Zimbabwe Information Center in North America
A project of the North American Coalition for a Free Zimbabwe (NACFREEZ)
By Stanford G. Mukasa
Letter from America
January 15, 2007
MDC
Last Friday a group of Zimbabweans staged a spectacular demonstration outside the White House and the Zimbabwean embassy. The Zimbabweans were protesting against Robert Mugabe and ZANUPF’s destructive policies on Zimbabwe.
The protesters came from as far as Seattle, Washington; Dallas, Texas; Indiana and Ohio. Some of them drove all night to get to Washington DC.
The protesters sang, danced and marched from the White House to the Zimbabwean embassy. On their way they distributed to members of the public pamphlets about atrocities in Zimbabwe. The protesters displayed banners condemning Mugabe’s dictatorship and calling on Americans to help bring Mugabe to the International Criminal Court of Justice.
One placard reminded the public that Mugabe was the Zimbabwean version of Hurricane Katrina which destroyed New Orleans a few years ago.
Protest leaders, Nicholas Mada, Handel Mlilo and Zvidzayi Ruzvidzo said they wanted President Bush to deal firmly and decisively with Mugabe. It was very important that the protest march begin at the White House.
The marchers’ high noon was when the protesters reached outside the Zimbabwean embassy at 1608 New Hampshire Avenue. They were wearing MDC T shirts and chanting MDC slogans.
The embassy’s main door was shut. Two police offers approached the protesters who were waving their placards and singing anti Mugabe songs. An embassy official passed the protesters without saying a word as he entered the embassy. Police took a few notes about the protesters and stood about ten feet from where the protesters had gathered outside the embassy doors.
The first steps towards confronting the ambassador were taken when protest leader Dr. Mlilo went into the embassy building to deliver a petition for Mugabe.
The ambassador did not show up although he was rumored to be within the embassy building. His stern faced deputy came and half opened the inner door. He said he would allow only one person to enter. Dr. Mlilo entered and presented the petition.
Addressing the protestors outside Dr. Mlilo said he had told the deputy ambassador in no uncertain terms that the petition must be handed to Mugabe.
What followed was a revelry of placard waving and singing. Police officers nearby read the placards with interest. One of them even asked : Why would he, referring to Mugabe, be such a dictator?
The protesters did not disperse soon after the petition had been handed but took their time. It was very obvious that they were in a serious mood. Had the elections been free and fair the Zimbabwe embassy would be having an MDC ambassador and staff appointed by the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirayi. This point did not escape the protesters who were painfully aware that the MDC whose T shirts they were wearing had been deprived of its decisive victories in the elections since 2000.
Some passers by cheered the protesters when they saw the name Robert Mugabe on the placards. One even remarked “When are you going to overthrow this dictator Mugabe. Let us know and we will help you! “
The Zimbabweans were very clear what they were demanding in their petition.
The petition read in part:
We, the concerned Zimbabweans living in North America, demand with immediate effect that Mugabe and ZANUPF must RESTORE and RESPECT ;
- The rule of law and the Constitution of Zimbabwe;
- An independent judiciary, police and the army and other law enforcement and security agencies;
- A free mass media and freedom of expression. Allow independent electronic media to operate in the country;
- Respect for, and protection of, peaceful demonstrations that are a constitutional and democratic right of the people of Zimbabwe;
- Immediate repeal of the draconian laws like AIPPA and POSA;
- An electoral process that will lead to free and fair elections;
- An independent electoral commission to supervise elections without interference from ZANUPF.
We also demand that ;
- Mugabe must step down at the end of his term in office in 2008, if not earlier.
- Mugabe must respect the Constitutional rights of qualified Zimbabwean voters in Diaspora to vote in the elections from where they are instead of requiring them to come home to vote in their constituencies. After all, Zimbabweans in Diaspora are remitting about US$100 million every month to help the impoverished relatives and friends in the country.
- To assure trust and security of the opposition movement United Nations and international monitors as well as peacekeeping forces should be invited and deployed throughout the country. The counting of votes must be transparent and results must be released by an independent electoral commission.
- All people implicated in the raping, killing, torture, abduction of supporters of opposition movement must be brought to trial.
- IMMEDIATE and EFFECTIVE steps be taken to end rampant corruption. All people who stole State assets must be brought to trial.
- Restitution must be made for victims of the 1983 genocide in Matabeleland and Murambatsvina.
A truly and representative national consultation on economic and political reforms must be convened IMMEDIATELY.
The Zimbabwean protesters had certainly set the agenda for the year 2007. Mugabe may scoff at the petition. He has ignored similar protests and appeals before. But as former British Prime Minister Harold McMillan told the apartheid government in South Africa, the winds of change are sweeping across Africa, Mugabe will ignore the petition at his risk. Mugabe and ZANUPF have survived so far. He and his cronies are resting on their laurels deluding themselves they are at the top of the situation. They believe, at least in public, that their rule is guaranteed, especially in the absence of a well organized and strong mass protest from the opposition movement.
But there are growing signs of restlessness especially among the workers in the civil service. Zimbabwe appears on the verge of the long awaited mass action that will come in forms of sporadic and wild strikes and other civil disobedience acts.
2007 may well be the year Zimbabweans not only said enough is enough but resolved to do something about it. ZANUPF and Mugabe are caught in a vortex of their own internal contradictions and simmering squabbles. A major split within Mugabe’s party looms like an active volcano whose rumblings are being heard like distant thunder. But no one knows for sure when it will erupt. Mugabe and ZANUPF can hear the rumblings of an imminent mass protest or acts of civil disobedience.
The social and economic infrastructure in Zimbabwe is now so dilapidated that economists estimate it will take up to 15 years for the country to recover significantly. Under these very harsh conditions that Zimbabweans are living today very few governments around the world have survived being shred to pieces by an enraged public.
The popular song and slogan ZANU yawora or ZANU is now rotten to the core is an apocalyptic reflection of the imminent demise of Mugabe’s party. How this will come about no one knows but Mugabe’s days as well as those of ZANUPF are certainly now numbered. The writing is on the wall. It is only a matter of time before everything falls apart – left, right and center.
Mugabe himself hopes to continue to be president up to 2010. at the age of 83 Mugabe has a stubborn will to live through his extended presidency. His mother lived beyond 90 years. He probably believes he has his mother’s genes and has fooled and consoled himself into thinking he will be calling the shots at the age of 90 or seven years away.
Like the Biblical Pharaoh Mugabe is likely to harden his position and even become more dictatorial. What he does not know is he is living on borrowed time. He is the oldest ruler on the entire African continent. He is now a political dinosaur and a liability not only to Zimbabwe but to the SADC region.
There is, however, every reason to believe that Mugabe himself is increasingly and painfully aware of the forces that are now circling him like vultures. He may display in public a brave and stubborn character but deep down in his psychotic mindset Mugabe is probably a wreck just waiting to collapse.