Comments on: John Simpson interviews Simba Makoni http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750 This is Zimbabwe is Sokwanele's pro-democracy activist blog. It provides grassroots news and views from Zimbabwe. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:03:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Irene Handley http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-182673 Irene Handley Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:02:22 +0000 http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-182673 Do you know if John Simpson is still in Harare? He has not been mentioned for some time on our UK news from Zimbabwe,and I am concerned to note that two foreign journalists have been arrested. He is one of my favourite reporters and authors and I hope he is safe. I hope that you manage to achieve real democracy in Zimbabwe and free the country of the tyranny of Mugabe. With best wishes, Irene Handley<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('182673','Irene Handley'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> --- <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('182673','Irene Handley','Do you know if John Simpson is still in Harare?\r\n\r\nHe has not been mentioned for some time on our UK news from Zimbabwe,and I am concerned to note that two foreign journalists have been arrested. \r\n\r\nHe is one of my favourite reporters and authors and I hope he is safe.\r\n\r\nI hope that you manage to achieve real democracy in Zimbabwe and free the country of the tyranny of Mugabe.\r\n\r\nWith best wishes,\r\n\r\nIrene Handley'); return false;">Quote from this comment</a></div> Do you know if John Simpson is still in Harare?

He has not been mentioned for some time on our UK news from Zimbabwe,and I am concerned to note that two foreign journalists have been arrested.

He is one of my favourite reporters and authors and I hope he is safe.

I hope that you manage to achieve real democracy in Zimbabwe and free the country of the tyranny of Mugabe.

