Zimbabwe in Transition: A 100-Day Report Card

Zimbabwe in Transition: A 100-Day Report Card

No going back on Zimbabwe GNU

I believe in progressive debate. We are at a point in Zimbabwe where some people are asking questions l sincerely think are the wrong ones,i.e should we pull out of the GNU? Rather we should be asking how to survive and maybe thrive in the GNU. It is practically counterproductive to begin to talk about pulling out now. Whilst l sympathize with those who feel ZANU PF doesn't deserve to be the senior partner, l don't agree with those who want to pull out now. It is too late. Those who want to pull out assume that the military junta care about the humanitarian emergency in Zimbabwe that their hearts will bleed if people start suffering the more with MDC pulling out. Men like General Chiwenga are no longer human in the true African sense of the word. We say 'munhu asina hunhu haasi munhu'meaning any being without a humane side is not human at all. Such men would rather see the entire country go up in flames as long as they retain their titles. Sharing power has interrupted a lot of their nonsense even the imperfect GNU is causing ‘perfect’ disharmony in their camp! Since the birth of our nation ZANU PF has never shared power to the extent it is doing right now. They are weakest in every sense of the word now.ZAPU entered the government after the Gukurahundi nightmare but the economy was tittering as it is doing now so the ZANAU cabal could still flex their muscles. Now even their own ill gotten businesses are wallowing in imminent bankruptcy.
I believe the MDC needs to torn down its baffling rhetoric on Mugabe being 'a great leader' like what Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara is alleged to have said and Prime Minister Tsvangirai's near desperation in defending Mugabe should simply stop. It is neither necessary nor helpful.However,l am encouraged by the sure slow death of the monster called ZANU PF.The military junta is running scared. Each time they are so angry, that’s a sign something isn't going well on their side. Let’s not forget that the real ZANU PF power brokers are either old or sick and hence nature is taking its course. These folks are finished! They may scream and resist but they are on their way out. They have lost all semblance of credibility. I don't know any serious person who takes them seriously now. Their wealth is crumbling under the biting targeted sanctions. Indeed for some of them it’s begun to hurt. Just listen to the shrieks during Politburo meetings. It’s working! I wish their downfall could be expedited though. I pray for God to strengthen the will of those who are resisting ZANU PF

The opposition needs to be united. They need to mind implications of some of their actions in order to maintain their own credibility. In accepting those brand new Mercedes Benz, the MDC made a monumental blunder. How can a decent minister move around in a Mercedes when his own staff is not even paid decent salaries? How can ministers accept those cars when they want MPs to reject the same cars? Aren’t we seeing double standards here? The MDC has been in the trenches for a while and a little solidarity with the people through rejecting those symbols of government arrogance and overspending would have been exemplary. There is still time for them to make amends. Those cars must go!
The PM needs to continue courting civil society. This is hardly the time for the MDC to lose its partners of old. This is time for unity not bickering.

My views are also changing on the military junta. I think they should be left off the hook provided they return their loot and farms. If they do that they can get immunity for their crimes. If this will bring peace to Zimbabwe, l think it’s worth it. In any case, who wants to arrest the visibly ailing Chihuri or Jocelyn Chiwenga?The irresponsible Msika is now 87 years old...just leave him to go home to his grand children. He has disgraced himself in not speaking against his colleagues and let him go down in his shame. Such men knew the right thing but did nothing for fear of opposition and as such Msika’s conscience is enough punishment for him. The same applies to John Nkomo and the other ZANU PF moderates.

There are glimmers of hope in the economy and nation. The resistance is residual and it’s on the wane. No going back on GNU. Let the junta scream...we are not going back!

Long live Zimbabwe!

