ZIMBABWE - LETTER FROM THE DIASPORA !

3th March 2009

Dear Friends,

'Tinogara chema'; the hauntingly beautiful voice of Stella Chiweshe would remind us every Heroes Day in Zimbabwe as we commemorated all those who had given their lives for Zimbabwe's freedom…We are still weeping. I recalled that song as I watched the outpouring of grief at Glamis Stadium for Amai Susan Tsvangirai. Ordinary people had come miles to say goodbye to her and to demonstrate their love for this "Ordinary woman with extraordinary charm" as Basildon Peta described her.
Such a quiet, unassuming woman she was, yet she had touched the people's hearts in a way she would never have believed. For 31 years she had stood beside her husband, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, as he rose through the ranks from humble beginnings to become first, the union leader who rebuilt the Zimbabwean Trade Union movement into a powerful political force to be reckoned with, then as the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change. 1999 was the year when Morgan Tsvangirai really become Public Enemy No.1 in Zanu PF eyes. He had dared to challenge the hitherto unassailable ruling party. Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF did not like that at all. They wanted Morgan Tsvangirai out of the way and were prepared to use any means to achieve that end; violence and terror is the Zanu PF way, all Zimbabweans know that. Amai Tsvangirai must have known it too but she remained steadfast as a rock, supporting Morgan with her own quiet, inner strength. She must have heard the abuse heaped on her husband's head: the teaboy, the puppet of the west, the traitor who connived with foreign powers to bring Robert Mugabe down. Ugly, personal abuse, too, about Morgan's lack of formal education and even his physical appearance, nothing was too low or abusive for Mugabe and his puppets who echoed his every word. The Herald, The Chronicle, the ZBC/ZTV all joined in the chorus of contempt for the man who was the people's choice for President of the New Zimbabwe. Then Mugabe's wife, the dis-graceful Grace, joined in the hymn of hate, "They will never set foot in State House," she declared of the Tsvangirai couple during the one-man election in June last year when her husband stood against himself - and won.

The sight of the 'First Couple' at Morgan's hospital bedside, accompanied by a whole posse of top chefs from Zanu PF including, unbelievably, the boss of the notorious CIO, did little to persuade me that there was a genuine change of heart on the part of the Mugabe regime. It was not hard to understand the cynicism of most Zimbabweans when they heard of the accident that had deprived Morgan Tsvangirai of his beloved wife. Was it an accident? And, more to the point, was Morgan himself the intended target? Thousands of miles away, here in the UK, people who have never even been to Zimbabwe shared the same doubts. I walked into my newsagent the day after the accident to be greeted by my friendly Indian shopkeeper with the words, "So, the old bastard's done it again. Who will it be next time?" The plumber who came to fix the central heating said much the same, "Car crash, yeah, best way to get rid of your enemies isn't it?"

Such is Mugabe's reputation at home and abroad, for duplicity and double-dealing, that no matter how often he declares his grief and offers his 'sincere' condolences, no one quite believes him. It is all a matter of perception; the facts on the ground scarcely matter. Nothing will dispel the people's doubts. There have been too many unexplained car accidents, too many mysterious deaths: Border Gezi in 1999, Moven Mahachi in 2001, Eliot Manyika in 2008 and the army general whose car was hit by an oncoming train, not to mention Peter Pasipamire killed in a road accident on the Borrowdale Road. None of these so-called 'accidents' was ever adequately explained. There were never any inquests or forensics to prove otherwise. With a politically compliant police force and a hopelessly compromised judiciary, it is no wonder the general public have become totally cynical about explanations coming from government mouthpieces.

"Grace said Susan would never get into State House and look – now she won't." an MDC official is said to have whispered, pointing to Amai Susan's coffin at the service in Harare. In London, a man stood up at one of the weekly discussion meetings held by MDC Central London branch and declared, "Even if Morgan Tsvangirai was struck by lightning, the first person I would blame is Robert Mugabe." Everyone laughed, apparently, but the 'joke' perfectly illustrates the pent-up anger people feel about the years of suffering under Mugabe's misrule. It is, as I said, all a matter of perception. Mugabe's 'Hand of God' explanation for the crash that killed Amai Tsvangirai and injured her husband, his apparently humble and sincere demeanour, the heartfelt words of regret for the violence and all the harsh words exchanged in the past, none of it really changes the people's perception. They have heard it all before and know that too often the humility and remorse are followed by harsh retribution as the war vets or Youth Militia are unleashed against innocent people. Even now, at this time of national mourning, the violence continues against white farmers and their workers. Thankfully, Roy Bennett has been released at last but he still faces nonsensical charges of terrorism and dozens of other MDC activists remain in stinking gaol cells. Teachers who have returned to their schools in the rural areas are still being 'accused' by war vets of belonging to the MDC whose homes are still being burnt down by Mugabe loyalists.

"The violence must stop" Mugabe declared at the church service to commemorate Amai Tsvangirai but he cannot escape his own responsibility for instigating it when he unleashed his war vets on the country back in 2000. If Robert Mugabe now feels genuine remorse and regret for what he has done then there is no better time than now to admit his fault but it will take more than mere words to heal the scars he and his men of violence have inflicted. It will take action. Robert Mugabe must disband the Youth Militia and call off the war veterans who have caused so much suffering and death. He must cleanse the army and police of greedy and corrupt officers, he must free up the media, stop political interference with the courts and, above all, he must allow free and fair elections with international observers. There is little evidence that Mugabe has either the authority or the will to control his followers on the ground but only when he does, will Zimbabweans begin to believe his remorse is genuine.

The death of Amai Tsvangirai has released a torrent of grief and anger in the country, we saw that at her funeral in Buhera yesterday. No wonder Robert Mugabe did not attend; the sight and sound of that national outpouring of love for Susan and her husband, our Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, might have shocked him into understanding at last, that he and his party are no longer the people's choice. Mugabe and Zanu PF must finally accept that there is only one option left for them: a genuine sharing of power with the MDC. That will be the ultimate test of Mugabe's sincerity and trustworthiness.

Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH.