Why Mandela, Mbeki, Kaunda, Nujoma, Chissano will never publicly condemn Mugabe

Recently the African Union’s representative in Brussels denounced European Union “double standards” in taking action against Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe while ignoring abuses by other African leaders. While the EU might have been expecting a ‘favourable’ response from African leaders, after Robert Mugabe’s widely publicized crackdown on opposition leaders, I do not think it was ever going to come.

I think the EU has messed up their handling of Zimbabwe when seen through African eyes. Western critics of Robert Mugabe must be careful that their response to Zimbabwe crisis should not be construed as camouflaged racism. Trust me, the Darfur Crisis is far more deadly and threatening than the Zimbabwean crisis.

Western Ambassadors to Zimbabwe who publicly flouted diplomatic etiquette in their support of the opposition leaders following their arrest went to far and exposed the opposition’s vulnerability. Tsvangirai’s position is not enhanced among African leaders precisely because he is seen as a stooge of western governments. The thinking in most of Africa is that Zimbabwe’s crisis gets more attention than it deserves because President Robert Mugabe had the nerve to take farm land from white people without economic compensation. Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is seen as retribution against Zimbabwe for going through with its land repossession programme.

Therefore, for as long as the perception is that the western governments are directly meddling in Zimbabwean affairs, expect that old school politicians like Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Kenneth Kaunda, Sam Nujoma, Joachim Chissano and others like them in the SADC region will never publicly condemn Mugabe for his heavy-handed clampdown on the opposition. It would be taboo to do such a thing. Remember people, it is personal, these people were victims of racism for decades. Unlike other parts of Africa, Southern Africa had to fight for its freedom.