This article like most article on Zimbabwe are full of allegations and quite frankly propaganda stories. Growing risk of a coup in Zimbabwe!! Total rubbish. The propaganda machine is now very active and being supported by the UK and other anglo white groups in South Africa. To be clear, even the International Crisis Group (ICG) could not predict the recent election outcome in Zimbabwe. The ICG group is now well know for predicting the lies that govern this phony organisation. They have not predicted anything in the continent of Africa that has come to pass.

They are so many rumors on Zimbabwe that one wonders what is the motive behind. Even the oppossition party of Morgan Tsvangirai seem to glory in these false rumors hoping things will work their way. They love rumors more than ruling the country. Morgan Tsvangirai is headed for trouble in Zimbabwe!

Is Zimbabwe the worst country in Africa? I real do not think so...at least it has not reached that level. To keep things in perspective, the death toll of the opposition party in Kenya was over a 100 fold then what the 23 reported by the opposition. And also the ruling party has lost it's own people. ICG is a useless group right now, it only serves it's western allies.

Why do people continue to refer to the MDC as 'the opposition'? They won the parliamentary vote. The 'ruling party' ZanuPF has no mandate to rule any longer. A military coup appears to be what took place immediately after they lost the election - military structures / militias acting unilaterally, no political entity is acknowledging responsibility for the organised violence, so what else can you call it?

I agree with you, technically there is a coup right now in Zimbabwe if people do not see this. What else can you call it if military leaders are holding the country hostage? Sad that those involved do not see that the end result is always the same. YOu can run but you cannot hide. Time is up!

Phiri,

Rumours are what ZANU PF thrieve on. Zimbabwe has been flooded by many uncertainities that the truth can not be easily deciphered by the ordinary man. What ZANU PF has so successfully done is to place Zimbabwe under a blanket of suspicion and no straight answers. You CIO, war mongers can no longer fool us by your ill concieved comments and slants on the truth by blaming the western world. Your lies are in the open and you will not get away with it. Remember..."usa kanganwe kuti pasipanudya".

Phiri:

355,000% inflation! 80% unemployment! 25% of the entire population of Zimbabwe have fled as economic refugees from the failed policies of ZANU-PF/Mugabe!

It matters not what the Herald says or what the ZANU-PF propaganda is! It matters not even what the international community says! The FACTS say that ZANU-PF/Mugabe have FAILED to bring even economic sustenance (NOT even prosperity!) to the people of Zimbabwe under the so called slogan of "Africa for Africans"!

As a matter of fact! The only way ZANU-PF/Mugabe can stay in power "IS" by way of a coup! The groundwork has already been laid: There is no free press, the people that disagree w/ the government are arrested (they may be released at a later date - but they are arrested, their hearings before the court continued for "technical" reasons and THEN they are released)!

Thousands of MDC supporters - teachers, doctors, ELECTION OBSERVERS, etc have been attacked or intimidated by the so-called "war veterans" who were not even born during "the war"! It is convenient to ZANU-PF (isn't it?) that those who voted against them are no longer "within their voting districts" and will most likely not be allowed to vote in the "run-off"! it is VERY convenient that those districts that voted against ZANU-PF/Mugabe and elected MDC Senators will "miraculously" turn around and elect Mugabe for another term in the run-off....... What is the statistical probability of that?

It is ironic that the Army, who should be looking to defend the borders of a "free" Zimbabwe, are otherwise busy within Zimbabwe, enforcing the dictates of the ZANU-PF's Politburo (I'm sorry, do the Russians still have a "Politburo"?).

It is still more strange that ZANU-PF rallies for the "run-off" were anounced before the election results........ Why is it that ZANU-PF/Mugabe was preparing for a run-off before the election results were known? Strange, isn't it? If ZANU-PF didn't know they had already lost the general election before the results were announced, there would be no reason for the "Party" to announce it was ready for a run-off........

Yet more strangely still,, that in a "free" country like Zimbabwe, the ZANU-PF can hold rallies while the MDC cannot due to "not having permits" or due to "safety concerns" or because they might "insult the President". I'm not sure what you consider the concept of "freedom" to be, but where I come from, we are free to insult ANYONE! Including the President! We do not "fear" incendiary public speech, but embrace it (as repugnant as it might be to us) as an exercise of "liberty" - that is part of what "Freedom" is about! That was something your "war of liberation" was about, wasn't it?

I'm amazed that I haven't read about ZANU-PF supporters being beaten by mobs and denied medical treatment and then being arrested by the police or CIO...... Even in the "Herald"! Even "IF" MDC supporters have engaged in violence, have any of the people that beat or tortured MDC supporters been arrested? I have yet to hear the news - EVEN in the Herald!

It is strange isn't it, that there are so many Zimbabweans in South Africa working for wages that are beneath their education/qualifications - and then suddenly(!) The South Africans no longer want them there and resort to attacking their African brothers? Didn't you previously post about the "solidarity" of native African "blacks" against the colonial "white" oppressors? How does it make you feel that the "liberated brothers" of South Africa are attacking your Zimbabwean "brothers". What does this say about how the rest of Africa views ZANU-PF/Mugabe and the results of their policies.

Surely, the "WEST" (WHITES) cannot be manipulating the ANC/South African People are they? After fighting for freedom from "white" oppression, they suddenly turn against their "comrades"? This is ironic on so many levels..... ZANU-PF/Mugabe and the results of their rule over Zimbabwe have become a blight on the entire continent! Even if Mbeki doesn't recognize it, the "townships" in South Africa surely do.

