| Office of Research | Issue Focus | Foreign Media Reaction |
April 19, 2000
ZIMBABWE: 'A DISTURBING MATTER OF CONSCIENCE FOR ALL OF AFRICA'
In the view of foreign observers, Zimbabwe "is on the road to anarchy" 20 years after its independence from Britain. "The blame," they maintain, "lies almost entirely" on its only president, the former freedom fighter, Robert Mugabe. The most hotly contested issue in Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections scheduled for next month is the occupation of white-owned commercial farms by war veterans. But pundits portrayed the land invasions as "a willfully manufactured crisis" designed by Mr. Mugabe to extend his hold on power, particularly in the rural areas. Voter dissatisfaction, writers maintained, is really aimed at "roaring inflation," "acute petrol shortages," "fearsome unemployment" and "Zimbabwe's involvement in a pointless war in the Congo." Zimbabwe's government-run papers blamed the problems on the World Bank and IMF, charging that the "macro-economic" reforms that the lenders prescribed--curbing inflation and budget deficits--did not place the "emphasis on ending poverty." British editorials signaled that Mr. Mugabe's "acrimonious dispute with Britain" had deepened this week following the deaths of two white farmers and three members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Writers in Europe and in Commonwealth nations, however, split on the wisdom of wielding sanctions at this point. Most agreed, though, that sanctions should be considered should Zimbabwe fail to hold elections. These are themes:
LAND REFORM: Harare's independent weekly Zimbabwe Mirror called for "an immediate end" to "the madness" of the land invasions. Writers elsewhere in Africa, as well as in Europe and Latin America, were appalled by Mr. Mugabe's flouting of the High Count's ruling that the squatters had broken the law and should be removed. Independent papers in Zimbabwe and the British press noted the availability of British and American funding "for a properly managed land reform program" but determined that everything "is contingent on Mugabe."
MUGABE'S PRESIDENCY: The Zimbabwean president was widely portrayed as "a power-hungry" politician "whose sole aim is staying in power." A government-run Nigerian paper condemned his "most unstatesmanlike manner" upon returning from the G-77 summit in Havana, in "pointedly refusing to condemn the violence or rein in his increasingly wild and frustrated supporters." Some regretted that Zimbabwe had remained a one-party state and that, in later years, Mugabe seemed to be following "the path of corrupt African dictators such as Mobutu, Idi Amin and others" who used "force, intimidation and abuse" to extend their rule.
HELP FROM OUTSIDERS?: Noting the danger of racial conflict in Zimbabwe and its potential to trouble "the delicate politics of land in South Africa," writers prevailed on outsiders, from African neighbors to the UN, to intervene. Weeks ago Harare's independent News asked the UN Security Council to act in Zimbabwe to prevent "unnecessary strife." British and Nigerian papers called on South African and Nigerian presidents Mbeki and Obasanjo to try to "convince Mr. Mugabe that the only way out of a tragedy of his own making is through fair elections."
EDITOR: Gail Hamer Burke
EDITOR'S NOTE: This survey is based on 41 reports from 16 countries, Feb. 28- April 19. Editorial excerpts are grouped by region; editorials from each country are listed from the most recent date.
AFRICA
ZIMBABWE: "Stop This Madness"
Coming hard on the heels of the passing of a bill empowering the government to compulsorily acquire land for resettlement without paying compensation, an editorial in the independent weekly Zimbabwe Mirror held (4/12): "It is possible to build a Zimbabwean nation beyond ethnic and racial differences. But that ideal can be attained only if we confront boldly those historical and economic differences that divide us. The land question is central to all this. Can we hope with confidence that out of this current crisis will emerge the real beginnings of a solution to the land question? Both the British undertaking this week that they are prepared to play their part by contributing financially to the land reform program, and the (Land Bill), should combine to put an immediate end to the land invasions of white-owned commercial farms by war veterans, while providing the basis for a return to the commendable land reform and resettlement program which entered a new phase with the international donors' conference in September, 1998."
