Mugabe up to his old tricks

AFTER the excitement and optimism generated by the announcement of the results of the elections for the house of assembly in Zimbabwe, the mood has changed from one of caution and misgiving to that of distrust as it becomes increasingly clear that President Robert Mugabe is determined to cling to power by whatever devious means are necessary.

Thursday night‘s arrest of journalists covering the election without accreditation, together with the ransacking of opposition Movement for Democratic Change offices are all signs that the power-crazed Mugabe has no intention of relinquishing power, or of bowing to the will of the people.

And few will not believe that acceptance of a run-off for the presidency is not the result of manipulation in the first place and a strategy to win time in order to rig the vote in the second.

Further, he has demonstrated once again in the way in which election results – both for the presidency and senate – have been delayed while he considers what course of action to follow, that his respect for the law is markedly absent. Also that the consequences of his desperate bid to retain power for the people of Zimbabwe are of no importance and that he is quite content to preside over a “failed state”.

The focus after the house of assembly results were revealed was on how the international community planned to set about the reconstruction of Zimbabwe. The question now is how it, and specifically the South African Development Community (SADC), intends to address the situation should Mugabe succeed in rigging the presidential election or takes the other option of declaring martial law or a state of emergency.

It is not a new question. It has been present since the emergence of the MDC in 2000 as a political party capable of ousting Mugabe, and it is one that other than the rebuke of personal sanctions and international condemnation, has not been answered. It may yet be that Zimbabwe will be pulled back from the brink although none but the supreme optimist would believe this possible. And that will place the spotlight on SADC and the broader international community to formulate a plan of action that will end the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe.

Doing it for ourselves

THERE’S a saying for it in every language: Afrikaners refer to it as 'n Boer maak 'n plan, which in effect means, a farmer makes a plan.

But it could be broadened to take in all South Africans. In the face of adversity, we seem to rise to the challenge and move into the kind of innovative action that needs to be recognised and applauded.

Our story on Page 5 today is a case in point.

Faced with higher interest rates, prohibitive rising fuel costs and food prices that rocket on an almost monthly basis, residents of the Eastern Cape are making a plan.

They are fighting back with ingenious new ways, working around problems to make sure they meet the rigorous demands of belt tightening.

Coupled with steep price hikes is the fact that residents of this province are having to find a way of coping with daily periods of euphemistic “load-shedding”.

Already, people are finding cutting edge methods to reduce their electricity consumption, exploring ways to get off the grid and make themselves more self sufficient.

South Africans have an extraordinarily resilient core, and their response to seemingly insurmountable odds needs to be acknowledged and cheered on.

But, this does not mean that government can abrogate all responsibility to citizens. Including smart thinkers in solution-finding exercises would broaden the thinking pot.

Opinion