Zimbabwe: A Mirror image of South Africa and Namibia Future?
Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, Musouia Lekota, South Africa, ANC, PAC, SACP, Namibia, Robert Mugabe; Morgan Tsivangirai; Zimbabwe; Robert Mugabe
Africa, the African Union, Pan Africa, national liberation and anti-colonialist, anti-racists, anti-domination, and democratic forces in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific (ACP) countries cannot afford to allow Zimbabwe to fail. Should Zimbabwe be brought to its knees and possible forced-collapse from encirclement by racist and imperialist global domination forces, through illegal Western-imposed sanctions, embargo, and co-optation of some quisling African regimes and their intellectually impoverished leaders as imperialist continental policemen, they will have betrayed and rolled back, not only the causes for Zimbabwean liberation and its indepencence, but also cleared a path for the liberated peoples of Namibia and South Africa (Azania) to fail in their endeavours for social justice through national liberation, economic and social democracy.
It is incumbent upon Pan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, to step in and make up for what Zimbabwe has been forced to forego as a result of imperialist and racist blackmail from Britain and the USA. Post racialist and post settler Zimbabwean, Azanian, and Namibian economic and social democracy and national liberation and indpendence, are too costly a price to pay to endear, and once again enslave, ourselves as British or American shamba boys.
The intellectual dishonesty and resultant failure for Pan Africa on Zimbabwe; the inability and timidity to re-frame the critical problem and project the legitimate justice claims and the correctness and necessity for ZANU-PF led land reforms for black victims of British racism, domination, and exploitation, is a test-case and trial balloon that reveal the future trajectory for South Africa and Namibia, as post-liberation African states grappling with social and economic reforms after centuries of white racist dominationa and inequalities.
The sudden, bewildering, and humiliating departure of comrade Thabo Mbeki, signalled that the imperialist forces and their internal collaborators, are tireless in their efforts to stunt African progress and self-reliance, and undermine progressive African leadership that puts the interests of African people in the centre of governance. Part of their displeasure with Comrade Thabo Mbeki, was his patience and refusal to be stampeded into dancing to Western tunes and not thinking for himself over Zimbabwe. Internal factional struggles for leadership and control within the party, narrowly focused on power alone and limited horizon of South Africa, in their desire to undermine and defeat Mbeki within the African National Congress (ANC), and eventually recall him as president of the republic, played into the hands of the imperialist forces.
As we must now bitterly regret, the overzealousness on the part of the Jacob Zuma factions to defeat and humiliate Mbeki, so they could grab complete control of the party and the state, split the ANC right down the midlle. If this is not a godsend opportunity for the forces encircling Zimbabwe, what is; given that South Africa is host to ten times the amount of British and American capital investments there and greater and entrenched settler interests, than Zimbabwe? The weakening of the ANC, through a bitter leadership contest, and eventual fragmentation into two parties-with the emergence of the Congress of the People (COPE) led by former South African Defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota-places South Africa within striking range of who put Zimbabwe under siege through Morgan Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
At this juncture, it is still too early to tell, which of the two ANC factions will play the counter-revolutionary role of collaboration with imperialist forces to roll back South African national and democratic liberation. If Jacob Zuma's populism wins the day, and COPE's emphasis on growth and the economy, without any clear statements on the need for economic and social democracy are any indications, then it is COPE, unfortunately, that will turn out to be home to the traitors of the Azanian cause.
Unfortunate because, COPE was founded as a protest against the treatment of Mbeki by the winning Zuma factions. But their politics and policies sound potentially so unmbekian. For instance, COPE have already broke ranks both with Mbeki's own positions and that of most of the members of the regional South African Development Cooperation (SADC) on Zimbabwe. For this reason, progressive forces in South Africa, need to look very closely at the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania(PAC) party and the South Africa Communist Party (SACP)components in the ANC coalition. In our view, it is the PAC-CP and the original ANC coalition that can best lay claims to the national, social and economic liberation and democratic historical mission of the South African and African liberation struggles. It is not the Lekota dissidents and counterrevolutionaries.
In our view, the departure of Mbeki, the ascension of Zuma, the break-up of the ANC and the rise of COPE, and the advancing age and failing health of Nelson (Madiba) Mandela, pose critical challeges for South Africa. We can be sure that the political capital that was earned by Nelson Mandela's dignified suffering and magnanimity towards his oppressors, including the West, some of whom still designated him as a terrorist as late as 2008, is gradually but surely dwindling. Just over a decade after the end of apartheid, and despite a brilliant and unprecedented start as a multiracial and democratic polity, the contrived honeymoon with merchant princes and Western imperialist forces, are coming to an end.
When old age and fragile health inevitably take their toll on our moral icon, an era will have been effectively closed, and South Africa, and by extrapolation, Namibaia, just like Zimbabwe, will have been left naked and exposed to imperialist forces to frustrate and undermine any unfinished economic and social democratic and affirmative action reforms. South Africa and Namibia can expect to come under intense pressure to abandon or water down reforms and policies with affirmative action components aimed at rectifying historical racial, economic, and social injustices and inequalities.
Therefore, imperialist siege of Zimbabwe today mirrors the post Mandela future for South Africa and Namibia, two post liberation African countries with settler history and African dispossession with the imperatives for social affirmative action reforms in economic and social policies. Should the Western imperialist forces and Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC, their shamba boy in Zimbabwe win the day, and the liberation hero, comrade Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF go down to defeat and humiliation, a prededence will have been set for Namibians and South Africans, to sneer at and desecrate the memories and sacrifices of Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, and Hendriks Witboi. It is a concerted effort between imperialists and their collaborators to blunt Umkhonto We Sizwe; a possibility that South Africans and Pan Africa must not countenance.