"IMF, World Bank's Macroeconomic Focus Doesn't Work In Zimbabwe"
A lengthy editorial in the government-controlled daily Herald (4/6) blamed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) for the current economic misfortunes bedeviling Zimbabwe, saying the economic reforms being sponsored by the two Bretton Woods institutions "do not work in developing countries such as Zimbabwe." The editorial declared: "The recent United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report on Zimbabwe, and the earlier assertions by many, including President Mugabe, confirms the suspicion that IMF and the WB-sponsored economic reforms do not work in developing countries such as Zimbabwe.... The tragedy of the economic reforms in Zimbabwe is that the IMF has been too staunch in persisting with conditionalities and austerity measures. The Fund prescribed a bitter medicine, but the support has been inconsistent and conditional. More often than not, the IMF and WB have adhered to the dogma of structural adjustment, with its concomitant emphasis on fiscal and monetary discipline. This entails a bitter prescription of high interest rates and tight budgets for countries like Zimbabwe that find themselves desperate to stabilize the key economic fundamentals, such as the Zimbabwe dollar. But on the other hand, the reforms have ignored the lives of the ordinary people, who are suffering most. Thus, the weakness of the economic reforms has been the focus for too long on macroeconomics--inflation, interest rates and budget deficit, without emphasis on ending poverty.
"It is also interesting that the IMF and the WB have allowed themselves to be used as pawns to help effect changes in countries, such as Zimbabwe, which refuse to dance to the tunes of powerful nations. For that reason, we recognize the fact that the IMF and the WB have not been consistent in...their treatment of countries involved in civil conflicts, most notably with regard to countries involved in the DROC conflict. However, the IMF and the WB must now direct their energy towards the productive sector. In Zimbabwe, the starting point is land reforms to alleviate poverty. This will enable the majority of the population to work on their own productive assets."
"UN Needs To Change Policy On Peacekeeping"
Touched by the escalating politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe, an editorial in the independent News (4/5) called on the UN Security Council to intervene in needless discords on the continent, saying: "The UN and the European Union have all condemned the violence. But condemnation alone is not enough. The present UN policy of sending in peacekeeping forces
only after war has erupted--and stopped--must be changed. The Security Council, in particular, needs to show more commitment to the prevention of unnecessary strife, especially on our continent."
NAMIBIA: "Before Bankruptcy"
Independent German-language Allgemeine Zeitung held (4/12): "'Today we stand under a government who threatens its civilians with war if they do not want to help it to survive.' These are the words of the president of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai. For the first time the European Union is aligning itself with Britain in a bid to pressure Zimbabwe into ending the illegal occupation of commercial farms by former freedom fighters.
"After the catastrophe of the independence of Mozambique, the then President Samora Machel advised the guerrilla-fighter Mugabe: Keep your whites. Mugabe's policies of reconciliation bore fruit in the early years, after silencing Josua Nkomo in Matabeleland. For some time Mugabe's Zimbabwe was quite the example in Southern Africa, with its appropriate land reform policies. Mugabe encourages lawlessness and anarchy amongst his ex-fighters, and his police force confirms its racism in its ploy to serve and protect. He is encouraging the expulsion of white farmers from the country, and he tolerates acts of violence without reprimanding them. Shortly before the end of his career, one which he is extending by the use of force, intimidation and abuse of (his) power, he is following the path of corrupt African dictators, such as Mobutu, Idi Amin and others. In the process, he is inflicting damage, which opens up deep human wounds, wounds more difficult to heal than his inability to maintain a health economic climate. President Nujoma is a friend of Mugabe's. We Namibians should rather take the leadership of Mandela, Mbeki and Festus Mogae as an example."
NIGERIA: "Save Zimbabwe From Disaster"
The Lagos-based, 60 percent federal government-owned Daily Times had this editorial (4/19): "Mugabe acted in a most unstatesmanlike manner by pointedly refusing to condemn the violence or rein in his increasingly wild and frustrated supporters. The Zimbabwe police's handling of the situation has been less than satisfactory. Like most security forces in authoritarian societies, the police in Harare had been more eager to attack opposition party supporters than to uphold the rule of law.... Not only is the current standoff bound to attract Mugabe condemnation and further international isolation, it would be watched closely further south of the Limpopo River in South Africa. We appeal to African leaders and President Olusegun Obasanjo in particular, to use whatever influence they have on Mugabe, to prevail on him not to let his country plunge into a disaster."