The African tragedy;Great message,Bad Messengers

In December 2008 world renowned African public intellectual Professor Mahmoud Mamdani from Columbia University in the US wrote an article entitled ‘Lessons from Zimbabwe’ which drew widespread and almost embarrassing backlash from fellow African intellectualls.Infact one response had 35 names of prominent intellectuals and Human Rights activists in Africa lambasting and lampooning Mamdani's remarks.Mamdani's piece tried rather unsuccessfully to downplay the role and effectiveness of MDC whilst insinuating that Mugabe is where he is today because he is popular in the rural areas. He said a lot of things that l found distressing as a young scholar who is generally awestruck by Mamdani's indisputable work on Africa. This time he lost it. Mugabe’s legacy is a subject of intense debate particularly among Africans themselves.However, as the country continues to suffer many ostensibly have begun to revise their view on the man. Heroes are known to deliver, to defend and not to preside over the tragedy in Zimabwe.Which ever one looks at the situation in Zimbabwe, after 29 years as President, Zimbabwe has never been as weak as it is at any point in town. It is really an embarrassment considering the potential the nation has.
Indeed Africa has had such frustrating leaders like Kwame Nkrumah,Muammar Gaddaffi and Robert Mugabe among others. These are leaders with a message l have found convincing in some respects but their own actions betrayed them.Infact, many times the more lofty they spoke, the more hideous their actions became at home. These are leaders whose words cannot be reconciled with their actions.Infact, as for Mugabe and Nkrumah, their words are so different from their actions that anyone who reads about their actions might even think that the author is conspiring against the great Africanists.
It is a fact that President Mugabe is smart. He has at least 6 academic degrees to his name and most of them he got them as he labored to prepare for majority rule whilst in prision.As he languished in prison alongside some of the nation's finest freedom fighters who have mostly died, one can sense that Mugabe always had a deep belief in himself then and he believed that a day would come when the black majority would one day win the war against the boisterous and immoral Ian Smith regime. He was right for in 1980, Zimbabwe became independent.

Unfortunately many of the people Mugabe fought with are either dead, old or sidelined politically. A few cling to him and defend him like fools. Over the years, Mugabe has managed to eloquently expose annoying Western hypocrisy on several issues like Rwandan genocide and colonialism,IMF structural adjustment programmes etc.Infact,often his speeches generated standing ovations at UN general assembly meetings, momentarily as a Zimbabwean l often felt a sense of pride as our 'statesman shined’. My own first experience with Mugabe was in 1987 when l was a mere toddler in Masvingo.It was the 21st February movement when then nation would celebrate his birthday. I saw him at a close distance in Mucheke stadium. I never forgot it since then. Then he was popular. He would move around dazzling crowds with his speeches. But it was all talk because a few months before that, thousands of other Zimbabweans were being slaughtered in Matabeleland in a systematic effort to decimate Joshua Nkomo’s support in the region.Nkomo’s contributions in the liberation struggle spanned a longer period than Mugabe and he must have forever felt threatened as long as Nkomo moved freely. Over the years Mugabe has shown disrespect for some of Zimbabwe’s most courageous liberation war leaders.Infact he has been as ruthless to some freedom fighters as Smith was to African nationalists.Dumiso Dabengwa and General Lookout Masuku, kingpins of the struggle were incarcerated in the same jails Smith had kept them on spurious charges that he can hardly defend today. The difference was that liberation war heroes were being abused by a fellow comrade barely months into independence. Was Mugabe focusing on removing Smith shortly before independence or he spent more time thinking of how to sideline comrades as soon as he got power? One has a sense that as soldiers were fighting, Mugabe was brooding over sidelining tactics in the camps were soldiers were protecting him. Soon he would turn against the same soldiers.
One could argue that Mugabe's brave stand against Western bullying at international fora in a way emboldened some of his fellow leaders and it made some countries think twice before doing a couple of things. One thing is certain about Mugabe, he loves fights and he is not afraid of standing to anyone who looks down upon him. Many times great powers have shown disrespect to a couple of leaders. Mugabe would not brook such nonsense


Similalry; the mention of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana generates a sense of Pan Africanism in many Africans like me. Indeed he had vision of a United States of Africa. He was passionate about it and he actually sent material assistance at some point for the freedom of Zimbabwe. He was undeniably concerned about Africa’s liberation in every sense. To this day, he is widely y respected as a prophet of African unity.Infact when he was overthrown in a coup; he was made honorary co-President of neighboring Guniea.Imagine such reverence even upon falling from grace.

