Latest Zimbabwe shock

[2R]

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's government on Tuesday bristled at criticism it was receiving arms from China, as pressure mounted for neighboring African countries to keep the weapons from reaching their destination.

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China, meanwhile, said the ship carrying the weapons for landlocked Zimbabwe may return home without offloading its cargo.

The ship arrived in South Africa last week, and human rights groups and others said the weapons should not be allowed to cross their country to reach Zimbabwe. They fear the mortar grenades and bullets could be used by President Robert Mugabe's regime to clamp down on its opposition.

A South African group persuaded a judge to bar the weapons from transiting through the country. The ship sailed away from South Africa, and private groups and government officials in Mozambique, Angola and Namibia also objected to the weapons, though Namibia said the ship could refuel there if necessary.

Mugabe's Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga said his country had the right to acquire arms from legitimate sources.

"We are not a rebel country," he told The Associated Press.

The government has refused to publish the results of the presidential election held more than three weeks ago, and the opposition says that is part of a ploy to steal the vote. There are reports of increasing violence against the opposition.

Nelson Chamisa, a spokesman for opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, said he was awaiting more details on the report the ship may be returning to China without offloading the weapons.

"It would be pleasing to the people of Zimbabwe to note that there has been solidarity on the continent to stop the arming of the (Mugabe) regime at the expense of the people," Chamisa said.

"Instead of importing guns, we should be importing syringes, (AIDS medicine), books for kids. We should be importing food for the people," Chamisa said. "We are not at war. If anything we have to have a war against hunger, poverty, a lack of democracy, dictatorship."

In China, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu insisted the shipment was part of "normal military product trade between the two countries," but added: "As far as I know, the carrier is now considering carrying back the cargo."

She defended China's guidelines on arms sales abroad as "prudent and cautious," saying those were based on a policy of noninterference in other nation's internal affairs.

"The relevant contract was signed last year and has nothing to do with the latest situation in Zimbabwe," Jiang said at a regularly scheduled news conference.

There is no international arms embargo against Zimbabwe.

China is one of Zimbabwe's main trade partners and allies, but its relationship with Mugabe is often pointed to as an example of its willingness to deal with authoritarian regimes in order to secure commodities and markets in Africa.

Although China's global weapons exports are considered tiny in dollar terms, especially compared to the United States, Beijing is a principle exporter of cheap, simple small arms blamed for fueling violence in Sudan and other parts of Africa.

In the United States, administration officials said Monday that U.S. intelligence agencies were tracking the Chinese vessel and American diplomats have been instructed to press authorities in South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Angola not to allow it to dock.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss delicate diplomatic talks. They also said the State Department's top Africa envoy, Jendayi Frazer, planned to visit the region this week to underscore U.S. concerns.

The U.S. has grown increasingly impatient with Mugabe — whose recent rule Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week called "an abomination" — and with Zimbabwe's neighbors for not taking a harder line against the octogenarian leader.

Also Tuesday, Zimbabwean church leaders issued a joint statement calling for international intervention to help end the country's election crisis, saying people were being tortured, abducted and some murdered in a campaign against opposition supporters.

The leaders of all church denominations in Zimbabwe also called for the immediate announcement of results from the March 29 presidential election.

Chamisa, the opposition spokesman, said he had visited a hospital in southeastern Zimbabwe Monday and seen a pregnant woman who had been stabbed. He said he also saw an 85-year-old women whose legs had been broken. He attributed both cases to postelection violence.

Mugabe's officials, though, said such reports could not be confirmed, and said that if there had been postelection violence, the opposition might have been to blame.

"They are saying that we are sponsoring acts of politically motivated violence and anyone will be forgiven for thinking that they are the ones who are fomenting genocide in Zimbabwe," the state-owned Herald newspaper quoted the justice minister, Patrick Chinamasa, as telling reporters Monday.

For the first time in Mugabe's 28-year rule, the opposition defeated his ruling ZANU-PF party in the first count of last month's parliamentary vote.

But electoral officials began recounting ballots Saturday for 23 legislative seats, most won by opposition candidates, and the ZANU-PF party needs just nine seats to reclaim a majority. The state-run Herald newspaper reported Monday that officials need longer than the three days originally planned and could take all week.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

No problem J. Chretian will have to step in and defend old Bob because as we all know Chretian claims Bob holds democratic elections and there is no fixing of the vote.

[2R]

The International Transport Workers Federation has refused to handle the ship of shame and it's load of death for Africans whose only crime is to vote .
This is a great day for humanity when working men and women on a dock can refuse to be a part in the slaughter of innocents in another country .
Canada should honour those brave dock workers who have shown great humanity and solidarity to protect their fellow Africans .
A lot has changed in Africa since the life and times of Bwana Murphy but this shows that in spite of all the troubles in Africa some still have a great sense of decency .The decency and humanity of those dock workers should give all us hope .

[Moose47]

Where the hell are all those left-wing bleeding heart socialists and communists who condemmed white-ruled Rhodesia now. You don't hear didley squat out of them about the paranoid autocratic dictator Mugabe who has turned the country in to a sack of shit and misery.

[WJflyer]

I wonder how the heck is Mugabe able to AFFORD weapons at all, given the state of the Zimbabwean economy and the hyperinflation they are experiencing...

[Sheila]

That is too bad for China. They really are wrong here.
Trade deals are evil. Governments are so focused on doing trade deals, meanwhile people can not make money to support themselves. They can't even grow food on the land. We should do something too, to help those people.

[Cat Driver]

He took it from one of Africas most promising countries back to the stone age in less than ten years.]

[Sheila]

Apparently, he was imprisoned for a long time. He never dealt with the things that happened to his family and he bacame very bitter. I don't know how he got back up there?

[Cat Driver]

Shelia, trying to rationalize a brutal savage like Mugabe is like saying Jeffrey Dahmer had an unhappy childhood that caused him to become a sadistic twisted killer.

The only solution to dealing with these types of mass killers is to kill them.

[Rockie]

The moon turned blue again Cat. We agree.

Africa will be a never ending pit of despair and human suffering as long as these types of people have power.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

Africa is and always has been tribal.

The level of living is so desperate the average African (read those not in the ruling class ) can only sleep, breed and forage for food.

We flew most of Africa for two years filming a documentary of Africa for TF1 television, what we saw was very disturbing.

[twotterflogger]

Africa is and always has been tribal.

The level of living is so desperate the average African (read those not in the ruling class ) can only sleep, breed and forage for food.

We flew most of Africa for two years filming a documentary of Africa for TF1 television, what we saw was very disturbing.

yup, I agree ..... There's no way the average Zimbawean can even think of fighting back, they just dont have anything left to fight with.
What do you think of all these news reports of Mugabe scaring his black citizens by telling them that the opposition will expropriate them and give their land back to the pale males?

[Chuck Ellsworth]

What do you think of all these news reports of Mugabe scaring his black citizens by telling them that the opposition will expropriate them and give their land back to the pale males?

When a population is kept in poverty below an animal in the bush with little or no education the Mugabe's are free to use any tactic they wish for the simple fact the population can not defend them selfs against armed thugs. What is needed is a small group of SAS to be sent in to clean house.

Vic Falls was a success story of white and black working together to build a modern self sustaining economy, I have not been there since 1999, I wonder what it is like now?

[Hedley]

Where the hell are all those left-wing bleeding heart socialists and communists who condemmed white-ruled Rhodesia now

Exactly!!

[twotterflogger]

When a population is kept in poverty below an animal in the bush with little or no education the Mugabe's are free to use any tactic they wish for the simple fact the population can not defend them selfs against armed thugs. What is needed is a small group of SAS to be sent in to clean house.

Vic Falls was a success story of white and black working together to build a modern self sustaining economy, I have not been there since 1999, I wonder what it is like now?

I doubt that the SA government will do anything... then again perhaps there's something in the works?....

I was last in Vic falls a couple of years ago... The atmosphere seemed OK, but then again i was only there for an overnight.... Coruption was still prevalent... guess some things never change....

