Hello All,
It has been some time since I last wrote, for many reasons, not least of which was to see how things develop.
And then the very sad news that Susan Tsvangirai had been killed in an accident along the Beatrice road. Of course there was much immediate suspicion and a great deal of comment. Not having attended the scene of the accident, it would be wrong for me to try and air an opinion on it. Suffice to say, however, that I have attended a huge number of accidents on that particular stretch of road.. and I know it to be deadly. The road surface has never been great and now is suffering the same neglect that the rest of the country's infrastructure has suffered.
I would very gladly offer my services to investigate this matter if called upon to do so.
I think though, that by far the stupidist comment has come from that idiot Mnangagwa. The British? The Americans? No Mnangagwa, ZANU-pf - your backward contribution to the country has chased away most of the real law enforcement. It has chased away most of the engineers who maintained the once excellent road network. It has chased away VID inspectors. It has chased away professional ambulance staff. It has chased away Doctors and nurses. It has chased away most of the farmers. It has chased away most of the people from all walks of life who would make a country work and improve and develop to avoid accidents and tragedy.
It really is time that the entire police "command structure left" - what a pity they were the only ones encouraged to stay!
My condolences to Morgan Tsvangirai. The prices you have paid to get into a position to do good have cost you more dearly than any man should be made to pay. I hope you find the peace you and Susan have fought so for.
Later.
Friday 13 March 2009
Saturday 14 February 2009
More "Arrests"??
Well it certainly didn't take long for the ZANU-pf militia to show their hand... the ink is not even dry on the paper of the Prime Minister's swearing in... and Zanu-pf and their pit bulls are up to their old tricks!
This must clearly demonstrate what the MDC are up against. The first thing that needs to happen if this government is to have any hope of surviving, is the re-organisation of the ZRP and internal investigations (by outside parties) as to the goings on. The so called "CID Law and Order" section needs to be completely disbanded and ALL of the personnel assigned there over the past ten years need to be arrested.
And this cannot be done by PISI (Police Internal Security Intelligence) - they themselves need disbanding, arresting and investigating. I personally have witnessed their method of "investigation" - usually this consists of beating any suspect you wish to fit to any "offence" with a length of armoured cable until a "confession" is obtained. And do not kid yourselves - this is routine.
Following the mass infusion of Zanu-pf loyalists into the force, all the precepts of a lawful force preventing and investigating crimes within the bounds of the law have disappeared. The so called officers have absolutely no training or ability to properly investigate anything by making appropriate "enquiries". There is no ability to back up charges with actual evidence and no ability to gather, examine or process scenes of crime for evidence which can then be scientifically evaluated for inclusion in dockets to be presented in a court of law.
That sort of thing is too much of a waste of time in ZANU-pf's eyes, particularly when there is NO evidence because NO offence has been committed or the evidence points back at them - it all becomes too costly and too inconvenient and certainly will not produce the desired result.
I note from the reports of Bennett's "arrest" that an actually "warrant" was obtained - who signed this warrant? And based on what evidence? bearing in mind what I said above, the other thing that springs to mind is the lack of impartiality of the judiciary. Clearly this is merely the old regime trying to stamp it's authority again and letting everyone know that they believe themselves to still be entirely and singularly in control of Zimbabwe.
I can assure you that if I were there now, in uniform and backed up by a few of my former colleagues (some of whom are still trapped in the militia).. In a few short hours I could put together, properly and supported by actual forensic evidence, water tight cases against most of the so called " state agents", CIO, CID and Uniform branch officers, right up to and including the laughable "commissioner general". I wonder what would happen if that happy situation occurred and we started arresting, detaining and producing before a proper court, these individuals? I am sure we would be the target of many violent attacks by ZANU-pf "gun-men" or other arms of their militia, probably even from within the so-called police itself.. but, with active policing and a good core of men, these criminals would very quickly be properly convicted and behind the bars they use stifle the people of Zimbabwe, Democracy, Law and Order, progress, Development and any other positive thing you can think of!
I guess the situation will continue along these lines for some time to come. It is going to be a very difficult road as the SADC are too cowardly to get involved really - they will, not doubt make some statement about it not being their business to interfere with the police and law in Zimbabwe etc, etc ad nauseum..
So actually, the situation on the ground is going to be VERY difficult to change. Until Mugabe and ZANU-pf have been dispossessed of all they have stolen from the people of Zimbabwe.
When you really examine thing and consider the whole picture, the law is still in a total state of collapse and while that continues... nothing can change.
No doubt the SADC, ZANU-pf, South Africa and everyone else who have IMMEDIATELY started jumping up and down for the removal of sanctions should now be told to look at what is happening and that NO MONEY is forthcoming until Bennett is released and all the so-called state agents etc are behind bars, being properly investigated, charged and convicted of the crimes they have committed and will continue to commit.
Sadly though, this whole episode points to the fact that these "state agents" and "police officers" and "soldiers" are all carrying on regardless because they know nothing will change and they feel they can act with impunity. There is absolutely no indication that they are trying to modify their behaviour because they might feel their time is at an end and that their behaviour will land them in trouble!
And I guess that basically says it all - they will continue doing what they want, when they want and how they want and that will be that. After all their provocation and ignoring the MoU and GNU agreements, when the MDC are finally forced to walk away they will still jump up and say it was the MDC's fault!
This is actually now approaching a very pathetic state.
This must clearly demonstrate what the MDC are up against. The first thing that needs to happen if this government is to have any hope of surviving, is the re-organisation of the ZRP and internal investigations (by outside parties) as to the goings on. The so called "CID Law and Order" section needs to be completely disbanded and ALL of the personnel assigned there over the past ten years need to be arrested.
And this cannot be done by PISI (Police Internal Security Intelligence) - they themselves need disbanding, arresting and investigating. I personally have witnessed their method of "investigation" - usually this consists of beating any suspect you wish to fit to any "offence" with a length of armoured cable until a "confession" is obtained. And do not kid yourselves - this is routine.
Following the mass infusion of Zanu-pf loyalists into the force, all the precepts of a lawful force preventing and investigating crimes within the bounds of the law have disappeared. The so called officers have absolutely no training or ability to properly investigate anything by making appropriate "enquiries". There is no ability to back up charges with actual evidence and no ability to gather, examine or process scenes of crime for evidence which can then be scientifically evaluated for inclusion in dockets to be presented in a court of law.
That sort of thing is too much of a waste of time in ZANU-pf's eyes, particularly when there is NO evidence because NO offence has been committed or the evidence points back at them - it all becomes too costly and too inconvenient and certainly will not produce the desired result.
I note from the reports of Bennett's "arrest" that an actually "warrant" was obtained - who signed this warrant? And based on what evidence? bearing in mind what I said above, the other thing that springs to mind is the lack of impartiality of the judiciary. Clearly this is merely the old regime trying to stamp it's authority again and letting everyone know that they believe themselves to still be entirely and singularly in control of Zimbabwe.
I can assure you that if I were there now, in uniform and backed up by a few of my former colleagues (some of whom are still trapped in the militia).. In a few short hours I could put together, properly and supported by actual forensic evidence, water tight cases against most of the so called " state agents", CIO, CID and Uniform branch officers, right up to and including the laughable "commissioner general". I wonder what would happen if that happy situation occurred and we started arresting, detaining and producing before a proper court, these individuals? I am sure we would be the target of many violent attacks by ZANU-pf "gun-men" or other arms of their militia, probably even from within the so-called police itself.. but, with active policing and a good core of men, these criminals would very quickly be properly convicted and behind the bars they use stifle the people of Zimbabwe, Democracy, Law and Order, progress, Development and any other positive thing you can think of!
I guess the situation will continue along these lines for some time to come. It is going to be a very difficult road as the SADC are too cowardly to get involved really - they will, not doubt make some statement about it not being their business to interfere with the police and law in Zimbabwe etc, etc ad nauseum..
So actually, the situation on the ground is going to be VERY difficult to change. Until Mugabe and ZANU-pf have been dispossessed of all they have stolen from the people of Zimbabwe.
When you really examine thing and consider the whole picture, the law is still in a total state of collapse and while that continues... nothing can change.
No doubt the SADC, ZANU-pf, South Africa and everyone else who have IMMEDIATELY started jumping up and down for the removal of sanctions should now be told to look at what is happening and that NO MONEY is forthcoming until Bennett is released and all the so-called state agents etc are behind bars, being properly investigated, charged and convicted of the crimes they have committed and will continue to commit.
Sadly though, this whole episode points to the fact that these "state agents" and "police officers" and "soldiers" are all carrying on regardless because they know nothing will change and they feel they can act with impunity. There is absolutely no indication that they are trying to modify their behaviour because they might feel their time is at an end and that their behaviour will land them in trouble!
And I guess that basically says it all - they will continue doing what they want, when they want and how they want and that will be that. After all their provocation and ignoring the MoU and GNU agreements, when the MDC are finally forced to walk away they will still jump up and say it was the MDC's fault!
This is actually now approaching a very pathetic state.
Wednesday 11 February 2009
A New Hope?
My apologies for a long absence... I have been trundling around Africa for a bit getting a first hand view of things... and they are dismal... .
Well today, finally, the man legally voted in by the people of Zimbabwe as their leader has finally been sworn in by the man illegally occupying the post of President.
I suppose that I, like about 99% of Zimbabweans am sceptical... And would anyone blame us? Lets be honest here - it seems Mugabe still hasn't released the activists that are being held illegally... nor, indeed, has he even tried to comply with anything that he doesn't agree with.
The Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, is busy making a lot of promises... I just wonder what he knows that we don't. If he were Prime Minister or President in his own right with full control of government, I wouldn't hesitate to believe him. Unfortunately, at this point, what I predicted some time ago has come to pass. He has, probably for the right reasons, decided to take up the challenge of trying to lead Zimbabwe and deal with the excesses of Mugabe and his party of thugs from within. And this means he has to handle ministries that are still ham-strung by Mugabe's grip on security. Any failure will bring Mugabe out shouting and pointing fingers!
And whilst most of us may question this approach, I am given hope by the open statements he himself has made - there is no trust between the two and he knows Mugabe's probable hope is to absorb him and the MDC in the same manner as he did with ZAPU. Also, the eyes of the world are a bit wiser to his plans, the news media firmly understands how Mugabe has acted in the past.. and so he will not quickly be able to just slide past his usual plan of firstly trying to absorb the opposition and secondly.. blaming them for everything.
It is still very fraught and, I understand, there are still many things to be negotiated.. in fact most of the fundamentally important pre-requisites of allowing this "marriage of inconvenience" to have much chance of working, remain outstanding.
But I truly think that Tsvangirai will have a chance at really frustrating Mugabe as much as Mugabe will frustrate him - hopefully, in the end, Tsvangirai will prevail - as tenacious as Mugabe is at hanging on, Tsavngirai has shown he is at standing strong and fighting for what he believes in. Hopefully it will be enough to bring the transitional period through to an end where a proper election can be held and Mugabe can be soundly defeated.
One of the biggest things Tsvangirai has to fight with is his parliamentary majority - and hopefully this will be one of the prime movers. As much as ZANU-pf and Mugabe must be wringing their hands in anticipation of a new inflow of foreign aid and investment on which they hope to feast, we can only hope the foreign donors will not be falling over themselves to hand over the cash. Sadly, I think, this is possibly the weak link in everything. I think that the initial position of the world that they want to see the government working MUST be rigidly maintained.
This, however, puts Tsvangirai and the MDC in a difficult position - they will have to deliver progress for the people in Zimbabwe.. without the rest of the worlds' money.. which is interesting. Zimbabwe is a beautiful country with a HUGE wealth of resources. Now the problem is, Mugabe and ZANU-pf's policies are all contrary to allowing the resources to be utilised and managed in the manner necessary to allow economic activity to help the economy recover. And that is going to be a big challenge to overcome. And it will be interesting to see how this can be done. In my opinion proper law and order is the main priority (of course, I am a cop - so it would be!).. but, the chaotic land grab which has taken place and continues to take place is illegal. Even if Mugabe changed the law to suit, the fact is, he initially allowed the law to be broken willy nilly. Farmers were targeted on the basis of their race (to my understanding, this is against the law).. Farmer were murdered, assaulted and harassed. Farmers had their property vandalised and stolen.. So all of that was illegal - and the law needs to recognise that. I personally DO understand the need for land reform, however, we need to remember that a large percentage of the farms which were grabbed, had changed ownership since Zimbabwe gained Independence.. and had certificates of no interest from the government. So yes, we would have to delve into the whole history of the land problem.. and approach it in a sensible manner. The farms need to be taken away from Mugabe loyalists. Their original owners need to be restored to their properties.. and that means reversing the whole land grab, before a proper reform can be undertaken... something which Tsvangirai has said will not happen.... So what now?
Before the economy can possibly recover, the farms need to be working again.. after all, the country had an agriculturally based economy... and it needs food.. now it is a fact that the Mugabe loyalists (illegally) occupying these farms have absolutely NO idea about farming.. and those farms where people have been resettled, have regressed to subsistence farming levels.
Quite a dilemma - since the police, army, air force and CIO are still firmly under Mugabe's control... and they are not likely to start upholding the law or trying to chuck the so-called generals and commissioner generals etc off farms that they have stolen and occupy without producing any food.. I guess it is going to be a hard, if not impossible road.. so we will have to watch carefully - but I should think that Mugabe's hopes of the world rushing in with money need to be dashed and remain that way.
I note that Mbeki and the SADC are already shouting for the world to drop sanctions and re-invest... I truly hope the world can respond by saying, very simply... Don't be silly! After all - aren't Zimbabwe's problems going to be resolved by Zimbabweans?
It is time for the world to stop being conned by Mugabe and Africa.
Sadly though, I am sure that the bleeding hearts will ensure Mugabe has a reason to to stay as his money will still be coming in.. and going out - to his bank accounts!
I watched, in disbelief, the amounts of money that the world is chucking at Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak.. especially when it is plain that the money is being sent via the Reverse (Reserve) Bank of Zimbabwe.. and into Mugabe's pockets! For the amounts of money that have been deployed to deal with this crisis, the water reticulation system could have been completely overhauled and medical supplies could have been shipped in and the problem brought firmly under control! I sat and listened to some high up lady in the UN doing an interview with UK TV about the crisis... and all I heard was stupidity - the answer - more and more money being channelled into Zimbabwe... and none of it being used for the dying people!
I would be very Happy though, to be heading home myself, shortly and going back into the force and seeing what effect I could have... but at this point, it would seem that the force is still too truly compromised and is, still, just a ZANU-pf militia.
Let see what happens over the next few days and weeks - and lets hope.
Later.
Well today, finally, the man legally voted in by the people of Zimbabwe as their leader has finally been sworn in by the man illegally occupying the post of President.
I suppose that I, like about 99% of Zimbabweans am sceptical... And would anyone blame us? Lets be honest here - it seems Mugabe still hasn't released the activists that are being held illegally... nor, indeed, has he even tried to comply with anything that he doesn't agree with.
The Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, is busy making a lot of promises... I just wonder what he knows that we don't. If he were Prime Minister or President in his own right with full control of government, I wouldn't hesitate to believe him. Unfortunately, at this point, what I predicted some time ago has come to pass. He has, probably for the right reasons, decided to take up the challenge of trying to lead Zimbabwe and deal with the excesses of Mugabe and his party of thugs from within. And this means he has to handle ministries that are still ham-strung by Mugabe's grip on security. Any failure will bring Mugabe out shouting and pointing fingers!
And whilst most of us may question this approach, I am given hope by the open statements he himself has made - there is no trust between the two and he knows Mugabe's probable hope is to absorb him and the MDC in the same manner as he did with ZAPU. Also, the eyes of the world are a bit wiser to his plans, the news media firmly understands how Mugabe has acted in the past.. and so he will not quickly be able to just slide past his usual plan of firstly trying to absorb the opposition and secondly.. blaming them for everything.
It is still very fraught and, I understand, there are still many things to be negotiated.. in fact most of the fundamentally important pre-requisites of allowing this "marriage of inconvenience" to have much chance of working, remain outstanding.
But I truly think that Tsvangirai will have a chance at really frustrating Mugabe as much as Mugabe will frustrate him - hopefully, in the end, Tsvangirai will prevail - as tenacious as Mugabe is at hanging on, Tsavngirai has shown he is at standing strong and fighting for what he believes in. Hopefully it will be enough to bring the transitional period through to an end where a proper election can be held and Mugabe can be soundly defeated.
One of the biggest things Tsvangirai has to fight with is his parliamentary majority - and hopefully this will be one of the prime movers. As much as ZANU-pf and Mugabe must be wringing their hands in anticipation of a new inflow of foreign aid and investment on which they hope to feast, we can only hope the foreign donors will not be falling over themselves to hand over the cash. Sadly, I think, this is possibly the weak link in everything. I think that the initial position of the world that they want to see the government working MUST be rigidly maintained.
