Any article that still refers to Apartheid and Verwoed and past racism has no relevance in South Africa today. There are merely a blind which the ignorant, the ill-informed, and the uneducated use. No doubt the figures quoted for land transfers and crime etc have some factual base, but quoting figures even if they can be proved, is one thing, drawing valid conclusions from them is another. There is no government in the world today, nor any administration of government, that does not have its good and bad points. Colonial Britian had as many bad faults as good benefits. It has in fact more good benefits than, Eastern Communism, or African tribalism or Ubunt'ism. There are sufficient countries in Africa, which can be used for comparison purposes to justify the above statements. When you talk about the murder rate. There has been more murders in Zimbabwe since independence that before independence, except that they are not counted as murder, because they were exterminations by the government, and so not recorded. The same applies to South Africa, the current government has murdered more people than all the previous governments put together. The failure to even recognise that AIDS is a killer disease, and the failure even today to address the problem, results in hundreds of deaths/murders every day, except they are not recorded as murder. We, all of us, need to clearly understand that, to blame the past for the problems of the day, has no place in this society or any society. Land distribution. If you like, South Africa on Aids and Crime, will not recognise that land distribution as per Zimbabwe, where corruption and ineptitude, replaced fairness and justice, is ten times worse than any thing colonialism, or communism imposed on africa then truly this can only be called the dark(ignorant) continent. South Africa haggles for 10 years over the price of a farm, while is writes of debts that countries (Cuba) say they cannot pay, yet Cuba has amongst other things a 3 billion dollar per annum tourist industry. Had the extra rands been paid for the farm 10 years ago, then the figures for land distribution would have been different. South African politicians are happy to waste billions of rands on aeroplanes which there are insufficient pilots to fly, than to spend a few million rand on getting the land distribution program in place. However leaving that aside, merely transferring land to another does not resolve any problems, the recent History of Zimbabwe and other countries graphically teach that lesson. Farming land must needs be controlled and worked by farmers, men and women skilled in the practices of raising food economically, because the country, every country needs to be able to feed itself. I have chosen to use Zimbabwe as the main reference because it is currently in the news, however, choose your country, research its history, and you will find that colonialism has been the most benign government that any country in africa has ever had. Current problems in India and Pakistan, also have nothing to do with old administrations, if you do not agree, then you must accept the current problems in North America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, etc, are also a result of colonialism. You tirade against white South Africans, but will you equally tirade against Mugabe's friends, who have raped and destroyed their homeland, and killed their citizens, or is it because you cannot easily label them as you can point out and label a white skin. What about Amin's friends and accomplices, who because of what they gained when he was in power, has allowed them to control a greater share of the economy than what they would normally have had. You comment that Zimbabwe has faced their problems and in effect they are over the hill. No Sir, you are wrong, Zimbabwe planned the road to take them over the mountain, but on the way most of the bridges they built to overcome the mountain have collapsed. Zimbabwe has first got to realise that they have to dismantle what they have so recently created, consolidate what little they have left, and then re-plan the way forward, and if their plans are not different, then they will fail again and again. Zimbabwe killed is poor, in the middle of winter they took away the roofs of thousands and thousands of their poor, they dismantled the walls that protected the poor, took away their water, and their livelihood, and you promote that South Africa must follow the same path. Shame to you.

There is no country in Africa to which South Africa can turn and use that country as an example of the way to resolve the problems of today. History, is the lesson by which we should learn. Colonialiasm, brought and administration of justice system, a system of government, engineering skills, in making roadways, railways, airports, school systems, and many other necessary accomplishments, necessary to lift the poor from the gutters, to give them a chance to walk on the streets. These need to be emulated, and copied and improved upon. The bad things of colonialism, need to be put aside and replaced, with that which is better.

Those who can do the work, need to be retained to do the work, there is no country in the world that can afford to give away 40 millions years of skills and knowledge and hope to still be able to progress (1 million people times 40 years of skills and training).

If Africa, South Africa is willing to accede that Mugabe who has killed or presided over the killing of hundreds of thousands of the people he took and oath in office to uplift and protect, can have 'protection' against the crimes that he has committed, like a father killing his own children, and when he comes to this county he treated as a respected leader, then how can you, or any other African country, continue to berate the comparatively minor incidents that prior administrations have done.

One of the more insiduous, and endemic difficulties found in much of africa, goes by the medical term 'sleeping sickness'. This is spread by the Tsetse fly. May I suggest that this sickness, is not confined to areas where the fly is endemic, but is found throughout the length and breadth of this continent, and is spread by tribalism, and ubuntu'ism. What you need to do is to concentrate on the eradication of this great sickness. The healing and the medication required to do this is to take a realistic assessment of where we are now, our strengths and weaknesses ( and not who got us there), resolve not to make the same mistakes as those who have gone before us, resolve to preserve whatever strengths we have, also to not dilute or dismantle these strengths, until they too become a burden on our backs, and then look for every means and opportunity we have to lift the poor and the needy, looking to create centres of excellence, because we save a nation one person at a time, and not the whole nation at once.