CAMEROON: "Zimbabwe, Ingredients For Civil War In Place"
Mutations, a Yaounde-based, French-language, opposition bi-weekly featured this commentary (4/19) by columnist Stephane Tchakam: "All the ingredients of a civil war are in place.... [Zimbabwe's] vice president as well as the High Court of Justice have expressed their opposition to the occupation of white-owned farms... However, the High Court's courageous decision has complicated the situation. It has indeed ruled for the expulsion of the veterans
from the farms. Zimbabwe has 12 million inhabitants. 4000 whites monopolize 70 percent of the land suitable for cultivation, a legacy of British colonization.... In playing the blacks vs. whites card, Mugabe is trying to win back those who have joined the opposition, and nothing will deter him in his attempt to remain in power.... Great Britain, which financed agricultural reform, has withdrawn. The United States...has suspended aid designated for land reform to protest Harare's refusal to drive the squatters off the farms. Mugabe is aggravating the situation by
alienating the sympathy of (Zimbabwe's) principal partners."
"Zimbabwe: A Disturbing Matter Of Conscience For All Of Africa"
Douala-based opposition, French-language thrice-weekly Le Messager (4/17) carried commentary by diplomat and columnist Shanda Tonme: "Hiding today behind history to justify our flaws and our insistence in finding scapegoats in others is evidence of intellectual and political dishonesty. That observation becomes even more pathetic when those in power divert us.... With the sole and uncontestable purpose of remaining in power, by closing the door to any change in order to enjoy unlimited privileges for life... (Mugabe's) calculation was to kill two birds with one: to divert attention from his ruinous involvement in Congo (DROC)...and to mobilize national opinion in his favor.... It clearly appears that Mugabe overestimated his ability to maneuver and underestimated the fighting spirit and the courage of his opposition."
RWANDA: "UN Troops In Congo, Welcome, But..."
The independent, bi-monthly Rwanda Newsline published this commentary (2/28-3/12): "The UN Security Council last week authorized the deployment of 5,500 troops to monitor a very shaky cease-fire in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Congo conflict, which has sucked in more than a dozen of countries, was named 'Africa's first world war' by the U.S. envoy to the UN and veteran diplomat Richard Holbrooke.... The gesture by the international community to step in is really welcome.... The antics of the armies of the countries there, like Zimbabwe defending Kabila to safeguard Mugabe's gold and diamond deals, and Ugandan troops exchanging fire with their Rwandan counterparts in Kisnagani for the loot there make their reason for being in the Congo look non-genuine. But the most compelling reason for the foreign armies to get out of there is the suffering of the poor citizens of that country who are witnessing the plunder and looting of their country ruthlessly. But how will the UN ever manage to assemble a force that--even if they persuade Zimbabweans, Namibians, Rwandans and Ugandans to get out--can manage to disarm other groups like interahamwe, mai mai, ex-far etc? It is a question that have some souls in New York really vexed."
EUROPE
BRITAIN: "Let's Force This Tyrant Into Line"
The leftwing tabloid Mirror had this lead editorial (4/19): "The terrible violence that has broken out in Zimbabwe is not the chance actions of rebels. It is positively encouraged by President Mugabe. Like other despots, Mr. Mugabe's sole aim is keeping himself in power. Yet nothing is done by the rest of the world.... Zimbabwe is a member of the Commonwealth and that is the body that should act to bring it in line. It should suspend Zimbabwe until the violence is halted. Surely Commonwealth leaders cannot enjoy having this tyrant being one of them while he wallows in savagery."
"Mugabe At Bay"
The independent Financial Times editorialized (4/19): "Zimbabwe's collapse would be a blow to hopes for a stable and prosperous southern Africa. Neighbors, with South Africa at the fore,
must lead the way in convincing Mr. Mugabe that the only way out of a tragedy of his own making is through fair elections. He is a discredited politician at bay."
"Blood On The Land"
The conservative Times said in its lead editorial (4/18): "A wilfully manufactured crisis could now spiral out of control. Since 1987, Zimbabwe has been more or less a one-party state; but that is a considerably, if dispiritingly, more predictable state of affairs than what appears to be Mr. Mugabe's lurch towards surviving in power by imposing one-man rule.... Until this week, it was possible to assume that assaults against white Zimbabwean farmers and their black employees would escalate until polling day, and then taper off. But now that 'veteran' squatters, aided by Zanu-PF hitmen, have spoilt blood and seen the first farmers sign over their land in fear of their lives, Mr. Mugabe's 'undertaking to get things back to normality' may, even if he means it, be an utterly empty pledge. Mr. Mugabe has set a course towards anarchy and total economic collapse from which there is no easy exit."