This, however, puts Tsvangirai and the MDC in a difficult position - they will have to deliver progress for the people in Zimbabwe.. without the rest of the worlds' money.. which is interesting. Zimbabwe is a beautiful country with a HUGE wealth of resources. Now the problem is, Mugabe and ZANU-pf's policies are all contrary to allowing the resources to be utilised and managed in the manner necessary to allow economic activity to help the economy recover. And that is going to be a big challenge to overcome. And it will be interesting to see how this can be done. In my opinion proper law and order is the main priority (of course, I am a cop - so it would be!).. but, the chaotic land grab which has taken place and continues to take place is illegal. Even if Mugabe changed the law to suit, the fact is, he initially allowed the law to be broken willy nilly. Farmers were targeted on the basis of their race (to my understanding, this is against the law).. Farmer were murdered, assaulted and harassed. Farmers had their property vandalised and stolen.. So all of that was illegal - and the law needs to recognise that. I personally DO understand the need for land reform, however, we need to remember that a large percentage of the farms which were grabbed, had changed ownership since Zimbabwe gained Independence.. and had certificates of no interest from the government. So yes, we would have to delve into the whole history of the land problem.. and approach it in a sensible manner. The farms need to be taken away from Mugabe loyalists. Their original owners need to be restored to their properties.. and that means reversing the whole land grab, before a proper reform can be undertaken... something which Tsvangirai has said will not happen.... So what now?
Before the economy can possibly recover, the farms need to be working again.. after all, the country had an agriculturally based economy... and it needs food.. now it is a fact that the Mugabe loyalists (illegally) occupying these farms have absolutely NO idea about farming.. and those farms where people have been resettled, have regressed to subsistence farming levels.
Quite a dilemma - since the police, army, air force and CIO are still firmly under Mugabe's control... and they are not likely to start upholding the law or trying to chuck the so-called generals and commissioner generals etc off farms that they have stolen and occupy without producing any food.. I guess it is going to be a hard, if not impossible road.. so we will have to watch carefully - but I should think that Mugabe's hopes of the world rushing in with money need to be dashed and remain that way.
I note that Mbeki and the SADC are already shouting for the world to drop sanctions and re-invest... I truly hope the world can respond by saying, very simply... Don't be silly! After all - aren't Zimbabwe's problems going to be resolved by Zimbabweans?
It is time for the world to stop being conned by Mugabe and Africa.
Sadly though, I am sure that the bleeding hearts will ensure Mugabe has a reason to to stay as his money will still be coming in.. and going out - to his bank accounts!
I watched, in disbelief, the amounts of money that the world is chucking at Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak.. especially when it is plain that the money is being sent via the Reverse (Reserve) Bank of Zimbabwe.. and into Mugabe's pockets! For the amounts of money that have been deployed to deal with this crisis, the water reticulation system could have been completely overhauled and medical supplies could have been shipped in and the problem brought firmly under control! I sat and listened to some high up lady in the UN doing an interview with UK TV about the crisis... and all I heard was stupidity - the answer - more and more money being channelled into Zimbabwe... and none of it being used for the dying people!
I would be very Happy though, to be heading home myself, shortly and going back into the force and seeing what effect I could have... but at this point, it would seem that the force is still too truly compromised and is, still, just a ZANU-pf militia.
Let see what happens over the next few days and weeks - and lets hope.
Later.
Wednesday 17 December 2008
The Zimbabwe Shambles...desperation?
Well today the news is full of the story of Shiri's mishap with a bullet with many differing versions having him shot in the hand or the elbow or the shoulder and the would be assassins ranging from the army to the CIO to the police...
Who knows for sure? But one thing IS for sure - whoever did the shooting needs a kick up the portal for missing! But at least they DID do the shooting! And now the ZANU-pf bigwigs are in a panic for their personal security. I guess things are, at last beginning to affect them. The soldiers have warned of more riots and I doubt it will be long before the police stop reacting to riots. Still, it is all very slow and very painful. The good thing is that Mugabe and his murdering minions now have to keep looking over their shoulders... and even those who protect them are a threat now! I know a few of these people.. and I wouldn't trust them further than I can spit! Mugabe shouldn't either!
One of my readers has written in a comment asking what everyone can do? And I have to say that I too am a bit lost on this. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that writing to ineffectual politicians in ineffectual governments does little more than waste time and, perhaps, paper! If I were in a position to start some real activism, I would suggest a campaign of writing thousands of letters addressed to police stations all over Zimbabwe telling the policemen some simple facts such as:
Their actions are largely illegal.
They are serving a party and not the (legally elected) government and, therefore, are in breach of their oaths of attestation, particularly in reference to the bits that say "I do solemnly swear and make an oath that I will uphold the laws of Zimbabwe..."
That those of them actively supporting Mugabe and his party will be investigated and face charges when Mugabe is gone.
That their officers will all disappear when the time comes to face the music and they will be left holding the baby!
That Mugabe will, before too long actually be gone (He is 84 and simply will not live forever).
That they need to think of their own welfare and futures and that of their families and decide whether to keep ensuring these murderers who are stealing from everyone or help get rid of them so everyone can prosper again.
That the time is approaching when they WILL be called to account for their part in abductions, murder, theft and that turning a blind eye to it makes them just as complicit.
That they are, principally there to serve the people of Zimbabwe, not the Party of Mugabe.
And, perhaps quite a few other things, although I would tend to keep the list short and to the point.
Perhaps a direct campaign of letter writing by thousands of Zimbabweans directly to the police men and women themselves may serve to foment change in itself? I am clearly open to suggestions. My personal plan for the removal of Mugabe must, in order for it to remain a viable option, remain secret. Although I very seriously doubt it, I am always hopeful that someone with a bit of real influence somewhere, might take me seriously and get in touch. I firmly believe that with the efficient and selective removal of Mugabe and, perhaps one or two others, final collapse and restoration will be far more quickly achieved at far less cost in lives.
Lets see, if they had taken me seriously just after the recent so called elections and equipped me in the manner I had requested, Mugabe and his top men would now be a thing of the past. Yes, five or six lives may have been lost.. but then, how many people have died since those elections? It would seem though, that the CIA, by not condoning the violent destruction of six people, prefer, instead, to condone the violent death of thousands of others, the rape, torture and abduction of yet more. Not to mention the cost of millions and millions of pounds, dollars and euros still pouring into the country in aid.