If Zimbabwe was merely a pawn in the game of "white" Western Countries - then shouldn't their "revolutionary brothers" in South Africa welcome them with open arms considering they both fought against the "imperialist white aggressors"? Why is it that Zimbabweans are not even welcomed by their revolutionary comrades in South Africa?

Whatever drivel you post about Zimbabweans and the current turmoil in your "beloved" country is just that - drivel! You are a stooge of the ZANU-PF/Mugabe and NOTHING you can say here will change the FACT that ZANU-PF/Mugabe have literally enslaved your "brothers" to a standard of living and economic opportunity that pales in comparison to that which they had under the racist Ian Smith's Rhodesia! Yes, Zimbabweans are "free" from "white" oppression yet their stomachs are empty, their children no longer educated, the sick dying in hospitals for lack of medicine, the people beaten/raped/killed for voicing their dissatisfaction with the current government. What kind of freedom is that?

I guess, from your point of view, oppression is OK when it is "blacks" who are doing the oppressing, as opposed to "whites"........

What does that say about Africa as a whole? What does it say when your "revolutionary comrades" in South Africa no longer want your tired, poor, huddled masses? Where is the Statue of Liberty in Pretoria?

You continually blame the "west" and the "whites" for the failures of "Africans" who have been ruling Zimbabwe for the past 28 years! What is the statute of limitations on blaming "white" people? If Africa is for Africans governed by Africans - then shouldn't 28 years of ZANU-PF/Mugabe rule speak for themselves? I think it is, and the verdict is not flattering for people like yourself..........

A coup already took place! However, the article is helpful in that it indicates who the hard-liners in Zanu PF are. This way it will be easier for Zanu PF moderates, The MDC, Mavambo, Civic Society and individual Zimbabweans interested in national re-construction to isolate these elements.

More intelligence on the hardliners and their supporters...people who are driven by nothing other than self-interest, should be gathered and all the pro-peace and pro-democracy Zimbabweans should use this information to craft a strategy and the attendant tactics to rid the nation of this rot.

With Mavambo (Simba) already saying it would throw its weight behind MDC-T it would appear that the authors of this article have their facts right. I have followed most of their articles before and their information is often correct. We do not need them to predict the future for us rather to provide us information the basis of which is crucial for our own analysis, decision making ang decision taking. We are the nation of Zimbabwe and we need to own our problem, the solutions we seek to achieve and the outcome of the choices we make.

So if viewed as a Political analysis information tool I would say the article serves its purpose. Who wants to be spoon fed with solutions anyway? In any case we are the country experts so we need to fine-tune the information before us and contextualise it...take what we see as hekpful and put it to good use and Ifind there is a lot in this article that could be put to good use if we put our minds to it.

Dear Phiri,

You are quite right to question motives involved… for example the motives of the UK in all of this. It is not in the UK or any western government’s interest to see Zimbabwe collapse into chaos as it would destabilize regions around it and would mean that the west has to send Africa even more money and aid to sort itself out. As a UK citizen and a tax payer I am sick of giving giving giving just to be labeled as a colonialist, especially when we have little to gain from the relationship. No, Zimbabwe is not the worst country in Africa but why strive to be the worst when you can be (and have been) the best. You should be shining as an example to all and not comforting yourselves in the fact that you have killed less people than other failing states…

Regards,

A Weary Friend

A Weary Friend You seem to overlook the fact that the Brits invaded South Africa, sold it's diamonds from London at a fat profit and kept the price of gold at a ridiculous US30 per ounce until there was more gold in Fort Knox then left in Africa. Call it pay back time

When was this?

June 2007'ish, the car of the coup leader stalled on a railway crossing just as the train was coming, allegedly he was dead already but he was buried at Heroes Acres with full military honours......go figure.

a WEARY FRIEND, if you tax payers in the UK are sick of giving,giving,giving tell your government to stop interfearing in other peoples affairs. You've messed up every country you put your foot in and you are not needed to help sort out Zimbabwean problems. No one invited you!

oh, I don’t know... America, Australia, India look pretty good and African infrastructure wasn’t in bad shape when whitey lost their lands. Uninvited, your quite right. Trouble is that in the west we seem to have these whiny liberals amongst our ranks who don’t like to see people in other countries starving (Ethiopia), murdered on mass (Rewanda/Burundi) or suffering in their tens of millions from disease (Much of the sub Sahara)... I would be more than happy to let Africa sort its own problems out... go on put your best foot forward.

Africa must not live on craps from Europe; neither must Africa accept any form of AID from Europe for it constitute a tiny percentage fraction compared to the wealth in minerals and uncontaminated agro products Europe is sucking out of Africa’s belly. Africa must only take up land and all mining concessions back to its control and make viable trading rules with Europe and the world. Who really want the other more? It is not out of sympathy when western gvts spent sleepless nights plotting a regime change in Zimbabwe. Let western sympathy go to Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, their poorer neighborhoods, and their sons ever perishing in foreign wars.

well, reading along the lines i m sure phiri isn´t a patriotic Zimbabwean or African, he doesnt love peace, he still protects those who are causing suffering of human kind, something so strange for a patriotic African to do. Yes, it is true that Mugabe is doing everytrhing to put Tsvangirai aside and there is a reign of terror in most rural areas in Zim against supporters of the opposition, if this is gud for u then I wonder if u r not in the group of some ZANU PF thugs who r paid by the gvnt to kill their own brothers. The issue here is not of being ZANU PF or MDC, its about peace,stability. love , freedom.liberty.national pride,its about poverty, its about the bread and butter,its about stopping blood shed and leave Zimbabwean s to vote in peace.

Phiri,

If you ever bothered to read newspapers, you would read that the Zimbabwean military has refused to serve under the MDC. With the MDC having gathered more votes in the election, and therefore a good chance of winning the run off, surely its quite logical to think there is a good chance of a coup? What is so difficult about that?

ZIGNU(Zimbabwe Govt of National Unity) is the only option in that country right now.. on that respect the ICG is right but they should NOT tell the zimbos who should lead IT because that will be interfering... just like the so called West has been doing all the time.

Without ZIGNU, I can not see anything coming out of this MORIBUND "ZIM ZRISIS"... the WEST should understand that further interferance will only make this Zrisis worse.And unfortunately, there is no letter after Z in the alphabet.

THE WEST SHOULD FORGET ABOUT RETRIBUTION IN ZIM... BECAUSE IT WILL NOT WORK... AND IF IT WERE TO BE DONE, IT WILL UNFORTUNATELY ENDANGER THE WELLBEING OF NON-AFRICANS ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT FOREVER!!!

The west is not after retribution in Zimbabwe. The couldnt care less. They just want to see the government as voted by the people in power. The only reason there is a crisis in Zimbabawe is because the government that clearly lost the election is refusing to give up power. If they did. There would be no crisis.

Oh come on now indie, the fact is that the only reason there is a crisis in Zimbabwe is because the white man lost 'his' land. Everything was fine for twenty years until the white man lost land and the British would not accept it. How can the Mugabe government do so well for twenty years and then go so bad overnight? DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!

"...the fact is that the only reason there is a crisis in Zimbabwe is because the white man lost 'his' land. Everything was fine for twenty years until the white man lost land and the British would not accept it".

Spot on, kuba! Few things in life are black and white. Against the grain, the Zimbabwe situation is precisely that.

So you both admit that the economic collapse coincided chronologically with the land redistribution. So why is it so hard for you to see that no longer producing crops like tobacco, which brought essential forex into the country, had a huge impact on the economy?

Look at the economic collapse of Zambia, Mozambique etc. There were no massive land redistributions there. They collapsed because of poor governance. Zim is no different. Land redistribution just accelerated something that was already happening.

If people never own up to their faults they will never fix them.

Kube, ever stopped to think that if Mugabe had re-distributed the farm land to zimbabwean farmers who actually knew how to farm rather than politicians who have no idea how to farm that the Zimbabwean economy might be ok? You cant remove all the farmers from the land and expect the same level of produce. Or was that the anglo-american neo-colonial blah blah blah's fault as well. The Mugabe government has been using the west as a scape-goat for years, and its stupid people like you that fall for it. PS how's New Zealand? you ok over there?

Nice threat at the end of your post ABB, You have to have a nice acronym for everything? ZIGNU Zrisis WTF??!!? I've seen your posts about IED's and all that malarkey and I say it again, you're the type who talk a good war. As for the well being of whites in Zimbabwe they arent doing too well at the moment are they? So you're basically saying let us get on with it or whites will suffer? What I say to you is, if the west sees westerners or those of a western heritage suffering retribution because ZANU thugs didn't get everything their own way in an election I think it is quite concievable that the people of the west will stop putting their hands into their very deep pockets to bail out yet another country who cried freedom and then pi$$ed that freedom against the wall. You know what happened in Lebanon when our nationals were threatened? We sent the navy, big deal. Zimbabwe is landlocked , you wont get the navy you'll get an airborne brigade and you really dont want that, trust me.

Glyph

I am a realist... very few africans trust WESTERN govts and are you not surprised that the AU is silently supporting Bob even if it is apparent that he should have handled the situation in a clever way.

Please NOTE that the west is now in a fix because of the scramble FOR resources in africa..! The EU for example is being squeezed by the resurgent BEARS from the eastern front(GAZPROM GASEOUS ATTACKS!!) and soon the Africans WILL ALSO start selling ALL their resouces to the chinese who are prepared to come down on a bended knee to get the Resources.

I will reiterate again... any move by the west to run puppet govts in africa will not work...because a war in africa can kick up a big STINK... No Joke.. and whose interests will be affected..

AND REMEMBER MY SAYING..ANYONE WHO WILL CONTROL THE MIDDLE RESOURCES WILL RULE THE WORLD, AND GUESS WHAT ... AFRICA IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD MAP!!! ANY COINCIDENCE??

Retribution does NOT work... because it becomes a vicious circle...Retribution...retribution..retribution..etc

JUST THINK ABOUT THE AIRAQI QAOSI... DO YOU THINK A WESTERNER WILL BE FREE TO GO INTO AIRAQI FREELY IN THE NEAR FUTURE???

A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT IS THE BEST WAY FORWARD!!!

"AFRICA IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD MAP!!! ANY COINCIDENCE??"

Er, you're wrong there. Africa is only in the middle if you make a map with it in the middle, as is traditional. Is Africa in the middle of this world map?

http://www.telescopes-astronomy.com.au/world_map_wallpaper2.jpg

"Retribution does NOT work... because it becomes a vicious circle...Retribution...retribution..retribution..etc"

For once I agree with you!

I think you're living in your own movie ABB. If you want to sell yourselves cheaply to the chinese go right ahead. My comment was regarding the obvious threat to those with white skin on the continent on africa. All you ever talk about is natural resourses, they are finite and do not last forever. You export africas mineral wealth to china then what? If you want a functioning sustainable economy then you provide goods and services that people will pay for. When it is all dug out of the ground and gone what are you going to do? The chair I am currently sitting in cost more than 4 times the average annual Zimbabwean salary, if africans are poor it is because they are governed poorly, the sooner they realise that the better off they will be. If you think you can compare Iraq and Afghanistan to any African country you are sadly mistaken, the factors affecting Iraq are a world away from the problems of the african continent. The former baltic states are rich in natural resources such as oil and gas but they have to sell them to someone to generate revenue, if you have something which you cant sell then it's not worth anythng useless. We too have oil and gas and the Americans aren't happy being at the mercy of foreign oil markets so they drill in Alaska it's quite simple ABB, if you cant rely on someone for something you look elsewhere and then the chinese can name their price because no one else needs to buy from you. I too am a realist although I think maybe a little more real than you.

Glyph.. this is no F-grade movie! In your rebuttal you forgot to mention the dynamics of demand and supply.

Soon, DUE to excessive demand and coupled with the heavily controlled supply by OPEC,Oil(LIGHT SWEET CRUDE) will SOURLY and crudely soar to $200 per barrel before the 2008 US ELECTIONS.

The same also goes for other resources like platinum,gold,paladium,coltan etc and; where do you find the bulk of these minerals?

Actually, my thinking is far more advanced.. because what I am proposing is to force the chinese to get minority equity shareholdings in resource companies accross africa and also force them to dual list these resource companies both in africa and Shanghai.This will bring in a lot wealth to africa ... because the liquidity(trillion $) on the Shanghai Stock Exchange will overflow to the africans as well.

Unfortunately the current WESTERN resource companies can not allow this.

REMEMBER THE "SAYING OF MIDDLE RESOURCES"... THE SAHARA DESERT MIGHT BE CONCEALING A MASSIVE OASIS OF OIL WEALTH.

AFRICA FIGURATIVELY LIES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT SCRAMBLE... AMERICA IN THE NORTH WEST... EU IN THE NORTH, INDIA,CHINA,RUSSIA AND JAPAN IN THE EAST!

This is no movie... THOSE people that wish africa well will benefit as well with a good strategy.

Oil in the Western Sahara isn't going to help anyone in Zimbabwe the rights have already been sold to US, "Big Oil" (a situation which stinks BTW). There is now a movement to source raw materials from outside africas war zones, coltan being a case in point. Motorola being a prime example. Unfortunately ABB I'm sensing a little naïveté because you really aren't going to force the Chinese to do anything let alone tell them upon which markets they may list their shares.

Glyph.. wrote:

"...Unfortunately ABB I'm sensing a little naïveté because you really aren't going to force the Chinese to do ..."

Far from it, I am not naive... the brutal negotiation about 'AFRICAN RESOURCES' should be done by the future AU Authority. But what needs to change at the moment is the African leadership because the old guard do not understand the workings of stock markets AND geo-politics..thus new guys should be brought into the realm to bring about the new Paradigm Shift..! The Chinese will have no choice but accept the terms otherwise they will lose out , I must be candid here.. New Radical Leaders should come to the fore to bring about these far-reaching changes BY employing 'RESOURCES" as a Weapon Mass Benefication for AFRICA.

I always cite Ze Russians as a good example... Why does Moscow have more billionaires than any other city in the world?

THIS IS POSSIBLE!!

A quick comment about resources in relation to Britain. The British economy is mostly based on service industries now. Manufacturing is outsourced to the likes of China. Britain doesn't need Africa's platinum or gold.

Mindpower..

"..Britain doesn't need Africa's platinum or gold..."

You are blatantly lying on this point... it is obvious that Platinum is needed by almost everyone including the british...(Have you stopped manufacturing vehicles in the midlands?)

Do you want to tell me that no british resource company is interested in the NEHANDA SEAM in Zimbabwe. You must be joking..!

This is also applies to all other resources that are found in Africa.Why was Airaqi invaded?

Resources... resources... resources is the name of the game NOW whether you like it or not and fortunately, AFRICA is in the MIDDLE of this MUCH NEEDED RESURGENCE..

If you think Britain wants to invade / recolonize Zimbabwe for cheaper gold and platinum then you are dreaming! Of course there's some manufacturing but it's on a small scale next to the likes of most Asian countries. Who do you think is really interested in those Zim resources?

Iraq was invaded for oil. Most Brits know that and millions of them protested against it.

As for Africa being in the "middle": If this is a repeat of your argument that Africa is in the center of the globe then let me remind you that you can just as easily draw a map of the world with South America in the middle.

The Russians have plenty of millionaires that is true, but what percentage of their populations are millionairs and how many live in abject poverty? You either want equality and a sane redisribution of wealth or you want to create African oligarchs who gathered up the assets of the country when the soviet union colapsed. You want to create new radicals, I think africa has seen enough radicals dont you? They are now the Old Guard you speak of, it all sounds pretty circular logic to me.