"A Way Out For Mugabe"
The liberal Guardian featured this lead editorial (4/18): "Stubborn, oblivious of the damage he is inflicting on his country and the suffering of the individuals caught up in the dramas he has manufactured, Mr. Mugabe has paid attention so far neither to threats nor inducements. He is unfazed by international criticism, by the suspension of aid, or by talk of sanctions.... But there is one power that has the means and the prestige to change the situation decisively. South Africa has obvious moral leverage, and, at least in theory, physical leverage too, in that it supplies most of Zimbabwe's electricity and fuel. President Mbeki has a very strong interest in seeing the land issue in Zimbabwe settled in a moderate way. If there were to be a wholesale distribution of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe, the impact on the delicate politics of land in South Africa would be enormous."
"Rhodesian Rights And Wrongs"
The conservative Daily Telegraph opined (4/17): "How curious that when those who supported Ian Smith's regime are proved right--and proved right in the most horrible way, with the violence against white farmers turning lethal--there should be so little comment. There is now every likelihood that Robert Mugabe will succeed in driving away his country's most efficient producers, dividing their farms into units that are too small to be economically viable and giving the spoils to men who have never grown anything in their lives. And when the ensuing famine occurs, we shall no doubt be told that Britain, as the former colonial power, has a duty to pay for the relief.... Zimbabwe is not the first nation to have chosen self-government over good government. But it would be nice if all those who claimed that none of this would happen were to admit, just this once, that they were wrong."
"A Man In The Middle: Mediation Could Defuse Zimbabwe Crisis"
The liberal Guardian put forth this view (4/13): "The idea, currently under discussion in Whitehall, of inviting a neutral figure to mediate the dispute between Britain and Zimbabwe, should be pursued as a matter of urgency.... One such person may be Nigeria's president Olusegun Obasanjo, who has established impressive democratic credentials since ending 15 years of military rule last year.... An independent mediator would, in theory, be able to offer Mr. Mugabe a good deal in return for sticking to the democratic path. New British and American funding for a properly managed land reform program is available. There is the prospect of renewed assistance from the IMF and World Bank, which broke with Zimbabwe last year. Emergency bilateral or multilateral loans might also be forthcoming.... But all this would have to
be contingent on Mr. Mugabe first meeting Britain's three demands. There is...no guarantee that Mr. Mugabe, who is plainly putting his own interests before Zimbabwe's, will see reason. But somebody has to take responsibility, even if he will not. Given the current dangerous
impasse, a genuinely impartial mediation effort could hardly make matters any worse."
"Elections, Not Sanctions, Are What Zimbabwe Needs Now"
The daily Independent carried this leader editorial (4/12), "Zimbabwe is now plunging into an abyss from which Britain, the West or anyone else seems powerless to rescue it.... As the ex-colonial power, Britain finds itself trapped in a position of responsibility without power, able only to offer sanctuary to white Zimbabwean British passport-holders.... Rightly, Robin Cook, the foreign secretary, yesterday insisted the priority still must be to hold Mr. Mugabe to his promise of parliamentary elections sometime next month. To do as the conservatives advocate, and confiscate Mr. Mugabe's assets abroad, halt all aid and expel Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth, would do nothing to help ordinary Zimbabweans."
"Countdown In Zimbabwe"
The independent weekly Economist held (4/7): "Zimbabwe is in crisis. The blame lies almost entirely with President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF, the party that has ruled the country since it gained independence from Britain in 1980. The economic manifestations of this calamity are a worthless currency, roaring inflation, burgeoning foreign debt, acute petrol shortages and fearsome unemployment. Its political manifestations are peaceful demonstrations broken up by violent thugs, the illegal occupation of more than 700 white-owned farms and an acrimonious dispute with Britain. Throw in Zimbabwe's involvement in a pointless war in Congo and the fact that a quarter of its people have AIDS, and it is easy to see that the government has plenty to worry about. To listen to it, though, you would imagine that the top priority is land reform. This is the issue that it is ruthlessly exploiting in an effort to win next month's election. Unless something changes, disaster will surely ensue."