Gaddaffi assumed power in his 20s and over the years he has a reputation for broad shoulders and a spine. He remains the most vociferous proponent of the United States on Africa

However; these men have something in common; Hatred for Western domination and a strong belief in the strength and potential of Africa. As l follow their lives, l get stung at how much they equally dominated their own people. Nkrumah with all his lofty speeches and belief in unity where all Africans are free, instituted some of the most heinous pieces of legislation that attacked civil liberties.Infact, l struggle to comprehend how such an icon could at some point miss it to such lengths. The Trade Union Act of 1955 was passed and it outlawed all strikes. Soon after the Detention Act saw people arrested on account of alleged treason without recourse to law.Oppostion politicians naturally suffered under such legislations. It is not surprising that the man ended up being overthrown. Mugabe passed POSA which binds political parties to have their rallies cleared first by a partisan police before holding them. Not surprising, MDC rallies have been banned several hundred times.Infact, during the 2002 and 2008 elections, there were no go areas. Army generals came out on TV vowing never to allow anyone else from being President.AIPPA was passed and it saw shocking media restrictions. Independent media has been constantly under fire since then. The mighty Daily News, Tribune and many others were closed. The Daily News printer was bombed and to this day no one has been arrested. The paper itself was banned. Joseph Mwale, the cold murderer who killed countless Zimbabweans remains on government payroll to this day. Thousands of ZANU PF militias remain on payroll to this day with their sole responsibility being to terrorize anyone who stands in the way of President Mugabe and his lieutanants.Infact, one could argue that Zimbabwean tax payers pay to be murdered and raped. Their very tax money is used by Gideon Gono to pay for abductions and murders. Hundreds of MDC activists are unaccounted for to this day several weeks after the ‘inclusive government’ was put in place.
Gaddaffi's dictatorship is legendary and needs no elucidation
What is clear about these men is that they just hate to be dominated. It’s not so much about hatred for Western domination as it is a personal disdain for anyone who tries to undermine them personally. Mugabe literally loves British culture. He often goes to rural rallies in suits and speaks to helpless villagers in English! You check out his choice of attire as compared to the more ethnic tastes of his contempories you would be surprised when he claims that ‘l don’t need even a pin from Britian’ .His wife would prefer to shop at Harrods in UK that in Zimabwe.Their hatred for the British is hypocritical and it stinks to high heavens. For them it’s a hatred for anyone who treats them in a way that makes them feel powerless for once. It’s about their ego and not the people’s ‘sovereignty’.
Any man who does not respect the right of another man to live freely cannot be a hero. I struggle to appreciate these well known three men whose evils are obviously in varying degrees. They had no respect for their people’s lives. They believed that they were the only ones with a divine right to lead their nations.

Repressive legislation would be promulgated to deal harshly with anyone who feels they could liberate the country more than them. Mugabe once notoriously remarked 'I don’t know anyone who could have managed the economy better then me’. That sums it all. These three men are similar in having an exaggerated impression of themselves and their important.
They are the wrong sources of inspirations for emerging young African leaders.

They may have said certain things that are true and they said them in a manner that’s convincing but their characters betrayed them.
Character remains a major challenge. As the old leadership adage says, charisma will take you to the top but it is character that will keep you there. Indeed who can doubt the brilliance of Bill CLintion? But who can also doubt that he doesn’t represent the best of examples to great character particularly to young people in America?
Africa desperately needs leaders who speak with the eloquence of Mugabe, the tenacity of Nkrumah, the independence of Gaddafi yet the character and humility of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

Nyerere is another frustrating leader in that he was humble, reasonably incorruptible which was rare but his policies simply plunged his nation like a meteor into a pool of oblivion.Ujamaa was ill advised. Why do men of good character fail like that yet questionable people like Mugabe cling on for 29 straight years in power?
The molding of character remains a major necessity in our African schools. As students are being sent to school, character development should be an integral component of the development of students. As African economies continue to cough and sneeze, professionals are migrating and families are falling apart. A generation of young people is growing with absentee parents who are either trying to make ends meet for the family of dying with the scourge of AIDS. Africa has millions of orphans.
Mugabe grew up with an irresponsible father. Yet he was smart. One cannot doubt that his less than helpful childhood contributed in making of the heartless man he has turned out to be.
Investing in children and education is one of the most transformative and generational actions any African government can do.
The character of these little geniuses rising in colleges in schools will determine the leaders we will have. African has fine academics and professional s in Leadership but many fail the test of character. Our challenges are so huge and systems not yet secure and mature that we need men and women of conscience to take us to a new dispensation of African Renaissance. Mbeki bellowed about Renaissance but his treatment of Mugabe exposed his integrity.
We need a message..but we desperately need leaders of integrity