ABB; “Chinese who are prepared to come down on a bended knee” & “Actually, my thinking is far more advanced.. because what I am proposing is to force the Chinese…” these are no movies you are living its pure fantasy. The Chinese are a very astute, unified, powerful and immensely aggressive nation. The thought of a ramshackle group of quasi elected African leaders getting the worlds next superpower to bend to your will is laughable. They will do what everyone else has done to get what they want in Africa but without the interest in African sustainable development and support that has been evident over the past 30 years. You do have a good seat at the table but you need a strong, honest and unified leadership in order to play your hand.

ABB, Your point of resources is valid and once the western world has exhausted any other conceivable option I’m sure that they will be banging at your door as hard as the Chinese and Indians are now. Resources are in great demand at the moment with the massive growth in Asia and there are many governments out there who are willing to deal with corrupt African dictatorships and ignore the plight of the people. It is important, however, to remember that agricultural land is also a vital resource… this year we have seen the worlds “staple” rice triple in price and similar effects in grains. Zimbabwe was once a net exporter however it is not the case anymore and most other African countries are reliant on imports… so yes, there may be some vital resources there for those willing to hold their noses and wade into the fray but to have control it is vital to be able to reliably produce your own food – without that you have no control. The present food shortage issue will go away next year but will come back in a vengeance in a few years time and then it will never go away. The global battle will be for Food, Oil and Mineral Wealth. America holds the key to food production, the Middle East for Oil and Mineral wealth is spread out around the world. It is at this point again that I would like to point out to those that still believe that Western interference in Africa is another form of colonialism that it really isn’t. Africa does hold resources of value but they are not of critical importance – the main importance to the West is to stop seeing the intense poverty, starvation, disease and wars coming from that region. What is the answer? Not puppet governments as I agree they don’t work but neither do elected (or in your case unelected) governments. Democracy isn’t the complete solution but it’s the best available. Partition your government for free and fair elections and let the people speak. Whatever the outcome if the elections are fair the rest of the world will accept.

Personally i think Tsvangirai is the biggest mistake Zimbabwe will ever make, can anyone in this world give me 5 good reasons why he should be president, and please don't give me reasons why mugabe shouldn't be president we all no the reasons. Mugabe's shortcomings are not Tsvangirai's reasons to become president. What education does the guy have, running a trade union is not the same as running a whole country. being put in prison and being beaten by police is no reason to be president because even masendeke should have become president. Can tsvangirai justify his livelihood since entering politics, where are his children learning , how does he afford to stay in such a place with no record of employment, please zimbabweans lets not dig for ourselves a hole that we can not come out of

Wimbayi, Robert Mugabe has great education but is Zimbabwe at its best under his leadership? Perhaps Mr Tsvangirai should be given a chance and he might just surprise everyone. If he does not perform well with good governance, then vote him out and try the next person. Right now and in your opinion, who do you think would be the best person to lead Zimbabwe?

Wimbayi, since you personally think that Tsvangarai is the biggest mistake Zim will ever make you give us your 5 reasons why he wouldn't be any good or be worth a shot. I understand that he may not be the person Zim needs but who knows untill he is given a shot. Hell Australia just voted in a new leader and already the public are talking that he has already lost the next election. In the current crisis of this so called democracy, the leader of the opposition (Who now isnt the opposition as he won the election)is the best person to turn to. If he ends up being no good, vote him out at the next election. You cant honestly say that you think the current government is the best choice to take Zim forward.

By the way does anyone know what the Zim constitution says about how long political parties are allowed to stay in power for after they have lost an election. Obviously there is a need for a run off, but shouldn't MDC have majority of power now?

Thank you for your comment. It is quite clear that this site supports the illegal white settlers. Majority of the articles posted sways in their behalf; it seeks to paint a sympathetic picture of the illegal white settlers defending themselves against the violent and angry Black Africans.

White settlers? :-O They're all long dead, where are you getting such a silly term from?

PS. you may want to try observing how many Herald articles there are on this site before you make another dumb comment.

The Zimbabwean issue is taking too long to be resolved,much to the pain of the citizens,who are slowly and surely adapting to the way of living in the 'WAIT AND SEE" environment. One of the main problems the country is facing is extrimism from both parties. Those who support the opposition,religiously do so, so do those who support the ruling party.This phenomenon is evidenced by the way these people put across their ideas in discussions. For instance,Phiri blasts the opposition and purpots that the opposition gets orders from the West, the usual rhetoric, which Weary Friend tries to dispute.

In the process of these partisan discussions, the discussions lose national focus and become so biased that their contribution to the well-being of Zimbabwean citizens cease to exist. For Phiri to say that Zimbabwean death toll is far less than Kenya and that Zimbabwe is not the worst country in A frica really beats the logic. Zimbabwe has been one of the best countries,economically,socially and even politically speaking, and for any peace loving and development-focused Zimbabwean to suggest that; because Zimbabwe is not yet the worst so its ok, it is just but amazing.

Remember not long ago, most Zimbabweans loved ZANUPF, so your assumption that all those who have different views from yours are getting it from the west,gives an impression that you are suggesting that that differing in opinion is a taboo in Zimbabwe. For the struggle to have been waged,of which I was an active participant, the main issue was freedom,hence the name freedom fighters. The freedom to talk,express one's self, walk, employ,participate,move,etc, and not die because one has expressed one's self.

