President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and former South African President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. The ruling ANC has refused to denounce Zimbabwe amid mounting pressure from the imperialist countries. Mbeki delivered a major address on Africa Day 2010.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
By Farai Chubvu
Zimbabwe Herald
HISTORY will record that after a decade of sustained assault on the foundation Zimbabwe laid since April 18 1980, on September 12 2008, the Westerners came unstuck as Zimbabwe remained not only standing but united for nation building, with the regime change project in tatters.
And, of course, having pride of place in that historic story of Africa’s maiden victory over neo-colonial regime change projects will be South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki. A man who personifies to the hilt, the biblical neighbour by refusing to be used against his brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe.
Others dubbed him their ‘‘point man on Zimbabwe’’, yet others implored him ‘‘to work closely with them over Zimbabwe’’ but his resolute refrain: ‘‘Zimbabwe is not a province of South Africa and Zimbabweans have the capacity to resolve their problems,’’ always rang out.
Cde Mbeki, who always stuck to his policy of quiet diplomacy, should inspire us all to believe in ourselves and respect each other’s political space.
I hope the condescending Westerners have been put on notice and will respect us enough to stop meddling in our affairs.
We do not need their endorsement on anything as we arre not a child race that subsists on their goodwill.
It is providential that today, Cde Mbeki stands vindicated and all those who opposed and badmouthed him over Zimbabwe should hang their heads in shame.
It’s nothing short of scandalous that the Nobel Peace Prize Committee did not even have Cde Mbeki on their short-list when they controversially conferred the award to Barack Obama who was at that time busy rattling his sabre at Iran and whose army was killing innocent men, women and children in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The power-sharing deal Cde Mbeki brokered between Zanu-PF and the MDC formations was as much a personal tribute as it was a triumph for Zimbabwe, Africa and the entire developing world, which is why the fact that the Nobel Committee never considered him casts the prize in bad light.
Cde Mbeki’s exploits in Zimbabwe were a celebration of African solutions to African problems as espoused in the MoU that preceded the deal, and should be a wake-up call for African leaders to believe in themselves and not always look outside for solutions.
Progressive Zimbabweans are aware of the enormous personal and national sacrifices this great son of Africa made to defend our right to self-determination and the flak he received from the reactionary media in Zimbabwe and abroad that would rather have seen us at each others throats for ‘‘good’’ copy.
It is important to note that apart from President Mugabe, no other man was subjected to as much pressure over Zimbabwe as the former South African leader was made to bear.
He was called all sorts of names by Tsvangirai and his cohorts.
The likes of Bush and Blair dangled all sorts of inducements before him in a bid to get him to subvert Zimbabwe but he remained resolute.
The fact that Cde Mbeki refused to give in when it would have been easier to do so testifies to his leadership credentials.
Here is a man Africa should call on to help resolve the crises afflicting various parts of the continent.
As President Mbeki rightly pointed out, all diplomacy is quiet; if it is not quiet then it is not diplomacy but something else.
We hope our brothers to our West will learn from President Mbeki’s maturity and statesmanship and drop, like a plague, their policy of Western appeasement.
Similarly, I hope the likes of Morgan Tsvangirai will realise that, the West has no permanent friends, only permanent interests. They created Saddam Hussein in a bid to subvert the Islamic Revolution in Iran, used him in the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq, only to hound him out of power when he appeared to forget that he was a mere puppet on a string.
I remember reading somewhere that the Government would consider honouring Cde Mbeki for his sterling work in brokering the inter-party political agreement.
The life of the inclusive Government spawned by that agreement is coming to an end; I hope the Government will move to honour this great son of the soil soon by naming a road after him.
If it was up to me, I would name the road that branches off Rotten Row passing by the Zanu-PF Headquarters to the Rainbow Towers where most of the inter-party meetings were held, Cde Thabo Mbeki Avenue.
His name would be a fitting replacement to Pennefather, to whom the road is still dedicated in this day and age.
Colonel Pennefather was the man who led the Pioneer Column to colonise Mashonaland on behalf of the Crown on September 12 1890.
faraichubvu@gmail.com
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