With best wishes,

Irene Handley

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]]> By: Khutsong http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-150166 Khutsong Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:53:44 +0000 http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-150166 Zimbabweans are so desperate that they are now falling for anything.ZANU-PF by any other name is still ZANU-PF.Anyway Simba does not deny that he is ZANU-PF.Only some of his blind followers deny this.The only beneficiary of this blind faith is Mugabe himself.Whither Zimbabwe!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('150166','Khutsong'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> --- <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('150166','Khutsong','Zimbabweans are so desperate that they are now falling for anything.ZANU-PF by any other name is still ZANU-PF.Anyway Simba does not deny that he is ZANU-PF.Only some of his blind followers deny this.The only beneficiary of this blind faith is Mugabe himself.Whither Zimbabwe!'); return false;">Quote from this comment</a></div> Zimbabweans are so desperate that they are now falling for anything.ZANU-PF by any other name is still ZANU-PF.Anyway Simba does not deny that he is ZANU-PF.Only some of his blind followers deny this.The only beneficiary of this blind faith is Mugabe himself.Whither Zimbabwe!
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]]> By: Malcolm http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-149698 Malcolm Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:31:51 +0000 http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-149698 I made the point that the issue was one of law and justice. Society needs order and rules to be upheld if it is to be coherent. Look at Zimbabwe today - there your evidence of what happens when a government is selective about who it punishes for disregarding the law. No-one should be above the law if it is to maintain its value and the confidence of all members of society. By allowing Mugabe to escape punishment for wrong-doings Makoni is, by implication, putting himself above the law. Further, your point that human rights abuse is intellectualised begs explanation and defining. What part of genocide is intellectual? Finally, I believe Tsangirai calls for a Truth and Reconcilliation commission and cites 4 issues, of which only one could be argued to be a white appeasement ploy, in part. If Tsvangirai did ask Mbeki to cut any services to Zimbabwe, it would have been with the aim to further destabilise the government institutions. It's a better alternative than resorting to violence. Anyway, treason applies to a governing body, and the term can only be meaningfully and realistically applied to governments that are without a record of election fraud and wanton rape of the country's resource for selfish means. I would, however, not put too much score on the treason word, because if taken in its right context, all liberation struggles, including that of Zimbabwe, are illegitimate, and are acts of treason. All said and done - I wouldn't trust any politician further than I could throw him, anyway. The measure of a good politician is simply how far you can throw them when he (or she) becomes a nuisance. Mugabe underscores this description.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('149698','Malcolm'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> --- <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('149698','Malcolm','I made the point that the issue was one of law and justice. Society needs order and rules to be upheld if it is to be coherent. Look at Zimbabwe today - there your evidence of what happens when a government is selective about who it punishes for disregarding the law. No-one should be above the law if it is to maintain its value and the confidence of all members of society. By allowing Mugabe to escape punishment for wrong-doings Makoni is, by implication, putting himself above the law. Further, your point that human rights abuse is intellectualised begs explanation and defining. What part of genocide is intellectual? Finally, I believe Tsangirai calls for a Truth and Reconcilliation commission and cites 4 issues, of which only one could be argued to be a white appeasement ploy, in part. If Tsvangirai did ask Mbeki to cut any services to Zimbabwe, it would have been with the aim to further destabilise the government institutions. It\'s a better alternative than resorting to violence. Anyway, treason applies to a governing body, and the term can only be meaningfully and realistically applied to governments that are without a record of election fraud and wanton rape of the country\'s resource for selfish means. I would, however, not put too much score on the treason word, because if taken in its right context, all liberation struggles, including that of Zimbabwe, are illegitimate, and are acts of treason. All said and done - I wouldn\'t trust any politician further than I could throw him, anyway. The measure of a good politician is simply how far you can throw them when he (or she) becomes a nuisance. Mugabe underscores this description.'); return false;">Quote from this comment</a></div> I made the point that the issue was one of law and justice. Society needs order and rules to be upheld if it is to be coherent. Look at Zimbabwe today - there your evidence of what happens when a government is selective about who it punishes for disregarding the law. No-one should be above the law if it is to maintain its value and the confidence of all members of society. By allowing Mugabe to escape punishment for wrong-doings Makoni is, by implication, putting himself above the law. Further, your point that human rights abuse is intellectualised begs explanation and defining. What part of genocide is intellectual? Finally, I believe Tsangirai calls for a Truth and Reconcilliation commission and cites 4 issues, of which only one could be argued to be a white appeasement ploy, in part. If Tsvangirai did ask Mbeki to cut any services to Zimbabwe, it would have been with the aim to further destabilise the government institutions. It’s a better alternative than resorting to violence. Anyway, treason applies to a governing body, and the term can only be meaningfully and realistically applied to governments that are without a record of election fraud and wanton rape of the country’s resource for selfish means. I would, however, not put too much score on the treason word, because if taken in its right context, all liberation struggles, including that of Zimbabwe, are illegitimate, and are acts of treason. All said and done - I wouldn’t trust any politician further than I could throw him, anyway. The measure of a good politician is simply how far you can throw them when he (or she) becomes a nuisance. Mugabe underscores this description.
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]]> By: Dzvinyangoma http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-149509 Dzvinyangoma Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:05:52 +0000 http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-149509 Politics of retribution will not heal the wounds of Zimbabwe's injured souls. Simba has the right approach so far. You can not expect to run a country through insults or appeasement. Tsvangirai is trying to appease the white farmers and Mugabe is throwing insults all over the place. The issue of human rights abuses has been too intellectualised it has lost meaning. In any case Tsvangirai campaigned for sanctions against his own country and that is treason. Nobody can try and deny this because he even asked Mbeki to switch of electricity and cut fuel supplies to Zimababwe. There is your president then in Tsvangirai. I think Simba is the real deal.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('149509','Dzvinyangoma'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> --- <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('149509','Dzvinyangoma','Politics of retribution will not heal the wounds of Zimbabwe\'s injured souls. Simba has the right approach so far. You can not expect to run a country through insults or appeasement. Tsvangirai is trying to appease the white farmers and Mugabe is throwing insults all over the place. The issue of human rights abuses has been too intellectualised it has lost meaning. In any case Tsvangirai campaigned for sanctions against his own country and that is treason. Nobody can try and deny this because he even asked Mbeki to switch of electricity and cut fuel supplies to Zimababwe. There is your president then in Tsvangirai. I think Simba is the real deal.'); return false;">Quote from this comment</a></div> Politics of retribution will not heal the wounds of Zimbabwe’s injured souls. Simba has the right approach so far. You can not expect to run a country through insults or appeasement. Tsvangirai is trying to appease the white farmers and Mugabe is throwing insults all over the place. The issue of human rights abuses has been too intellectualised it has lost meaning. In any case Tsvangirai campaigned for sanctions against his own country and that is treason. Nobody can try and deny this because he even asked Mbeki to switch of electricity and cut fuel supplies to Zimababwe. There is your president then in Tsvangirai. I think Simba is the real deal.