Zimbabwe needs level-headed focused and non-partisan contributors to forge ahead. Time has shown that politicians and partisan people both from MDC and ZANUPF have brought more pain to the electorate. Some people even go to extremes of believing that they are more Zimbabwean than others,such as Phiri,and more PATRIOTIC, than others,yet that extrimism ,while they may be rewarded for it, the people who pay the price are those we fought for during the real struggle and peace loving Zimbabweans, not this one filled by opportunists who are bookish and full of hate and superficial representation of people yet they pursue their personal agendas. SANGANAI NECHOKWADI NYIKA IBUDIRIRE

I think we should regard this article as prophecy rather than propaganda. Dr. Gono and the JOC will not allow the wealth they have amassed to slip away under the MDC. I dont for one minute believe that Sir Robert Mugabe KCB is running Zimbabwe, as I have said before the dissilution of the cabinet occured on the eve of the election and yet there are still people referring to themselves as, "Ministers". They arent going to let it go without a fight or coup d’état(bloodless or otherwise).

Glyph (the Briton wisecracker), prophecy is great, however self-fullfilling prophecies are extremely dangerous. Such self-fullfilling prophecy on Zimbabwe include a military coup (very unlikely), that only white farmers can farm and are more deserving than the fairly successful black zimbabwean farmers who are not recieving any publicity. Other self fullfilling propheices are that Obomo will self-inflict so that the over ambitious Mrs Clinton will win the DNP in the USA primary elections. ICG has only the bad prophesies and they do not see any prosperity in the African continent, despite an average economic growth of 6% in a number of African countries.

My own self-fullfilling prophecies are that Zimbabwean people will finally realize what a "phony" and "puppet" Morgan Tsvangirai is. That Britain within the next 10 years will descend to 30th place on the world's richest countries. That white Southern Africans will finaly come to their sensense and acknowledge that most Africans view them in a negative way. That Zimbabwean Cricket will be officially banned and convert the fields into American baseball (which is non-anglo and welcoming of all).

The term, "Wisecracker" imples wisdom Phiri I'll take it as a compliment. I'm not seeing anything in your post which replies to mine other than you think a coup unlikely. The rest of your post is just general ZANU PF Rhetoric. As for baseball being inclusive.....how many non US teams in the World-Series? For the record Zimbabwes growth is -6% per year.

Glyph, Zimbabwe is not the entire Africa! When are you people going to get it? There are 54 countries in Africa, and Zimbabwe is just one of the state. Zimbabwe’s neighbors have posted economic growth.

I’m still surprised that Zimbabwe seem to get all the major headlines on this website and the BBC, even though it is not the worst basket case!. Why is this?

Why not Darfur, Sudan, or Kenya, or Somalia, or Eritrea, or oil production problems in Nigeria………or the 3 million people who died in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Or even the current status of the Congo, where severe instability still exists……Is Zimbabwe the only priority on the African agenda or are there other motives driving this…PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP EXPLAIN THIS ILLOGICAL SITUATION!

You're imagining things again Phiri. How many times do I have to tell you to visit the World News page on BBC and tell me what percentage of articles are about Zim.

Even when you drill down to Africa on the BBC site there are only, at most, a few articles about Zim. Right now I see two links to Zim stories out of about 40 covering the likes of SA, Kenya, Nigeria, Gambia etc.

You can't hide from the facts Phiri!

Because this is a forum for Zimbabwe Phiri. The clue is in your question. I also post on South Arican forums and Ukranian forums although obviously not on this site. I'm wondering why you would think anyone would post about Dafur, Sudan or Kenya on the Zimbabwe thread? That is a good point though, Botswana 9% growth, the fastest per capita income in the world and the highest credit rating of the entire continent of Africa. Athough growth in Mozabique has slowed to under 3% a full recovery is expected. South Africa is the worlds 20th highest economy in terms of GDP per capita. There is ongoing massive capital reinvestment in Zambia and recovery is expected following the bottoming out of the copper markets. There I mentioned other african countries, all neighbours of Zimbabwe. Whats the difference between Zimbabwe and them other than sound fiscal management?

Glyph, again you are a wisecraker. A wisecracker is one who pretends to know it all. But, is it not typical of anglo white people!

Another comprehensive post, thanks Phiri. You back it up with...........nothing! No change there then.

Notice how Phiri conveniently ignored my post about the percentage of Zim news articles on the BBC. Never any substance from him, just racist diatribe.

I don't know it all, far from it but I know a lot. I also know bu115Hit when I see it, which is why I seldom take things at face value. I use detatched objectivity rather than subjectivity. So a few mouse clicks later when I've read a peer reviewed academic paper or two on JSTOR or ATHENS and formed a viewpoint of my own, then I will make an attempt at saying something rather than relying on the primary source of the story be it the London Times or the Zimbabwe Herald.

Glyph, Zimbabwe is not the entire Africa! When are you people going to get it? There are 54 countries in Africa, and Zimbabwe is just one of the state. Zimbabwe’s neighbors have posted economic growth.

I’m still surprised that Zimbabwe seem to get all the major headlines on this website and the BBC, even though it is not the worst basket case!. Why is this?

Why not Darfur, Sudan, or Kenya, or Somalia, or Eritrea, or oil production problems in Nigeria………or the 3 million people who died in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Or even the current status of the Congo, where severe instability still exists……Is Zimbabwe the only priority on the African agenda or are there other motives driving this…PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP EXPLAIN THIS ILLOGICAL SITUATION!

Ok Phiri this is for you.

