Once the breadbasket of Southern Africa, now the bread beggar and pauper of Africa. Once the shining star of democracy, now the alleged worst human rights abuser. Once the model economy in Africa, now the highest inflation in the world. Once the darling of the world super powers, now their greatest enemy.

From a controversial land reform, to human rights abuses, to suppression of opposition elements, to disputed elections, to a failing economy and now cholera.

The historical context

In 1890, British supremacist, Cecil John Rhodes, invaded Zimbabwe and brutally executed the traditional leaders looting their land and wealth. They named their new colony Rhodesia in honour of the conqueror, Rhodes. For 90 years the people struggled to over-power occupation leading to an armed struggle which brought independence in 1980 under the leadership of Mugabe and others. The basis of the struggle was to possess back their land. During the liberation war, Mugabe was called names including, ‘the bloody thirsty war-monger’, ‘communist’ and so forth. At independence in April 1980, he introduced the policy of reconciliation and pledged to work with the former colonial master, which he did. The world then called him ‘Africa’s beacon of hope’, ‘a symbol of democracy’ among other romantic labels because he did not re-possess the land.

Problems started in 1998 when it became clear that veterans of the liberation war were determined to take the land which they fought for in the first place. Not even Mugabe could stop them when they finally began their violent and abrupt seizure of white owned farms. The former colonial master, Britain in cahoots with the EU and the US imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe. This coincided with the formation in 1999, of the opposition Movement of Democratic Change which is led by Morgan Tsvangirai. Mugabe therefore calls the MDC a British creation calculated to counter the land reform and institute a regime change. He therefore argues that he will stay on to defend the land reform as a legacy of the liberation struggle. He calls the sanctions on Zimbabwe an impeachment on the sovereignty of the Zimbabwean people and he is determined to stay. Tsvangirai denies being an appendage of the former colonial power and believes that the current political and economic situation is a result of Mugabe’s mismanagement of the economy, corruption and human rights abuses.

The current situation

As it stands now the EU, the US and Britain have imposed ‘targeted’ sanctions on Zimbabwe. These sanctions have literally affected the people of Zimbabwe and not Mugabe as intended. There are calls from all over the world for Mugabe to go but he says he will not ‘bend his knees to the needs of the colonialists and the imperialists from the West’. In a Presidential election earlier this year, Tsvangirai got more votes than Mugabe but not enough to give him constitutional mandate to rule Zimbabwe. There had to be a run-off but Tsvangirai pulled out citing violence, victimization and killings of his supporters. Mugabe went it alone and was sworn as President. However, he can not run the country without funds and the support of Tsvangirai who now has a parliamentary majority. As such the two parties entered into power-sharing talks which saw them signing a power-sharing deal.

The Political question

The problem now is the failure of Mugabe and Tsvangirai to implement the power-sharing deal as they are now deadlocked as to who gets which ministry. The key point of departure is the Ministry of Home Affairs which controls the police and administers elections. Tsvangirai says that he should have it since Mugabe has the army where he remains Commander-in-Chief. The regional body SADC, has ruled that the two parties must share the Ministry but the opposition feels that such an arrangement is unfair and will give Mugabe more power than agreed to in the power sharing deal.

This stalemate leaves the country in jeopardy. It is therefore the cause of the problems in Zimbabwe at this moment. Cholera is preventable and curable but the country has no capacity with a dying health delivery system. The international community and aid agencies have pledged support for Zimbabwe if the two parties share power equitably but they cant agree. They know better where they disagree because their talks are held secretly but the fact of the matter is that, whatever they disagree on, they are jointly holding the country at ransom. They must put personal differences and partisan politics aside and work for the national interest. When America was faced with the current global financial crisis, the opposing parties agreed to face the challenge as a nation, which Mugabe and Tsvangirai are failing to do at the expense of over 700 people who have lost their lives to a curable disease like cholera. The UN estimates that the number of victims will reach 60,000 in the following weeks if nothing is done.

World leaders are all calling for Mugabe to go. "The excuse of national sovereignty cannot be used to shelter the completely unrestrained commission of serious human rights breaches," German’s Merkel said. Kenyan Prime Minister has suggested the deployment of ‘peace keeping troops’ by the AU. “If no troops are available, then the AU must allow the U.N. to send its forces into Zimbabwe with immediate effect, to take over control of the country and ensure urgent humanitarian assistance to the people dying of cholera," said Odinga. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband has also added his voice, ‘The murderous effects of the Mugabe regime are increasingly clear’, implying that more international pressure has to be put to force Mugabe out. As the EU plans to impose more sanctions, French foreign minister Mr Kouchner seems to understand that it is the people not Mugabe who will suffer from the sanctions, ‘The price to be paid by the Zimbabwe people is very much too high…sanctions should target Mr Mugabe, not the Zimbabwean people…Zimbabweans are not responsible... on the contrary, they are suffering - inflation, lack of food, and now cholera."

Mugabe is determined to stay. That’s a political reality. His information Minister, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu clearly says this. ‘No foreign leader, regardless of how powerful they are, has the right to call on him to step down on their whim …I will not tell you what ... but the Zimbabwe government is taking serious measures to offset any threats and any further sanctions on the people ... We won this country through the barrel of the gun and we will defend it the way we won it…I don't have kind words for all heads of state who have made utterances against Zimbabwe one by one, and I hope this is the last time they open their dirty mouths on Zimbabwe…After squeezing and strangling the country with sanctions and contaminating it with cholera and anthrax, the West is seeking to use the window of opportunity provided by the disaster to justify military intervention,’ he said.

His statements come at a time of increased abductions of opposition elements and Human rights activists. Since October, some 18 people are reportedly missing. On December 3, Zimbabwe Peace Project Director Jestina Mukoko was allegedly abducted together with two of her staff and are still missing. On Monday, an adviser to Mr Tsvangirai was also abducted.

Whither Zimbabwe?

While the international community has the obligation and responsibility to intervene, sanctions and ‘peace-keeping’ troops are a recipe for disaster and further suffering of the ordinary people while Mugabe enjoys the luxury of state power and Tsvangirai enjoys the comfort of ‘exile’ in Botswana and elsewhere. The necessary intervention for Zimbabwe is to have Mugabe and Tsvangirai work together by equitably sharing power so as to open up doors to re-engagement of Zimbabwe to the international community as well as balance of payments support and aid. That way cholera and hyper-inflation will be things of the past. Any uninformed interventions from the international community will cause further suffering of the ordinary Zimbabweans.