Africa, the African Union, Pan Africa, national liberation and anti-colonialist, anti-racists, anti-domination, and democratic forces in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific (ACP) countries cannot afford to allow Zimbabwe to fail. Should Zimbabwe be brought to its knees and possible forced-collapse from encirclement by racist and imperialist global domination forces, through illegal Western-imposed sanctions, embargo, and co-optation of some quisling African regimes and their intellectually impoverished leaders as imperialist continental policemen, they will have betrayed and rolled back, not only the causes for Zimbabwean liberation and its indepencence, but also cleared a path for the liberated peoples of Namibia and South Africa (Azania) to fail in their endeavours for social justice through national liberation, economic and social democracy.
It is incumbent upon Pan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, to step in and make up for what Zimbabwe has been forced to forego as a result of imperialist and racist blackmail from Britain and the USA. Post racialist and post settler Zimbabwean, Azanian, and Namibian economic and social democracy and national liberation and indpendence, are too costly a price to pay to endear, and once again enslave, ourselves as British or American shamba boys.
The intellectual dishonesty and resultant failure for Pan Africa on Zimbabwe; the inability and timidity to re-frame the critical problem and project the legitimate justice claims and the correctness and necessity for ZANU-PF led land reforms for black victims of British racism, domination, and exploitation, is a test-case and trial balloon that reveal the future trajectory for South Africa and Namibia, as post-liberation African states grappling with social and economic reforms after centuries of white racist dominationa and inequalities.
The sudden, bewildering, and humiliating departure of comrade Thabo Mbeki, signalled that the imperialist forces and their internal collaborators, are tireless in their efforts to stunt African progress and self-reliance, and undermine progressive African leadership that puts the interests of African people in the centre of governance. Part of their displeasure with Comrade Thabo Mbeki, was his patience and refusal to be stampeded into dancing to Western tunes and not thinking for himself over Zimbabwe. Internal factional struggles for leadership and control within the party, narrowly focused on power alone and limited horizon of South Africa, in their desire to undermine and defeat Mbeki within the African National Congress (ANC), and eventually recall him as president of the republic, played into the hands of the imperialist forces.
As we must now bitterly regret, the overzealousness on the part of the Jacob Zuma factions to defeat and humiliate Mbeki, so they could grab complete control of the party and the state, split the ANC right down the midlle. If this is not a godsend opportunity for the forces encircling Zimbabwe, what is; given that South Africa is host to ten times the amount of British and American capital investments there and greater and entrenched settler interests, than Zimbabwe? The weakening of the ANC, through a bitter leadership contest, and eventual fragmentation into two parties-with the emergence of the Congress of the People (COPE) led by former South African Defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota-places South Africa within striking range of who put Zimbabwe under siege through Morgan Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
At this juncture, it is still too early to tell, which of the two ANC factions will play the counter-revolutionary role of collaboration with imperialist forces to roll back South African national and democratic liberation. If Jacob Zuma's populism wins the day, and COPE's emphasis on growth and the economy, without any clear statements on the need for economic and social democracy are any indications, then it is COPE, unfortunately, that will turn out to be home to the traitors of the Azanian cause.
Unfortunate because, COPE was founded as a protest against the treatment of Mbeki by the winning Zuma factions. But their politics and policies sound potentially so unmbekian. For instance, COPE have already broke ranks both with Mbeki's own positions and that of most of the members of the regional South African Development Cooperation (SADC) on Zimbabwe. For this reason, progressive forces in South Africa, need to look very closely at the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania(PAC) party and the South Africa Communist Party (SACP)components in the ANC coalition. In our view, it is the PAC-CP and the original ANC coalition that can best lay claims to the national, social and economic liberation and democratic historical mission of the South African and African liberation struggles. It is not the Lekota dissidents and counterrevolutionaries.
In our view, the departure of Mbeki, the ascension of Zuma, the break-up of the ANC and the rise of COPE, and the advancing age and failing health of Nelson (Madiba) Mandela, pose critical challeges for South Africa. We can be sure that the political capital that was earned by Nelson Mandela's dignified suffering and magnanimity towards his oppressors, including the West, some of whom still designated him as a terrorist as late as 2008, is gradually but surely dwindling. Just over a decade after the end of apartheid, and despite a brilliant and unprecedented start as a multiracial and democratic polity, the contrived honeymoon with merchant princes and Western imperialist forces, are coming to an end.
When old age and fragile health inevitably take their toll on our moral icon, an era will have been effectively closed, and South Africa, and by extrapolation, Namibaia, just like Zimbabwe, will have been left naked and exposed to imperialist forces to frustrate and undermine any unfinished economic and social democratic and affirmative action reforms. South Africa and Namibia can expect to come under intense pressure to abandon or water down reforms and policies with affirmative action components aimed at rectifying historical racial, economic, and social injustices and inequalities.
Therefore, imperialist siege of Zimbabwe today mirrors the post Mandela future for South Africa and Namibia, two post liberation African countries with settler history and African dispossession with the imperatives for social affirmative action reforms in economic and social policies. Should the Western imperialist forces and Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC, their shamba boy in Zimbabwe win the day, and the liberation hero, comrade Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF go down to defeat and humiliation, a prededence will have been set for Namibians and South Africans, to sneer at and desecrate the memories and sacrifices of Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, and Hendriks Witboi. It is a concerted effort between imperialists and their collaborators to blunt Umkhonto We Sizwe; a possibility that South Africans and Pan Africa must not countenance.
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