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Pretoria — The US yesterday announced a major policy shift on Zimbabwe, saying President Robert Mugabe must go because he had become a stumbling block to that country's economic recovery and political stability.
Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Jendayi Frazer said the US had given the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the South African-led facilitation process all the support and time needed to move Zimbabwe forward.
After five years of diplomatic efforts by SA and a September 15 deal that Mugabe had sabotaged and failed to implement, the US had concluded SADC should now prepare to "ease" Mugabe out of power. "Mugabe is a barrier to progress, and is not likely to be a viable partner towards the successful implementation of the September deal."
Angered by Mugabe's recent statement that Zimbabwe belonged to him and his refusal to acknowledge cholera's effects as the economy collapsed, the US is pressing SADC leaders to speak with one voice, and call on Mugabe to step down.
Frazer said South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had worked hard to convince the US, particularly Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to give the facilitation process and its outcome a chance.
Even though the deal was flawed, the US and the world supported it, but Mugabe had proved without doubt he was "not prepared to share power. We still believe that the power-sharing deal can work if Zanu (PF) and the two groups of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) implement it, as long as Mugabe is no longer the president," she said.
"It (the deal) presents the foundation for the way forward and the basis for the envisioned government of national unity, and therefore should not be discarded," Frazer said.
"We honestly think that the facilitation process is over. This is now a serious political problem for the SADC leaders, who must act, especially now that the region is feeling the impact of the consequences of Mugabe's action," she said.
"These guys (Mugabe and his lieutenants) are robbing the country blind, and are looting in a manner never seen before. It must stop."
Frazer ruled out military action, saying SADC could get Mugabe out in a month. SA had the regional political power and economic strength to impress upon Mugabe that his actions were no longer tolerable.
While the US appreciated SA wanted to "carefully manage the Zimbabwe crisis" without ending up with 3-million Zimbabweans on its doorstep, the longer SA delayed drastic steps the longer the effect of a collapsed state on SA and SADC resources.
The US would take the issue to the United Nations Security Council for discussion and resolution next month.
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I write this observation as an American citizen.I have worked in several countries on the Contyinent of Africa. The USA is having many crises all major ones any of which can cause its downfall.One gentleman Medoff has stolen 50Billion USDollars ,the governor of the state of Illionois is tied to a corruption scandal a.The USA should not be encouraging what amount to rhetoric that can destabalise the entire region.
South Africa...Your governance is good and you have populated your system of governing with men and women of integrity,for sight and compentance, make your own decisions about your regional conflicts.The US statesman who encouraged the neighbors to turn against Zimbabwe is not a man of good experience and Knowledge any problems that may result from your actions will leave you unsupported
well I do not know what you did in Africa and where your worked here but I too live here and sorry not all the men and women in power here have integrity or can be trusted. I would love to see the SADC and AU resolve this problem themselves but well there are issues in 3-5 countries now on the continent which Zim is taking a majority of the press here now.
If you have a clue who Mugabe is and what he has and still is doing then I know your comment would be different. People are dying of starvation and a cholera epidemic that is much bigger than being reported..
I agree that the US is far from perfect but I cannot place Meodoff in the same picture as with Mugabe...
Hhhmmm mm m ... my friend, thats very true that people, lots of them, are suffering and dying from cholera, hunger and HIV diseases ... but what has that to do with our Head of State as a an individual? You make it sound so personal! Surely our President has no more to do with the suffering of his people than Winston Churchill did in the last English war against the great Aryan race of Germany (1939-45)or the USA president in the muslim world. The other day, the UK police shot and killed, in cold blood, an unarmed man in the precinct of Guildford cathedral, the prime minister of great Britain was not even mentioned in the newspaper stories which followed the mishap.If that had happened in great Zim, all blame would have been placed on the shoulders of our president. l am sure our president is as much concerned about the welfare of all Zimbabweans. I am sorry that it appears that your problem is that you are not willing to accept leadership from fellow Africans. Even Tsvangirai is going to suffer from your lack of respect for your own. Of course there are going to be errors and mistakes, shortcomings and unfulfilled promises, still l would rather have a Tshabangu, Moyo or Gutu as preident of great zim than an non-african. l am not a racist at all. Some of my best friends are non-Africans. Thats the way of the world ... each country has their own as leaders eg UK, France, Russia, USA, Nigeria, Egypt etc. They do not trivialise their leaders.
Yes there is something the US can do. Even if the foray in Africa by previous adminstrations failed it is time to think the unthinkable.
Despite the disastrous end to Somalian humantarian effort and failure to save Rwanda from the genocide it is time for the US to act on behalf of the persecuted Africans living in murderous tyrannical states.
Clinton helped free the Balkans, Bush W has helped free Iraq, Obama should help free Africa by getting rid of sensless, mindless, and needless tyranny in Africa.
He could start from Sudan or Zimbabwe, it doesn't matter but the message has to be sent to the rest of African tyrants that the rest of world cannot stand by and watch the sensless human degradation and morass.
I know the shameless perpetrators of the wanton pogroms on the African continent will always scream neo-colonialism or racism, but they should rightly be ignored. The next adminstration come 2009 should act to stop the genocide in Darfur - even if it means invading Sudan, and effect regime change in Zimbabwe. It is not like it is as expensive as removing the Iraqi tyrant, Saddam Hussein or the Serbian tyrant, Slobodan Milosevic.
The only problem is that the US doesn't have real overarching geopolitical or economic interests in Africa and has financial crisis on its hands but this cleaning up of African tyranny has to and must be done, just it was done is Europe and the (Arab) Middle East.
Enough is enough.
I am a ZImbabwean.I can swear akapfunde above is not a Zimbabwean.Mugabe is NOT concerned about the welfare of Zimbabweans, period!!I now have to look for a job in South Africa and send food back home monthly, why?
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