I note that the reply that I wrote was flagged as abusive. How would you then flag the actions of the Zimbabwe government in destroying the houses of thousands and thousands of its citizens in the middle of winter. I suppose on the basis of your one sided and unilateral flagging of my reply as abusive, you would flag that action as being 'benign' or good, but then if I wrote to you about it you would flag that article as abusive.

I fully agree with this comment and it is a sad commentary on Africa that we too often fail to learn not only from others mistakes but from our own. I was born in Zim and it is wothout doubt a jewel but what is it today? In the end we will all be judged on what we have done with what we have been given. What has Mugabe done?

i cannot agree with you more on all Zimbabwe issues......however on I do not understand why would you confuse UBUNTU with a sickness. Maybe you need to go and research what exactly is ubuntu.....If I may tell you UBUNTU is the reason why Africans were robbed off thier land by colonialism. Africans are the people filled with humility and humbleness, and that was seen as a weakness by POWER HUNGRY, AND GREEDY COLONIALISTS...........but hey! You seem to know better.

Maybe you've never lived in a homeland and see the conditions of black man and women.....and you are telling me Colonialism was good. Maybe you've never gone to a bantu eduaction system infested school, and be tought how to be a submissive teacher.....but hey! you seem to know more.

As for infrustructure and technology...well, maybe you have not been to Egypt or maybe you don't know Ethiopia is the oldest civilization in Africa.....we were fine even before Europeans came to Africa......listen to me now, I don't mean Europeans have not contributed.....but hey! you seeem to know better...

What absolute rubbish to describe Mugabe as the leader of a former "liberation" movement against "colonialism." Zimbabwe was already a fully independent country even under the previous racist white regime. Britain and other non-African countries did not recognise and had no influence whatsoever over the regime of Ian Smith, who had made his own "unilateral declaration of independence" from British rule.

Britain itself through its sanctions did as much to get rid of Smith's racial regime as Mugabe did, and probably much more.

The war that was started and prosecuted by Mugabe and Nkomo was purely and simply a brutal power grab to replace the previous white racial oligarchy with their own Communist oligarchy. The racial divisions previously suffered by Zimbabweans have simply been used as a veil by Mugabe to mask his quest for absolute power.

Mugabe's "war effort" was sustained by outside Communist powers - the USSR, China, Cuba, Angola and Mozambique. Mugabe himself was the colonial stooge and even today he is still the ideological slave of a Communist imperialist construct that even the Russians themselves have woken up to and rejected.

Now that the Zimbabewan people have (again) rejected this grubby tyrant at the ballot box, Mugabe is revealed even more clearly for what he is - the leader of an illegal coup against the legitimate President, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mugabe belongs behind bars before a war crimes tribunal.

Anyone who describes him as an "anti-colonialist liberator" knows nothing about African politics and insults the hallowed memory of those brave Zimbabweans who have lost their lives standing up to this tyrant and murderer.

WOZA (woman of Zimbabwe association) which is sponsored by a white wealth anglo is actually a political party representing Rhodesian Interests. WOZA pretends to be some kind of NGO representing women interest in Zim, but they are actually an imperialist sponsored organisation.

WOZA, The chinese, and our neigbors (Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia) are our friends. You are free to call them whatever you want. Yes, they supported the liberation of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and they did an excellent job. Zimbabwe also invited her friends to observe their elections and it is a good think.

You're talking rubbish again Phiri. Anyone who wants to know the truth can look here:

http://wozazimbabwe.org

If a country is continually having problems such as South Africa does- then something is not being done correctly by the government. South Africa will go down the same road as Zimbabwe- because the government of South Africa is virtually a mirror image of Zimbabwe. A government must do what is right for ALL citizens. The " struggle" that the ANC lead prior to 1994 was to eliminate racism and make a South Africa a country for all races who live there- the ANC had symapthy from the world- however now that the ANC is in power ( and has been for almost 14 years)- they underlyingly blame all the problems of the country to the "old regime"..... If you are given control of a country, such as the ANC has- you GOVERN the country- and if you are not doing a good job- you look at yourself and make changes- not blame the past. Of course- the older regimes had racist policies- most countries have had- however the new government of South Africa and also the 28 year rule of Zimbabwe by Mugabe- are unfortunately still being run by racist regimes- however this time, they are targetting the minority groups- including whites. If land redistribution is required- don't take ALL the land that the farmers are toiling- we all know what happened in Zimbabwe. The farmers are SKILLED and are feeding their country- in Zimbabwe, they took over the farms for the so called veterans struggle for land redistribution- however it turned out to be only a cover for ridding the white farmers from the country of their birth. Racist. If you need land, let it be distributed properly and for the right reasons. Remember the ANC's words that " South Africa belongs to all who live in it". The ANC had the sympathy of the world. The ANC should THANK the world by showing the world they can keep their promises.