"Last Stand: Mugabe Must Play Straight Or Face Political Isolation"
A lead editorial the conservative Times stated (4/3): "Although the president's term of office does not expire until 2002, outright defeat at the polls next month would utterly emasculate him.... The British government has to prepare itself for the possibility that, with defeat staring him in the face, Mr. Mugabe will either call a state of emergency and abandon these elections or engage in open electoral fraud on a massive scale. If either situation materializes, Mr. Cook and Mr. Hain should be the first to insist that the Commonwealth expel Zimbabwe, that all remaining British aid to Harare be suspended and that Mr. Mugabe face complete political isolation."
"Mr. Mugabe Is A Tyrant--But Only South Africa Can Stand Up To Him"
The centrist Independent opined (4/3), "The EU is likely to suspend aid. That raises the dilemma over sanctions..... The people who will suffer are not Mr. Mugabe and his gangster cronies.... Indeed, sanctions might even shore up support for the despot.... Expulsion from the Commonwealth is overdue and will no doubt now happen. But it too, is only a gesture.... The only real deterrent to his (Mugabe) taking Zimbabwe down a spiral towards butchery is the threat of force, and that can only come from Thabo Mbeki, the South African president."
GERMANY: "For The Role Of Teacher, Europe Has Too Many Skeletons In Its Closet"
Silke Mertins wrote in an editorial in right-of-center business Financial Times Deutschland (4/19): "It is only half the truth when we say that Mugabe has mismanaged Zimbabwe, that he is plunging the country into an abyss.... At issue are also old wounds from the times of the violent confiscation of land by the colonial power, the conflict between rich and poor, black and white.
At issue is the past with which all sided involved have not yet come to terms with.... The fierce British criticism of the situation in Zimbabwe has only escalated the situation. What government wants to hear its previous colonial power to tell it what it has to do?... The EU has not yet decided to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe, but it should not do so either. Too many former colonial powers would sit at the negotiating table.... And we should also not harbor any illusions: If the victims were not white farmers, the outrage would not be as great.... The example of Zimbabwe makes again clear that thus far nobody has thought about how to treat the former colonies and the African economic arena. Every European country does as it pleases and does not coordinate its policies.... This is why the EU should confine itself to a mediation role in the back ground and strengthen instead political organizations such as the OAU in its crises management efforts."
"Mugabe's Megalomania"
Right-of-center Muenchener Merkur (4/19) noted: "The situation in Zimbabwe is escalating, the country is at the brink of a civil war. The killing of white farmers and arsons are happening almost on a regular basis. President Mugabe, a man who is hungry for power and without scruples, is rubbing his hands. He supports the terror against the whites, because he hopes to get the votes of the black Zimbabweans. Mugabe is running an election campaign with corpses. Zimbabwe...had the best chances a few years ago to become a flourishing part of Africa due to its agricultural structure. But Mugabe and his craze for megalomania and his regime that is fraught with corruption prevented such a development. But Mugabe is not interested in it as he is not interested in the well-being of his people. For him, only power counts and in order to preserve it, he stops at nothing."
"Mugabe Hopes To Get Votes"
Right-of-center Nordwest-Zeitung of Oldenburg (4/19) noted: "Mugabe is setting impoverished blacks against white farmers to use force to steal their land. With this approach, Mugabe hopes to get the votes of the black population in the elections next year. But it is solely the problem of the government that the problem of the distribution of land has not been resolved even 20 years after the country's independence. But Mugabe only filled his pockets. Hopefully, the voters will give him the right answer."
"African Tragedy"
Henry Lohmar opined in an editorial in right-of-center Maerkische Allgemeine Zeitung of Potsdam (4/19): "An African tragedy is happening in Zimbabwe.... The more than 25,000 whites who have stayed in the former British Rhodesia, feel unnerved. And the country is heading for a disaster. At the end, and experience in other African countries demonstrated this before, the country will face an economic collapse. And those who are now taking to the streets will again be among the victims. The expropriation course, which Mugabe has pursued for more than 20 years now, is the wrong path. The country needs large, efficient farms to survive economically. And it is also dependent on international investors. They will certainly not come when they have to expect to be exposed to the despotism of an unpredictable dictator and to lose their property."
