In the aftermath of the forced vote: Zimbabwe

Jenni Williams offers a report on Zimbabwe that speaks for the common people (at AllAfrica.com).

Zimbabweans have lost faith in politicians’ ability to return life to the living. We do not think power sharing or a government of national unity (GNU) can work in Zimbabwe. We need an independent and impartial transitional authority under African leadership.

African leaders should not dictate that a GNU be the only solution to our crisis. Zimbabwe is not Kenya and their solutions cannot be imposed on us, especially with our historical experiences of 1987. We need a solution to address the specific of the Zimbabwe crisis. In Zimbabwe, the military elite runs the show not only on military might but also on political partisanship. For the ordinary soldier, police officer or prison officer to keep their job they have to follow political orders. This is the situation at any police station in the country. A transitional authority would be better placed to address this problem. A neutral person from Africa must be found who, supported by Zimbabwean technocrats, can form an interim authority that will neutralise the pillars of state, including the police. The violence can only be stopped when the victims can once again report abuses to an impartial body and trust that the perpetrators will be arrested and put on trial no matter who they are. For this to happen, magistrates and judges will also need to know that they will also be watched to ensure that there is justice through the courts for all equally.

I recommend reading the whole article to get a sense of Zimbabwe's plight.

Alas, President Mbeki of South Africa's role in all this has been a farce and a crime. Robert Mugabe, once a liberation hero, has become one of the world's worst bullies and tyrants, a criminal of the first order.

Pray for the people of Zimbabwe.

--the BB