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Dictatorships packaged in Pan-Africanism
Itai Masotsha Zimunya
August 29,2003

Email Itai Zimunya at itaizim@yahoo.com

The Zimbabwean story has been mistold to the world. Many Africans who know Robert Mugabe, know him as the comrade who took land from the white( British and American imperialists) and gave it to children of the soil(poor peasants).

The reasons behind the land redistribution exercise cannot be questioned. The justification of this exercise is to correct the colonial imbalances, where for 90 years the British colony took land from the blacks and crammed them onto poor soil tribal trust land zones.

Now it is said that the problem in Zimbabwe is that America and Britain are fighting tooth and nail to remove Robert Mugabe and the revolutionary Zanu PF government in order to return the land to these white farmers. With this idea, most African leaders have made positions and declarations in solidarity with dear brother comrade Mugabe.

Yes, over 90 years of colonization, land was taken away from blacks and capitalized by the British colony-which then was the ruling class. Because the economy and the land was in the hands of the few, the government had to redress this imbalance without discrimination of colour, tribe, political opinion, religion and race. However this condition was abused left, right and center. Whilst the guiding principle was one man one farm, the policy guiding the invasions were: Strike fear in their hearts (whites), Once- white- no farm, once of different political opinion-no land.

Thus for Zimbabwean white farmers, even if they had only one farm, the fact that they are not black did not guarantee them of any right to land (despite being Zimbabwean citizens). To those blacks who had land and did not support Zanu PF, their land was taken as they were said detractors of the people-and to those in the elite class, even though they had many farms per child, they drove in government vehicles burning taxpayers fuel, selecting the farms they wanted and declared the equipment, animals and crops theirs overnight.

This lack of ideological and organic clarity has made this land re-take a national disaster. Clearly, there is no justification why people who do not support the government whether black or white, were dispossessed of their single farms, which farms were taken by the ruling class in ZANU pf despite having many farms beforehand.

The colonial principle of cramming peasants onto small-holder land in tired soils while the chefs took the rich fertile soils was maintained without shame. The claim that nearly 300 000 households have since been resettled is vague and distorts analysis. It is not surprising that where 10 000 peasants were allocated land on relatively poor soils, such a quantity of land was grabbed by less than 10 chefs on fertile soils. This misses the fundamental target again.

Land reform, like any other economic redistribution programme must reduce the wealth and income gaps between the workers and the bourgeoisie. What Zanu pf and Mugabe did, which unfortunately Africa is celebrating merely replacing some white bourgeoisies with black bourgeoisies while the poor peasants still suffer. People were tormented and tortured by Mugabes paid killing machine. The reason: because they were agents of imperialism.

When the poor peasants, workers and true friends of Zimbabwe spoke out against the manner in which the land reform was carried out, they were branded sell outs. Now three years after the revolution, Zimbabwe's economy has collapsed mainly due to massive narcissism, corruption and economic mismanagement.

Up to today, the peasants of Zimbabwe still await a proper land reform where colour, tribe or political affiliation will not be determinants of the right to land, neither shall the rich claim more rights to fertile land than peasants.

I believe and am convinced that African heads of states know this truth. Their support to Mugabe is not because they love him or approve of his corrupt regime which survives on patronage, servitude, corruption, coercion, vote rigging and emasculation of the workers and the peasants - the immense majority.

In offering support to Mugabe, Mbeki, Mkapa and Obasanjo and other Africa presidents quote Pan-africanism. Their argument is that, they support Mugabe because he has been personally denied entry into Europe and America. This boggles the mind. The banning of Mugabe and his cronies from visiting Europe and the Americas should have worked to the favour of Zimbabwe's economy as more forex would be saved from an economic perspective.

The greatest pan-african betrayal is taking place right now. History will never forgive all those that dine and dance with a leader whose hands and teeth are red with human blood. Most African ruling classes are hypocrites and we, the peasants, will not pray pan-africanism when in contains despots and dictators. We question pan africanism when neighbours fold their hands and watch a neighbour burn justifying that the neighbour has to solve their own problems. When our immediate geographical neighbours fold their arms and we ask for help from those afar-they complain still and accuse us rather of dining with imperialists, utter hypocrisy hidden under pan africanism or utter dictatorship packaged in pan africanism.

African leaders must analyze crisis points on a holistic approach. Six million peasants are starving in Zimbabwe and a brother Mkapa of Tanzania assists with rotten maize while comrade Mbeki and Chissano tighten their immigration controls to check out the Makwerekweres (Zimbabweans). When the people of Zimbabwe wailed and cried for help as Mugabes killing machine went from street to street assaulting, raping and abducting people, African leaders kept quite-as crisis is normal in Africa. Strikingly different and worthy of record is that the workers and peasants of Africa are clear and support their fellow oppressed people of Zimbabwe. Now the matrix is clear, ruling classes support other ruling classes while fellow African peasants support each other. The people of Africa face the same devils that crash any dissent and rule by the barrel of a gun. That is why most African governments cry imperialism and blackmail when their self-serving and hegemonic systems are queried.

Clearly, the people of Zimbabwe are tired of this betrayal displayed as black power, Pan Africanism and patriotism. The arguments of imperialism die sudden deaths when America feeds six million starving Zimbabweans with American grain but the arguments sharply resurfaces when America and Europe bans Mugabe from visiting their lands using Zimbabwean taxpayers money. Why does Mugabe and his entourage cry and campaign heavily for America and Europe to once again allow him to use taxpayers money to visit their lands?

I think it is high time the people of Zimbabwe discard all Pan-Africanism that comes with oppression and torture and welcome that which comes with peace, development and prosperity. The land question in Zimbabwe has not yet settled. It is only a question of time that proper and non-discriminatory reform is held.

To comrade President Thabo Mbeki, in the spirit of brotherhood, Pan Africanism and African Renaissance, why are you not feeding the poor souls of Zimbabwe? We will eat American food forever and we will always endeavour to vote you out of power for as long as you use our taxes to oppress us. To protect a dictator, a murderer, a corrupt despot in the name of Pan Africanism is to insult and pollute the dreams of Kwame Nkrumah and is the greatest betrayal in post colonial Africa.

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