by Ian Smith
To look for a moment at sub-Saharan Africa: now that South Africa is a participating partner, there is a completely new perspective. With South Africa, as the industrial giant of Africa, the only First World country in Africa, the other countries in southern Africa have all done an about-turn, and instead of looking north are looking south. The obvious objective must be towards the creation of a Southern African Common Market. Logically, South Africa will be expected to make favourable concessions towards the younger and less developed countries, but I do not anticipate that this will create problems. Healthy, viable neighbours can only be of benefit to South Africa. And a Common Market which is a going concern, with participants gradually lessening demands for assistance from world financial institutions, will be a cause of great relief. It will be important at the outset for the Common Market to avoid overreaching itself. The principle of establishing a sound operational base is vital. The OAU is a proven disaster — bankrupt, corrupt and dishonest — and a repetition of such a fiasco must be avoided at all costs. One of the contributing causes is that it incorporates countries which are not of Africa. Agypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco have always been orientated northwards towards the Mediterranean and southern Europe. Historically, they derive from the East, not the South. Ask people from any of those countries, as I have, what is their culture, religion, language, history, race, and they will reply: Arab. Their history goes back thousands of years, to civilisations which preceded those of western Europe, long before cartographers commenced producing maps of an imaginary landmass to their south and calling it Africa. In fact the true Africa can only be sub-Saharan. Any attempt to include countries bordering the southern Mediterranean as part of Africa is convenient pretence and has nothing to do with reality. These countries in fact constitute western Arabia.
As a result of this make-believe we now find ourselves in the ludicrous position where the present chairman of the Organisation of African Unity is not an African, but an Arab. He was in attendance, with all the other Arab leaders, at the Arab summit held in Morocco earlier this year to deal with affairs of the Arab world. There were no African leaders present, and rightly so. People should make up their minds what they are and where they stand. The time has come for sub-Saharan Africa to cease dreaming about the miracle of an economic rescue operation from rich oil-producing relatives to our north. It is based on a false premise — these countries are not part of Africa, they are of Arabia. So — let us introduce urgency to our task of creating a sub-Saharan African Common Market, one of the most exciting projects facing our world today. A continent endowed with rich natural resources, the ‘Persian Gulf’ of strategic minerals of our earth, combined with the economic strength and advanced technology and industrialisation of South Africa. Moreover, we have in Nelson Mandela a leader with the maturity, wisdom, compassion and courage that derives from great experience.
These qualities will be of inestimable value in keeping the ship of state on a true course in face of the rough seas which clearly lie ahead. Courage is the most important ingredient. Courage to face up to tough decisions which, although unpopular with the masses, are in the best long-term interests of the people, and especially their children. It is a sad fact that we live in a world riddled with appeasement and compromise in order to ensure that politicians win votes and stay in power. It is proven beyond doubt that future generations pay the price for such duplicity.
So let us count our blessings. There is ample justification for us to plan and work for a better future. All the necessary essentials are in place. It is clear that as things stand at present, history will record Nelson Mandela as the first black statesman*, as opposed to politician, to be produced by Africa. It is patently obvious that he has to face up to many crucial decisions in order to bring peace to his country. The most important is the delegation of authority in order to accommodate all the diverse peoples who form part of the nation. The record from other parts of the world indicates that this promotes greater community interest among local inhabitants, leading to a more rewarding life, and assisting in the battle to combat crime and violence. Let us give him our support to fulfil the necessary objectives.
Footnote
*A statesman thinks of the next generation — a politician thinks of the next election.
Janet
‘Janet Margaret Smith. My ever-loving wife. Her constant interest in and compassion for her fellow-man, her moral courage, loyalty and integrity were outstanding. These qualities will continue to be an inspiration to me for the rest of my life. May God be with her. Ian. Passed away peacefully on 1st December 1994.’
Although we are all aware of the fact that life is terminal, when the end comes to your life-long partner, even though one may appear calm on the surface, the wound goes deep into the heart and mind. But I knew that any state of depression would be in conflict with Janet’s philosophy and wishes. So I gradually succeeded in convincing myself to think positively, going back to the time which brought us together at the beginning, and then all the wonderful things we did, building our home and developing ‘Gwenoro’ Farm, bringing up our children, and the true friendships we made. Then on to our country Rhodesia which we loved and cherished, our efforts to make it even more wonderful and create better lives for all our people. Then there were our unfulfilled dreams of going further. Even if one never reaches paradise, the stimulation of the challenge has a cleansing effect on the soul. I am in the fortunate position that I have succeeded in recreating the situation where, in spirit, we are still working together, and it goes on every day. I thank God.
