Zanu PF’s forked tongue – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary
The Vigil notes Mugabe’s restatement of his attitude towards the ‘evil’ donors who are trying to educate our children, maintain some semblance of a health service and feed those starving in the rural areas.
Speaking at the UN, Mugabe told the General Assembly that, for daring to empower her people, Zimbabwe had become a victim of ‘the evil machinations of Western countries, namely the United States of America and the European Union’, who continue to apply unilateral and illegal sanctions as a tool to achieve regime change.
He added: ‘No good can come from undermining our economy or depriving our citizens of the necessities of life’. (See: Mugabe denounces evil US, EU – http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/zimsit_w_mugabe-denounces-evil-us-eu/).
Mugabe’s tired rant exposed the hypocrisy of Zimbabwe’s Deputy Foreign Minister Christopher Mutsvangwa who, while claiming to be an intimate of Mugabe, voiced a very different view of the West when he spoke at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House in London on 16th September.
While the Vigil was outside the building protesting at his visit, a Herald reporter was inside and here is the gist of what he reported:
The City of London must ‘pay heed to the tantalising opportunities in SADC’ and mobilise international capital to invest in a region with ‘a solid foundation of democracy, peace and political stability’. Throwing open his arms, Mutsvangwa went on: ‘why not do once again what Cecil Rhodes did in 1890 when he brought capital and business to Zimbabwe’.
‘Indigenisation and land reform should be no barriers to investing in Zimbabwe’, he said. To make his point crystal clear Mutsvangwa explained: ‘any gripes on indigenisation and rule of law should of necessity be applicable in a universal foreign direct investment eco system’. Presumably the Herald knows what this means.
Waxing lyrical, the Deputy Foreign Minister asserted: ‘the still under-farmed African grasslands are highly fertile and can furnish food security to the emerging middle class of China, India and other emergent economy populous regions’. The Vigil supposes this means from the abundance remaining after filling Zimbabwe’s empty bellies.
Who to believe then: Mutsvangwa or Mugabe? At a time when an IMF team is in Zimbabwe saying that, because of our unpaid debt, it can’t lend us more money and will instead ask ‘the donors’ to help out, Zimbabwe’s foreign policy is hypocritical if not schizophrenic.
The Vigil was interested to see the response to our last diary in which we repeated the charges made against Mutsvangwa of organising violence in the 2008 elections. In a comment he posted he said the Vigil is heartless (or perhaps it was a spelling mistake): ‘All this is demonic slander totally devoid of even an aorta (sic) of evidence. I will sue you for this even in an English court. I shall want to see the colour of your evidence. I never was in in charge of the police in zimbabwe. I have never traded in diamonds serve as chairman of mmcz. The names of political victims you litter are a fiction to my mind. You motimotivated by unbridled evil. I will sure expose you.’ (See: Tables turned – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: 20th September 2014 – http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/zimsit_w_news/.)
The Vigil trusts that the EU will pay attention to Mugabe’s UN speech rather than that of fawning Mutsvangwa when it meets in November to consider removing the remaining targeted measures. As for Mr Mutsvangwa, our solicitors would be happy to hear from him. They are Sue, Grabbit and Runne, c/o Private Eye, London. Mr Mutsvangwa would be advised not to instruct the Zimbabwean government lawyers whose case in the EU against the ‘ illegal’ sanctions has now been thrown out.
Other points
· The Vigil was followed by a lively meeting of the Zimbabwe Action Forum at which we resolved to step up our picketing of any dodgy Zanu PF representatives visiting London to tout for money. If anyone hears of likely candidates coming please let us know as early as possible: [email protected]. The meeting welcomed news that the MDC renewal team had followed the MDC T in promising not to take part in parliamentary elections unless reforms are made. The disunity among the opposition parties prompted a discussion of the need for a diaspora initiative and suggestions were invited to be discussed at future meetings.
· Thanks to Patricia Masamba, Fungisai Mupandira, Michael Mupambireyi and Mavis Chisvo for arriving early to help set up.
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FOR THE RECORD: 17 signed the register.