"At The Abyss"
Udo Ulfkotte had this to say in an editorial in right-of-center Frankfurter Allgemeine (4/18): "Step by step, the former African model pupil is approaching the abyss. With the killing of a white farmer, the young squatters have now removed even the last inhibition. But the hopes that go along with their activities can turn out to be deceptive. In view of Zimbabwe's economic decline, the country is more than ever dependent on healthy farms. This is why the expropriations pushed ahead by President Mugabe are more than shortsighted. It may be possible that part of the dissatisfied people will now find a new home. But previous African experience teaches us that [expropriations] are accompanied by a decline of productivity. In other African countries, such expropriations resulted in famines. This is one of the reason why the blacks who are employed on the farms do not show any solidarity with the land squatters. If there is no miracle, the land squatters could cause a civil war."
"Like Idi Amin"
Wolfgang Drechlser said in an editorial (4/18) in centrist Der Tagesspiegel of Berlin and in business daily Handelsblatt of Duesseldorf: "Zimbabwe is on the road to anarchy. Its crisis is turning into a threat to southern Africa as a whole. In view of this emergency situation it is not understandable why South Africa of all nations is idly watching the disintegration of Zimbabwe.... Mugabe is still able to save his country and the region from such a development. He must respect repeated demands of the country's highest court and attack his supporters who terrorize white farmers, and he must allow peaceful elections to take place in May. But will Mugabe be willing to do this? The coming weeks will be of similarly great significance for Zimbabwe as was the path to independence twenty years ago that carried many risks."
"History Without Morals"
Hubert Kleine Stegemann observed in centrist General-Anzeiger of Bonn (4/13): "Every day, President Mugabe is moving Zimbabwe further away from the ideal picture of a country that was freed from colonial oppression, a country which, for a long time, was an example of a society that respected cultural and ethnic diversity and offered its proud citizens sufficient opportunities to make a living. Mugabe has now turned from a liberator to an oppressor.... Mugabe is now threatening to discredit the whole southern African sub-continent. It is really grotesque that the people's hat is off to [former premier] Ian Smith and some of them prefer a life under the yoke of the white racists. The Zimbabweans are revolting, they are taking to the streets, where Mugabe's police are beating them up."
"Staying In Power"
Left-of-center Frankfurter Rundschau (4/11) opined, "Zimbabwe's highest court declared the occupation of a few hundred white farms by several thousand of militant supporters of the government as illegal and called for their removal. But government and police forces are ignoring the ruling. And it is President Mugabe's intention that the occupiers consider the inactivity of the authorities as a call to occupy even more land.... Mugabe, who has been in power for more than 20 years now, has manipulated parliament, the constitution, parties, and the media to neutralize his critics. Now the president is even destroying the last reliable pillar of order which no longer deserves to be called democracy."
"Power-Hungary Mugabe"
Centrist Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger (4/10) noted: "In the meantime, power-hungry Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is doing a great disservice to all other African countries. If the rule of
law, human rights, and democracy lose significance in Zimbabwe, which was once much lauded by the West, who should then have confidence in the young [African] democracies, such as the post-apartheid South Africa or the post-dictatorial Nigeria? At issue is showing transnational responsibility. Trouble spots no longer affect only the people on site. Waves of refugees go to neighboring states such as South Africa, in the case of Zimbabwe, and increasingly to Europe.
If the one part of the world develops and the other one falls apart, international security will be affected."
"Racism"
Right-of-center Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (4/9) noted: "The former Rhodesia has been mismanaged to such a degree that the re-election of President Robert Mugabe is almost impossible. The former bush fighter considers this unfair and is preparing for his final battle. His cynicism is obviously so great that he is willing to drag his country with him into abyss. He is playing the racist card, makes the white land owners scapegoats and wants to expropriate them. But the 'war veterans' who have besieged the white farms for weeks now are usually so young that they know the war of independence only from stories. The military backs Mugabe, because he promised the generals some prey in the Congo war. But Mugabe's calculations will not come true: racism will not bring the country forward. And both the whites and the blacks know this. And in their will for a political change, both groups agree to such a degree as they never did before."