From the countless number of touching messages we received I have selected one:
‘This is a simple letter. Simple in its message, but sincere in its tone. My wife shares with me the immense sadness and grief that must be with you and your family. Nobody can truly “feel” what you must be feeling right now, but we really want to take some of the pain away from you, as you and Mrs Smith took some of the pain away from all of us by making us so proud of being Rhodesians, by making us believe in everything we were trying to do, by making us all a united and proud family. Through all those years Mrs. Smith was a beacon of graciousness, of sincerity, of warmth and kindness! It was her mirror of humanness that made us all love her so.
A wonderful lady. A lady who fought so much pressure and so many tribulations, and yet always had a shy, warm smile, and a kindness and a strength to give a glow to all of us.
A little bit of all of us has passed on with her, and yet, conversely, we are all stronger for having known her and loved her.
Thank you Janet Smith, and may God be with you.’
Glossary
ANC African National Council
BSAP British South African Police
CAZ Conservative Alliance Zimbabwe
CIO Central Intelligence Organisation
FRELIMO Frente de Libercicao de Mozambique (Mozambique Liberation Front)
NAM Non-Aligned Movement
NatJOC National Joint Operational Centre
NIBMAR No Independence before African Majority Rule
OAU Organisation of African Unity
PF Patriotic Front
UANC United African National Council
UDI Unilateral Declaration of Independence
UFP United Federal Party
ZANLA Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army
ZANU Zimbabwe African National Union
ZAPU Zimbabwe African People’s Union
ZIPRA Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army
ZMMT Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust
ZUM Zimbabwe Unity Movement
POSTSCRIPT
Two years have passed since I finished writing The Great Betrayal. I think I can correctly comment: I told you so. History records that my predictions have materialised. Let me make a few observations.
Because I had the temerity to disagree with Mugabe over his plan to create a one-party Communist dictatorship in 1981, 1 was branded ‘public enemy number one’ and
his propaganda machine was directed to dedicate their efforts in pursuit of this objective. Not only were they successful in brainwashing local opinion, but much of the rest of the world was misled into accepting that I was an undesirable character, a racialist who was opposed to black government. Because of this ruse, attention was distracted away from the insidious and evil machinations of ZANUPF (of course, no mention was made of the fact that history records that I was the first white man in Africa to hand over power to a black man, in 1979).
However, particularly in recent years, the situation has deteriorated at such an alarming rate that all thinking people are now deeply concerned about the impending disaster. Most importantly, Mugabe and his comrades are no longer able to cover up their blatant corruption, massive nepotism with special favours for relatives and friends, misappropriation of public funds for their own interests, and persistent attempts to intimidate their opponents.
Never did I think that I would ever be able to claim that Mugabe had helped me. I was wrong. He has proved my case conclusively. It is public knowledge that he and his close relatives and friends have succeeded in making themselves instant multi-millionaires. They own the biggest and best houses in the capital city. They have secured a controlling interest in many of the country’s largest and most important industrial and commercial enterprises, and purchased a number of the most exclusive farms and ranches in the country. At the same time, the standard of living of the great mass of the people has deteriorated alarmingly. There are frequent complaints from parents that their greatest problem is that their children go to bed hungry at night — something which never happened before Mugabe came to power.
The young professionals who are making a success of their lives are deeply disturbed over the fact that the first black government in Zimbabwe has brought disgrace upon our black community — and they are part of that community.
Mugabe has been a de facto dictator for the past 18 years, ever since coming to power. However, a few years ago, no doubt because people were beginning to question the legality of his actions, he persuaded Parliament to enact legislation conferring upon him the power of a de jure dictator. For example, if in any Government election a candidate is declared to have won, Mugabe has the power to decree that he did not win. And vice versa, if a candidate is declared to have lost the election, Mugabe has the power to decree that he has won. His decision cannot be challenged in any court of the land. It is certainly a very neat and convenient means of ensuring the loyal support of one’s friends. Surprisingly, the Free World turns a blind eye to this kind of thing. And the Organisation of African Unity, of course, endorses any such action by one of its members. Whether you agree with them or not, it stands to their credit that they are united and do not look kindly on division within their ranks — the reverse of the Free World.
Ever since coming to power in 1980, Mugabe has used his ‘one-party state’ to secure for himself, his party (ZANUPF), and their relatives and friends preferential conditions which have allowed them to prosper at an alarming rate. The fact that they are doing this at the expense of the remainder of the population is of no concern to them. Through their control of the mass communications media they succeeded in pulling the wool over the eyes of the masses. After a very successful run which lasted for 16 years, things started going wrong for them. The basic reason was that the deterioration of the living conditions of the average citizen and associated suffering had reached an unacceptable stage with a resultant crisis situation. It was triggered off in 1996 when the Civil Service requested increases in salaries to compensate for inflation which was at an all time high of around 40%. A most reasonable request. This was rejected by Government on the grounds that finance was not available. However, in a matter of weeks Government Ministers were awarded a 100% increase in their salaries and the President (Mugabe), 150%. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t long before there were peaceful demonstrations. These were broken up by police using dogs and batons. Clearly, this was brutal and uncalled for.
