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'This so-called quiet diplomacy is hogwash'
Chris McGreal, The Guardian (UK)
April 02, 2007

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2047878,00.html

Zimbabwe's forthright archbishop grudgingly concedes that he might have gone too far in urging people to pray for Robert Mugabe's death. Not that Pius Ncube wouldn't still like to see it happen. It's just that the archbishop of Bulawayo feels his call two years ago "to pray that God may take him [Mr Mugabe]" was "misinterpreted". So these days he sticks to telling his flock to pray for the Zimbabwean president's downfall. "Some people say that as a Christian pastor I have no right to ask for someone to die. They said it is trying to force God to do my will. They say that is as good as murder. Some people are narrow minded, so now I'm asking people to pray that he falls," he said.

There was a time when the archbishop was not nearly so outspoken about Mr Mugabe because most of Zimbabwe's Catholic bishops thought they should not wade into politics. But as the repression grew in Zimbabwe, and ordinary people were driven deeper into poverty, Archbishop Ncube emerged as one of the most strident critics of Mr Mugabe, calling him evil, cruel and a murderer. Now the bishops have followed his lead with their uncompromising pastoral warning that the violent suppression of opposition politics, rampant corruption and economic collapse are driving the country toward an abyss.

Mr Mugabe's response has been to describe Zimbabwe's first black archbishop as a "halfwit". The state press has called him a "neo-fascist extremist rightwinger" who is "peddling British policies". But Archbishop Ncube is almost as scornful of some of those who would also like to see an end to the regime. He has called ordinary Zimbabweans "cowards" for not being willing to lay down their lives to get rid of Mr Mugabe. He describes Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader severely beaten by the police earlier this month, as "useless". And Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, who has been reluctant to criticise Mr Mugabe, is a "damned fool".

The archbishop is co-chair of the Solidarity Peace Trust, which has exposed the systematic political violence against the regime's opponents. The 60-year-old archbishop expects there will be more bloodshed before Mr Mugabe is brought down. He favours peaceful defiance of the kind led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu against apartheid but says he expects the government to respond with force and that he is ready to stand before "the blazing guns". The problem is to mobilise others to do likewise.

"The idea of dying for your country was something valuable in western countries. We haven't grasped the idea of laying down your life. The people are cowards. I was hoping the politicians would do it but it seems they don't have any convictions," he said. "We must torment and harass the government. Zimbabweans are a bit lethargic and we find ourselves caught with our pants down."

The archbishop emerged as a pre-eminent critic of the government in part because of the failures of a weak and divided opposition. Mr Tsvangirai may be heralded abroad as the brave face of defiance after the severe beating he endured by Mugabe's thugs earlier this month. But the archbishop says the MDC leader is part of the problem. "Morgan has been useless," he said. "There was hope that the MDC would gradually lead people to a new government. I think people have lost confidence in Tsvangirai doing it alone. He seems to have very little backbone. Some people think he would be as bad as Mugabe because he is power hungry." But then a flicker of hope emerges "Although Tsvangirai has many faults he might just get rid of Mugabe. If he becomes another Mugabe then we will kick him out."

The archbishop's preference for facing down the regime has left him scornful of less confrontational tactics, particularly the "quiet diplomacy" of Mr Mbeki, who was last week appointed by regional leaders to negotiate a path to free elections in Zimbabwe. "This so-called quiet diplomacy is hogwash. It means people perish. If it weren't for the western world feeding through the World Food Programme, I think one-third of Zimbabweans would be dead by now," he said. "Mbeki can be so unreasonable and illogical. You can't persuade Mugabe to leave. He has to be forced out."

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