South Africa's new president has clearly been bought off by Mugabe. South Africa's shameful stance at the UN (and Russia, for some bizarre reason?) has blocked yet another resolution on the matter. How hard is it to stand up and say - this Mugabe is illegal and we deplore him killing thousands of people? It is hard to understand what such a tin pot dictator such as Mugabe could possibly offer.. but then, let us not forget that Mugabe is reputed to be about the fourth richest man in the world and Kgalema Motlanthe is only the caretaker South African president - he has no hope of staying in office after the next general election in South Africa, so it would not be a far leap for the imagination to conclude that Mugabe has offered him a lucrative retirement in return for more of the failed "softly, softly" approach!
Let us see what happens next!
Who knows for sure? But one thing IS for sure - whoever did the shooting needs a kick up the portal for missing! But at least they DID do the shooting! And now the ZANU-pf bigwigs are in a panic for their personal security. I guess things are, at last beginning to affect them. The soldiers have warned of more riots and I doubt it will be long before the police stop reacting to riots. Still, it is all very slow and very painful. The good thing is that Mugabe and his murdering minions now have to keep looking over their shoulders... and even those who protect them are a threat now! I know a few of these people.. and I wouldn't trust them further than I can spit! Mugabe shouldn't either!
One of my readers has written in a comment asking what everyone can do? And I have to say that I too am a bit lost on this. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that writing to ineffectual politicians in ineffectual governments does little more than waste time and, perhaps, paper! If I were in a position to start some real activism, I would suggest a campaign of writing thousands of letters addressed to police stations all over Zimbabwe telling the policemen some simple facts such as:
Their actions are largely illegal.
They are serving a party and not the (legally elected) government and, therefore, are in breach of their oaths of attestation, particularly in reference to the bits that say "I do solemnly swear and make an oath that I will uphold the laws of Zimbabwe..."
That those of them actively supporting Mugabe and his party will be investigated and face charges when Mugabe is gone.
That their officers will all disappear when the time comes to face the music and they will be left holding the baby!
That Mugabe will, before too long actually be gone (He is 84 and simply will not live forever).
That they need to think of their own welfare and futures and that of their families and decide whether to keep ensuring these murderers who are stealing from everyone or help get rid of them so everyone can prosper again.
That the time is approaching when they WILL be called to account for their part in abductions, murder, theft and that turning a blind eye to it makes them just as complicit.
That they are, principally there to serve the people of Zimbabwe, not the Party of Mugabe.
And, perhaps quite a few other things, although I would tend to keep the list short and to the point.
Perhaps a direct campaign of letter writing by thousands of Zimbabweans directly to the police men and women themselves may serve to foment change in itself? I am clearly open to suggestions. My personal plan for the removal of Mugabe must, in order for it to remain a viable option, remain secret. Although I very seriously doubt it, I am always hopeful that someone with a bit of real influence somewhere, might take me seriously and get in touch. I firmly believe that with the efficient and selective removal of Mugabe and, perhaps one or two others, final collapse and restoration will be far more quickly achieved at far less cost in lives.
Lets see, if they had taken me seriously just after the recent so called elections and equipped me in the manner I had requested, Mugabe and his top men would now be a thing of the past. Yes, five or six lives may have been lost.. but then, how many people have died since those elections? It would seem though, that the CIA, by not condoning the violent destruction of six people, prefer, instead, to condone the violent death of thousands of others, the rape, torture and abduction of yet more. Not to mention the cost of millions and millions of pounds, dollars and euros still pouring into the country in aid.
South Africa's new president has clearly been bought off by Mugabe. South Africa's shameful stance at the UN (and Russia, for some bizarre reason?) has blocked yet another resolution on the matter. How hard is it to stand up and say - this Mugabe is illegal and we deplore him killing thousands of people? It is hard to understand what such a tin pot dictator such as Mugabe could possibly offer.. but then, let us not forget that Mugabe is reputed to be about the fourth richest man in the world and Kgalema Motlanthe is only the caretaker South African president - he has no hope of staying in office after the next general election in South Africa, so it would not be a far leap for the imagination to conclude that Mugabe has offered him a lucrative retirement in return for more of the failed "softly, softly" approach!
Let us see what happens next!
Tuesday 16 December 2008
Regime Change... but How?
The news is full of Zimbabwe again.
And the international community is, more and more calling for regime change - something they should have done in 2000... but that is all anyone is actually doing about Zimbabwe - talking. And Mugabe cares nothing about words - they are cheap and they mean nothing. Mugabe is rich and has the guns - no one can do anything to him - unless they are prepared to bring more and bigger guns - and they are not!
South Africa, much to my surprise, is still not using it's power to move Mugabe - Why would that be? Has the new president already been bought by Mugabe? Without South Africa and other neighbours support - Mugabe would fold and die in weeks!
I was interested to see on Britain's Channel 4 news an interview with Mr Miliband, the British foreign secretary. The interviewer made the point that they will probably still be doing similar interviews complaining and deploring the Mugabe regime late in 2009 and beyond.. and Mugabe will STILL be there! And yes, you had better believe they will.
If you want regime change Mr Miliband, get in touch with me. As a Zimbabwean police officer, I have the right and the legal mandate to deal with criminals in that country - and, with a bit of equipment - I can have the job done within a few weeks - it will cost very little and will not involve a war!
I see that Zimbabwe feels it is under "terrorist" attack because someone with no money and no hope (since it was taken away by Mugabe and his thieves) took a shot at the criminal purportedly in charge of what used to be Zimbabwe's airforce. I think though, as one commentator said - if it was a trained person - Shiri would be dead! The loss of Shiri would hardly be a blow to the embattled people of Zimbabwe.
Mr Miliband, another thing - if you want regime change, get hold of the legally elected President, Morgan Tsvangirai and pledge support and recognition for him to set up a government in exile. Get the rest of the international community to follow suit, stop the UN from dealing with Mugabe and things will start to change.