Number 1. in the index of the worlds failed states is Sudan, as Dafur is in Sudan that's killed 2 birds with one stone. Number 2. in the index of the worlds failed states is Iraq. Number 3. in the index of the words failed states is Somalia. Number 4. in the index of the worlds failed states is Zimbabwe. Nigeria 17th, DRC is 7th. The Republic of South Africa is ranked at 133rd. Mozambique 81st. Botswana 119th, Zambia 70th.

I hope that has dealt with the, "basket cases" you mentioned, I put Zimbabwes immediate neighbours in there just for comparison.

As a favour to you Phiri I did a little research and I have mentioned the worst basket cases IN THE WORLD, not just the Continent of Africa which are worse than Zimbabwe, adimittedly there are only 2 in Africa.

I was very suprised to learn that Afghanistan ranked 8th and Kenya ranked 31st, I was even more suprised to learn that Ethiopia was 18th and Eritrea was ranked 50th.

Q: What does “state failure” mean?

A: A state that is failing has several attributes. One of the most common is the loss of physical control of its territory or a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. Other attributes of state failure include the erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions, an inability to provide reasonable public services, and the inability to interact with other states as a full member of the international community. The 12 indicators cover a wide range of elements of the risk of state failure, such as extensive corruption and criminal behavior, inability to collect taxes or otherwise draw on citizen support, large-scale involuntary dislocation of the population, sharp economic decline, group-based inequality, institutionalized persecution or discrimination, severe demographic pressures, brain drain, and environmental decay. States can fail at varying rates through explosion, implosion, erosion, or invasion over different time periods.

That's too many facts for Phiri to digest.

When was the last coup attempt Phiri, wasn't it less than one year ago?

If indeed the ICG report is true then it shows the extent to which the JOC is really in charge of affairs in Zimbabwe. It also shows that not all members of the JOC are hardliners and that there are some who know when to draw the line between what is good for Mugabe and what is good for the country. But history teaches us that no matter how powerful an individual or group of individuals may be, they cannot endure for ever against the will of the people. The National Party in South Africa, despite its immense power and entrenched stand against racial equality, crumbled under the weight of the unsustainability of apartheid. So did communism in the USSR and eastern Europe. Even if a military coup is staged in Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF, Mugabe and the JOC will sooner or later collapse under the mighty weight of the people's will. It is inevitable.

The land question is a major seperate debate and one that has been thrashed over the years, but will need to be revisited. Every "child of the soil" knows that land needed re-distribution and given what has been transpiring will need to be re-distributed yet agin! To do all all this we need an accountable govt. where peole can freely bebate all these and many other important nation-building issues. However, we need to be focused---to stick to the kniiting. The issue right now is dealing with the current crisis, restoring peace and people's fundamental rights. So let us not stray...each issue should be dealt with fully--- in due course.

The writing is on the wall for all to see--- The JOC has been in control ever since the delays and recounts. What we need to be dicussing is how will the torture centres/ command centres be dismantled, the killings and abductions stopped and the youth de-militarised ? How will peace be restored? How will a combined team of moderates in ZANU PF, the armed & intelligence forces and the traditional"opposition" and its alies deal with the situation. That is the debate f the moment.

What we need to learn is what the Rwandese have learnt...from now on it should no longer be imporatnt which village or town one comes from, what church we go to, which political party we vote(d) for because all these things are not constant. What is constant is being Zimbabwean whether by birth or descent, even when we change nationalities that will always be constant. It is a blessing (or curse) that history bequeathed us. We should focus on what holds us together as we struggle out of the valley and try to find our way to the mountain top!On this journey colour or creed is of no consequence. We need to preach and practise reconciliation...not 'the hand shake that can always be turned into a fist' type but real genuine reconcialiation beacause as a people we have erred far too often and there is too much to hate for but we need to rid ourselves of that hate be it racial, tribal, partisan or religious. If we do not get rid of the excess baggage we are carrying the we will always have a Hilter in our midst---and to what end?

For all my brothers and sisters with big egos out there...remember "chimwe nechimwe chinenguva yacho." Right now we need help from all quarters---friends or foes---beacuse we are in the valley. During the liberation struggle that was the approach taken and it bore fruit...April 1980 whatever the current pros and cons of that. So let us focus on the business at hand---getting out of the mess we in...with prudence naturally, but diplomacy pays both in the short and long-run.

Has anyone seen this yet? I think it gives credance to the ICG article---so no it is not a self-fulfilling prophecy. We need to find solutions to mitigate against that prophecy being fulfilled!!! Or shall we just fold our arms and watch? ------------------------------------------------ Zimbabwe: Chihuri Conferred Police Commissioner-General

Published by the government of Zimbabwe The Herald (Harare)

22 May 2008 Posted to the web 22 May 2008

Harare

President Mugabe yesterday officially conferred Cde Augustine Chihuri with the rank of Police Commissioner-General.

Cde Mugabe also conferred Comm-Gen Chihuri's four deputies; Deputy Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga, who is responsible for administration, Dept Comm-Gen Innocent Matibiri (operations), Dept Comm-Gen Levy Sibanda (crime) and Dept Comm-Gen Barbra Mandizha (human resour-ces) with their new ranks.