God bless Africa

Reflections on the Madagascar crisis Part 2

The Madagascar crisis presents a major challenge to both SADC and AU,that is their ability to deal with errant leaders.While the SADC suspended Madagascar in an unprecedented move that ostensibly warrants cautious optimism,it remains unclear whether suspending a country with whom the region does not have strong economic ties with will be of any political consequence to Rajoelina's regime.It's like using good tools for a wrong job.It should be complimented that at least the leaders have a stomach to be 'brutal' to other
leaders who flagrantly disregard the law.However, the continent has to move from symbolic gestures to effective action.Is suspension the panacea to dealing with military coups?Zimbabwe pulled out of the Commonwealth years ago and Mugabe regime soldiers on in power as of 2009.This is a vital lesson even for the AU whose reason for being established was to improve on the historical weaknesses of the OAU, that is the policy of 'non- interference'.While AU has suspended Madagascar,this arguably remains a veiled form of non interference in the sense that this does not disturb the internal politics of the regime at least for now.If Rajoelina survives these suspensions,then that's the end of the credibility of these two regional blocks.There won't be any need to listen to them!
The regional blocs should learn to have a diplomatic offensive over France which clearly backs the coup..If these harsh words are used towards the real people behind the crisis,then there is chance for change.Civil society in Madagascar does not seem to be strong which is why all this keeps happening with little information coming from them.In the short to longterm,there is need for robust civil society capacity development. It would appear that mass mobilization remains the most effective way of dealing with dictatorships.International intervention often takes too long to be of help hence the need for the people within that country to take it upon themselves to work against mercenaries.

The good thing is that Madagascar has a history of these mass uprisings where people are mobilized behind a certain cause.What's critical is ensuring that the cause is implemented in a sustainable and focused manner.
The Madagascar crisis also shows that there isn't meaningful regional integration or cooperation with member states.Maybe that's why there isn't too much respect for their mandate and authority.If countries were critical trading partners or partners at some other level,then there would be more bargain chips.Why there isn't more robust trade remains a mystery.A United Africa should be a manifestation of already existing collaboration not the beginning of it.EU countries were collaborating long before the establishment of the EU and disobeying can have serious ramifications in the short term.
The regional groupings need to have greater coordination with foreign powers so that there isn't contradiction between what regional groupings do towards an errand nation and what foreign powers do to that country.Breaches both ways should face certain reprimand.This isn't happening that much at present.
Coup leaders should be personally sanctioned.The fact that they are coup leaders in a way shows how heartless and self centered they maybe so people's suffering (regime sanctions) may not really worry them.People like Rajoelina should have their assets frozen including those of people collaborating with them.One hopes regional groupings have 'intelligence briefings' on the real forces behind all these shady practices across Africa.Upon receiving that information,such people should be not only named and shamed, rather African countries should give personal sanctions to them. Any country that's African and shows disdain towards what a regional grouping has said should also face sanctions.Gaddaffi in recognizing Rajoelina was literally throwing egg in the face of the organization he leads.He should be either suspended from his coveted position of general assembly or strongly cautioned.
We have a situation where the General Assembly chairman acts in a way which compromises the integrity and authority of the organization he leads.Ordinarily that shouldn't go unpunished.

Diplomacy still however plays a role.It should never be taken off the table.Infact it should compliment the other interventions

During the liberation struggle,African countries literally sacrificed for each other's independence.They seemed to believe in the Nkrumah ideology that as long as other African countries are not independent,then Ghana wasn't independent.What became of that dream?SADC intervened militarily in DRC to defend a President?Why didn't SADC defend Ravolomanana in the same way?Maybe not necessarily militarily but with such focused force which clearly hurt the insurgents?It remains a mystery.

