Zimbabwe: Archbishop opposes Mugabe - full text
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In an interview with the Daily Telegraph published on April 17 (the eve of the anniversary of the day Zimbabwe became independent in 1980 the Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, said that he knew that his open opposition to the regime of President Robert Mugabe could cost him his life but he refused to be "bullied or bought". At a news conference in Harare (the capital), on March 22 Ncube had called on Zimbabweans to rise up in protest and overthrow Mugabe, saying: "We must be ready to stand, even in front of blazing guns."
According to human rights groups, Mugabe's security forces regularly perpetrated human rights abuses. It was reported that a demonstration in Harare on March 11 was broken up by the police and many protesters, including leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Morgan Tsvangirai, were arrested and severely beaten by the police. One opposition supporter died in clashes following the arrests. The police claimed that the officials had tried to incite their supporters to engage in violence. The Archbishop blamed the current economic crisis on a land redistribution programme launched in 2000 that had handed control of white-owned commercial farms to black supporters of Mugabe. Most of the recipients of the land were soldiers with no agricultural experience or knowledge.
Immediate context
On April 17, it was reported that the Zimbabwean government had deregistered all non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and demanded that they submit fresh registration documents, in what was widely seen as an attempt to remove any groups that opposed Mugabe or supported the opposition. Central Bank governor Gideon Gono was reported on March 21 as warning that the doubling of petrol prices was causing huge problems and that profiteering was rife. He had been reported on March 7 as admitting that the government had no money and was unable to provide adequate food supplies or maintain many basic services. According to the BBC online news service, more than 80% of Zimbabwe's population were classed as living in poverty. The inflation rate of 1,700% was the highest in the world.
Reaction and outlook
The Zimbabwean government terminated an agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) following a US government claim that it sought to discredit Mugabe's government, according to a report by Reuters on April 17. The South African government, which had previously supported Mugabe's regime, on March 13 had called on Mugabe to act within the law. Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa, according to reports on March 21, spoke publicly about the turmoil in Zimbabwe and described the mass exodus of its population as like the sinking of the Titanic, "whose passengers are jumping out in a bid to save their lives". About 3,000,000 Zimbabweans, approximately a quarter of the population, had reportedly left the country in the past few years. US ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell was reported on March 21 as asserting that the brutality of Mugabe's methods was causing divisions within the police and security forces, as officers were increasingly unwilling to launch physical attacks on opposition supporters. Dell added that he believed the population had reached a "turning point" where fear of Mugabe was no longer strong enough to prevent people from speaking out against him. Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi on March 19 had announced that foreign ambassadors who supported the opposition would be expelled. The arrest and beating of Tsvangirai and other opposition leaders had been met with international condemnation, from countries including the UK, the USA, New Zealand and France. On March 21 UK Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons (the lower house of the bicameral legislature) that the situation in Zimbabwe was "appalling, disgraceful and utterly tragic".
Historical context
In 1889 the British South Africa Company (BSA) of UK explorer Cecil Rhodes was instructed to colonise the area that would eventually become Zimbabwe, the traditional home of the Shona people, also inhabited by Ndebele refugees from South Africa. By 1922 a white minority had settled in the region, crushed Ndebele resistance, and established an autonomous government. During the 1930s a black opposition movement rejecting minority rule was established. The Land Apportionment Act of 1930, which deprived black people of access to land, was especially resented. In 1953 the UK formed the Central African Federation, comprising Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malawi). The CAF collapsed in 1963 when Zambia and Malawi become independent. In 1965 the Southern Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Smith, issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) under white minority rule. The movement for black majority rule was re-focused from opposing the colonial administration to attacking Ian Smith's regime, with the early 1970s seeing mass protests against Smith. A new constitution guaranteeing rights for the black population was agreed following UK-brokered talks in 1979. Full independence was gained in 1980 and Robert Mugabe became prime minister. In 1990 Mugabe was elected president and in 1992 his controversial land redistribution plan was approved by the legislature.
Thousands of black veterans of the guerrilla war against the white minority regime in 2000 occupied 30 white-owned farms. The farm invasions precipitated growing social unrest and food shortages and became increasingly violent. In August 2000 the authorities began to remove black squatters from illegally occupied white-owned land. Unrest spread and a wave of violence was unleashed in April 2001 against opponents of Mugabe and in August 2001 against white farmers. A state of disaster was declared in April 2002 as food shortages threatened mass starvation. In December 2005 the UN emergency relief co-ordinator described Zimbabwe as being in a state of "meltdown", pointing to "the AIDS pandemic, the food insecurity, the total collapse in social services". A mass protest calling for reform in September 2006 was suppressed by riot police. The suppression of opponents of Mugabe intensified and reports in March 2007 indicated that key opposition leaders were arrested, then beaten and tortured by the authorities.
