A desperate attempt to white-wash the face of a failed system! This is a ludicrous show of arrogance that warrants the author to be referred to the flames! So this is how low Zimbabwe has gone to the limit of comparison with cuba...hahahaha; i shed tears for u my brothers and sisters! This is the same cuba where people started using mobile phones only yesterday; or their own hotels! It has become a role model for an african country which was once the continent's darling! I hate the site of blood but after reading this article, give me Mugabe's head on a platter!!!

Haha, so the herald is openly comparing mugabe and regime to a dictator that has never believed in democracy! Oh you stupid herald, you have just told the world as the mouth piece for mugabe and regime that mugabe and regime see themselves exactly as the dictator Castro! Once i stop laughing, which it is hard to stop, the reality of mugabe and regime brings sorrow.

Highly amusing article, although consideration should have been made to publishing it on April the 1st.

The lot of the Cuban people improved immeasurably under Castro in spite of the devastating and extremely broad range of economic sanctions applied by the US. THe lot of the average Zimbabwean was already deteriorating long before the minor sanctions applied to the Zimbabwean elite. These sanctions do make a handy excuse though for this ruling elite to explain the results of government through self interest, corruption and incompetence

The greatest difference between Cuba and Zimbabwe's "Revolution" is their leadership. Generally Cuba had an idealistic, well intentioned government with the welfare of the poor and dispossed at heart.

Zimbabwe has an enormously corrupt and self-seeking government that doesn't give a rat's tail-end for the welfare of anyone other than themselves and their extended families.

If the same initiative and ingenuity that Ministers and top Civil servants have shown in feathering their own nests had been put to use growing the country's economy, then Zimbabwe would indeed by a Jewel in Africa's crown.

The headline, "Cuba's revolution lives. Wither ours?" begs the answer, "Mori, mori, mori." (Dead, dead, dead.)Chakafa - it is dead. Tichafa - we will die.

Totally agree with Verity Devine.

Plus.. "whither ours" should of course read "ours has withered", and the reason being that - just like JANUS - Mugabe is a two-faced (self-appointed) deity who has ground down and forced out the good, and ushered in the human and economic catastrophe that is today's Zimbabwe.

Well said Veryity Devine. Our revolution lost its way when it abandoned the "gutsaruzhinji" way in favour of a government of the chefs, by the chefs for the chefs.

The comparison between Cuba and Zimbabwe is ignorant, inappropriate, and incoherent. Castro has had flawed economic policies. Mugabe is not driven by any ideology, and Zimbabwe is the worse for it. As in chess, a flawed plan is better than no plan. Castro was misguided and well-intentioned. Mugabe is ignorant, apathetic, and concerned only with his bank account. Zimbabwe is a landlocked nation on a distant continent. Cuba is an island nation in local waters. A more appropriate comparison would have been to Zaire/Congo and Mobutu or to Uganda and Idi Amin, and the writer might have been able to formulate some conclusions that weren't completely nonsensical, incoherent, and irrelevant.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/arti cle5429628.ece

Discuss?

Yes............... isn't Cuba a good comparison to present-day Zimbabwe?

Hasn't Cuba "resisted the imperialist onslought"?

Aren't the hospitals in Cuba open and providing free healthcare to all Cubans?

Aren't Cuban doctors and nurses providing healthcare in Venezuela?

What are the prices of medications in Cuba right now?

Aren't schools open in Cuba right now?

Isn't the tap water in Cuba safe to drink right now?

Is cholera causing thousands of deaths in Cuba right now?

Is there inflation of 231 MILLION per cent in Cuba right now?

Have 30% of Cuba's population left Cuba right now?

Does 50% of the population rely on foreign food aid right now?

Is unemployment 80% in Cuba right now?

Ask yourselves, J-hollow, Kuba, AK-47, etc.............why is it that Cuba can withstand an economic blockade from the U.S. for 50 years and yet Zimbabwe cannot survive despite it's "total empowerment"?

"Total Empowerment!" must ring truly empty whan a country like Cuba can survive such depravations and yet Zimbabwe cannot?

"Total Empowerment!" - an empty slogan for empty minds.............

This post was deleted because it contravenes AllAfrica's commenting guidelines.

This post was deleted because it contravenes AllAfrica's commenting guidelines.

Until the CASTRO BROS. & CUBA 'learn' to stop exporting their failed 'revolucion' to the BLACK gullible peoples of AFRICA + the third world - President OBAMA should in no way deal with these 'thugsters' the inheritors of the despotic TRUJILLO regime!!! (By the way how much stolen monies of/from the people of CUBA does FIDEL + RAOUL have in say SPAIN, SWITZERLAND and elsewhere???)

The Zimbabwe Herald seems to have forgotten that the Cuban revolution has been an abject failure. The Cubans live in poverty, their economy is laughable, a bar of soap is a luxury, their concrete buildings are crumbling and her people are regularly willing to risk 90 miles of ocean to escape Castro's paradise. The economy is dependent on US dollars being sent from expatriates in Miami, Florida to family members who were unable to get out. Gays are persecuted. Jews were persecuted until they fled. Political prisoners rot in jail, and Castro clings to power until his last breath. So hooray for you, Zimbabwe Herald, for suggesting that your Mugabe-devastated country needs a revolution. It sure does! But not the kind you're thinking of. I've never read a more idiotic essay, no doubt crafted by a Mugabe crony who sits at his desk on a formerly productive farm he stole, and attempts to explain away why his country has collapsed when everyone, everywhere knows the answer.

Don`t you realise that this is the purpose of sanctions? To make you fail and succumb to pressure from the so called masters who knows all but are failing in their lands. Let George W Bush be sent to the International Criminal Court. Cuba is a symbol of Hope to us Africans. Cuba `s intentions from the beggining was good and still good ,no strings attached and no conditions attached.

