Thabo Mbeki Has Lost All Credibility on Zimbabwe

Someone much smarter than I am once said, "Governments don't have principles, only interests." Even from this most extreme of viewpoints, I remain confounded by inaction that becomes inimical to South Africa's vital interests. The ANC administration has acted so meekly in constraining the actions of the irresponsible Zimbabwean leadership that they can no longer be trusted to act dispassionately and predictably in protecting South African business interests anywhere else on earth. After all, wasn't Zimbabwe one of those countries within the sphere of our persuasive influence?

This abdication is all the more stinging because only the most subjective analysis of events in Zimbabwe can rule out President Mugabe's despotism as the main political obstacle. President Mugabe is a shame to all objective evaluators of presidential conduct in running national affairs and an embarrassment to black people who are passionate about progress and development. It makes me cringe to hear him applauded by enlightened leaders in the ANC. Protocol requires that he receives the deference given to a Head of State but only with the same bitter taste the Scandinavians reserved for the trains of apartheid leaders. President Mbeki's handling of Zimbabwe could have been much simpler, less costly to South Africa's credibility and his personal political capital; he could simply have condemned the lunatic, stepped away and watched the meltdown without making any further comment. Instead, he has chosen to commit, tie himself in knots, warp reality and engage in flat-earthism on a grand scale.

President Mbeki and South Africa's subjective stance on Zimbabwe is not helping and our President no longer deserves to be taken seriously when he comments on Zimbabwe. It's about time Tony Snow said it. (that way, the State Department can "apologetically clarify" the remark in a low-key manner when the porcupines at the Presidency in Pretoria protest.) President Bush can conveniently remain silent on the matter in a tacit endorsement of his spokesman's comments.) This diplomatic smack-down is long overdue! This is why the world doesn't take Africans seriously, we are unable to be objective even when human lives, livelihoods and standards of living are at stake and being squandered. Unfortunately, the problem is equally bad among black and white South Africans -it's just different things we differ about.

My race has nothing to do with an objective opinion but because I want to see this handled as a mature debate, I'll place it on the record that I am black and proud to be speaking freely in challenging the ANC without fear of being locked up tomorrow. Not all ANC supporters agree with the government's dumb attitude on the Zimbabwean problem. Call "Fire!" when you see a burning house!