One of the responsibilities of an Environmental Health Inspector is to check that products offered for sale in supermarkets are not being offered past their 'best by' date.. If any of these are found they are removed from the shelves and not allowed to be sold for human consumption..
In March 2008 the people of Zimbabwe voted and declared to the present govt that their 'best by' date had expired and that they were no longer fit for Zimbabwean consumption.. To my horror I watched as the nation was subjected to a protracted period of brutality and intimidation that made the horrors of apartheid pale by comparison..
To add insult to injury I watched as the two African bodies to which hopes had been pinned simply shrink from the glorious opportunity to step up and change the tide of violence, human rights violations and to promote the kind of democracy for which the war of liberation was fought.. The regime of Ian Smith denied many the optoin to vote BUT the subsequent regime has bettered that.. They gave the people the 'freedom' to vote and when that vote was not to their liking the current regime unleashed a wave of brutality to educate the people that the 'freedom' to vote was there as long as it was a vote for them.. This has got to be worse than being denied the opportunity to actually vote.. "Let them vote and then just ignore it anyway"..
The thing that defies understanding is the fact that the AU, SADC and PAP sent observer missions to observe the farce of a run off presidential election and when all three teams boldly declared the run off to have not been free and fair, not an expression of the will of the people, there was recognition by the AU and SADC of the very election that their observers said was null an void. So a team of observers were spent, thousands of US dollars spent to cover their time in Zimbabwe and when they come back with a report- those who sent them ignored the report.. Sound very much like the practice of the post Ian Smith ruling party style of leadership.. So the AU and SADC did pretty much the same thing that ZANU(PF) did. Ignored the 'vote', the 'voice' of the people !
Now we have a supposed peace negotiation to bring about peace in Zimbabwe.. Surprise surprise, the former president who lost the only credible election (March 29) is the one who is calling the shots and trying to dictate the conditions..
Allowing people to express themselves, to speak up and to be allowed to choose their leadership is not a western thing or an African thing.. It is a God given privilege.. When Jesus walked the earth you often hear him asking those who came to him " What do YOU want me to do?" In the year 2000 the people of Zimbabwe were asked what they wanted in a new constitution.. Despite giving their opinions and views they were presented something that did not even come close to what they 'ordered'.. What was the result - A public declaration of acceptance of the results of the referendum BUT a practical outbreak of violence that made it very clear that to do anything other than what the leadership of the nation wanted was totally unacceptable and would result in violent retribution and pain.. The reaction by the leadership in ZANU (PF) to the March 29 election results is nothing new - What is distressing is the realisation that by and large the current crop of leaders in Africa see no problem with what they did, and in fact by their silence have made a clear indication of their support of this 'African Style Democracy'...
The Old Testament tells of a King who was being opposed by many enemies - Jehosophat prayed and God told him to take his place and see the deliverance of God.. It appears that the same holds true and that we must take our place for righteousness and see the deliverance of God..
In March 2008 the people of Zimbabwe voted and declared to the present govt that their 'best by' date had expired and that they were no longer fit for Zimbabwean consumption.. To my horror I watched as the nation was subjected to a protracted period of brutality and intimidation that made the horrors of apartheid pale by comparison..
To add insult to injury I watched as the two African bodies to which hopes had been pinned simply shrink from the glorious opportunity to step up and change the tide of violence, human rights violations and to promote the kind of democracy for which the war of liberation was fought.. The regime of Ian Smith denied many the optoin to vote BUT the subsequent regime has bettered that.. They gave the people the 'freedom' to vote and when that vote was not to their liking the current regime unleashed a wave of brutality to educate the people that the 'freedom' to vote was there as long as it was a vote for them.. This has got to be worse than being denied the opportunity to actually vote.. "Let them vote and then just ignore it anyway"..
The thing that defies understanding is the fact that the AU, SADC and PAP sent observer missions to observe the farce of a run off presidential election and when all three teams boldly declared the run off to have not been free and fair, not an expression of the will of the people, there was recognition by the AU and SADC of the very election that their observers said was null an void. So a team of observers were spent, thousands of US dollars spent to cover their time in Zimbabwe and when they come back with a report- those who sent them ignored the report.. Sound very much like the practice of the post Ian Smith ruling party style of leadership.. So the AU and SADC did pretty much the same thing that ZANU(PF) did. Ignored the 'vote', the 'voice' of the people !
Now we have a supposed peace negotiation to bring about peace in Zimbabwe.. Surprise surprise, the former president who lost the only credible election (March 29) is the one who is calling the shots and trying to dictate the conditions..
Allowing people to express themselves, to speak up and to be allowed to choose their leadership is not a western thing or an African thing.. It is a God given privilege.. When Jesus walked the earth you often hear him asking those who came to him " What do YOU want me to do?" In the year 2000 the people of Zimbabwe were asked what they wanted in a new constitution.. Despite giving their opinions and views they were presented something that did not even come close to what they 'ordered'.. What was the result - A public declaration of acceptance of the results of the referendum BUT a practical outbreak of violence that made it very clear that to do anything other than what the leadership of the nation wanted was totally unacceptable and would result in violent retribution and pain.. The reaction by the leadership in ZANU (PF) to the March 29 election results is nothing new - What is distressing is the realisation that by and large the current crop of leaders in Africa see no problem with what they did, and in fact by their silence have made a clear indication of their support of this 'African Style Democracy'...
The Old Testament tells of a King who was being opposed by many enemies - Jehosophat prayed and God told him to take his place and see the deliverance of God.. It appears that the same holds true and that we must take our place for righteousness and see the deliverance of God..
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