" The comprehensive report was compiled ... on behalf of Justice for Agriculture (JAG) ... John Worswick, the JAG chief executive officer ..."

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Oh, John Worswick ... who would plant tobacco for the UK parasites on vast tracts of ancestral lands commandeered violently from the Zimbabwe native forefathers - while the beleaguered natives starve for lack of land and edible foods ...

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" up to 4,500 Zimbabweans were tortured. .." Treacherous creeps! And zero (0) fits perfectly into the numbers "up to 4,500" and also "up to 12,000,000". Lets see, I just searched for a statement from JAG condemning the racist torture of the Iraqi barbarians by the Europeans and Americans. Nothing. And about the rapes, tortures and slaughter of the Zimbabweans when the British commandeered the lands of maZimbabwe for themselves ant their damned "royalty"? None.

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"and (the British) incurred up to US$1 billion in damages " Oh. The British were not also tortured? Were the torturers discriminatory?

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" the violent land invasions " Yes. The so called british "commercial farmers" commandeered the ancestral lands of the people of Zimbabwe violently. Now, the people of Zimbabwe are not claiming any part of UK. At least not yet.

They are merely reclaiming their birthright - their ancestral lands. For now. Comprehend?

One sided reports on a complex subject like this do more harm than good. There is no doubt that the farmers were wronged, but there is also no doubt that the natives were also wronged. JAG should not see justice only from a commercial farmer's point of view.

I don't know how old you are, but you appear to have a poor grasp of history as well as a highly selective view of how Zimbabwe got where it is today.

I lived in Salisbury from 1966-1969 as a teenager, and then returned to Britain to avoid taking part in the 'Bush War'. I constantly told my parents that it was unjust for a minority government to impose its will on the majority.

On subsequent visits to the country between 1970 & 1980, I marvelled at how the white population prospered under sanctions from Britain & other countries. Local industries produced almost everything that could not be imported, and the country produced an abundance of food.

When independence came, Mugabe assured all concerned (particularly the farmers) that they had nothing to fear for their farms if they had a use for it. Many other promises were made:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/27/newsid_2506000/ 2506219.stm

If we wind the clock forward 28 years, what do we see? The country is unable to feed itself and a vicious campaign of terrorism against the population is waged by a tired govenment with no idea how to dig itself out of the hole it has dug for itself.

I viusited Harare 3 years ago, and I was staggered by the decay, dirt and generla hopleness of the country. Mugavbe is solely responsible for taking a country (and its cities) which was in an outstanding financial situation with well run civil services, into a personal fiefdom which is an embarrassment to Africa.

Mugabe stated only last week: "Zimbabwe is mine". Zimbabwe is not his, it belongs to the people and the people must (and will) take it back.

I will be sad if there is retribution against the ZANU, Police & Army fat cats. Their day will come, and it will not be long now. The final act of this drama is playing now.

You are evidently a ZANU PF supporter, but its time to grow up. Zimbabwe's problems today do not stem from Britain, nor indeed the rebels of UDI. The claims coming out of the mouth if the octogenarian President, who clearly doesn't know how to retire gracefully cause anyone who is not a ZANU PF supporter, to laugh.

I can understand why Mugabe believes his own senile mutterings, but the Zimbabwe people, and African's outside Zimbabwe are not stupid.

Zimbabwe for it's people! The old man must go or be pushed.

Ask yourself why the country is worse off today, 28 years after a majority rule government too control? And please, do everyone a favour, and don't blame the British after 28 years of being the ruling power.

Lancaster, a good and well balanced article. I'm also glad that you do recognize that white minority rule was illegal and undemocratic. Mugabe and most of his zanu-pf comrades bear the blame for what is currently happening in Zimbabwe. Clearly Mugabe lost the elections and now has to step down or be forced to do so. Mugabe has hijacked Zimbabwe and efforts to remove him must be made. Mugabe may end up like Kamuzu Banda or worse like Saddam Hussein!

"Zimbabwe is mine" may sound so when translated literally by a non Shona speaker. We had the same trouble when we tried to interpret speeches and discusions from Latin books, (eg Vigili etc) during my school days in the early 1960s. I am sure the president said no such thing at all. By the way, the farmers brought their troubles on themselves. From day one of the new gvt in 1980, they removed themselves aways from the life of the country because they thought all was going to be a one day wonder and Rhodesia would come back. And later they thought that it was time to bring back their Rhodesia through the MDC. They did not realise that not only the rules of the game had changed but the game itself. Had they played their moves and became nationalistic like the Boers in SouthAfrica, the Rhodies would be members of ZANU and ZAPU and what elseand influecing policies. But they chose to stay aloof. The hundred years injustices had to be corrected unavoidably (1880-1980). Though mistakes and errors have been made by our gvt, the girls and boys have done very well when you accept that their situation was akin to kids from another school taking over the management of a school. With the best of intentions, some mess-up is unavoidable

Only 4500 tortured and you imperialists are crying, what do we say about the many thousands that where killed to possess the land in the first place? we do not owe you an inch of an apology,go hang if you want, that should be your (imperialists) fate afteral.

Stop living in the past mugabe and regime believers! mugabe and regime supports seem to either live in the past or use the same line as children do"but he they did it", stop acting like little children as Zimbabwe needs commonsense to finish this crisis!

West, I agree with you that we should not be living in the past. But, this also means we should not be living the past of Ian Smith and his regime! I see a lot of comment regarding how successful the less than 1 percent white Rhodesians enjoyed in then Rhodesia. Rhodesia is in the past and most of us cannot recall how successful or a failure it was. Judging the success of 1% of the population as successful does not in any way make a country or colony successful!!!! What about the 98% of the population? Please Mr. West I do not want to hear about the past from you thru Rhodesia either. Rhodesia is a done deal! Lets move on...Soon Mugabe will also be a done deal!

Akapfunde, it looks like you find it difficult to believe what most of us non Zanup-pf outside and inside Zimbabwe alike are saying about Mugabe. You even deny the fact that he said there was no cholera and that Zimbabwe was his. Well let me tell you that I was watching the news both times Mugabe made those statements. He is sick.