Zimbabweans Learn a Lesson

December 20, 2007 0 Comments

You can’t a blame a man for trying, Thabo Mbeki saw this coming, Zuma amidst all the chaos ,corruption charges and a HIV story so ridiculous no self respecting man would have said out loud after thinking it, has come out tops. This was not a close, 60% voted for Zuma even after he told people he had washed AIDS off him after he had relations with a carrier. Mbeki, in my opinion, is one of those people born to be a deputy and that is just what he was meant to be, imagine if Nelson Mandela was greedy for power like you know who, then he would still be in his shadow. I almost feel sorry for him because he has to start looking in the classifieds or collect that pension but on the other hand, everything was handed to him and his main job was to look like he knew what he was doing and make a few changes here and there but he couldn’t even achieve that. People in South Africa have realized that despite being free, some of them still suffer in an economically progressing country. One of the main reasons Jacob Zuma is a favorite among the people is because of his charisma and the key role he played in the fight against apartheid. Poverty is still rife in South Africa hence the rise in crime and the AIDs figures, the gap between rich and poor is more evident than ever. The people need someone who can make this right not someone who just turns up at the office. My main problem with Mr. Mbeki as head of the most powerful Southern African State is his Policy on Zimbabwe or lack of. For many years he sat back and watched the neighboring country go down the drain despite the fact a man in his position could have helped the situation. Not too long ago Mr. Mbeki told BBC’s Hardtalk programme that time was running out for Zimbabwe and admitted that President Robert Mugabe had not listened to him during their repeated meetings his words were “We’ve got to find a way of getting out of this crisis, it is critical”. Thabo Mbeki was the only politician who could have prevented further tragedy in Zimbabwe but he let the situation deteriorate whilst preventing countries willing to help provide this much needed help, don’t get me wrong I’m sure there were/are areas he is very good at but I can tell you that it was not foreign policy.

There are 3 main reasons why Thabo Mbeki has adopted his quiet policy when it comes to Zimbabwe.

The main one being skilled labour force, He is getting the cream of skilled and professional labour force from across the borders doctors, professors, lectures, teachers, engineers, business people etc without the hassle of educating and training them. His Universities are packed with Zimbabwean students who will eventually add to the growing wealth of human resources in South Africa. To be fair though who would give this away? he has been a bit selfish for the benefit of his own economy.

Empty shelves have forced thousands (who are not politically connected) to flock to neighboring South Africa to shop for basic commodities. According to South African economists Zimbabwean shoppers are pumping billions into their economy and have not been deterred by the new heavy Customs and Excise, now ask yourself if Zimbabwe’s economy was stable would SA be benefiting from this. There has been talk about illegal immigrants crossing over from Zimbabwe and settling in the bordering towns of South Africa but this is a small problem compared to the benefits South Africa is currently enjoying due to the chaos and the unstable economy.

The 3rd reason why Thabo Mbeki is so soft when it comes to the Zimbabwe issue is because he is soft, he does not have the balls to tell Robert Mugabe and his government that they have crippled the country and are making Africa look bad. Trust me it’s easy Thabo next time you meet tell him, “Bob you are getting on now and you are no longer fit to run the country give someone else a chance, maybe someone younger, a fresh mind that will restore Zimbabwe to the Great African Nation it used to be”. And don’t just say it do something about it, the international community has looked upon you to make a difference but we are yet to see you pull your finger out. Well, the lesson Zimbabweans should learn from the Mbeki/Zuma saga is that change is possible. Leaders come and go, if they are not up to the task, get them out .Mr. Mbeki was out of touch with his people and now he is on his way out. Robert should have left a long time ago and someone else should have stepped in to do the job, that my people is how democracy does and should work.