Rhodesia's Misfortunes: Robert Mugabe's Misrule in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, previously known as Rhodesia, is today in a shambles. This was not always so, and the mass media has not mentioned the whole truth about this nation. Rhodesia, a former British colony at one time virtually owned by the great pioneer Sir Cecil Rhodes (where Rhodesia got its name) was at one time very prosperous. The British did some truces and peace a greements with the local chiefs and obtained land. Rhodesia was separated into two in the 1950's: Northern Rhodesia (today the country of Malawi) and Southern Rhodesia. Southern Rhodesia as a British colony like South Africa, was more heavily colonized by the British and other Europeans. The Europeans quickly set up businesses, farms, built infrastructure, etc. The white minority even had a form of parliament.

Prime Minister Ian Smith, of Rhodesia, in the cover of one of his books, "The Great Betrayal", where he talks about Mugabe's corruption and how he plunged the dreams of Zimbabwe.

However, it soon became apparent to the settlers and the whites born in South Rhodesia that Britain had changed and valued them less and less, and as Britain became more liberal, it wanted Southern Rhodesia turned over to majority-black rule. Now this was not a necessarily bad thing, but the black majority had no previous experience in government except for a few chiefs and elected senators. The colonists started to resent British influence and opinions on their colony on which only the settlers felt knew what it was like to live there. It was thus that under the leadership of Ian Smith, a World War II RAF pilot and hero that the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) was issued in 1965, where Rhodesia became an independent nation. Ian Smith, a capable and intelligent man went on to become its first Prime Minister. The new government started building more schools, more businesses, more infrastructure and a new parliament was set up, where black people could be elected as well. Rhodesia's blacks were by far the most prosperous in the continent, only lacking political rights (like the right to vote). Soon after independence, the United Nations, led by Britain in a coward attempt to thwart the new republic, imposed economic sanctions on Rhodesia. Despite the sanctions, Rhodesia grew economically and exported many goods like diamonds, cigars, wheat, etc. Salisbury, the capital city was beautiful, modern and distinctly European, with a modern financial networks. Whites and blcks got along for the most part. The sanctions and isolationist policies of Europe and black africa (led by some pro-marxist regimes such as the one in Angola and Mozambique), led Rhodesia to ally itself internationally with South Africa. They would help and provide for each other. Back then, Rhodesia was a model to be emulated, with a properous and vibrating economy, a young and growing democracy, a jewel of hope for the rest of africa, together with South Africa. Rhodesia was considered to be quite developed, compared to Australia, and New Zealand. Politics was clean, opposition parties respected each other, and black people were treated with dignity.

However, not all was so rosy and good. Some local african resentment was present, since they had little political participation and wanted to have absolute government control. Many of the leaders of these anti-socials wanted to get rid of all settlers, even though most settlers had been born there, and have an absolute black country with no other ethnic groups or cultural diversity (there was some white racism as well). This was the Patriotic Front (PF), and the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) which started a guerrilla warfare against white citizens as well as blacks who supported the current regime. These groups were led by a marxist ideology, and the majority, being educated, shunned them, and found them barbaric as they sought violent ways to get to power. Unfortunately for Rhodesia, leftist international opinion was in favour of the black terrorist guerrillas, and not for the government. The government was isolated for the most part, despite efforts by the Prime Minister, Mr. Ian Smith to get Rhodesia accepted by world opinion, by travelling to Britain. His efforts proved futile as the coward British Labour government was against the settlers, who in ignorance dubbed them "racists". The colonists had a right to be afraid and reluctant to hand over political power to black terrorists. Since Rhodesia had more ethnic groups, blacks groups, whites and even Indians, power needed to be shared by all groups in order to assure peace and order for everyone, in order to continue in the path of progress. However, these pro-marxist terrorists wanted to change the status quo, kill or terrorize all whites, drive the conomy downhill, and turn Rhodesia into the typical african one party state. They also wanted to change the name of the country to Zimbabwe, among many other things. The naive international community found these ideas absurd and continued to support the guerrillas.

Unfortunately, after increased guerrilla warfare, international support for the opposition black marxists, and an economic embargo, the Ian Smith government decided to give in after nearly 20 years of staying firm. In 1980, Ian Smith signed an agrement with the marxist guerrillas where they would share political power, with an evenful change to majority government. Thus, as the guerrillas long petitioned, the country was changed to Rhodesia-Zimbabwe. Salisbury, the capital, had its name changed to the not so-nice sounding "Harare". Thus, the only concession given to the whites in the long run was that they would get representation in parliament and that they would have 10 seats assigned as acorded by the new constitution. Whites could still own property and live life as usual. The smarter citizens began leaving during this time, fearing the typical reprisals that had ocurred in other african countries. Soon after there were elections, the leader of the guerrillas, Mr. Robert Mugabe became president in late 1980. This was the beginning of the end, the beginning of a prosperous era into decline.