The nation was then faced with the very serious situation of a strike by junior doctors and the nursing profession. They complained that they were unable to live on their salaries. Moreover, they wished to publicise the desperate position in hospitals where essential medicines were nonexistent, and protective requirements such as syringes and rubber gloves unavailable. Doctors and nursing sisters are essentially responsible people dedicated to their service. The Government’s answer was to issue an order firing them on the spot. Most of the hospitals throughout the country were forced to close their doors. What happened to patients, including those in emergency situations, was of little to concern to the nation’s leaders. In the middle of the strike, Mugabe flew out to attend a conference in Europe — why should he be concerned with the desperate crisis in his own country? It transpired that the conference was of no consequence and produced absolutely nothing — typical of 99% of all political conferences he attends. Of course, there are advantages for the participants — they live in the most luxurious hotels, enjoy the most expensive food and drink, and award themselves excessive additional allowances, all at the expense of the tax-payer at home, most of whom are living below the poverty line and struggling to survive, and feed and clothe their children.
Obviously, in the final analysis the Government was forced to climb down and re-instate the dismissed workers and offer token improvement to their conditions of service.
I have given a few examples o the government’s greed and arrogance, but it was never-ending, with corruption and nepotism and conversion of benefits to their own account on a daily basis.
Accordingly, there was no let up in the difficulties constantly confronting the average citizen.
The headlines in early January 1997 proclaimed massive across-the-board increases in basic consumer goods, some above 40%. Understandably, demands for increased salaries and wages became more persistent, with employers and employees constantly at the negotiating table. By July, we had reached a situation where there were placard carrying processions, go-slows or full-scale industrial action. The principle Trade Union Organisation (ZCTU) had been in protracted negotiations with the Ministry of Labour, with no progress, so clearly we were heading for a clash.
The third week in January of 1998 saw food riots in Harare, which rapidly spread throughout the whole country. The police resorted to strong-arm tactics which resulted in eight deaths and the arrests of many hundreds of demonstrators.
Shortly after this, the Secretary General of the Congress of Trade Unions was working at his desk when a gang of thugs entered and beat him up, smashing a chair across his head. He was taken to hospital and was lucky to escape alive. Of course, the Government disclaimed any implication, but no one has been able to point a finger in any other direction.
In order to avoid a repetition of the rioting and murder associated with the January strikes, the Trade Unions staged a two-day stay-away from work on the first Monday and Tuesday of March. In spite of a massive Government campaign warning against this action, accompanied by a certain amount of intimidation, the result was a great success throughout the country with figures ranging from between 90% and 99%. Trade Union leaders have warned of more mass action unless there is some response from Government. However, the Minister concerned has indicated that they have no intention of changing their stand.
With the passage of each day the national economy becomes more depressed. Towards the end of last year, the War Veterans decided to climb on the band wagon and demand compensation for their members. It has never been explained why 17 years passed before this became an issue. However, they succeeded in cornering Mugabe by demanding an exclusive audience in State House. The thought of a confrontation with his own comrades had to be avoided at all costs. Accordingly, in a panic move, he agreed that each would receive an award of ZD50,000, followed by special additional consideration for hardship cases. The cost of the fiscus runs into billions of dollars and continues to escalate by the day.
Government
has appointed a Judicial Commission to investigate the allocation of all this money. There have been a number of disclosures which are clearly fraudulent. There has been a recent case of a person who was awarded compensation of ZD822,668 for no valid reason that could be determined. He enjoys a high-powered diplomatic post with its generous salary and other desirable perks. The other obvious question is: how can one tie this together? The answer: he is Mrs Mugabe’s brother!
Some time ago, the Government established a Housing Fund to provide loans to the lower-income group to enable them to build their own homes. It has now been established that the lion’s share of the money has gone to Cabinet Ministers, senior civil servants, and ‘friends and relatives’. All these houses are in the million-dollar bracket. The most recent disclosure is that Mugabe’s wife was allocated approximately ZD7 million to build her own house. The newsflash last week is that it is now on the market for ZD25 million.
When Mengistu, one time dictator and tyrant of Ethiopia, who was responsible for the worst genocide the African continent has ever known, was forced to flee from his own country, he was granted asylum by his trusted friend and accomplice Mugabe. He was given accommodation in an exclusive residence, high security and all the services provided by the Zimbabwean tax-payer. An appeal for extradition by the Ethiopian Government was rejected by Mugabe. It is said that there is ‘honour even amongst thieves’ — clearly this applies equally to gangsters.
