Zimbabwe

Former Member

What are your opinions of the situation in Zimbabwe, where Mugabe is instructing black people to "take back" the land and property owned by white farmers?

At this moment in time, I can not decide which side of the arguement I stand with.
Part of me agrees with the Diplomatic efforts that are being used to restrict the movement and actions taken by Mugabe.

However, another part of me sees that situation as destined to end up like Saddam Hussein. Sanctions will be/are set it place, but there are blatantly disregarded.

Perhaps it is time for serious intervention, at least by the UK. Whilst some of the farmers are third or fourth generation Zimbabwean, there is a significant number who are British and it is the responsibility of the government to safeguard the interests of Brits abroad.

Would it be going too far to suggest that Britain pulls out of the Iraq conflict and directs its efforts towards Zimbabwe?

Former Member

Mugabe is a tyrant. He might not have WMDs but a lot of people have been murdered or made to suffer under his ruthless rule.
You would think that if Tony Blair was so driven by the need of removing despots from power he would want to concentrate his efforts primarily on Zimbabwe. At the end of the day that country concerns Britain rather more than Iraq.

Unfortunately for the Zimbabweans there are no vast oil reserves beneath their land, so all the help they are ever going to get from the West are condemnations from EU leaders and meaningless diplomatic sanctions.

Former Member

Originally posted by Aladdin
Mugabe is a tyrant. He might not have WMDs but a lot of people have been murdered or made to suffer under his ruthless rule.
You would think that if Tony Blair was so driven by the need of removing despots from power he would want to concentrate his efforts primarily on Zimbabwe. At the end of the day that country concerns Britain rather more than Iraq.

1. You would think that the neighbouring states would condemn him too, but the sanctions which are in place were put in over the objections of Sth Africa.

2. Why is Zimbabwe more of our concern that Iraq? Because they were once a colony? So, wasn't Iraq too at one point?

Unfortunately for the Zimbabweans there are no vast oil reserves beneath their land, so all the help they are ever going to get from the West are condemnations from EU leaders and meaningless diplomatic sanctions.

So now you are arguing for a military solution? Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

Again, let me ask what the surrounding countries are doing about the situation...

NB I wouldn't rule out military action here either. But diplomatic efforts should be made first (as they were and are with Iraq) and lets take on one country at a time eh?

Former Member

What gets me about this whole sitution is the biased press coverage we get - Mugabe's regime has killed far more black people than white people (who make up a much smaller percentage of the population) and the southern Africa food crisis is going to hurt the poorest and most vulnerable (i.e. the black community) worse than the white farmers. Yet despite all his destructive policies all the media attention is focussed on this one group.

Former Member

The white people over there are the people who brought money into the country and helped to 'brighten' the situations over there. Now the black farmers want there land back and are basically telling the whites to fuck off.

Mugabe needs to be quickly takin out of office.

Former Member

Originally posted by Nash
The white people over there are the people who brought money into the country and helped to 'brighten' the situations over there. Now the black farmers want there land back and are basically telling the whites to fuck off.

their

:rolleyes:

The whites didn't take money over there and brigthen the situation. The majority of whites who settled on East African farms were those with financial difficulties who took the opportunity of being given a farm.

How exactly did they brighten the situation? Was taking the best farmland from the locals in order to grow cash crops, whilst leaving the natives to eek out a subsistence food crop on the left over land in some way beneficial?

Illiterate bigot.

I'm not defending Mugabe here; he's an evil bastard. But I agree strongly with cornflake girl's well made point; Mugabe's regime is far more damaging to the native population, who are left to starve to death or are brutalised and often murdered by government troops and "war veterans" if they object, than it is to a few white farmers moaning about losing the land they originally stole.

We need to do something about Mugabe. But we need to do it for the right reasons, and make sure the Zimbabwean population isn't hurt further in the process.

Former Member

yeh well i'm probably wrong as you have more experience on the matter, the country got itself into this mess so it can get itself out without relying on others to 'contribute' to the country's funds.

Former Member

Originally posted by cornflake girl
What gets me about this whole sitution is the biased press coverage we get - Mugabe's regime has killed far more black people than white people (who make up a much smaller percentage of the population) and the southern Africa food crisis is going to hurt the poorest and most vulnerable (i.e. the black community) worse than the white farmers. Yet despite all his destructive policies all the media attention is focussed on this one group.

I can't say I'm surprised about the press bias. This really represents the colonial background of the country, but is also reflected in the fact that the white farmers are being driven off the land they have successfully tendered for many years. Without the farmers there is no food, that simple.

Might also be worth changing your news source, I'm certainly aware that the BBC, although banned from Zimbabwe, often highlights the difficulties encountered by the [mainly black] farm workers.

Originally posted by Nash:
The white people over there are the people who brought money into the country and helped to 'brighten' the situations over there. Now the black farmers want there land back and are basically telling the whites to fuck off.

You really need to do some research before posting such a comment.

The White farmers were colonialists, they didn't take anything into the country but have drawn a living from it. Noted though that they have managed to feed the population for some time. It's not for nothing that the region was described as Africa's breadbasket.

It's also worth noting taht the majority of the actually work was, as usual, carried out by blacks. Just the farm owners were white. The black workers now face the loss of their homes, as well as their livlihood, all in the name of reform. Funny how this reform has lead to Mrs Mugabe being given farm land, rather than it being given to th epeople who have actually worked the land for year, people who may actually know what they are doing.

Mugabe needs to be quickly takin out of office.

Can't see that happening all the while that the neighbouring countries are supporting his regime. Sorry, what I mean by that is that they oppose any real efforts to undermine him, rather than that they openly support what he is doing. I think they are more concerned about this spreading to their borders...