Is the UN finally getting involved?

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon promises talks at UN summit

Hopes for more international pressure on Mugabe and his government grew this weekend with a statement by Mr. Ban, Secretary General of the UN, to the effect that he will hold talks with a number of African rulers on Zimbabwe during a forthcoming UN summit in Ghana. He said the aim would be to "get developments there back to normal."

He was speaking only hours after his predecessor, Kofi Annan, urged African leaders to do more to address the crisis in our country. "Where are the Africans?" he asked. "Where are their leaders and the countries in the region, what are they doing?"

Meanwhile most observers are still wondering what Mugabe's government is doing, apart of course from conducting the farcical and hopelessly flawed partial "recount" of certain constituency polls.

I can reveal one of their other schemes which, if successful, will sideline the MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai, render his presidential election victory null and void, and allow Mugabe to be voted back as president against an acceptable degree of opposition.

I first wrote about this plan on this site in the early days of the election crisis. Regular readers will remember that it concerns two apparent would-be presidential candidates who were not able to file their nomination papers as candidates by the cut-off time on nomination day.

The two men are Daniel Shumba and Justin Chiota. Both claim they were unfairly denied a chance to stand as presidential candidates. The reasons given for their lack of success have all the clumsy hallmarks of a Zanu-PF plot.

Chiota claims that he arrived at the nomination court in sufficient time on nomination day, to be told that his papers were soiled and could not be accepted. He was advised that he could fill in new papers, and as he was present at the court they would be accepted even after the 4.0pm deadline.

Shumba says that he arrived at the court with 15 minutes to spare, but was advised to wait until Chiota had finished his papers, so that both could be accepted together. However, when the pair eventually tried to submit their papers, the constituency registar Ignatius Mushangwe told them they were both too late.

They appealed this decision, and subsequently - and surprisingly - the Nominations Court refused the appeal. However, the case then went to the Supreme Court, which agreed that there was a prima facie case. A ten-judge bench is now due to consider the case.

What has all this got to do with the contest between Mugabe and Tsvangirai? Just this. If the Supreme Court finds that Shumba and Chiota were unfairly denied their right to stand as presidential candidates, the March 29 vote will be nullified. So there will be a complete re-run of the presidential election, not a run-off. And although Supreme Court judges can be sticky when pushed, it is thought that Zanu-PF will be able to persuade them to come to exactly that decision.

Morgan Tsvangirai, having clearly had enough of vote rigging and double-dealing, is unlikely to change his decision and run again.

But Mugabe will still be seen to be running against "opposition", consisting probably of Simba Makoni, thought to have won about five per cent of the first vote, and of course Mr. Shumba and Mr. Chiota. International observers may think Mr. Mugabe has done well when he defeats his three opponents.

We in Zimbabwe know better. And we also know now, if we didn't before, exactly how crafty our venerable leader can be.

Comments

[Roy]

I wonder what has happened to Nelson Mandela and the Rev. Tutu. Surely these are the people who, as world recognised personalities, should be getting involved. They were critical in helping solve the problems in the state of South Africa. Their influence should surely have more effect than President Mbeki in dealing with Zimbabwe, who, after all, is just working out his time.

[Michael]

Even if the UN do get involved, it is unlikely to be more than the hot air they seem to be so good at dispensing these days. Their involvement will more than likely take no corporeal form, merely another discussion point on their agenda.

Meanwhile the two countries that should be taking a front seat in this drive for an election free of rigging and near terrorist tactics by ZANU PF sit on their hands and do nothing.

Britain and the USA put Mugabe where he is today (and their machinations also scuppered an earlier peaceful end to the war of the 70's), yet now all they can do is think about saving face against the cries of 'Western Collonialism' Soames and Carrington put the final nail in the coffin of Rhodesia, and now it's time for the current governments to make sure that in doing so, they didn't nail the lid on Zimbabwe's coffin closed at the same time.

[Lungile]

ZANU-PF has been very good in blaming Britain, US or the West for self-inflicted wounds. Let’s say it clear and loud; Mugabe and ZANU-PF has destroyed Zimbabwe. Period.

If they had objectives well those objectives are not clear but certainly the results achieved are clear for all to see, destruction of the way of life of the common Zimbabweans.

If you want to continue blaming the West for these wounds, well continue but this does not begin to describe the current problem.

If someone blamed the West about the state of Zimbabwe in the early 80's I would have listen. In the late 90's I would have been skeptical.
A decade later (2008)I will tell that person that he is dellusional. S/He needs to appraise the problem correctly.