FRANCE: "Mugabe The Pyromaniac"
Right-of-center Le Figaro wrote (4/19): "Mugabe, the pyromaniac who has set fire to his own country, revealed his game when he admitted that white farmers were 'the enemy,' as he takes responsibility for the movement to take over the country's farm lands."
ITALY: "Fatal Risks"
Lanfranco Vaccari concluded in centrist, top-circulation Corriere della Sera (4/19): "Above all, the president did not allocate even one word (of his speech) to condemning the occupation of the farms. Therefore, on such a solemn occasion as the anniversary of independence, he has, de facto, authorized the war veterans and the squatter gangs to continue their campaign of 'revolutionary justice.' The fact that this happened at the same time the farmer Martin Olds was being beaten and killed is just a coincidence. But it risks being fatal."
BELGIUM" "Mugabe's Games"
Foreign editor Axel Buyse wrote in independent Catholic De Standaard (4/19): "The vaudeville of recent weeks with the 'spontaneous' occupation of white commercial farms heralds the end of the constitutional state in Zimbabwe. If the development were to spread to South Africa, the catastrophe will be immeasurable--for both the country itself and the entire continent. Unfortunately, Mugabe is not the only one to use such tasteless rhetoric to conceal his own failure. In numerous countries in Africa, dinosaurs are blocking all progress in a similar manner. Heads of state of the caliber of Dos Santos in Angola or Kabila in Congo are taking their own people hostage for reasons of self or clan interest. Ethiopia is pointing its finger at the whole world because of the new famine, but it joyfully continues to wage war with Eritrea. The shortsightedness of some African leaders does not relieve the West of all responsibility for the black continent. But, nothing can force us to approve the kinds of games that Mugabe is playing."
"A Climate Of Confidence In Africa Is Lacking"
In a broader piece about African development, chief editor Peter Vandermeersch wrote in independent Catholic De Standaard (4/10), "Of course, the West must not leave Africa to its fate. The European Union, too, must do its utmost to prevent the threatening starvation. However, for Africa in general,...it is overly simplistic to blame the West. More than ever before must Africa examine its own conscience.... The list of warring African countries is frighteningly long--just think about Congo. Recent events in Zimbabwe--where the government legitimates the 'takeover' of white farms by black squatters--reflect total shortsightedness. One of the principal reasons why the West has reduced its development aid in recent years lies with the Africans themselves: Too much aid disappeared through corruption, nepotism and war. The West must rearrange Africa's sky-high debts. Half of the African countries spend as much on their debts as on education and health care combined. However, aid and investments will not reach a serious level as long as the African leaders do not create the essential climate of confidence and take their own responsibilities."
THE NETHERLANDS: "Landgrabbing In Zimbabwe"
Influential independent NRC Handelsblad opined (4/8), "In 20 years Mugabe has not succeeded in realizing an equitable and legal land redistribution for the black population. Expropriated lands went to his political friends, a state of affairs which led to the British eight years ago giving up support for the project.... Those most under threat meanwhile appear to be the landless black farmers. It is not likely that they will be able to maintain production of the large concerns under these circumstances. Alongside lawlessness which scourges the land, food shortages threaten to be added. Mugabe, alas, is not the first African leader who, in blind egomania, arbitrarily and violently, denied his land and people a better future. The white Zimbabweans are paying the price now, but for the black majority a disaster looms."
NORWAY: "Zimbabwe In Distress"
Moderately conservative newspaper-of-record Aftenposten (4/18) opined: "Zimbabwe is one of the few African countries that has had exemplary order in its economy, and that has managed to produce enough food both for its own consumption and to collect export revenue. But for President Robert Mugabe it now seems that it is far more important to hold onto power than to care for continued economic and social progress.... Even after his followers have now killed two members of the opposition and one white farmer, he is not trying to restrain them. On the contrary, he claims that the tragedy is the fault of the victims, and that no one must challenge the war veterans who, with his encouragement, have begun to occupy large farms. Murder victim David Stevens, who was shot over the weekend after having been tortured, seems to have been an especially dangerous opponent because he worked for equality and fair distribution and was popular among his workers. It was not any better that he sympathized with the opposition, and not Mugabe's party. In opposition to a judgment by the country's highest court, Mugabe has now decided to count on his chosen group of allies, which apparently will not let itself be controlled, and which will send the country to the precipice. For the time being, this does not seem to worry Mugabe: The most important thing is that the opposition is afraid, and that he holds onto power. If this continues, it can only end in catastrophe for the country--and for the president."
