Fear in Zimbabwe. I have heard a lot say western media led by CNN, BBC and others exaggerate about the situation in Zimbabwe. On the contrary I now am convinced that western media understate the gravity of the situation in Zimbabwe. — A Beautiful Gift
Talks about talks. Even forgetting the rapaciousness of Robert Mugabe’s regime and the politics he has created, the immediate concerns that my friends have for their families and friends do not involve roaming bands of ZANU-PF thugs, but rather fears of famine, the mind-boggling inflation that continues to skyrocket — it is at an incomprehensible 2.2% with no signs of abating — despite (because of?) the introduction of laughable bank notes, such as the new Z$100 billion bill that is worth about $1 US and can buy approximately four oranges, or could as of yesterday, if one could find oranges to buy, and the fact that a loaf of bread now costs approximately a third of a teacher’s monthly salary. — Africa – Foreign Policy blogs
Should the west intervene? There are discussion on African business sites about investors waiting in the wings until things stablize and then they plan to start shops and businesses. In other words, throwing out Mugabe is the easy part. Making a stable government to allow economic recovery is the hard part. And the danger is the chaos and even civil war that could happen if Mugabe was thrown out by outsiders, or by a poorly trained Army that lacks discipline and quickly descends to looting and pushing people around. So until South Africa, or Botswana, or Mozambique, is willing to allow a professionals to train a Zimbawean liberation Army on their soils to start their country’s liberation, I say: let Mugabe stay. He can’t live forever… Better a stupid dictator than chaos and civil war. — Mugabe Makaipa
Economic sanctions? Proposals from abroad are claiming that economic sanctions must be imposed to ensure that foreign-owned companies do not support the Mugabe regime. Though well intentioned, they may easily fail to have the effect intended and would more likely become threats to any susceptible company’s financial survival. In fact, Mugabe may even respond by imposing on them even more controls, or possibly by nationalizing those companies of more strategic importance. — Kubatana.net
When we were in Zimbabwe 7 years ago inflation was ridiculous, availability of everyday products was almost nil, people were starving and spending their days standing around under trees for shelter, there were squatters in the game parks (there were reports that some families trying to make it on the land were being eaten by lions) and the good people of Zimbabwe were secretly hoping that Mugabe would rob the country blind and p*** off somewhere so they could be rid of him.
We were taken through a private game reserve as a short cut to an airfield. It had 4 metre high fences and a thriving population of wild animals there for the shooting by the owner and his friends. The owner was a wealthy oil sheik and rarely used the park unless he had someone to showoff to.
We questioned what the world was doing to help these oppressed people.
When the coalition of the willing rescued the Iraqi people from the tyranny of Saddam did anyone question if there were others under a greater and more damaging tyrant ???
The middle eastern countries want the west to stay out of their politics so why does the west, when asked, stay out of african politics???
But I think back to a story told by “Promise” a Zimbabwean concierge, while waiting for a taxi out.
He told of the clever monkeys were able to break into people’s homes and eat their food. The monkeys had learned to open fridges and even to unlatch bolts to get at the goodies.
The most memorable bit was the story about the monkey who stole and drank 2 litres of oil.
I guess Zimbabwean people will always be at the mercy of monkeys whose only interest is oil.