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]]> By: Malcolm http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-149454 Malcolm Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:35:51 +0000 http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-149454 Makoni lost his credibility when he said there would be no backlash against Mugabe - "We want President Mugabe to know that under our Mavambo/Kusile ("New Dawn" government) they have the same rights as other citizens." Obviously his long term of service with ZANU-PF has distorted his views on moral issues, justice, and human rights. What citizen of Zimbabwe enjoys immunity from murder, fraud, theft, and destruction, to mention a few of the criminal activities Mugabe has been instrumental in. If Mugabe is to be awarded a new brand of citizen rights under a Makoni government to escape punishment for human rights abuses and civil crimes, are we to expect that every citizen of Zimbabwe will be able to embark on a spree of lawlessness with impunity. Is anarchy to be tolerated. Or does Makoni himself fear a backlash, because in the Mugabe can of worms you would at some stage find Makoni wriggling around in there? He was afterall a key member of the government that prefected institutionalised crimes. During all that time,if he was that concerned about the behaviour of his comrades, he did nothing in protest, not even resigning and getting a decent job. An eleventh hour change of heart supported by a half-cocked and unprepared campaign does not suggest leadership stategy either. Mugabe slated Makoni as an opportunist and, reluctantly, I would have to agree. Makoni is hedging his bets and looking to means to secure his own safety from reprisals from whosoever wins the elections. To an MDC government he could claim amnesty through his apparent change of heart and remorse, to which his election campaign would hopefully lay some creedence. To a continued ZANU-PF government he could say he stood as an independant with but with the principles of the party (which he never left) still at heart, and it was never his intention to persectute any of his former allies -"so let's just make up and be friends again..like we did in the past". He talks of a future of governance transparency. One would have to ask why his efforts at transparency has been clouded in the past 28 years. Makoni joined the presidential game at the last minute and is not showing all his cards - especially those up his sleeve.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('149454','Malcolm'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> --- <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('149454','Malcolm','Makoni lost his credibility when he said there would be no backlash against Mugabe - \"We want President Mugabe to know that under our Mavambo\/Kusile (\"New Dawn\" government) they have the same rights as other citizens.\" Obviously his long term of service with ZANU-PF has distorted his views on moral issues, justice, and human rights. What citizen of Zimbabwe enjoys immunity from murder, fraud, theft, and destruction, to mention a few of the criminal activities Mugabe has been instrumental in. If Mugabe is to be awarded a new brand of citizen rights under a Makoni government to escape punishment for human rights abuses and civil crimes, are we to expect that every citizen of Zimbabwe will be able to embark on a spree of lawlessness with impunity. Is anarchy to be tolerated. Or does Makoni himself fear a backlash, because in the Mugabe can of worms you would at some stage find Makoni wriggling around in there? He was afterall a key member of the government that prefected institutionalised crimes. During all that time,if he was that concerned about the behaviour of his comrades, he did nothing in protest, not even resigning and getting a decent job. An eleventh hour change of heart supported by a half-cocked and unprepared campaign does not suggest leadership stategy either. Mugabe slated Makoni as an opportunist and, reluctantly, I would have to agree. Makoni is hedging his bets and looking to means to secure his own safety from reprisals from whosoever wins the elections. To an MDC government he could claim amnesty through his apparent change of heart and remorse, to which his election campaign would hopefully lay some creedence. To a continued ZANU-PF government he could say he stood as an independant with but with the principles of the party (which he never left) still at heart, and it was never his intention to persectute any of his former allies -\"so let\'s just make up and be friends again..like we did in the past\". He talks of a future of governance transparency. One would have to ask why his efforts at transparency has been clouded in the past 28 years. Makoni joined the presidential game at the last minute and is not showing all his cards - especially those up his sleeve.'); return false;">Quote from this comment</a></div> Makoni lost his credibility when he said there would be no backlash against Mugabe - “We want President Mugabe to know that under our Mavambo/Kusile (”New Dawn” government) they have the same rights as other citizens.” Obviously his long term of service with ZANU-PF has distorted his views on moral issues, justice, and human rights. What citizen of Zimbabwe enjoys immunity from murder, fraud, theft, and destruction, to mention a few of the criminal activities Mugabe has been instrumental in. If Mugabe is to be awarded a new brand of citizen rights under a Makoni government to escape punishment for human rights abuses and civil crimes, are we to expect that every citizen of Zimbabwe will be able to embark on a spree of lawlessness with impunity. Is anarchy to be tolerated. Or does Makoni himself fear a backlash, because in the Mugabe can of worms you would at some stage find Makoni wriggling around in there? He was afterall a key member of the government that prefected institutionalised crimes. During all that time,if he was that concerned about the behaviour of his comrades, he did nothing in protest, not even resigning and getting a decent job. An eleventh hour change of heart supported by a half-cocked and unprepared campaign does not suggest leadership stategy either. Mugabe slated Makoni as an opportunist and, reluctantly, I would have to agree. Makoni is hedging his bets and looking to means to secure his own safety from reprisals from whosoever wins the elections. To an MDC government he could claim amnesty through his apparent change of heart and remorse, to which his election campaign would hopefully lay some creedence. To a continued ZANU-PF government he could say he stood as an independant with but with the principles of the party (which he never left) still at heart, and it was never his intention to persectute any of his former allies -”so let’s just make up and be friends again..like we did in the past”. He talks of a future of governance transparency. One would have to ask why his efforts at transparency has been clouded in the past 28 years. Makoni joined the presidential game at the last minute and is not showing all his cards - especially those up his sleeve.
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]]> By: Khumbulani http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-147604 Khumbulani Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:30:37 +0000 http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/archives/750#comment-147604 Simba mudhara manje. I just got a reason to go voting now. I am now ZANLA with SM, Mbudzi, Mawere, Ibbo and all the other like minded Zimbos I can not mention here.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('147604','Khumbulani'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> --- <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('147604','Khumbulani','Simba mudhara manje. I just got a reason to go voting now. I am now ZANLA with SM, Mbudzi, Mawere, Ibbo and all the other like minded Zimbos I can not mention here.'); return false;">Quote from this comment</a></div> Simba mudhara manje. I just got a reason to go voting now. I am now ZANLA with SM, Mbudzi, Mawere, Ibbo and all the other like minded Zimbos I can not mention here.
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