What to do with good ol' Mugabe?

Sorry readers, but you can forget about an introduction for this one. The title says it all. OK OK, maybe a small introduction. The world is at up and arms with regards to the situation in Zimbabwe and Mugabe's 're-election' as president of this crisis ridden country. The G8 has called for stronger sanctions against Mugabe and his Zanu PF leaders. These sanctions would include financial and travelling restrictions.

South Africa, with good reason, disagrees with stronger sanctions against the Mugabe regime. I would be so bold as to presume that the reason why the South African government does not want any sanctions against Mugabe is because it will cause that its proposed unity government (between and Mugabe and Tsvangirai) fail. South Africa proposes that Mugabe remains the president of Zimbabwe, with Tsvangirai as the Prime Minister. This sort of unity government worked for Kenya after its election twists and violence. However, thus far Tsvangirai refuses to speak to Mbeki and Mugabe (M&M?)

Looking at both options (the G8 and UN option of increasing santions and the South African and AU option of a unity government) I am of the opinion that sanctions against Mugabe would not be such a good idea. Mugabe seems to paint the picture that he does not care about the rest of the world out there. His attitude is that Zimbabwe belongs to him and if the rest of the world has a problem with it, its their problem. Sanctions against Mugabe would also not be effective when considering the future of a once prospering country. What the international community (the G8, UN, AU and SADC) should place their focus on is coming a solution that would take Zimbabwe's future into account. A unity government, as proposed by South Africa, could possibly be such a solution.

However, at the same time, I have to portray my disgust and shame in Bright Matonga (Deputy Information Minister of Zimbabwe) for saying that the proposed sanctions by the G8 and UN is racist and a insult to African leaders. This might sound really bad, but some people should just remain quiet and look suspiciously stupid, than say something and confirm the rest of the world's suspicion.

What happens in Africa, stays in Africa

The African Union officially asked the USA and the UN to but out of Africa's business and leave to Zimbabwe alone. This was backed by the South African Department of Foreign Affairs.

I know this is a bad spot to be in, but I find myself somewhere stuck in the middle. Firstly, I do agree that the USA should but out of Africa's business, as (1) they first have to deal with their own matters of national security and (2) Zimbabwe is no threat to their national security. As for the UN butting out? I do not think that this a good idea. The AU does not have a good reputation when it comes to dealing with African issues effectively. SADC neither. South Africa has not suceeded to come to a stable resolution for Zimbabwe. So, when it comes to AU and SADC not being able to effectively dealing with Zimbabwe and the Mugabe regime, then the UN should definitely assist. However, will sanctions against Zimbabwe, Mugabe and Zanu PF officials be effective?

In the public Mugabe seems to be of the attitude that he does not care of sanctions or any interference from the neo-liberal, western capatalist world. Unless, that interference comes from Great Britain. Anyhow, this is a topic for another debate.

Here are the facts: South Africa failed to assist Zimbabwe with the elections and diplomatic negotiations. SADC failed to do the same. If the AU fails, then who will come to the aid of Zimbabwe? The USA will breach the fundamental principles of state sovereignty. The UN perhaps? So, how can the UN just sit back and but out of Africa's business? The UN did that in Rwanda and looked what happened. Zimbabwe is not far away from the same atrocity. So who should deal with Mugabe?? That seems to be the million dollar question!

Where has the southern African spirit of 'Ubuntu' gone in light of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa? Or was it ever there in the first place?

On Sunday, 25 May 2005, Africa celebrated ‘Africa Day’ or as it is known in Zambia, ‘African Freedom Day’. However, when celebrating this marvellous continent in all its beauty, we should ask ourselves, as Africans, how far have we come to simply accept each other? How far have we come to practice the spirit of Ubuntu? (The spirit of Ubuntu is a southern African philosophy which focuses on peoples’ allegiances and relations with each other)

I have read countless articles where authors seem to shift the blame to the colonial powers that divided Africa at the Berlin Conference in 1884 – 1885. Yes, the colonial powers seemed to have created a divide between our people, based on race, tribes, etc. However, Europe has ‘left’ Africa a long time ago and yet we use those differences to advocate hatred and war among each other, as Africans.

Currently South Africa is seeing the result of our hatred to one another, as Africans. South African nationals are attacking people of foreign citizenship in South Africa, burning their houses and setting out to kill them. It is surprising to note that only citizens of foreign African countries are being attacked and the citizens of other continents, which are staying in South Africa, are left unharmed. The xenophobic attackers are stating that the African foreigners are committing crimes and taking employment from South African citizens. This is the reason for the attacks on all the foreign African citizens. Apart from the fact that they blatantly have no trust in the South African criminal justice system, they are also showing their hatred towards African foreigners. They are showing this hatred notwithstanding the fact that Ubuntu is an inherent southern African philosophy, which the South African government has countless times encouraged us to practice.

Although xenophobia cannot be compared to genocide, because the special intention, which is required to commit genocide, is lacking in xenophobia, the social circumstances are similar. Citizens from one country are attacking citizens from foreign countries, more particular foreign citizens from other African continents. The ultimate question remains, does Africa not learn from its previous and current mistakes? Robert Mugabe, who was an African hero, is also guilty of advocating xenophobic attacks against foreign farmers and farm workers from Malawi and other parts of Africa, who are living in Zimbabwe. Rwanda saw the bloody massacre of thousands of its citizens, for which the Hutu militia and the Rwandan government were responsible. Sudan is currently going through the same experience with the Janjaweed (a government backed militia) attacking all non-Muslim citizens of Sudan in the Darfur region.

Classification plays an important role in the attacks. Our roots and our ancestry define our being as Africans. However, when this classification allows us to ostracise one another, based on a certain classification, we should start comparing it to our sense for humanity… for Ubuntu. We should start comparing the importance of our tribe/ citizenship to that of having the African continent flourish with respect for human rights. This is a difficult decision to make, but if our tribe/ national classification is a reason to break us as Africans, then we should start to consider the importance thereof. If we cannot live in peace in our tribes, then we should start questioning the existence thereof. Kenya just recently gave testimony to where a political disagreement filtered into ethnic violence, with the Luo tribe violently attacking the members of the Kikuyu tribe. Rwanda abolished the Tutsi and Hutu ethnic classification after the 1994 genocide and today the country is on a successful route to have its citizens living in harmony and peace with each other.

I used Rwanda, Kenya and Sudan as examples of the consequences where the practice of Ubuntu was absent. In southern Africa this practice flourishes wonderfully in philosophy, but looking at the past atrocities in this region (Zimbabwe’s presidential and parliamentary elections and the xenophobic attacks in South Africa), I am of the opinion that Ubuntu is not present here, even though we are encouraged to practice it.