(Hat-tip to malasadas )

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Another African attempt at finding a solution to an African problem, another disappointment.

When former SA president Mbeki brokered the "historic" power-sharing deal between Mugabe and the opposition, there was cautious optimism that African diplomacy had come of age.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the AU, who are guarantors of the September 15 power sharing deal, touted it as the solution to Zimbabwe's decade old economic "of dictators" tag. With a new breed of leaders like Botswana's Ian Khama, Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete, Zambia's Levy Mwanawasa (he has since died) and SA's Thabo Mbeki (he resigned a week later) met, the continent had every reason to believe that SADC would bring the hard-nosed Mugabe into line. But despite tough talk by SA and BW that the Zim crisis had dragged on for too long, those well schooled in African politics did not yet order the champagne...

They knew that when faced with a choice between morality and expediency, African leaders choose expediency. The AU and SADC observers were unequivocal that Mugabe had stolen the June election. Yet it was only Botswana, Nigeria, Kenya and Liberia that rejected the old dictator's posturing and refused to accept him as a legitimate head of state.

Expectations were that the opposition would reject the AU position but it confounded its critics by agreeing to discuss a unity government with the election loser; yes, there was so much optimism that SADC would score a first by finding an African solution to an African problem.

But the SADC initiative hit a brick wall a fortnight ago when an extraordinary summit tried to impose an unworkable solution to the impasse over the sharing of cabinet portfolios between Mugabe's ruling Zanu/PF and the opposition MDC. The 5 out of 15 heads of state who bothered to attend the summit in Jo'burg were outfoxed by the wily Mugabe. He managed to have adopted the unworkable position that the feuding parties co-share the Interior Ministry.

Analysts say the failure of SADC in Zimbabwe can be traced to its unwillingness to tackle regional crises that first emerged in the DRC in 1998. Similar half-hearted attempts have been seen in SADC interventions in Lesotho and Swaziland where dictatorships have been legitimised.

I think the regional body's failure in Zim can be traced to Mugabe's consistent exploitation of the politics of the liberation movements. He continues to hide behind claims that his political opponents are agents of imperialism. As a result, the ruling ANC in SA, FRELIMO in Moz, Namibia’s SWAPO and MPLA in Angola continue to support Mugabe, making it difficult for the regional leaders to censure the dictator.

Even if Botswana, Zambia and to a lesser extent Tanzania have been vocal in rejecting Mugabe's dictatorship, countries led by the liberation movements have managed to drown their voices. To demonstrate that the Harare regime believes its politics of scaremongering works, it's now bogged down in a diplomatic row with Botswana after it made outrageous but familiar accusations that Gaborone was training opposition linked bandits. Duh...

Ps. And now, Zimbabwe has denied access to Jimmy Carter and Koffi Anan. LOL.

Russian veto raises questions about Medvedev
Analysts said Russia's veto had little to do with Zimbabwe itself...

"The summit was a chance for Medvedev, hand-picked by his popular predecessor Vladimir Putin, to show Western leaders that he is in charge of the world's largest country. The back-and-forth on Zimbabwe undermined that effort."


Pawns in a game. That's what you are. All of you. Meanwhile, people will continue to get beaten there...

Right now I need a chaingun, and a plane ticket to the place of the next G8 summit...

Officials release 1st result in Zimbabwe election recount

Nearly four weeks after the unresolved presidential election, a state-run newspaper said Wednesday that a national unity government led by longtime leader Robert Mugabe could end Zimbabwe's deepening political and economic crisis.

In a prominently displayed editorial in the Herald, considered a government mouthpiece, columnist Dr. Obediah Mazombwe called a unity government "the most viable and safest way forward."

He said regional leaders, along with "the progressive international community," could bring together key players: Mugabe's party, the opposition, former colonial ruler Britain and the United States.

"The West, particularly the Anglo-American establishment, should stop insisting that President Mugabe and ZANU-PF cannot be part of a future prosperous Zimbabwe," Mazombwe said.

South Africa’s Support for Zimbabwe Seems to Wane

I recently wrote a long post with some thoughts about Zimbabwe. Some people wondered why I am so interested about Zimbabwe. Well there are several reasons - a general one, a professional one and now a personal one.

The "general" reason is that I live in Johannesburg which is just a couple of hundred kilometers away from the South African - Zimbabwean border. The situation in Zimbabwe is very desperate. I already explained it in the previous post. So most of the people who flee the country every day are choosing South Africa as their destination. The situation on the border is very complicated and also the situation with the illegal Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa is very similar to that of the illegal Mexican immigrants to USA. They are exploited by their new employers, they are underpaid and live in terrible conditions without a way out. Some people call this a new form of slavery by blacks on blacks in a country which is still trying to bring itself together in reconciliation after the Apartheid.

( The rest of my story )