't think that ANYONE has suggested that ZANU-PF cannot be a part of a prosperous Zimbabwe, that is for the people of Zimbabwe to decide! However, I personally think the election results (such as they are) do suggest that a significant number of Zimbabweans do actually support ZANU-PF! THAT is DEMOCRACY! But a MAJORITY of the voting population have rejected ZANU-PF/Mugabe as not providing wise policies for the prosperity of ALL Zimbabweans.

What IS at issue however, is whether, given the chance to actually govern, the MDC "might" provide a greater measure of economic stability and prosperity that might drain off an even larger number of former ZANU-PF members to make the future ZANU-PF a shell of it's former self!

All of this is NOT to suggest that members of ZANU-PF should be immune from prosecution for their actions while supporting the Mugabe regime. Some of these people are definitely guilty of crime against the people of Zimbabwe. I would suggest that a "Truth & Reconciliation" council similar to South Africa's (whatever it's faults) should be an example for the healing that a post-Mugabe/ZANU-PF will require.

This is not an issue of sovereignty or some conspiracy of the "Rhodies" as some would suggest. The people of Zimbabwe have spoken and all that ZANU-PF can do is stall the inevitable to hope they can somehow manipulate the results in such a way as they can remain to cling to power in safety! It is not a result of the "West", it is an issue of the failures of ZANU-PF!

The point of the "West's" antipathy towards ZANU-PF/Mugabe has been the abject failure of ZANU-PF/Mugabe to provide for the very prosperity the good doctor seems to hope for in Zimababwe! How do you defend 80% unemployment? How do defend the once "breadbasket of Africa" becoming dependent on food aid from the "West" and the rest of Africa? How do you defend a virtually worthless national currency w/ 165,000% inflation? How do you defend the violence committed against Zimbabweans because they did not vote for ZANU-PF?

ZANU-PF/Mugabe is symbolic of nationalistic post-colonial/revolutionary African movements failure to provide and prepare for just such a prosperity as ALL Africans have a right to enjoy by virtue of the natural resources and education of their peoples! ZANU-PF has failed the people of Zimbabwe and the people of Zimbabwe have reacted in kind by voting ZANU-PF out of power! In comparison, the ANC took control over South Africa from a similarly racist regime. Whatever their difficulties, the ANC has managed not to throw their country into the economic abyss that ZANU-PF has managed to cast Zimbabwe into..........

it doesn't matter if a government is left-wing or right wing. ALL governments have a responsibility to show positive results of their policies. By virtue of their electoral showing in the recent, albeit unreasonably delayed results, ZANU-PF has "earned" a seat at the "table" through their new "minority" status in the new Zimbabwean government. They will be the minority party in the new Parliament. it is their responsibility as the "opposition" to provide an alternative vision for Zimbabwe than that of the MDC.

The pre- and post-election tactics of ZANU-PF/Mugabe suggest the fear they have at the people of Zimbabwe calling them to account! They have destroyed a vibrant and "export-driven" economy. 30% of the population have fled the economic devastation they have wrought while in power! Life-expectancy has plummeted under the stewardship of ZANU-PF! Education has imploded in Zimbabwe! 80% of the population that has remained in Zimbabwe is unemployed! The political opposition, MDC, has not called for armed/violent opposition to the government, yet ZANU-PF sees fit to violently assault and imprison their political opponents! Journalists from around the world are not free to report the "facts on the ground"! What does ZANU-PF fear? Is it the truth? Where is the transparency of information required for a vibrant market economy? Where is the people's freedom of expression? The Herald is nothing more than a government mouthpiece!

For the ZANU-PF apologists - how do justify the economic devestatin wreaked by ZANU-PF? How is it that you think their policies are "wise" when at least 50% of the country suffer? If the situation of "blacks" in South Africa has improved (however incrementally) since they took over from the Afrikaaners, how do you explain how the situation of "blacks" in Zimbabwe that are worse off now then they were after ZANU-PF took over from Ian Smith's Rhodesia?

Shame on you for defending the indefensible! How dare you declare how much better life is when the people suffer under much greater duress than under a racist/colonial regime! ZANU-PF have failed the people of Zimbabwe and have failed the promise of the African Revolutionary movement! If Africa for Africans is so much better than their subjugation under colonial powers, then why is it that there is so much suffering under the post-revolutionary regimes that assumed power?

Shame on you for ignoring the promise of Africa you inherited from your former colonial masters! You have cast off foreign oppression for indigenous oppression! Now that you are free, you have nothing to show for the 28 years of ZANU-PF, only the empty propaganda of ZANU-PF's mouthpieces, the empty stomachs, gas tanks and bank accounts ZANU-PF has left you with.