Thursday has Been and Gone

Today is Monday and Thursday – the day Zimbabweans were promised there would be some ‘announcements’ has been and gone.

A summary of today’s news following the weekend is puzzling. While Tendai Biti of the MDC has promised a relaxation of the media laws and that new newspapers will be licenced ‘soon’, Mugabe has a completely different stance. Mugabe tells us that there is no agreement with the MDC over outstanding issues – and there won’t be any until ‘illegal sanctions are removed’ by the British, the Europeans and the Americans. As for the removal of Gono (Reserve Bank) and Tomana (Attorney General) – they are going nowhere says Mugabe. On indigenisation Mugabe waxes lyrical in his demand that this must happen sooner rather than later and any black person who opposes it, must by definition be ‘ashamed of his race’ and have ‘backward mentality of subservience’ to whites.

But there are other signals around: The Harare City Council has proposed the arrest of ZANU PF big businessman, Phillip Chiyangwa for the shady deals he entered into with a previous city council administration and that Minister Chombo has been equally corrupt. Now this could set a cat amongst the pigeons! At present the likely losers will be the MDC dominated Harare City Council, because ZANU PF always has their way on such issues.

Then we have Morgan Tsvangirayi being, apparently, taken to task by his own party for his alleged public support for the removal of sanctions and is being asked to backtrack on such statements. The State Press, which is the one to bring this development to light, naturally blames Eddie Cross and Roy Bennet (the alleged ‘Hawks’ in the MDC) for making these demands of Tsvangirayi. I wonder whether Tsvangirayi ever made a public statement supporting the removal of sanctions. Was it perhaps a State Press concoction?

Then to really add some fuel to the Zimbabwean fire, we are told that South Africa’s vocal ANC Youth Leader, Julius Malema, is due to arrive in the country on Friday to lend his support to ‘Zimbabwean Youth’s’. What a circus that will be.

Another item for digestion is that Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and black empowerment activists on Friday ‘stormed’ out of a meeting with white entrepreneurs over what they termed “racist and backward” comments made by economist Professor Tony Hawkins when he likened the Indigenisation and Empowerment Act to apartheid law! It’s very clear who the real racists are in this debate, but don’t bet on it that too many other people in and outside Zimbabwe will be able to openly say so. And don’t bet on it either that the meeting was solely comprised of ‘white entrepreneurs’. You can be sure there were more blacks than whites at this meeting.

Then we have Mines minister Obert Mpofu allegedly on a property-buying spree which has attracted the interest of a parliamentary committee investigating the plunder of the controversial Chiadzwa diamond fields. The parliamentary portfolio committee on Mines and Energy is trying to establish how the minister allegedly acquired at least 27 properties in Victoria Falls alone over the last few months. And what of Mpofu himself? He has today apparently cancelled ACR’s prospecting licence in the Chiadzwa diamond fields, while the High Court says such cancellation has no legal force or effect. But what the hell? Where does legality have any place in the ‘New Zimbabwe’ anyway?

On the face of it, Jacob Zuma’s recent visit to Zimbabwe was a complete and utter waste of time. One wonders how Zuma will react to today’s public statements following his earlier enthusiasm that everything should be resolved by the end of March!

Life once more is getting very interesting round here, and the link of political events to ZANU PF greed is overwhelming. One cannot help but wonder if Zuma, like his predecessor Mbeki, has been bought. He has a chance now to disprove it. But don’t hold your breath.