Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa

Concerning the problems of Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa, it goes without saying that a government can’t solve the problems of another. The political forces in Zimbabwe should be above self-interest and join their heads to find lasting solutions instead of using fists, literally or metaphorically.

Continuous mistreatment of the Zimbabweans at home and in South Africa will just perpetuate their suffering that will need a long time to heal even after the outcome of a supposedly political settlement.

The situation of Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa and other neighbouring countries is the result of the political situation in Zimbabwe where the economic situation is probably much worse than anywhere in the rest of Africa.
South Africa itself still suffers from economic and social problems embodied in its poor shanty towns and the high level of crimes. It can’t alone bear the burden of another country’s problems, from which there are refugees in millions.

Surely the impoverished refugees don’t seek to overstay their welcome in a country where hostility was manifest in atrocious violence leading to death, injuries and confiscation of belonging.

The international community seems complacent about what is taking place in Zimbabwe, except for France, UK and the USA, which tried to impose economic sanctions on Zimbabwe, but which was vetoed at the Security Council by China and Russia.

What can save Zimbabwe is that they all should forget about their political differences and start a new approach to the chronic situation which is affecting Zimbabweans in their countries and in the neighbouring countries where they’re taking refuge.

Thabo Mbeki has failed to broker a deal between MDS and Zanu-PF. Mugabe has escaped Security Council sanctions, which must be a boost for him to continue his grip on power, but this is no boost for the parties to get Zimbabwe out of its current deadlock. MDC has popular support as its weapon. Robert Mugabe has the support of the army. These forces should come together for a peaceful and political agreement to save the country instead of continuing to flex the muscles that just keeps weakening the country to the level of total bankruptcy.

Mugabe was in a hurry to see Zimbabwe all black as if evicting the whites from their farms was for him exorcising himself from a devil that had been haunting him all his life.Mugabe could have made a compromise with the white without evicting them from their farms. They could keep the farms and get a certain proportion of the benefits that can be beneficial to all parties.

Evicting the white from their farms was like throwing an experienced board of a company and leaving the company to workers with no experience in management related to production and marketing.

Mugabe’s political blindness was probably related to his obsession with the past under white rules that prevented him from seeing the long-term effect of his rush actions.

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