SPAIN: "Zimbabwe At The Brink"
Barcelona's centrist La Vanguardia observed (4/13): "In February, President Robert Mugabe lost a referendum designed to perpetuate himself in power. As a result of that defeat, he has now urged his followers to take over white-owned farms 20 years after the country's
independence. This sudden attempt to make up for lost time is not just suspect; it demonstrates once again how a person who led his country to independence with tremendous popular support has now devolved into an autocrat."
WESTERN HEMISPHERE
BRAZIL: "Zimbabwe A Sad Example Of Political Involution"
According to an editorial in center-right O Estado de Sao Paulo (4/19): "Zimbabwe is another victim of the authoritarianism that affects Africa. The heritage of ethnic division and of the arbitrary governments has taken its toll. The damage is done. In twenty years of government, Mugabe has not been able to keep his promise of transforming Zimbabwe into an oasis of prosperity and ethnic peace. In order to remain in office, he exploited the ethnic differences of his people and led the country into social agitation and economic difficulties. He has fallen victim to the evil that has plagued the majority of the African nations: he rules and acts like a little king."
"Great Fire Lit Just Two Steps From South Africa"
Center-right O Estado de S. Paulo's Paris correspondent reported (4/18) said, "Like Mao Tse Tung, Marxist Robert Mugabe is trying to save his declining power by opening a Pandora's box full of hate and rancor on the part of poor blacks against the rich white farmers.... If Mugabe does not put an end to such madness, chaos may devastate Zimbabwe, and we will see an enormous fire being lit just two steps from South Africa, a great nation that is now weakened with the absence of power from a charismatic president, Nelson Mandela."
CANADA: "A Reckless Gamble"
Montreal's conservative, English language Gazette averred (4/19): "No one wants to see Zimbabwe, a democratic state, slide into anarchy and bloodshed. Land reform is needed--no one, including the white farmers, seriously disputes that fact. But Mr. Mugabe should not be left to turn the issue into civil war. Whether the usual array of international economic sanctions should be brought to bear on an impoverished country with a spiraling inflation rate is a question that needs to be asked, however. Zimbabwe's opposition parties have not asked for outside help, nor do they want sanctions. But the presence of international observers to ensure that the coming elections are free and fair would help. So, too, would encouragement for an election date to be set."
"Meltdown In Zimbabwe"
The conservative National Post stressed (4/12): "The meltdown of an entire country is never pretty. In the case of Zimbabwe, a former British colony in southern Africa, the process is particularly appalling.... Robert Mugabe can take a lesson from an old political foe of his--a white farmer named Ian Smith.... By the early 1980s, seeing that there was no point in continuing, he retired from politics to his farm. It's time for Mr. Mugabe to pack his suitcase, pick out a spot in the countryside and do the same."
JAMAICA: "Mr. Mugabe's Ugly Caricature"
The business-oriented, centrist Daily Observer had this to say (4/18): "Jamaica has a significant emotional stake in Zimbabwe. As a majority black country, we are likely to be empathetic with the cause and concerns of other black, poor nations--our kith and kin, so to speak. In the case of Zimbabwe, Jamaica gave strong political and moral support to the
guerrillas who battled Ian Smith's white minority and racist government in what was then Rhodesia. Moreover, as a mark of respect for Jamaica's assistance in the independence struggle...our reggae genius, Bob Marley, was invited by Mr. Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party to perform at an independence concert in Harare. It is against this background that we
view with concern the growing political crisis in Zimbabwe and lament the decline of Mr. Mugabe, once a romantic and heroic figure of the independence struggle, into a caricature of his old self--a tragic figure undoing his legacy but seemingly incapable of escaping the vortex. We do not question the legitimacy of the need for land reform in Zimbabwe, but the solution cannot lie in strong-arm tactics, expropriation, intimidation and murder. It is worse when these actions seem to be part of a cynical attempt to buy popularity for Mr. Mugabe to maintain himself in power. He is not yet at Idi Amin's proportion, but Mr. Mugabe is beginning to look more and more like Hastings Banda, latterly of Malawi. It is the image of African leadership that we can do without. It is an image that black people do not need."
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