[Moose47]

The farcical South African government will take no action against Rhodesia (I refuse to call it Zimbabwe) as they are just as corrupt and inept as Mugabe and this brain dead thugs.

[Stoptheworld]

Quote:
Where the hell are all those left-wing bleeding heart socialists and communists who condemmed white-ruled Rhodesia now


Exactly!!

I can tell you exactly where they are. They are currently engaged in a massive scheme to transfer wealth from the developed world into the hands of world's tin pot dictators such as Mugabe. They have enlisted the aid of a former vice-president of the United States who travels in the lap of luxury to be paid to spread the message to willing minions, making a fortune in the process. They will funnel this massive transfer of wealth through the same people who engaged in the oil for food scandal who are, even as we speak, incorporating companies to pilfer more than their pound of flesh. They are only now bringing to bear the full power of their most trusted henchmen, the liberal media. They are subverting the efforts of the entire scientific community by vilifying and threatening anyone who dares question their plans. This, for them could be their greatest and most extensive stratagem. Greater even than their threats of 20 years ago that the entire world would be infected with AIDS. They have given it a name: Global Warming

[pontius]

I wonder how the heck is Mugabe able to AFFORD weapons at all,

Humanitarian aid from the West, how do you think!

[JakeYYZ]

THE ZIMBABWEAN government said yesterday that weapons carried by China's so-called "ship of shame", the An Yue Jiang, had arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, despite an international campaign to prevent the 77 tonnes of arms reaching President Robert Mugabe's regime.

snip..

The handful of South African correspondents in Zimbabwe say the government's campaign of terror is widespread but largely unreported. Restrictions on movements, imposed by the government and reinforced by a lack of fuel, mean that country areas cannot be reached, and it is there that the government violence is most intense. Many who voted for Tsvangirai in March will be afraid to do so again in June.
Zimbabwe's economy is in a prolonged free-fall. Unemployment exceeds 80%. The world's worst rate of inflation now surpasses 165,000%. A Zim$500 million note went into circulation last week, and is worth less than a pound.
Meanwhile, the violence spilled over into South Africa. Last week, five townships in Johannesburg erupted as local residents attacked Zimbabwean neighbours, accusing them of stealing jobs, houses and women. Zimbabwean houses were looted and burned down. Three million Zimbabweans, a quarter of the population, have fled to South Africa as economic and human rights refugees. Three immigrants were killed, hundreds wounded and many Zimbabwean women were raped as the rampage continued this weekend.

Link: http://www.sundayherald.com/internation ... mugabe.php
Can we expect the canadian labour congress and Jack benLayton to announce a boycott of all South African goods and wines?

[2R]

The leader of the Socialist Menace will stand behind the marxist extension of political power no matter how ugly it gets in Africa or how many poor blacks are burnt alive , gang raped ,or have body parts cut off.You will not hear him speaking against his communist friends.

[. ._]

If you read the Communist Manifesto,

http://www.amazon.com/Communist-Manifes ... 0451527100

You would never call any of the thug dictators in Africa "Communist" ever again.

My shared $0.02.

-istp

[2R]

Mugabe called himself a marxist .Although he is more a victim of communist imperial expansions in Africa.Just like Pol pot was used by the commies to secure their interests in SE asia.

As for light reading i prefered Smith's Wealth of Nations,or my all time fav Gibbons The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Do not be seduced by some of the nice things writen in that festerng festo .It uses the Aristotle arguement to put forward that humanity can only survive under a totalitarian regime of state control .It confuses Social responsibilty with social control.All dressed up in fine words .But the actions of marxist states are always oppresive and BLOODY.
Now that the shackles of the totalitarian Stalinist regimes have been removed from the Soviets they are more productive .