Cde Mugabe said the appointment of Comm-Gen Chihuri as the first Commissioner-General of Police and his four deputies was in line with the Government's thrust to increase the police force from the current 36 000 to 50 000.(!!!) The change of the police chief's title from Commissioner to Commissioner-General was made possible following the Constitutional Amendment Number 18, which introduced a number of changes such as the expansion of both Houses of Parliament, amendments to electoral laws, introduced a new post of Deputy Chief Justice and changed the name of the Ombudsman to Public Protector among other changes.

Zanu-PF and the two MDCs jointly sponsored Amendment Number 18, which was a result of the Sadc-brokered dialogue between the two parties.

Mr. Phiri your comments would had been laughable if only the situation in Zimbabwe was not that serious. Here we have an individual who is advocating for a race to the bottom. According to you Mr. PHIRI Zimbabwe is not the worst country in Africa and the political killings have not reached the same propotion with those in Kenya and you take pride in that? What a shame. One political killing is one too many Mr. PHIRI. Whether the ICG is accurate or not, in its prediction of a potential coup is neither here nor there Mr. PHIRI. The decay that is Zimbabwe today is not because the ICG has "not predicted anything in the continent of Africa that has come to pass" Mr PHIRI. Zimbabwe is a basket case because of corruption, poor governance, a sense of entitlement by the self described war veterans, oppression, dictatorship etc. I could go on and on but I don't think you will ever get it Mr. PHIRI. Your are a very good example of why freedom of speech is absolutely necessary. Fools can prove themselves and you are one of them.

How can there be free and fair elections the results of which will be upheald if we have an obvious plot to co-opt the notoroius green bombersinto the police force (possibly armed forces too). Not only are their 14 000 votes already accounted for, but we know they wiil be strategically deployed throughout the country for two reaons: to spy on the rank and file and torture them into submission as well as they will be unleashed on the electorate as police officers! If you do not call this a coup I do not know any other mane for it... See article below: ---------------------------------------

Zimbabwe: Chihuri Conferred Police Commissioner-General

Published by the government of Zimbabwe The Herald (Harare)

22 May 2008 Posted to the web 22 May 2008

Harare

President Mugabe yesterday officially conferred Cde Augustine Chihuri with the rank of Police Commissioner-General.

Cde Mugabe also conferred Comm-Gen Chihuri's four deputies; Deputy Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga, who is responsible for administration, Dept Comm-Gen Innocent Matibiri (operations), Dept Comm-Gen Levy Sibanda (crime) and Dept Comm-Gen Barbra Mandizha (human resour-ces) with their new ranks.

Cde Mugabe said the appointment of Comm-Gen Chihuri as the first Commissioner-General of Police and his four deputies was in line with the Government's thrust to increase the police force from the current 36 000 to 50 000. The change of the police chief's title from Commissioner to Commissioner-General was made possible following the Constitutional Amendment Number 18, which introduced a number of changes such as the expansion of both Houses of Parliament, amendments to electoral laws, introduced a new post of Deputy Chief Justice and changed the name of the Ombudsman to Public Protector among other changes.

Zanu-PF and the two MDCs jointly sponsored Amendment Number 18, which was a result of the Sadc-brokered dialogue between the two parties.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

As I said in a previous post on another thread, the constitution of Zimbabwe is elastic, it seems to be amended at will and there is no separation of powers. The instruments of law-enforcement have in effect become politicised.

Tapuwa and Nyarai,I am always very puzzled about the ages of some of these so called. Was that war fought by children in their mothers' womb? If you count the years of the actual war it took, and the number of years of independence, some of these thugs were not even conceived. I suppose Mugabe needs to surround himself with as much violent and dishonest people he can get and he knows full well that no one will question in fear of brutality. As the saying goes,"Every dog has its day" Perhaps the next time we see Mugabe he will be hanging from a rope for the murders he has done.

these so called VETS......

kjrs, wishfull thinking again - Why wasn't ian smith and his band of thugs that murdered thousands of black Zimbabweans hang? The usual DOUBLE STANDARDS.

Kubatana you were there. Why did YOU not do anything about Ian Smith. He lived in Zimbabbwe happily ever after. Always blame someone else. Pathetic

Kubatana you call that thinking?

ian smith and his band of racist thugs were protected by the anglo saxson western world stupid!

Protected how? Was there a US military garrison at his home?

Mindpower, can you believe this twit Kubatana? Where on earth is he from? I am beginning to think he is not Zimbabwean because they are sharp. After independence Mugabe was the president and as such he chose to give Ian Smith a haven of peace. Why? Because Mugabe himself has no problem with killers. In fact I am sure he lead the struggle for independence only because he wanted not just a piece of the Zimbabwean pie but the whole pie for himself. Proof of the pie? See how abomnably he has ruled and how many he has killed. Mugabe is notorious for harbouring murderers. Right now Mengistu Haile Mariam, a murderer from Ethiopia was given asylum in Zimbabwe and has resided there since 1991. This killer has been sentenced to death by the Ethiopian supreme court and Mugabe has said under no circumstance is he going to allow Mengistu to be extradited. What does that tell you? Murderer protecting murderer. Mr Tsvangirai has vowed that if he becomes president he will have no room for killers in his country. Watch out Mugabe!

Spot on there i 100 percent agree with you there. Mugabe had it in his head that 20 years later he will be doing the very same thing he allegedly was fighting against. Killers will always cover each other's backs. One thing is for sure nothing will last forever be it criminal act. The net will come crushing on those who use act of violence to enforce their idea. Why can't people differ to disagree full stop.