This is probably something discussed ages ago before I joined, but what are everyone’s thoughts on Comrade Bobby Mugabe?
My parents live in the neighbouring country and a few weeks ago I met up with a friend of theirs in London. He’s a white farmer.
He told me an interesting story about the charity appeals for famine in Zimbabwe. The dams are the fullest they have been for this time of year in a long time. There is plenty of water. The infrastructure is a little eroded, but even so, water can be distributed. The real problem is that the country lacks the ability to engage in large scale commerical farming. This means people starve. It should be obvious that the crisis in farming stems from epxerienced farmers being kicked off their land, which is then given to friends of the regime who lack farming know how (ie.most of the land is not, repeat not, distributed to the people as part of any land reform programme)
Anyway, local coordinators for 2 charities which he explicitly named (Oxfam and Christian Aid) are also ZANU/PF local chiefs. He alleged that they only allow aid to be given to ZANU/PF supporters – ie. support Mugabe, or starve.
By: mongu - 12th August 2002 at 17:42
RE: Mugabe
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 12-08-02 AT 05:43 PM (GMT)]The majority of “old Rhodies” I know do support a land reform programme. Their concern was always that it had to be done equitably (ie. not just on the whim of the President) and that any land given over had to remain in farming use and the new owners must be able to produce crops. They’be been proven right in their misgivings.
But this, together with crisis in Malawi and elsewhere, has convinced me never, ever, to give to charity. Through their incompetence and corruption they only perpetuate problems.
By: squasher - 12th August 2002 at 06:02
RE: Mugabe
Mugabe is just another populist ‘dictator’ creating enemies ( white farmers ) to divert his peoples attention from their real problems and needs. How often we see this charade being played out.
Personally I feel that land holdings should not be only concentrated in the hands of the whites and re-distribution should take place to deserving and responsible blacks but not like this. They will only create a mess and then ask the world to bail them out – pity.
By: mixtec - 12th August 2002 at 04:26
RE: Mugabe
This is an issue Ive been giving thought to lately. Is it time to start demanding governments of poor countrys that recieve aid to have an “open book policy” regarding money they recieve. Im thinking in terms of alot of latin american countrys that recieve huge aid and loans, but the money is all lost to corruption and dishonesty. Much attention has been given to 3rd world debt that doesnt benefit the common people, but that they suffer paying the burdon for money that lines the pockets of the “government”. I think proactive measures should be taken, and if a poor country wants a loan, both the lending bank and the gov officals themselves have to reveal what the money is to be used for and prove thats where the money went once its spent. To take argentina for example, theyve had billions of dollars in loans, they have billions of dollars in debt, the entire system crooked, and its the poor and middleclass who suffer.
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August 12, 2002 at 12:07 am