Uncle Bob is not squeemish and will continue to kill until he is stopped .He may never run out of enemies in Africa.As Rhodesia was a weathy nation.And Zim is a fooking mess created by the last struggles for strategic materials in the cold war.Why else would a communist state support someone engaged in ethnic cleansing of the brightest and most productive citizens of a country.
I wonder when he will realize that it was his enemies that armed him and not his friends.The old maxim of giving someone enough rope and they will hang themselves.
He has set the bar high for mass murder in Africa .Out killing Idi Amin .It will take another Stalin to exceed uncle bobs bloodlusts and abuse of power .
If he he is left in power he may outkill Uncle Joe

[JakeYYZ]

Colonialism was good for Africa, decolonization bad. Colonialism, particularly by Britain, brought law and order, parliamentary government and civilized standards of behavior. The Progressives in Britain, Canada and elsewhere would have none of it; they were committed to their philosophy that all cultures are equal.

Now here's the result; Robert Mugabe's militia burns an opponent's wife alive after chopping off a hand and both feet. It's beyond disgusting, it is, as the Times says, a grotesque new low.

The men who pulled up in three white pickup trucks were looking for Patson Chipiro, head of the Zimbabwean opposition party in Mhondoro district. His wife, Dadirai, told them he was in Harare but would be back later in the day, and the men departed.
An hour later they were back. They grabbed Mrs Chipiro and chopped off one of her hands and both her feet. Then they threw her into her hut, locked the door and threw a petrol bomb through the window.

Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 116638.ece


But it's not new. This is the way things were done before Britain arrived, back before colonialism.

So, if you were in favour of majority rule in Rhodesia, this is what you've done. You're responsible for this tragedy.

Ian Smith was right; Africans weren't ready to rule themselves.

[Dex]

I wonder how the heck is Mugabe able to AFFORD weapons at all,

Humanitarian aid from the West, how do you think!

Lets call it money laundering!!!

[2R]

Business
Anglo American
2.15pm BSTMining giant defends Zimbabwe investmentGraeme Wearden guardian.co.uk, Wednesday June 25, 2008 Article historyMining giant Anglo American has defended its controversial decision to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in a platinum mine in Zimbabwe, after being widely criticised for the plan.

After being accused of defying international opinion by making the $400m (£202m) investment while the crisis in Zimbabwe keeps escalating, Anglo American claimed the mine would actually benefit the country's population in the long term.

"The responsible development of the Unki mine will create a long-term viable business which will be important to the economic future of Zimbabwe for years to come," said the company.

It argued that its employees and contractors would suffer financially if it pulled out of Zimbabwe.

But Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, was unimpressed by Anglo American's defence. He believes the company's plans are an illustration of the weakness of the current sanctions regime against Zimbabwe.

"Creating jobs is one thing, but supporting the lifeline of foreign exchange to one of the most corrupt and brutal regimes in history is another," Davey said.

"This investment will come as a huge boost to Robert Mugabe's regime, and will therefore represent a devastating blow to the population of Zimbabwe as a whole," he added.

The mine at Unki – in central Zimbabwe – is scheduled to begin producing platinum in two years time. Anglo American also said it had been told by the government that unless it stuck to its plans, the Mugabe administration would take control of it.

But the company also said that it was reviewing its plans in the light of the latest violence in the country. This suggests that the project, which has been underway since 2003, could yet be dropped.

"Anglo American is deeply concerned about the current political situation in Zimbabwe and condemns the violence and human rights abuses that are taking place. Anglo American is monitoring the situation in Zimbabwe very closely and is reviewing all options surrounding the development of the project," it said today.

Anglo American mines precious metals, diamonds, base metals, coal and industrial minerals from mines across the world.

The Times reported this morning that the Foreign Office is investigating whether Anglo American's involvement violates sanctions against Zimbabwe. The company insisted today that it is complying with all relevant national and international laws.

The mining firm's continued involvement in the Unki mine has already been criticised by supporters of the Zimbabwe opposition, and by UK politicians.

William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, urged companies to "examine their consciences very carefully" before investing in Zimbabwe at the present time. And yesterday Davey warned that the Unki project would be a PR disaster for Anglo American.

Several large companies have already suspended any plans to expand in Zimbabwe, including Barclays and British American Tobacco. Enthusiasm for operating in Zimbabwe was dented last year when it emerged that Mugabe could seize control of all the country's foreign-owned business, although this plan has been held up by the disputed presidential elections.

About this articleClose This article was first published on guardian.co.uk