Messages From Zimbabwe

“Our erstwhile former colonisers still wants to govern us by remote control.”

“I don’t feel lonely. There are others who think as I do, whose ideals I share. But what one notices is lack of courage… a kind of surrender to European authority, I suppose it’s because of poverty.”

“None of them will stand up and say to them ‘go to hell’. We shrink in asserting our rights. We need much more courage in the African Union.”

“As for outsiders they should keep away. We have entertained them because we did not want to offend, some of them are our friends but really there have nothing to intervene here about, nothing at all. We have a democratic environment, a democratic constitution.”

“Those who say printing money will cause inflation are suggesting that you just fold your hands and say ‘aah, let the situation continue and let the people starve.’ The Good Lord up there has given you a brain and the brain must function, not in a stereotyped manner but in a flexible manner… so I will print money today so that people can survive.”

Robert Mugabe – speaking in February 2006 in a 90 minute interview on government-owned television, ZBC. (My thanks to TB for reminding me of thess quotations.)

“Five Brigade passed first through Tsholotsho, spreading out rapidly through Lupane and Nkayi, and their impact on all these communal areas was shocking. Within the space of six weeks more than 2000 civilians had died, hundreds of homesteads had been burnt and thousands of civilians had been beaten. Most of the dead were killed in public executions involving between one and 12 people at a time.”

From “Gukurahundi In Zimbabwe” released in RSA today.

“We don’t need the largesse from the IMF or the World Bank. For the past 10 years we have been operating on our own resources without any financial support, which demonstrates the resilience of our economy. We have been pummeled as far as we are concerned and all that we are asking for is the lifting of the sanctions.”

Zimbabwean Justice Minister, Patrick Chinamasa

“The voice of Mr. Bush and the voice of Mr. Blair can’t decide who shall rule in Zimbabwe, who shall rule in Africa, who shall rule in Asia, who shall rule in Venezuela, who shall rule in Iran, who shall rule in Iraq.”

Robert Mugabe – who rules Zimbabwe, even though a court in Zimbabwe has ruled that the last election that returned him to power, was not “free and fair”.

“Being a policeman in Zimbabwe did not bring with it the respect and adoration that one might expect. Indeed, many of my own close friends turned their backs on me as they could not understand why I had joined, and viewed me as a turn-coat, working for Mugabe - a white man selling his soul to a black government.

Not so – not even close!

I am not, and have never been a politician or politically minded. The first time I voted in my life was in the United Kingdom in 2001! I was 38!

I did just over four years in the Zimbabwe Republic Police, and whilst I miss being a policeman, I believe that the policeman in me is never very far away. I think like a policeman, work like a policeman and have a policeman’s inbuilt ability to be civic minded. My father used to say I had a policeman’s inquisitive mind, with the ability to hide behind a question mark!

A few days before I started writing this book in earnest, I was standing outside my mother’s house and a female “hobby bobby” – a part time voluntary police member in the UK - was walking past. She stopped and called me over. I was intrigued.

She said to me, “You’ve either been a soldier or a policeman – or in some sort of military service.” When I asked her how she knew, she said, “It’s in the way you stand.”

from “Without Honour” by Robb WJ Ellis

“Zimbabwe will cooperate with the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) efforts to mediate between the government and the opposition MDC but would not welcome any “parallel initiatives”.

“Mbeki will report to the SADC’s Organ, which in turn will report to Summit. SADC will in turn brief the AU. SADC has done what ECOWAS, itself the habitat of President Kufour, is still to do in respect of the Nigeria debacle. Now, these fame buccaneers who seek to make names for themselves in British and American annals want to jump this huge maxim gun to venture into Zimbabwe, carrying white ghosts? They can go and hang on a banana tree.”

George Chiramba – Mugabe’s official spokesman in the State-owned newspaper, The Herald, on the intended fact-finding mission by the Pan-African Parliament.

You know, not everything about Zimbabwe is sadness, gloom and worry. I was watching something on television last night which reminded me of this incident and it typifies the humour which the Zimbabwean people have in abundance…

It must have been around about 1996, and I was playing lawn bowls for Borrowdale Country Club in Harare – as I was serving a one year suspension from another Harare club - for belting another bowler who was begging for it – and I was playing in the nationals in Harare, representing the club in the foursomes, playing second.

We had been playing in the morning at Old Hararians and had a bye in the afternoon. Our skip, a large man, known affectionately as “Tiny”, decided that he was going to take the team to his favourite watering hole at Reps Theatre just off Second Street Extension.

So, there we were, five individuals (our reserve player was with us), all dressed in white from head to toe, sauntering into the bar.

There was a lady at the bar who was obviously a little worse for wear. She looked up and took in the picture of being invaded by men in white.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Is this the Zimbabwean cricket team?” she asked.

“Ja,” said Tiny. “These are the bowlers!”

“The hunter in pursuit of an elephant does not stop to throw stones at birds.”

Ugandan proverb (relates to MDC’s legal challenges)

“Robert Mugabe has won the Rhodesian elections outright. It’s a fantastic victory and I can’t remember anything that has given me so much pleasure for a long time. When I think of the systematic distortion by the British press of Mugabe’s position, it’s an absolute disgrace. The Tories must be furious.”

Tony Benn (4 March 1980)

“The Mugabe regime is behaving like the Gestapo towards its political opponents. I have no doubt that if this tour goes ahead it will be an enormous boost to this grubby dictator.”

John Howard - Australian Prime Minister

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