We still have a long way to go

Tribute to Lynde Francis

I am sure l am one of the many Zimbabweans to be surprised by the news of Lynde Francis' death. She was one of the first people in Zimbabwe to publicly disclose their HIV positive status. She had been diagnosed in 1986 and she had been the founder and director of The Centre, an organization run by and for people living with HIV and AIDS. We all knew she was HIV positive but she was such a fighter could be forgiven to believe that she would live on and on. She had such resilience and self belief, she definitely helped change perceptions about HIV positive people in the country. We began to believe that indeed HIV was not a death sentence.Lynde was diagnosed in 1986 but she lived right through to 2009.For me it’s evidence that HIV positive people can live for long. They will die, like all of us but there is no reason to believe that their death is somewhat nearer than ours.
Naturally,l learnt a couple of things in interacting with her in the numerous workshops l attended with her when l was working for an NGO in Zimbabwe. As a Zimbabwean, my reflection often attempts to draw lessons in the context of the Zimbabwean experiences which could be helpful in extricating our great nation out of the crisis we are in.

Lynde Francis was one person who turned her troubles into opportunities to life's problems. Indeed life's most complex opportunities are often wrapped up in challenges. After realizing that she had been infected with the HIV virus, it dawned on her that she was not the only one and she would fight for those like her and she would fight on behalf of those like her as well. That led to the birth of The Centre. How many of us are emboldened by such challenges? She got diagnosed at a time when stigma was at its most acerbic but there is something stubborn and resolute about conviction.If you believe in a cause, you don’t mind what people might think.She had a cause worth spending several hours per day for. In workshops she was amongst the most vocal. It’s not often that l personally meet people who have such a conviction in what they do.Consequently, she was not necessarily everyone’s darling.
Building The Centre was a bold step. It was a massive step of thinking outside the box, or one could even say that she was thinking whilst standing on top of the box. I learnt participation of beneficiaries of something is a worthwhile endevour.I wish our politicians knew that the participation of the people who experience life in Zimbabwe on a daily basis is the only sure way of securing their rule. We live in a society with an exclusive top-down leadership paradigm, where we develop youth programmes without the youths, we talk about 'helping women' yet they are not in the room. We live in a society where politicians sit in hotel rooms to discuss the destiny of millions of people without consultation. Imagine Absalom Sikhosana who is clearly in the ‘old’ category being the secretary for youth in ZANU PF! So much of youth participation.Infact major things to consider in such meetings are the egos of those in the room. Participation of the people affected is never in mind. The Centre concept is not perfect, but it has proven to be empowering to people living with HIV

For many years, HIV issues were not always on the agenda.Lynde learnt to give herself a voice. Not many listened to her at some point. Admittedly she was not always correct, like we all are never correct .But should you refuse to give her audience, she would stand up and speak for herself. She was vocal on treatment of HIV positive people-she stood out for what she believed without fear of stigma. We are under a regime which is undeniably selfish .We live in a country where the government unashamedly refuses to broadcast views of politicians or even musicians whom they suspect of holding opposing views. Our opposition movement’s structures are being decimated in broad day light. Like Lynde we will need to continue speaking regardless of the consequences. We may not live to see the total freedom of humanity like she has, but we sure should die speaking. When leaders refuse to listen,maybe its time for the led to make the leaders listen by all legal means possible. The people live frightened and threatened and many have decided to carve in and 'mind my own business’ which is another way of saying l will say or do nothing even as the chefs urinate behind our backs and they presume we will think it is raining.Patrick Chinamasa the Justice Minister shockingly denies the undeniable- the appalling state of our prisons.Could it be possible that there is a point a regime is now taking people for granted? President Mugabe refuses to swear in Roy Bennett who is the person nominated for the Deputy Minister of Agriculture post. This blatant disregard of both the spirit and letter of the law is a clear sign they have confidence in the 'eternal silence and helplessness of the oppressed'. A major psychological effect of a dictatorship is a people slowly accept that the dictator’s misrule is justified and unstoppable. I recall the days when the Saddam regime fell, many Iraqis could not believe it.Infact they thought it was a set up.They thought Saddam could not fall! I hope we won’t get to a stage where Mugabe and his cabal look invincible. They may not leave office tomorrow but we ought to have it in our heads that what they are doing remains wrong and if asked in my own small world l will declare that its wrong. Its liberating to refuse the ‘emotional bondage’ of a dictatorship.
Lynde was white yet she spent all her days working largely with black Zimbabweans. Not all whites are imperialists bent on destroying the nation as we have heard a countless times from our President. Some people subscribe obsessively to conspiracy theories where all whites or all blacks are upto no good.Admittedly,there are always rogue a racist section in many societies but it remains unfair to paint an entire race with a single brush.A study of President Mugabe's speeches is worrying.Many of the speeches particularly those he normally delivers at the Heroes acre,it is like he has suddenly been possessed by an irresistible force of hatred.He spews hatred,violence,polarity and fear. One often leaves the place with tormented by a futile sense of paranoia.As our nation progresses in this auspicious time of transition, one hopes politicians will appreciate that while our nation was once indeed unfortunately colonized by white Europeans,there remains a critical mass of Zimbabwean white people who love the country the way we all do,who have worked hard all their lives for our great nation
Lynde fought a good fight.And we are grateful