And if you are worried about feeding the people - deliver the food by air. With parachutes. Directly to the people who need it. And protect your delivery aircraft with the RAF and other international air forces. That way, Mugabe loses his command of the food, one of his big power cards (and no matter what you or the international aid agencies say - Mugabe is still controlling the food.. and probably the medicine now). And I guarantee that the so called air force of Zimbabwe poses no credible threat, in fact knocking a few of his planes down in quick succession would send a very clear message to Mugabe. And other tin pot dictators like him.
Other than the above all that is set to happen is more talking. More deploring. More condemning. More nothing and More Zimbabweans dying.
And many are dying - I wonder how the CIA view things in Zimbabwe - when I last offered to eliminate Mugabe - they told me they do not condone violence... so why are they condoning it now??????
And on a personal note to Mugabe - be aware that if there was, indeed, a real "terrorist" or security threat to Zimbabwe - you would already be dead! I certainly hope to have the pleasure of personally arresting you, Mnangagwa, Shiri, Chiwenga, Chihuri, Bvudzijena and the hundreds of others who have pledged themselves to you. You are all common criminals. You have NO mandate to run Zimbabwe (or plunder it) and you need to go now.
And the international community is, more and more calling for regime change - something they should have done in 2000... but that is all anyone is actually doing about Zimbabwe - talking. And Mugabe cares nothing about words - they are cheap and they mean nothing. Mugabe is rich and has the guns - no one can do anything to him - unless they are prepared to bring more and bigger guns - and they are not!
South Africa, much to my surprise, is still not using it's power to move Mugabe - Why would that be? Has the new president already been bought by Mugabe? Without South Africa and other neighbours support - Mugabe would fold and die in weeks!
I was interested to see on Britain's Channel 4 news an interview with Mr Miliband, the British foreign secretary. The interviewer made the point that they will probably still be doing similar interviews complaining and deploring the Mugabe regime late in 2009 and beyond.. and Mugabe will STILL be there! And yes, you had better believe they will.
If you want regime change Mr Miliband, get in touch with me. As a Zimbabwean police officer, I have the right and the legal mandate to deal with criminals in that country - and, with a bit of equipment - I can have the job done within a few weeks - it will cost very little and will not involve a war!
I see that Zimbabwe feels it is under "terrorist" attack because someone with no money and no hope (since it was taken away by Mugabe and his thieves) took a shot at the criminal purportedly in charge of what used to be Zimbabwe's airforce. I think though, as one commentator said - if it was a trained person - Shiri would be dead! The loss of Shiri would hardly be a blow to the embattled people of Zimbabwe.
Mr Miliband, another thing - if you want regime change, get hold of the legally elected President, Morgan Tsvangirai and pledge support and recognition for him to set up a government in exile. Get the rest of the international community to follow suit, stop the UN from dealing with Mugabe and things will start to change.
And if you are worried about feeding the people - deliver the food by air. With parachutes. Directly to the people who need it. And protect your delivery aircraft with the RAF and other international air forces. That way, Mugabe loses his command of the food, one of his big power cards (and no matter what you or the international aid agencies say - Mugabe is still controlling the food.. and probably the medicine now). And I guarantee that the so called air force of Zimbabwe poses no credible threat, in fact knocking a few of his planes down in quick succession would send a very clear message to Mugabe. And other tin pot dictators like him.
Other than the above all that is set to happen is more talking. More deploring. More condemning. More nothing and More Zimbabweans dying.
And many are dying - I wonder how the CIA view things in Zimbabwe - when I last offered to eliminate Mugabe - they told me they do not condone violence... so why are they condoning it now??????
And on a personal note to Mugabe - be aware that if there was, indeed, a real "terrorist" or security threat to Zimbabwe - you would already be dead! I certainly hope to have the pleasure of personally arresting you, Mnangagwa, Shiri, Chiwenga, Chihuri, Bvudzijena and the hundreds of others who have pledged themselves to you. You are all common criminals. You have NO mandate to run Zimbabwe (or plunder it) and you need to go now.
Sunday 14 December 2008
No Progress
I have just listened to Morgan Tsvangirai's interview on SWradio Africa with some interest. Basically, Tsvangirai is not in Zimbabwe and his whereabouts are not being revealed.
And that is just how it should be. Unfortunately, many people at the grassroots perhaps do not understand this position and they are feeling a bit abandoned and vulnerable because they are facing the new onslaught from Mugabe's murdering minions. Sadly though, that is exactly how things need to be now.
The abductions are continuing unabated. Mugabe's own judiciary have ruled against him and instructed his militia (police) to find these people and they have ignored the court. The rest of the world is shouting out that this must stop and Mugabe has ignored them because he knows that they are saying "Stop!!! or else... we will have to say stop again!", but they will actually do nothing about it. If Tsvangirai re-appears in Zimbabwe who can honestly say that he will not be arrested and disappear. And on this occasion, Mugabe and his murderers will have an "excuse" to "arrest" him - as he is travelling without a passport.. which, of course, they are illegally with holding!
Mugabe knows that whatever he does, no one will intervene. So it is not without basis to imagine that he is very tired of the headaches caused by Tsvangirai and his party and, having tested the world's response thus far with all the current abductions.. of both high profile humanitarians, party members and even a baby (just to make sure he sees what everyone would say to extreme outrage), what he now knows is that whatever he does, there is no reaction or response that will cause him any problems - even if the same fate befalls Morgan Tsvangirai. So yes, Tsvangirai needs to stay well away from Zimbabwe at the moment. Especially since, whilst he is outside the country, he can really raise the international temperature.
It is still my contention though, that Tsvangirai needs to accept the Botswana governments' offer of a safe haven in which to set up a government in exile. But, before he does this, he will need to secure the support of the international community. They need to acknowledge that Tsvangirai IS the legally and properly elected leader of the people and nation of Zimbabwe. And they need to pledge to engage ALL their official business with this government in exile and absolutely ignore and stonewall Mugabe and his thieves.
