Mandela-Mugabe lots in common, total opposites

There have been two health scares regarding two prominent African political giants over the past week or so. The world is presently shaken by the admittance of Nelson Mandela to Johannesburg's Milpark Hospital due to an undisclosed ailment. Judging from the number of prominent visitors who have flocked to visit the liberation stalwart, there might be some truth in rumours that he has suffered a collapsed.


Last week, news networks were also abuzz with rumours of Robert Mugabe having had emergency prostrate surgery in Malaysia. The Malaysian authorities first refused to confim or deny the rumours, then gave an all out denial later. Needless to say, Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party have rubbished these rumours and attributed them to the same elements that regularly churn out false rumours about his health and at times, his "death."
As I reflect on the two leaders, I come to a realisation that the two men share so much in common, yet paradoxically, they are total opposites. Both men have qualifications in law, and both attended the famous Fort Hare University in South Africa's Eastern Cape province. They are past victims of  oppressive minority regimes and had to face lengthy prison terms for their activism. Both are credited with playing key roles in bringing political independence to their countries and Africa in general. Madiba and Bob were the first democratically elected leaders of their respective countries and are both on record as having stepped into office with messages of unity, forgiveness, reconciliation and democracy. As we speak, both are subjects of media headlines with regards the state of their health.

With so much in common it is therefore ironic that Mandela's state of health has triggered a world wide display of affection with millions wishing and praying that their 92 year old hero recovers fully. Whenever rumours fly around about Mugabe's allegedly poor state of health ,on the other hand, the social networks  go abuzz with celebrations and death wishes. It is really testimony to how the choices we make in life at one point, affect our future. The fact that Mandela only stayed in power for one term and never used his position to opress his own people makes him the icon that he is today. Mugabe's decision to become Zimbabwe's life-long leader and his record of human rights abuses and the economic ruin of Zimbabwe have  made him one of the most hated men in the world.

Here is a man who had the opportunity of enjoying a similar status to that which Mandela holds today. At one point he was hailed as the epitome of what a modern day African leader should be, especially since he had inherited one of Africa's "jewels"- Zimbabwe. We sure hope that Tata Mandela will stick around longer. Africa's balance of power is currenlty leaning more to the side of dictators and dictators-in waiting. We definitely need the likes of Madiba to prevent a total tip over of the balance. As for Mugabe, it is only a tiny minority that is benefitting from his rule and therefore wishing him a longer life. Some only wish him a long life for the sole reason that they wantto  witness that day that he hauled off to the Hague.

Politics a filthy rich game for Zim ministers

Politics is a dirty game it is often said, but for some of Zimbabwe’s government ministers, it certainly is a great way to make a pretty penny. While some of us weep at the plunder and rape of our motherland, some are smiling all the way to the Swiss Banks.


Take a look at this article and also this one, and see if you are not gob-smacked at how one individual can have such obscene wealth having worked only as a "lowly-paid" civil servant. With several farms here and dozens of estates and mines there, Dr Ignatius Chombo like many of his Zanu-PF counterparts certainly has a lot to thank Robert Mugabe for. It is no wonder that while the world calls for change in Zim, the Zanu-PF bigwigs will fight tooth and nail and even kill, just to ensure that their party remains in power so that they can maintain a perpetual grip on the cookie jar.

Does Mugabe really want the West to go hell?

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has come out guns blazing to declare that the West must go "to hell." This latest damnation of the United States, Britain and other western powers is as a result of what he alleges are attempts to dominate Africa (and Zimbabwe in particular) through systematic regime changing sanctions imposed on him and his colleauges in Zanu-PF.



News reports have it that this emotional outburst was spoken at the burial of his sister, Sabina Mugabe and triggered a walk out by US ambassador Charles Ray. Most of us are accustomed by now to these outbursts which know no platform and are uttered as easily at a political rally as they are at solemn occassions such as funerals. Here we were, thinking that a funeral is a time for intense grieving that often has close family members heart broken and shying away from eulogies, let alone political outbursts about "hell!"



What tends to confuse many though are the contradictory statements which often come out of the aged leader regarding the West. On some days, the West is told to go to hell, while on some, they are asked to remove the sanctions and engage with the coalition government of Zimbabwe. If the sanctions are a no-event, why should there be so much noise about them? If the West should go to hell, why woo back the Bretton Woods institutions, namely the World Bank and IMF, to help rescuscitate the economy? Why seek approval to export your diamonds from the international diamond trade watchdog, the Kimberly Process, if indeed you can go it alone? One senses that the critical West must go to hell, but the piggy bank carrying West is welcome.



Speaking of diamonds, another point that raises eyebrows stems from Mugabe's comments at the funeral about the rich diamond fields of Marange. These gems from Eastern Zimbabwe were recently granted export approval by the Kimberely Process, hence President Bob took the opportunity at the funeral to blast and warn those that are after "individual aggrandisement. " They were reminded that these diamonds which are set to contribute up to 25% of the world's supply, should benefit the nation and not individuals. Too little, too late, it seems, if we have to consider that massive looting has already been done by Zanu-PF's top brass, backed by a military that has not hesitated to take lives while stamping their authority on the area.



The result is that the warning fails to instill much confidence that the procceeds of the diamonds will catupult Zimbabwe back to its old position of being the wealthiest nation in Southern Africa. Just as with the gold and platinum deposits, as long as action is limited to rhetoric meant to only entertain the gallery, no proper development will take place. Instead, looting will continue rampantly. We will still see Hollywood style mansions worth millions of US dollars mushroom in the richer suburbs of Harare, while the ordinary man toils to survive. The Western powers are not saints, that is a fact, but it does not take away another fact, that the worst enemies of Zimbabwe are the selfish, power and money hungry sons of its own soil.