This is the year 2008 were the world population is 6 billion that is why we got commercial farmers to produce in vast amount for vast amount of people, if you learn economics of country you will know that one the biggest pillars of of economy is to able to feed theRE own people. so AS much as the land distribution is in just, there are no other way. Ive seen land distribution in South Africa and let me tell you there is no point distribution land if it cant be used for intensive commercial farming. Just look what going on in the world today food prices is soaring, why cause there are lack of it.

What is a government if you cut the left/right propaganda out? ITS BUSINESS, AND COUNTRY WILL ONLY BE AS GOOD AS HOW THAT BUSINESS GETS RUN BY ITS DIRECTORS, AND THE ONLY WAY TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY IS INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL GET INFRASTRUCTURE IS WITH MONEY. So it doesn't help when government like South Africa have stupid policies that forces all the skilled people out of South Africa. South Africa as we speak is haven power black outs every day, why? because they don't have the skilled people to run the country. AND THAT MY FRIEND IS THE ANC FAULT BECAUSE THEY ARE IS IN CHARGE BY VAST MAJORITY IN VERY DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY. I FINED IT VERY IRONIC EVEN LAUGHABLE, THAT JACOB ZUMA WHO WON THE ANC ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER BY A LAND SLIDE THREW COSATU(WHO IS SOUTH AFRICAN LABOUR UNION)/ANC YOUTH LEAGUE WHOSE VOTES COME FROM THE MASSES WHO IS WORKING CLASSES WHICH WORKS IN THE MINES AND DEMANDS BETTER PAY AND MORE WORK, YET IT IS THE VERY POLICIES THE JACOB ZUMA HAS THATS GOING TO CAUSE LESS WORK AND LESS MONEY FOR SOUTH AFRICA, PRIME EXAMPLE, THESE POWER CUTS THAT SOUTH AFRICA HAVE CAUSES THE MINING INDUSTRY TO LOSE 1 BILLION RAND A DAY, AND DUE TO THIS THEY ARE FORCED TO GET RID OF 20% OF THERE LABOR FORCE. SO MUCH FOR BETTER PAY OR MORE WORK, I WONDER WHAT THAT 20% SACKED PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DO FOR FOOD, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT FOOD PRICES IS RISING?.

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It,s a shame that Zuma knows what the future holds but he has already made it even harder for himself to overcome. It sound s, and is, silly to supress volatile issues like land reform and still think people will forget. Acts like these are not different from sweeping dirty under the mat. It has been more than a half century since Hiroshima was attacked by Americans but even a young Japanesse kid who was born 15 years ago is bitter about that. Only time will show the retaliation. African leaders should not hesitate to do the rightful action s againist colonial oppressors. It takes a hero to initiate land reform. That's why Mugabe has succeeded if the land redistribution was done in an unprocedural manner which lead to inefficient usage of land. Good thing is that Zim farming has shown some impovements over the past 8 years.

Are you completely blind? Farming in Zim has improved in the last eight years? Complete and utter nonsense. Food production in Zim is 10% of what it was 10 years ago. Most of the farms have gone to government ministers and their families who aren't the least bit interested in farming.

There is nothing Zimbabweans want to see more than South Africa failing as a democracy. It fuels a sense of justification for all the wrongs in Zimbabwe, under both white and black rule. The white colonial government desperately held onto power with support from Britain and the white land barons who, in combination, held the economy in their hands. Read: Used slave labour to farm green gold for generations, while preventing the nation from developing. They stubbornly chose to 'fight democracy to the death...or at least until it reaches the outskirts of Salisbury' And when democracy reached the outskirts of Salisbury and the Zanu PF seized power, Mugabe responded by ordering (in 1982) the Gukurahundi massacre which killed 20 000 innocent Ndebele civilians. It should have given the world (and all Zimbabweans)a clear insight into the way he would be running the country, but it didn't. And run it into the ground he did while his people, yet again, starved. We now have millions (some say 3 million?)white and black Zimbabweans living in SA and snickering under their breaths every time the power goes out. We've also got people like Itayi Garande saying to South Africans....your time is coming. Does it make you feel better Itayi? Or is Africa just a basket case?