Mad Bob and his sycophant Thabo

In his speech to world food summit, June 3 2008, the Zimbabwean president said :-

My country's primary agriculture policy objective remains that of ensuring national and household food security through our own production. In this regard, Zimbabwe has recognised the importance and centrality of land in agricultural production and food security. Thus, over the past decade, Zimbabwe has democratized the land ownership patterns in the country, with over 300 000 previously landless families now proud landowners.

Previously, this land was owned by a mere 4,000 farmers, mainly of British stock. While this land reform programme has been warmly welcomed by the vast majority of our people, it has however, and regrettably so, elicited wrath from our former colonial masters. In retaliation for the measures we took to empower the black majority, the United Kingdom has mobilized her friends and allies in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand to impose illegal economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. They have cut off all development assistance, disabled lines of credit, prevented the Bretton Woods institutions from providing financial assistance and ordered private companies in the United States not to do business with Zimbabwe. All this has been done to cripple Zimbabwe's economy and thereby effect illegal regime change in our country.

In a statement released by the White House, President GW Bush had the following comment about Zimbabwe:-

While Robert Mugabe makes political statements in Rome, his people continue to face empty markets at home. The United States currently feeds more than 1 million Zimbabweans and spent more than $170 million on food assistance in Zimbabwe last year. We will continue these efforts to prevent government-induced starvation in Zimbabwe.

In late April the South African President, the purveyor of 'quiet diplomacy', Thabo Mbeki , addressed a four-page letter to President Bush. Rather than coordinating strategy to end Zimbabwe's nightmare, Mbeki criticized the United States, in a text packed with exclamation points, for taking sides against President Mugabe's government and disrespecting the views of the Zimbabwean people. "He said it was not our business," recalls one American official, and "to butt out, that Africa belongs to him."

The 'New South Africa' has also actively blocked United Nations discussions about human rights abuses in Zimbabwe - and in Belarus, Cuba, North Korea and Uzbekistan.

South Africa was also the only 'democracy' to vote against a resolution demanding that the Burmese junta stop ethnic cleansing and free jailed dissident Aung San Suu Kyi.

When Iranian nuclear proliferation was debated in the Security Council, South Africa dragged out discussions and demanded watered-down language in the resolution.

In the General Assembly, South Africa fought against a resolution condemning the use of rape as a weapon of war because the resolution was not sufficiently anti-American, and opposed a resolution condemning rape and attacks on civilians in Darfur - and then rolled out the red carpet for a visit from Sudan's genocidal leader.

When confronted by international human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch about their apparent indifference to all rights but their own, South African officials have responded by attacking the groups themselves which, they conspiratorially (and falsely) claim, are funded by "major Western powers."

South Africa clearly is also attempting to league itself with China and Brazil in a new nonaligned movement to redress an "imbalance of global power," meaning an excess of American power.

Longtime observers of Mbeki believe that racial issues may also play a role as he lashes out whenever he believes that Westerners are telling Africans how to conduct their lives, or who their leaders should be.

There is a common theme developing here and surely this spells out the future of South Africa - the only truely functional economy in sub Saharan Africa, but one wonders for how much longer.

Move over Bob

As Robert Mugabe gets the heave-ho from a tired, hungry and abused population, a new tyrant is moving in. South Africa's recently elected ANC president, Jacob Zuma, who will in all likelyhood be the next President of South Africa; liar, rapist and corrupt; Marxist and violent; promoting himself with a song praising the use of the magine gun in a country that has one of the highest rates of murder and violent crime in the world and where daily headlines tell of a society at the mercy of armed 'home invaders' who rape and torture their innocent victims before executing them; has all the attributes to be his succesor, and that of the continents other greatest such as Mobutu, Amin and Taylor and many, many more; those thugs who have ascended to power on the back of the popular vote and gone on to rob, suppress and murder their own people with impunity.

Why Africa is in Dire Straits

Zim suffers as Mugabe celebrates birthday

Organisers of a lavish 83rd birthday party for Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe prepared on Friday to slaughter prize herds of cattle as shops ran short of basics such as cooking oil and bread. Africa's oldest-serving leader, who has been in power since independence from Britain 1980, turned 83 on Wednesday amid mounting pressure to step down.

(http://www.mg.co.za/)

Post colonial Africa has been a litany of corruption lasting more than half a century. As freedom movements have taken over government of the various countries, their leaders have entrenched themselves as life-long rulers. Most of these 'leaders' have risen to the top of their respective political party through violence and elimination of their competition. As leaders of popular movements they make it into government on a wave of euphoria amongst their voters, but once there do nothing for the rank and file as they set out to enrich themselves beyond belief, set up a circle of friends who are also beneficiaries of this wealth, and squash their opposition with squads of vicious 'security' forces.

And the poor remain desperately poor.