The United Nations (yes, that clueless, hapless gathering of ineffectuality) must STOP inviting Mugabe and his people to anywhere. Mugabe's foreign officials need to be turfed out of their embassies and High Commissions and deported. This will begin the real process of telling Mugabe he is illegal and must go.
And this is not something outside the power of western nations who are finally calling for regime change (despite Mugabe's assertion that they have been for some time) to effect. Without the USA, the UK and the EU, the UN will stop functioning. Without the aid money these countries pump into Africa, the AU will fall apart and government will be unstable. The western world needs to stop feeding people the line that negotiating is the only way - they have done this for years and years in Africa in general.. and nothing has changed. Why? Because the great river of aid money continues to flow. So now, even in the midst of depression, they must still support this mass of corrupt governments in Africa that have no intention of changing their ways, or growing a backbone and standing up straight for what is right. Until that happens.. nothing will ever change or develop in Africa.
And, perhaps that is what everyone prefers - God forbid that an African Nation with its wealth of resources suddenly became viable! That would mean that the rest of the world might actually have to accord Africans their rightful place and that would mean they lose all control of Africa. We simply couldn't have that now could we?
Anyway, I digress!
Having secured the backing of the international community, if Tsvangirai set up government and pressure (real economic pressure) was applied to Zimbabwe's remaining recalcitrant neighbours to close the borders.. I guarantee a lot less people would die and Mugabe and company would, as Botswana and Kenya repeatedly point out, be gone in a few weeks. The suffering would end then and there and proper government could take over, proper aid could come in and function under the protection of the police and army, and that would be that. Tracking down Mugabe and his criminals could then be pursued with great detail and a LOT of money could be recovered to help rebuild the country!
Mugabe's remarks are becoming more and more crazy and his followers (which the world press still insist on referring to as "ministers") are becoming more and more rabid. It still amazes me though, that some news services, notably those in South Africa, continue to refer to ZANU-pf as "the ruling party".. they should be calling it what it is - Zimbabwe's illegal dictatorship.
MDC - it is time to set up government - not with Mugabe, but against Mugabe, as you have been elected to do. Negotiating is merely playing out the game Mugabe's way - you have nothing to negotiate - Mugabe and ZANU-pf lost the election, Tsvangirai and the MDC won the election - stop giving Mugabe any form of credibility by continuing this farcical and endless negotiating - step up and form a government. I, and many of my colleagues will sign to you as you are legally elected. You will find a fair number of colleagues trapped in the now ZANU-pf militias (police and army) will cross the border to help. And I am sure Botswana will assist - it serves to strengthen the MDC position and weaken Mugabe's grip on power!
And that is just how it should be. Unfortunately, many people at the grassroots perhaps do not understand this position and they are feeling a bit abandoned and vulnerable because they are facing the new onslaught from Mugabe's murdering minions. Sadly though, that is exactly how things need to be now.
The abductions are continuing unabated. Mugabe's own judiciary have ruled against him and instructed his militia (police) to find these people and they have ignored the court. The rest of the world is shouting out that this must stop and Mugabe has ignored them because he knows that they are saying "Stop!!! or else... we will have to say stop again!", but they will actually do nothing about it. If Tsvangirai re-appears in Zimbabwe who can honestly say that he will not be arrested and disappear. And on this occasion, Mugabe and his murderers will have an "excuse" to "arrest" him - as he is travelling without a passport.. which, of course, they are illegally with holding!
Mugabe knows that whatever he does, no one will intervene. So it is not without basis to imagine that he is very tired of the headaches caused by Tsvangirai and his party and, having tested the world's response thus far with all the current abductions.. of both high profile humanitarians, party members and even a baby (just to make sure he sees what everyone would say to extreme outrage), what he now knows is that whatever he does, there is no reaction or response that will cause him any problems - even if the same fate befalls Morgan Tsvangirai. So yes, Tsvangirai needs to stay well away from Zimbabwe at the moment. Especially since, whilst he is outside the country, he can really raise the international temperature.
It is still my contention though, that Tsvangirai needs to accept the Botswana governments' offer of a safe haven in which to set up a government in exile. But, before he does this, he will need to secure the support of the international community. They need to acknowledge that Tsvangirai IS the legally and properly elected leader of the people and nation of Zimbabwe. And they need to pledge to engage ALL their official business with this government in exile and absolutely ignore and stonewall Mugabe and his thieves.
The United Nations (yes, that clueless, hapless gathering of ineffectuality) must STOP inviting Mugabe and his people to anywhere. Mugabe's foreign officials need to be turfed out of their embassies and High Commissions and deported. This will begin the real process of telling Mugabe he is illegal and must go.
And this is not something outside the power of western nations who are finally calling for regime change (despite Mugabe's assertion that they have been for some time) to effect. Without the USA, the UK and the EU, the UN will stop functioning. Without the aid money these countries pump into Africa, the AU will fall apart and government will be unstable. The western world needs to stop feeding people the line that negotiating is the only way - they have done this for years and years in Africa in general.. and nothing has changed. Why? Because the great river of aid money continues to flow. So now, even in the midst of depression, they must still support this mass of corrupt governments in Africa that have no intention of changing their ways, or growing a backbone and standing up straight for what is right. Until that happens.. nothing will ever change or develop in Africa.
And, perhaps that is what everyone prefers - God forbid that an African Nation with its wealth of resources suddenly became viable! That would mean that the rest of the world might actually have to accord Africans their rightful place and that would mean they lose all control of Africa. We simply couldn't have that now could we?
Anyway, I digress!