[Michael]

I agree completely with you there Lungile, the destroyer at the heart of it all has always been Mugabe (whether that be as the leader of ZANU PF or as the leader of ZANLA), but to see how he got where he is now, it is necessary to look back as far as the 1960s to Rhodesian UDI.

From that point up to the formation of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Ian Smith was villified by the British for putting his country first and breaking away from full British rule, while affirming loyalty to the Queen.
(Interesting to note that the British also only found fault with minority rule after this point, up until then they were quite willing to rule as a minority from London)

During the closing years of the war in the 1970's, a certain pair of British Lords (Soames and Carrington), in effect laid the foundations for the 3 decades of hell that Zimbabwe has had to endure with their infamous Lancaster House agreement (as for the timescale, I have been saying this since not long after the actual events, when I left Zimbabwe)

[McPaul]

The beatings and killing are now underway as predicted. The disused mineshafts will once again be utilised and the world will look on and do nothing.

[Michael]

The UN are doing something ...... talking (as usual). The sooner they realise that men like Mugabe do not react to talking and diplomacy the better ..... maybe then we can get something done thats not just blowing hot air.

[McPaul]

Remember what the then president of Tanzania, Julias Nyerere said to Mugabe at the 1980 Zimbabwe independence celebration.
"You have the jewel of Africa do not ruin it".

[Big Daddy]

So the U.N. is getting involved, what will those illiterate fools do? More Intl. embargoes that mean nothing, placement of some cracker Nigerian or Pakistani peace keepers and hand out food.

Zim needs to be re-colonised by Britain, it is their only hope. The British economy is not that great at the moment after 30 years of globalisation but it is still a trillion times better than any African toilet. The Brits could run the place and the locals could supply cheap labour and just maybe some progress could be seen.

No intelleigent person could enertain pathetic thoughts of U.U. intervention being a good thing. The U.N. is run by tin pot dictators and their crooked buddies. The U.N. will only make any shithole a bigger one.

Gordon Brown needs to grow some balls and invade Zim with Dad's Army.

[Big Daddy]

"Diplomacy".........doesn't work in Zimbabwe. The black potatoes can't even blow their noses or wipe their bums...they are that stoopid!

[Michael]

And thats exactly the sort of action that would ignite Africa ..... Invasion may have been an option 100 and 200 years ago, but not any longer.

Exactly what qualifies you to make that sort of over opinionated and racist statement Big Daddy? I claim experience of the country in all her 3 phases of life ..... Rhodesia, Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and Zimbabwe, and unless you can claim experience or specific specialisation that gives you a godlike insight, then please leave the discussions to the grown ups.

[Johanna]

Well said Michael, I too can claim experience of the country through all 3 phases of life. Like it or not, Zim is a sovereign state and no-one has the right to invade, certainly not the Brits to re-colonise...I mean, seriously, have we gone back to 1900??? Unfotunately, Mugabe will never go quietly. The only solution that may pave the way for peace and prosperity in Zim is Bobs' death, either naturally or by someone close to him prepared to sacrifice his own life, much as Laurent Kabila was taken down by one of his own! After all, live by the sword, die by the sword!!

[macpayne]

Thanks for the return to sanity, Michael and Johanna. I half-suspect some of the more idiotic, outrageous comments are an attempt to garner support for RGMugabe by enraging the narrow-minded by proposing the possibility of the preposterous.

I think its safe to say the only thing the world wants for Zim is a civil, sane, representative, and legitimate government that cares about its people. When that happens, we'll see the country blossom with prosperity once again. But, I can only hope that, when Morgan Tsvangirai eventually wins the struggle, he will control the excesses, govern righteously... and always remember that he was given the position by the voice of the people, not by the power of a club and AK-47.

I'm not one to advocate violence, but Johanna, I think you're right on. Violence begets violence. When you sell your soul to the Devil, he WILL collect his due... with interest.

[Michael]

Personally I'd love to return to Zim, same as a lot of the ex-pats would, but there is no way that any sane person would move there with the current Mugabe led political climate.

When you think about the wealth of skills and experience stored within the people that are watching the progress of this election with, metaphorically, their bags already packed in hope, then you can see the way forward.

And just so that the other unreasonable posters who seem to have become rife in these discussions know what I mean in this, the way forward isn't subjugation and segregation ..... it is unity. Whether we are Black or White doesn't matter, being Matabele, Shona, or a white former Rhodesian shouldn't give you an automatic disbarring for certain jobs or quality of life.

Thats all past history, what we need to do now is put away the grudges ..... forget the 'evil white colonialists' of the Rhodesia era, forget the 'evil terrorists' of the bush war. Lets get rid of the problem, get our heads together and start rebuilding the 'Jewel of Africa' together.