Mugabe was seen by everyone as a moderate within the guerrilla movements. Mugabe united the two guerrilla groups into one party --- Zimbabwe African National Unity- Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF. Ian Smith continued to lead the Rhodesia National Party, and later on in 1985, helped to form the Zimbabwe Conservative Party, led mainly by whites and wealthy blacks. The Economy, left alone by the Mugabe Government, continued to do well, and grew more after the economic sanctions were lifted. Mugabe, a hero to most blacks in Zimbabwe won 4 more consecutive terms for president. By 1985, he began to show his dictatorial taste when he fired an old friend and supporter for critizing him and the government. Soon the whites found they had no political voice whatsoever when Mugabe and his cronies modified the constitution and discontinued the right for the whites to have 10 seats in parliament. Parties opposing the government were banned like the Conservative Party among others accused of "supporting British imperialism". After much public spending and with little tactic by using the accumulated wealth the country had, the government started running into trouble with finances. The inept government aggravated things even more by adopting socialist policies, and showing favoritism to blacks, favoring a racist policy rather than a sane consensus driven policy of living together. Robert Mugabe has been unable to act like a statesman with a vision. He has clung on to power since 1980, for 22 years, now at all costs. He is affecting Zimbabwe in a negative way, but he doesnt care if his country goes down with him. Like Louis XV before him, he believes in the famous saying "aprez moi, le deluge".

Since then an opposition of black and whites have created the Democratic Movement for Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai. Likewise, whites have created pressure groups like the Zimbabwe Farmers Union. In the 2000 elections, Mugabe realized that for the first time in 20 years he would be out of power, and that his people were concious he was not the best option anymore. He could not accept that he belonged to the past, that he could step down and be remembered for his statesmanship and a responsible politician. He decided to carry out a violent campaign on the opposition, rendiring them illegal, throwing them in jail, sending his party thugs to kill and terrorize the black and white population. He has even turned the police into a party instrument of repression. Recently after the year 2000, repression has become more crude, openly racist against the minority whites remaining. He has promised land reform, but not in a calculated and organized way, like buying back land for peasants, but by promoting violence by promising ignorant, illiterate black peasants land held by whites as well as lands held by members of the opposition. Mugabe showing his disdain for the law, has decided that government policy should promote seizing privately held land (many of the white owned farms being in the same family for more than 4 generations). The worst thing is that these lands are not even given to simple folk, but given to political supporters and thugs of the ZANU-PF ruling party. To do this, Mugabe has urged the police to engage in this law-breaking practice, and former "independence fighters" or those terrorists who at one time were engaged in battle against Ian Smith's government when Zimbabwe was called Rhodesia. These virtual barbarians that compose the supporters of Mugabe, like the barbarian leader himself, have done atrocious things like raping, killing and going on rampages destroying farms, houses and anything that resembles European. The worst case that made it around the world, was that of the brutal killing of a father of two, Martin Olds who was hacked to death by a crowd of ignorant pro-marxist government thugs in his own farm, while defending his land, and his family. This, horrific enough, was not bad enough to shock the European Union and specially Britain into action, and instead "promised" to impose sanctions on his regime. This is truly pathetic of Britain and the idiot Tony Blair, who should have gone to the aid and defense of the few former British citizens living there, and taken over Zimbabwe, and kicked out Mugabe and his cronies, as well as putting those criminals on trial. Robert Mugabe has repeatedly threatened Britain and its interests again and again, by accusing the UK of "imperialism", and of being "racist" towards blacks. Give us a break.

In 2002, Mugabe has done more atrocious things, like trying to pass a draconian press law among other laws, like disalowing dissent in the press, and disalowing any protest or manifestation against the government, which is labeled as "terrorist". Mr. Morgan Tsavingarai has also been unfairly accused of plotting to murder the president and overthrow the government. The big "evidence" shown by these bush men in the government is having cauught the opposition on tape saying "take care of it" to a Canadian political expert. This way Mugabe has Mr. Tsavingarai out of the way for the next elections, by having him accused of "treason", which can result in a death sentence. This criminal in power has no limits.

It seems that when killings, mass rapes etc are done by leftists, the EU, the so called "champion of human rights" looks cowardly the other way. Many of the invaded farms are led to waste, since those peasants dont know how to farm and use modern machinery, and thus agriculture has suffered tremendously. This has been devastating for this formerly prosperous nation. There is rationing for nearly every basic good including food, an inflation of 100%, and social unrest. Foreign investment is discouraged, and nobody in their right minds would invest in a country close to civil war, where private ownership is treated with disdain. Local capitalists and other farm owners are not planting new crops or investing, because their land can be taken over by the government at any time. The Supreme Court until recently very conservative and independent of the executive power as it should be, has been sacked and packed with Mugabe's cronies and political appointees. The Supreme Court before it lost its independence, called the seizing of farms "unconstitutional" and told the government to repair the damage and call off the thugs. This was not done, and instead the Chief Justice was forced into early "retirement". Thus, now they rubber stamp any decition by the government to make it legal. Insecurity and fear reign in Zimbabwe, thanks to Mugabe. Businesses are going bankrupt, and to top it off, now Mugabe is concentrating on taking over private firms, particularly those owned by whites. This shows he is clearly a marxist in an african "democracy" guise, because although there are elections, only he can compete in them, and corruption, and vote rigging are rampant. He is a marxist in taking over private land, and he supports violence, trying anything at all costs to stay in power. It is sad to note that the average Rhodesian in 1967 had a higher per capita income and more freedom than the average Zimbabwean today. The question here is not wether blacks or whites should rule ex-Rhodesia: it is wether an incompetent fool is at the head of the nation, or someone responsible, like the opposition leader. Blacks and whites should rule together, as the country belongs to both of them. Minorities should be respected. This sadness is Robert Mugabe's legacy, one of torture, turning Zimbabwe into a communist "nightmare", and hanging on to power, in the most clasical African style. Mr. Ian Smith and the minority whites and many blacks were right down to the last word about what was going to happen to their beautiful country.

By Cristian Subiabre, April 10th, 2002.