May God comfort her family

Reflections on the crisis in Madagascar 1

The manner and pace of the collapse of President Marc Ravolomanana was as stunning as it was revealing. In 2006, he had convincingly won a fresh second term and yet in two years his army deserted him.Infact in the 2006 elections, he actually carried 75.39% of the vote in Antananarivo, the same capital used by his rival to topple him in March 2009. Such a landslide victory could possibly have given him an unsafe sense of security and popularity that he could have felt ‘people power’ was enough even without ‘military power’. He had an uneasy relationship with the military. This was a political mistake. Noteworthy is the fact that Ravolomana was relatively new on the political stage with less loyal allies as opposed to his predecessor Didier Ratsiraka who had ruled since the 1970s.Politcal parties across Africa are stronger politically if they have within them a significant component of independence politicians with influence in the security arms of the state. More often the new popular parties sweep power dramatically and they tend to fall equally dramatically like Ravalomanana because they lack a loyal membership. They are usually a platform for protest voters not believers of the ideology of that new party.

After years of misrule, voters tend to vote against the incumbent and not necessarily for the challenger and there is support for anyone who dares challenge that ‘strongman’. This is not to dispute the remarkable ideas and work of new political parties though. When the new face wins the election, eventually supporters start to scrutinize their policies in a way, which may imply that they never believed in those policies in the first place. Consequently, working with ‘insiders’ or other independence politicians make greater political sense although such an arrangement makes the new party less transformative.

The overthrow was bizarre, ill conceived and it definitely sets the continent backwards. That President Ravolomanana had not lived up to his promises did not warrant such a flagrant disregarding of the constitution. The IMF and World Bank had briefly suspended direct budgetary support due to the tendency by the Presidency to use his office to extend his business interests. However, in general, terms, Madagascar has seen relative tranquility and growth during his rule and there wasn’t anything so urgent that waiting for the proposed referendum would have been fatal for Madagascar as implied by the hysterical and hurried approach by Rajoeliena’s supporters. The AU has rightly suspended the Andry Rajoelina government. However, one wonders if this suspension will bother Rajoelina because Ravolomanana himself had his government suspended in 2002 yet at that time, he was receiving up to $2 billion in pledges by IMF and World bank together with recognition by several Western countries.AU suspension is increasingly becoming a nonevent. Infact, one could argue that AU and SADC lack the resources and means to whip errant African leaders into line. Indeed, during the AU Summit held on 9 July 2002,President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal made a stunning remark: "Tell me who, among you all present in this hall, was elected through the same regular and democratic tactics that you are requiring from the Malagasy with this much obstinacy? How many of you did not rig the polls to indefinitely cling onto power at the great displeasure and despair of the African populations? How many of you did not come to power through violence and coups?" Could it be possible that coup leaders and dictators are freely breaking the law knowing fully well that they won’t get any meaningful rebuke from fellow leaders? More intriguing is how the other Western countries like Switzerland and the US had the nerve to recognize Madagascar in 2002 when AU still thought the regime was illegitimate. The audacious move by the youthful Rajoeliena should not come as a surprise to those who have followed Madagascar politics.

left, Andry Rajoelina and right, Marc Ravalomanana

However, the Malagasy imbroglio has several other lessons for all progressives in the world;