Western aid becomes a further source of wealth. That which reaches the starving, the sick and the uneducated is just a pittance. No matter how many Band Aid concerts are held, no matter how many Bono's and Madonna's castigate the Western World for lack of financial help, it will not change.

Leading African countries, such as South Africa, have to be at the forefront of condemnation of the corruption that blights Africa. Thabo Mbeki has been an abject failure, despite his declaration that this is Africa's century. He has failed to criticise Mugabe, his silence being covert support for ZANU's destructive policies; he has failed to pressure Mugabe into change and he has failed to take the African Union along with him.

Further he has presided over a scandal of corruption, amongst leading members of the old guard of the ANC, in a massive arms deal that has netted huge personal wealth for the chosen few. There is suspicion that Mbeki himself was one of the largest recipients.

The Big Whip-around II

Funds sought for Mugabe birthday

People in Zimbabwe are being asked to contribute funds towards a big birthday party for President Robert Mugabe, who turns 83 on 21 February.

This is while Zimbabwe is mired in its worst economic crisis, with annual inflation at a record 1,593% - the world's highest; there is record unemployment, the health and education sectors are failing and there is widespread malnutrition.

The cost of this bash - a mere 300 million Zimbabwe dollars (US$1.2m).

The ANC's Hypocrisy

An article unashamedly copied from http://supernatural.blogs.com/weblog/2006/12/ronnie_kasrils_.html highlights the hypocrisy of the ANC Government of South Africa. Kasril's was a member of the ANC in exile campaining for isolation of the Apartheid Government and for equality and freedom of the peoples of South Africa. Now he is singing a different tune as the ANC strengthens it's ties with the polecats of the world such as Assad, Mugabe, Castro, Gadaffi and Aristide. The man is an idiot!

Ronnie Kasrils: SA Minister of Totalitarian Affairs
Hot on the heels of signing a defence pact with one of Africa’s most repressive regimes (Zimbabawe), Minister Kasrils spent the last week breaking pita with the leadership of the Arab equivalent (Syria). The South African department of Intelligence states on its website that the purpose of the visit was ‘to hold discussions to strengthen relations between the two countries (South Africa and Syria)’.
The choice of Kasrils as the envoy for such a diplomatic mission is rather strange. Someone from the department of Foreign Affairs would surely have been a more appropriate choice. The Syrians however seem to have been ecstatic with the choice. For Ronnie received a red carpet roll out reserved only for tin pot dictators and leaders of terrorist gangs. He met the Syrian Interior Minister, Foreign Minister, deputy Foreign Minister, Minister of Expatriates (what ever that maybe) and Syria’s President Bashar Assad.
And the admiration seems to have been mutual. For Red Ronnie did not stop fawning over his Syrian hosts. After meeting Syria’s deputy foreign Minister, for example, Kasrils ‘expressed on our behalf his respect and appreciation of Syria's stances and important role for realizing stability and security in the region.’ I wonder if the poor people of Lebanon now on the brink of civil war (as a result of Syrian meddling) would see it quite the same way. Or the poor people of Iraq for that matter. The Syrian border is only the most popular entry point for foreign terrorist in Iraq.
Not only is the Syrian regime a threat to its neighbours, Iraq, Israel and Lebanon but it is also a menace to its own people. Although Syria has a constitution that in theory should protect the rights of its citizens, a state of emergency has been in place since the 1960’s effectively giving the government absolute authority. More than 4 decades of martial law has reduced Syria to one of the most unfree countries in the world. According to freedom house, an independent organisation that monitors freedom around the world, on a scale of 1-7 from free to unfree, Syria scores a whopping 7 (just like Zimbabwe). It has no free press, no real opposition parties and uncontested presidential elections. Moreover like most totalitarian regimes the Syrian government from time to time murders any potential political opponents. In fact 2 years ago 30 Kurds were murdered in cold blood by security forces for staging a protest against the government.
But not only does our good Minister respect and admire one of the world’s most totalitarian states, he actually believes that South Africa should emulate them. Kasrils told the Syrian press of his visit that
'We've dealt with bilateral relations between our two peoples and governments in addition to Syria's experience in the Security Council as a non-permanent member because South Africa will also occupy the same position next year…I have a lot to tell my president about Syria.’
If Red Ronnie has his way, South Africa’s U.N. Security Council seat will be used not to export the ideals of our democratic revolution but rather in the service of tyranny and terror.
What disgusts me most about Kasrils and his political road trip through the Syrian halls of power, is his blatant double standard. In classical Kasrilspeak, Ronnie called on the West to engage with Syria saying that
South Africa rejects every policy aimed to isolate states and peoples instead of getting them close by enhancing dialogue among them.’
This is the same Ronnie Kasrils who has been campaigning tirelessly to sever South African diplomatic ties with Israel and to impose anti-Apartheid type sanctions on the Jewish state.
Hypocrisy has become Minister Kasrils’ political trademark.