Having secured the backing of the international community, if Tsvangirai set up government and pressure (real economic pressure) was applied to Zimbabwe's remaining recalcitrant neighbours to close the borders.. I guarantee a lot less people would die and Mugabe and company would, as Botswana and Kenya repeatedly point out, be gone in a few weeks. The suffering would end then and there and proper government could take over, proper aid could come in and function under the protection of the police and army, and that would be that. Tracking down Mugabe and his criminals could then be pursued with great detail and a LOT of money could be recovered to help rebuild the country!
Mugabe's remarks are becoming more and more crazy and his followers (which the world press still insist on referring to as "ministers") are becoming more and more rabid. It still amazes me though, that some news services, notably those in South Africa, continue to refer to ZANU-pf as "the ruling party".. they should be calling it what it is - Zimbabwe's illegal dictatorship.
MDC - it is time to set up government - not with Mugabe, but against Mugabe, as you have been elected to do. Negotiating is merely playing out the game Mugabe's way - you have nothing to negotiate - Mugabe and ZANU-pf lost the election, Tsvangirai and the MDC won the election - stop giving Mugabe any form of credibility by continuing this farcical and endless negotiating - step up and form a government. I, and many of my colleagues will sign to you as you are legally elected. You will find a fair number of colleagues trapped in the now ZANU-pf militias (police and army) will cross the border to help. And I am sure Botswana will assist - it serves to strengthen the MDC position and weaken Mugabe's grip on power!
Monday 8 December 2008
Good News... and More Bad News
I have had time a busy at work and am preparing to go and assist with members of the Zimbabwean public displaced and dying from Mugabe induced cholera.. So, within the next few days, my postings will become even more sporadic as I am not sure what, if any, Internet access I will find on the borders of Zimbabwe!
I note that there are more "calls for Mugabe to step down".. I still cannot believe that western politicians believe that Mugabe would even pay the slightest heed to them - he is well fed, he is healthy, he has diamonds and other mineral wealth, he has large amounts of money that the western banking world cannot find, he has people whose loyalty he has both bought and obtained through threat - why would he give a continental what the "Mad Gordon Brown" wants? The only people speaking sense at the moment are the Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the Botswanan administration. I am even dismayed to see that Jacob Zuma is taking the "mediation through Mbeki stance"!
I say again that the MDC should listen to Botswana and accept their offer - that will create a bigger problem for Mugabe and send the absolute signal that they are not going to play anymore whilst Mugabe and co prevaricate, abduct and murder still more Zimbabweans.
I see, however, that another ZANU-pf "cadre" has died.. in a road accident. He was on his way to "preside over" a zanu-pf election (I wonder why they still bother with the sham of an election - just appoint someone.. ZANU-pf has no care for elections or the will of the people!). Elliot Manyika has been widely acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the violence and abductions. It is my fervent hope that he laying dying and bleeding in the wreck of his vehicle and had ample time to feel a lot of pain and reflect on the fact that no ambulance or paramedic would be on their way to rescue him.. because his direct influence had helped destroy the infrastructure that supported such services. And I hope he realised that a huge contributory factor in his accident is the lack of law and order on the roads in Zimbabwe.. where the police have been converted to ZANU-pf militia and have no interested in enforcing the law!
Poetic Justice I would say - pity it doesn't happen to more of these criminals!
It is also widely reported that the abductions continue - and members of the so-called police are instrumental in this.
Police officers do not abduct people - they arrest them, charge them and bring them before an independent court which will decide whether the individual is guilty or not and if guilty, an appropriate punishment.
ZANU-pf militia masquerading as police officers abduct people regularly - they have to abduct them because in reality, they have no reason to interact with them otherwise. And these people are "disappeared"... this is not the work of police officers.
It is time that real police officers caught up in this mess walked out.. you are not being effective in mitigating the actions of the militia - so get out now, lest you be tarred with the same brush as them. It will be the fastest way for you to secure your future.
Later.
I note that there are more "calls for Mugabe to step down".. I still cannot believe that western politicians believe that Mugabe would even pay the slightest heed to them - he is well fed, he is healthy, he has diamonds and other mineral wealth, he has large amounts of money that the western banking world cannot find, he has people whose loyalty he has both bought and obtained through threat - why would he give a continental what the "Mad Gordon Brown" wants? The only people speaking sense at the moment are the Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the Botswanan administration. I am even dismayed to see that Jacob Zuma is taking the "mediation through Mbeki stance"!
I say again that the MDC should listen to Botswana and accept their offer - that will create a bigger problem for Mugabe and send the absolute signal that they are not going to play anymore whilst Mugabe and co prevaricate, abduct and murder still more Zimbabweans.
I see, however, that another ZANU-pf "cadre" has died.. in a road accident. He was on his way to "preside over" a zanu-pf election (I wonder why they still bother with the sham of an election - just appoint someone.. ZANU-pf has no care for elections or the will of the people!). Elliot Manyika has been widely acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the violence and abductions. It is my fervent hope that he laying dying and bleeding in the wreck of his vehicle and had ample time to feel a lot of pain and reflect on the fact that no ambulance or paramedic would be on their way to rescue him.. because his direct influence had helped destroy the infrastructure that supported such services. And I hope he realised that a huge contributory factor in his accident is the lack of law and order on the roads in Zimbabwe.. where the police have been converted to ZANU-pf militia and have no interested in enforcing the law!
Poetic Justice I would say - pity it doesn't happen to more of these criminals!
It is also widely reported that the abductions continue - and members of the so-called police are instrumental in this.
Police officers do not abduct people - they arrest them, charge them and bring them before an independent court which will decide whether the individual is guilty or not and if guilty, an appropriate punishment.
ZANU-pf militia masquerading as police officers abduct people regularly - they have to abduct them because in reality, they have no reason to interact with them otherwise. And these people are "disappeared"... this is not the work of police officers.
It is time that real police officers caught up in this mess walked out.. you are not being effective in mitigating the actions of the militia - so get out now, lest you be tarred with the same brush as them. It will be the fastest way for you to secure your future.
Later.
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