The military menace in Africa; The army chief Andre Andriarijaona actually told the President to step down! He allowed soldiers to go on a rampage and storm the Presidential palace, loot it like thieves. Interestingly, in the next few weeks, the Madagasy taxpayer will pay for the repair of that vandalism. When the army sides with an underage man literally plucked from the air by the elite, then you know there is a serious problem. There was no genocide or anything unusually bad in Madagascar that could not wait for the election in 2011 or the referendum suggested by the deposed leader. Sadly, history shows that between 1952 and 1989, Africa witnessed over a 150 successful coups, attempted coups, and counter-coups. Nigeria was literally ruled by army generals in the 1960s. Recently, all top generals boycotted the swearing in ceremony of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe. Infact, the late Commander of the Defense Forces,General Vitalis Zvinavashe had vowed in 2002 that as generals they would not salute anyone who had not participated in the liberation struggle. Nature took its course and it was Tsvangirai as Prime Minister who buried that stubborn general early in March. May be that’s a sign these cruel generals are human after all. They have weaknesses and vulnerabilities.Guinea Bissau soldiers killed their own President ‘Nino’ Viera in an alleged response to the killing of their own general. A lot of military leaders are implicated in massive looting of natural resources especially in DRC.The time has come for these to face the full wrath of the law.T heir assets and money stashed abroad should be frozen and their crimes have to be documented. They should come before the courts of law to explain their disdainful behavior. I hope this happens to the new Madagascar chief in the near future

The Malagasy crisis sets a bad example for all youths in Africa as well.Andry Rajoliena at 34 deliberately chose not to abide by the constitution, which clearly stipulates 40 years as the minimum age of being President. At a time when the call for renewal and the need for younger people to take office in Africa, we have a young person who is simply doing what the rest of the young people in Africa should never emulate. The last few decades saw many aged current and former presidents showing a disregard for the rule of law.Aren't the young people supposed to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors?. Or it will get worse? In addition, historically, powerful politicians have manipulated the energy and enthusiasm of young people to settle scores with political enemies. With Rajoelina, he is the embodiment of the exploitation of young people by old and powerful politicians. It is not surprising that the former President Didier Ratsiraka, France and other interests have been blamed as being the real force behind Rajoelina. He is being used as politicians have abused many young people. This has to stop. As young people, we know what we want and we will not allow any politician or country to try and use us as a pawn in their chess game. On another hand, the fact that those politicians had to select an underage political rookie to fight Ravolomanana in a way reflects the growing acceptance of the ability of young people to govern. No one wants to work with an incapable person. What is left is for a young person is to be formidable players in the development thinking of their countries. Gone are the days when young people would just be in the fringes singing songs during political conferences whilst the much older people were locked up in more serious deliberations in politics. This points to an urgent need for leadership capacity development for these emerging leaders.Rajoelina is a business man, who could have been a role model had he chosen to do things the right way.However,what is undeniable is that he is charismatic, an orator who of course vacillates wildly between demagoguery and sensationalism. Leadership development programmes should become a part of the curricula in schools and colleges right across the continent. Young people are rising fast but without preparation, they are prone to abuse by more established and cunning politicians. The much-needed regeneration of African politics could be possible by equipping a new and emerging critical mass of young and aspiring African leaders.

International powers’ meddling in the internal affairs of sovereign nations; France is less than innocent in the Madagascar crisis. Not surprising, many authors believe France was increasingly becoming uncomfortable with Ravolomanana’s intention to work with other countries other than itself. This obviously would have meant less French influence in the Indian Ocean Island. Interestingly, Rajoelina was being protected by France during the time he had disappeared and the appointment of the French Ambassador was one of Rajoelina’s first decisions when he assumed office. Clearly, interests trump causes in international relations. Historically, many interventions have been inspired more by ulterior motives than mere humanitarian concern. Unfortunately, intervention remains an occasional necessary evil particularly in dealing with brutal dictatorships in the mould of Pinochet, Mobuto etc. It could explain why many powers have ignored other countries in need. The Rwandan genocide occurred while attention was elsewhere. This is wrong. In the 1980s, when the Mugabe unleashed the North Korean trained bloodthirsty fifth brigade, 20000 Ndebeles were killed while some British and American universities were strangely giving him honorary degrees and the Queen of England actually knighted him! When his government led the killing of less than 200 white farmers during the controversial land reform programme, all hell broke loose.Infact, the same universities wanted to revoke their ‘honorary degrees. Mugabe was as wrong then as he is wrong now but the question remains, is the international outcry genuine? Should the poor masses across Africa view the France, UK etc as honest brokers? Regrettably not always. The manner and frequency of intervention in affairs of sovereign nations remains a hot potato and it is my hope that the new Obama administration will use its undisputed influence and power to be fair yet firm during times of crisis.

To be continued