by Shenali D Waduge
Robert Mugabe has to be one of the West’s worst nightmares. He is certainly one amongst the handful remaining Africans that is open against white oppression. Africa needs African leaders rooted in Africa not African leaders that the West hero worships because they are ready to continue white supremacy. This was the difference between Mugabe and Mandela. Robert Mugabe is fighting to reverse the legacy of colonialism, Mandela was prepared to continue Apartheid economy in exchange for black political power that really meant nothing for the blacks. How wrong can Mugabe be when he says the land and natural resources belong to Zimbabwe and not to white colonialists? Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. Mugabe is the only native leader who ever repossessed territory that was usurped by foreign colonisers. And he did so while they were in full occupation and while they were actively farming and prospering. No other African leader has ever re-possessed land while the purloined real estate was actively occupied by the usurpers. Mugabe did it! And he did so single-handedly! That surely must judge his heroism.
Zimbabwe was formerly known as Rhodesia named after Cecil Rhodes – the only Rhodes memory today is that of the Rhodes Scholarship. Cecil Rhodes was defeated but the British were quick to appoint Idi Amin to look after their interests. The Heroes of the whites are those willing to ensure that no blacks will touch any of the land the whites had stolen. They loved Mugabe when he like many other white appointed leaders were ready to dance to the white tune. That however did not last long.
Mugabe was in fact given knighthood in 1994 by the British Government! Sir Robert Mugabe Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath of course he was stripped of the title 7 years later. Lord Doughlas Hurd was foreign secretary when Mugabe was given knighthood and when questioned he said the knighthood may have been given because Mugabe hosted the Commonwealth. Lets hope President Rajapakse is not fooled into this possibility by his advisors!
When these leaders started to shift allegiance, the heroes soon became villains. We all know how Osama, Saddam, Gaddafi fell from grace. BBC wrote glowing reports on Mugabe for 25 years up until the time Mugabe started introducing land reforms. Thereafter the white media started to promote Morgan Tsangvirai’s MDC party after the West started to pumping cash. MDC was no different to South African ANC – both ready to allow the whites to continue the economic hold on their respective countries.
Sanctions became the best way the West knew to deal with Zimbabwe. US froze credit against Zimbabwe and this was how Zimbabwe’s economic troubles started and not during the land reclamation. The white media was quick to relay about whites being forced off the land. Every story will refer to create a false scenario that Zimbabwe’s problem are because the whites lost their land and had to leave and not because the credit was removed. Reclaiming lands did not cause starvation – sanctions against Zimbabwe did. Robert Mugabe has not committed any action against the US, nor supported any terror but he remains on the terror list. Mugabe was wise to strike up alliances that would protect Zimbabwe and protection came. China blocked moves for military intervention that US and Britain was attempting to achieve through the UN.
Mandela is a hero because he was ready to dance to the tune of the imperialists. 65% blacks in South Africa remain unemployed while 90% of whites remain rich and in possession of over 90% of South Africa’s wealth because Mandela was quite prepared to keep it that way and for maintaining the status quo Mandela remains their hero. Let us not forget that none of the Whites ever confessed to any crimes before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Blacks remain very poor in a very rich nation with white South Africans still very rich. This is narrative of reconciliation appears nothing but a bogey to avoid coming down to real terms to discuss violations and the redress of these violations
The whites possessed the title deeds for the finest agricultural land upon which they established 70.000 mega-farms. And they farmed the land for 110 years. The physical labour was provided by the natives of the country. And these people were virtually enslaved.
Mr Mugabe said he embarked on the land-grab programme in 2000 to address the expropriation of land from blacks during white rule that ended after a civil war in 1980.
Zimbabwe’s land reforms are an envy to most. Of course we need to always keep in mind that there are sanctions and limitations. But given that the land is now under ownership of Zimbabweans who are slowly putting the land to use, with proper investments and if treated as co-partners instead of mere employees of western foreign governments Zimbabwe would surely prosper. This is a good lesson for other Third World countries ever ready to dole out land to foreign investors and leaving their own people mere employees in lands that belong to the natives.
The indigenisation policies in the mining sector have added to the land-owning middle class by creating mining entrepreneurs. These are people who have taken advantage of the availability of state shares in foreign owned companies. The state owns 51% of the mineral resources part of which belongs to the community, another percentage is due to the employees.
Another is availed to the entrepreneurs who can purchase them. The rest is used by the state for the benefit of the country. The minerals under Zimbabwean soil belong to Zimbabwe and anyone who needs them must join Zimbabweans on that basis. The West must therefore stop the silly regime change programs that are being replicated the world over simply to put white men on indigenous ground or get indigenous men who would work on behalf of the whites – only a thin line sets both apart.
Let us remind ourselves that it was only after the British were confident that they had created enough ‘Yes Brown/Black Men’ that they decided to give independence and bumped off the real nationalists who would have stood in the way of their outsourced domination.
