The three Ds or perhaps four: Zimbabwe Vigil

‘Delay, deceive and destroy’ is how Welshman Ncube describes Zanu PF’s tactics as it fights to maintain Zimbabwe’s status as the third poorest country in the world. (Poor, that is, for the people – not the rulers. Indeed, for the Zanu PF mafia it is a land of ‘indigenised’ milk and honey.)

We at the Vigil were glad to hear Morgan Tsvangirai insist that reforms laid out in the GPA must be implemented before the elections.

But the Vigil wants him to go further and spell out that, if the reforms are not made, he will not take part in the elections and be the donkey in a new Government of National Unity. (As Professor Ncube might put it, ‘the fourth D’.)

Mr Tsvangirai says he is to tour the region to seek support. The message the Vigil gets is that support is there – particularly from South Africa – but what is needed is the determination and courage he showed ten years ago. He must know that the region cannot allow another rigged election.

The Vigil believes that if SADC can help to level the electoral playing field and control Zanu PF intimidation there is little doubt that informed voters would not support a party that has destroyed the economy and shows no sign of changing its ways.

As the economist Eric Bloch pointed out, foreign direct investment slumped to about $33 million in the first quarter of the year. To put this in perspective, a single house in London is on the market for more than ten times this figure. Perhaps Mines Minister Mr M’puffed-up might be interested in buying it . . .