ZEF Letter to His Excellency J Zuma

ZEF Letter to His Excellency J. Zuma [doc 177kb]

Opinion

An African Answer to African Problems

http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com


June 20, 2012, 11:30 am

By EUSEBIUS MCKAISER

JOHANNESBURG — If only I could be a Malawian citizen for a day. Then I could 
brag that my country’s new leader, President Joyce Banda, is doing the right 
thing by warning Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir that he’ll be arrested if he 
sets foot in Malawi. In honoring the arrest warrant that the International 
Criminal Court has issued against Bashir for crimes against humanity — and 
showing basic respect for human rights and international law — she stands 
virtually alone among African leaders.

You’d think she’d get credit for that. After all, governments across the 
continent have been keen to demonstrate to the international community that 
they have the capacity and the political will to guarantee human rights 
across the region. Yet the Zimbabwean politician Jonathan Moyo, a close ally 
of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (who no doubt fears his day in 
court), has accused Banda of bowing to pressure from international donors.

Read more: An African Answer to African Problems

   

Copac draft versus Kariba draft

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/


Zimbabwe is probably the most exciting country to live in at this point in 
time. There is no end to the fun and games, especially on the political 
front. Never before have we seen Zanu (PF), the former liberation movement, 
so disunited, disparaged and desperate than we see it now.
22.05.1206:32pm
by John Makumbe

The fights that used to take place within that party behind closed doors are 
now coming out in the open. The push has finally come to the shove; it is 
not a nice picture. Media reports indicate that the succession dilemma has 
now been openly discussed in the politburo, complete with naming and 
shaming. This is a clear sign that the once formidable political party has 
now reached such a level of disintegration that even President Mugabe is 
shocked and frightened.

The cut-throat competition pertaining to the elections of district 
coordinating committee officials is a case in point, as the two major 
factions in Zanu (PF) compete/fight for grassroots support. Naturally, the 
national political commissar has been asked to clean up the mess as soon as 
possible. This, as we all know, is the time when the job of the national 
commissar becomes a high-risk undertaking.

Read more: Copac draft versus Kariba draft

   

Mugabe must walk the talk on call against violence

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/


Sunday, 11 March 2012 12:07

President Mugabe’s ongoing cry against violence is a good new-start for a 
nation which has seen needless extra-judicial shedding of blood. But these 
calls come to naught if he personally does not act against the perpetrators 
who seem to enjoy impunity.

Of late the president has used every opportunity coming his way to denounce 
violence. This is the sensible thing to do for violence is the savage’s 
resort, when reason flies out. No serious nation can allow violence to 
circumscribe its narrative.

Why should there be violence when diversity is an inherent facet of any 
society? That natural diversity dictates citizens have the right to support 
different political persuasions under the protection of the constitution. 
Diversity of opinion is an inalienable right and to try to suppress it is to 
work against the rule of law.

Zimbabwe’s liberation war was premised on the need to give every citizen the 
vote and the war did not prescribe which political party that vote would go 
to. Combatants did not go to war for a particular political grouping; 
patriots go to war for substantive ideals.

Read more: Mugabe must walk the talk on call against violence

   

Eddie Cross: Can we do it?

http://www.swradioafrica.com


Eddie Cross
Harare, 17th February 2012

I think one of the greatest challenges I face in my day to day labors is a 
thing called Afro Pessimism. I find it in the old Rhodies who inhabit the 
region and who justifiably claim that Ian Smith was right when he said we 
were not ready to govern ourselves. They point to the awful track record of 
every State that has come to independence and been subsequently governed by 
some sort of regime drawn from the indigenous peoples of the continent. 
There is no gainsaying that the record is abysmal.
I come across it in many young Africans (of all shades and backgrounds) with 
some experience of the developed world and who look at Africa and ask if it 
can really be fixed? The most shameful group are those who fought for 
independence, believed in their new freedoms and the power to do things 
their way, only to find that behind that cardboard front that the liberation 
Parties presented to the world was a collection of greedy, self opinionated 
and power hungry monsters who simply used their freedom and power to rape 
and pillage.

Read more: Eddie Cross: Can we do it?