Actually, the purpose of the 'sanctions' are to "support the people of Zimbabwe in their struggle to effect peaceful, democratic change, achieve broad-based and equitable economic growth, and restore the rule of law."

Indie, you still don't get it do you? How on earth are sanctions in Zimbabwe helping the people of Zimbabwe? The sanctions you say are targeting Mugabe and top Zanu pf ministers only is NONSENSE! The truth is that those so called 'targeted sanctions' are hurting ALL Zimbabweans and that's why things are as they are.

So tell me how banning corrupt Zimbabwean ministers from travel is harming Zimbabweans. Tell me how banning arms from entering Zimbabwe is harming Zimbabweans. And tell me what sanctions specifically are harming the people of Zimbabwe. You are all talk.

Also, I want my land back. I am Maori and from New Zealand, and this land is mine by birthright. I want that land in New Zealand that you own back. What do you say? These are your beliefs arent they? Land ownership to the indigenous right?

Because denying the ministers travel makes them angry, and they take out their anger by beating and robbing the citizens of Zimbabwe. Same thing happens when you deny them weapons, refuse to let them have unlimited free Western money, throw their morning newspaper in the bushes, or let them stub their precious little toesies on a crack in the sidewalk.

Shame. Comparing Castro and Mugabe. A true revolutionary versus Sir Robert Mugabe, a Knight of the Order of Bath. Though the queen of england has now stripped him of this knighthood have these people at the herald ever asked themselves what Mugabe had done between 1980 and 1994 that made the english queen(remember Zimbabwe was colonised for 'Queen and Country) knight him, and him accept it. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is today the premier meritorious Order of the Crown.

Waste of time commenting on this artcle,it clearly shows it was written by someone who has never been in Cuba.

These are the usual excuses repackaged and recyled by the usual apologists of corrupt dictatorships that lost their bearings and use long ago. Now Cuba is Zimbabwe's role model ? It doen't even begin to compare.

The only reason Mugabe is till in power is that the leadership of the south regional superpower - South Africa - has chosen to side with the corrupt regime in Harare. It is not a stretch to suggest that South Africa does not want a strong and independent Zimbabwe next to it.

These are revolutionaries turned self-seekers and oppressors while still using fighting colonialism and imperialism as excuses.

It is the very nature of dominant and strong powers that they are imperialistic; that is history. To waste time argueing or expecting otherwise is to be delusional.

For example the Jews in Hilter's Germany were the oppressed, now that they are in the driver's seat in Isreal, they are the oppressors (of the Palestanians).

But that is no excuse for the corrupt order that now passes for leadership in Africa. On the contrary that is the very antithesis of sound leadership or socalled revolutionary movement idealogies they pretended to espouse.

The current African leadership is now the new oppressors of Africans, and they are MORE oppressive than colonialists!

For Africa the solution is a democratic/constitutional order; enough of Castro/Cuban styled revolutions that are as ineffectual as they are fantastical.

I will leave the name calling business to respective MDC and ZPF supporters, but i have my doubts that name calling will brng solutions to Zimbabwe problems. I will dwell on the subject of sanctions. In my view, the intended targets have suffered to a much lesser extent than the generality of the people. These sanctions that are supposed to help the general populace have actually made them suffer so much to the extent that the West must revisit this strategy, its not working as intended. Yes the ZPF economic policies have disastrous effects and equally so, the sanctions.

TD listen, in the past Zapu was sponsored by the USSR/Russia and Zanu by China. Imagine you, TD, would have a shop. If people don't buy the stuff from your shop than it doesn't help to call your "clients" all kind of things because they don't buy at your shop. This would be a jallowlaw marketstrategy. I imagine jallohlow or another lunatic standing behind the counter of your shop. If people pass the shop without buying anything it's not very clever to call their behaviour illegal and or things. It's your potential client's own free choice to go somewhere else. So if even the old mates from Russia and China don't buy at your shop either anymore, there must be something wrong with your shop. And you can't blame the whole outside world for not doing any sales. For it's still your shop, So the management of the shop (read mugabe, former president) can better be replaced, since this management doesn't have any clue for the reason of low sales. Shouting against targeted sanctions doesn't work. Why not try to get new clients? But even after decades it hasn't dawned on Zanu/Mugabe. Try at your new markets a new miss tourism who will try to let people go to your shop. Unfortunately the former miss tourism lives in england now. So she gave up her task. A very dedicated type this miss tourism 2008 haha. Again a blow to the stupid policy of the so called war hero who even is afraid to look Nelson Mandela's wife into the eyes. Yes the former Mrs Machel from 1974 knows perfectly well real freedomfighters did not want Mugabe at the time and considered him to be a Smithagent.

My position is that in as much as i agree that the ZPF economic policies have been disastorous, the targetted sanctions have also had their negative impact and if you look at the ZIDEIRA or whatever, that American bill, it bans the American companies from doing business with some companies in Zim, and subject to interpretation, some innocent companies have been caught in the crossfire. I place hope in the GPA agreement signed by MT, RG and AM and they should be barred from leaving Zim till they agree to make it work. I respect those who might have different opinions.

"The shop is mine!" "Calm down grandad, take your tablet." "The shop is mine!" "But nobody buys from there grandad. Nothing to sell, cholera." " There is no cholera in Zimbabwe." "Sure grandad, put on your green electioncampaign pyama and please do not shit in your pants this time." "Tomorrow you get a hamburger with double french fries" "Zimbawe is mine" "We know grandad" "But not for long anymore" ""For sure "

"Zimbabwe is mine" "Sure grandad" "Zimbabwe will never be a british colony again" "Sure grandad, please clean yourself this time, I want to go to an Elvis Presley concert right now"