An evil legacy – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary – The Zimbabwean

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It is surely right to disregard the tyrant’s petulant objections and bury him alongside other Zanu PF leaders. Perhaps one day tourists will visit Heroes’ Acre like they do the desolate field outside Budapest where statues from the Soviet era have been dumped.

You can say of most people that they had good and bad points. Not the same with Mugabe. What was not bad was evil.

Many people, including opposition leaders and British ambassadors, say he had charm. So did Hitler. What charm Mugabe had was of the reptilian kind – poisonous. And it was for his poisonous ruin of the state that he will be remembered.

Mugabe was hailed as a liberation hero but there are doubts that he ever spared a thought for anyone apart from his own family. Embittered by a decade of detention, he then waded through blood to capture the leadership of Zanu.

When he came to power in 1980 he was responsible for the Gukurahundi genocide of some 20,000 Ndebele, along with his successor President Mnangagwa. Together they launched rash foreign excursions to line their own pockets. He was a bad example to Africa, which still reveres him despite his legacy of starvation, corruption, hopelessness and fear.

First reaction from Harare to the news of his death was from dimwit minister Energy Mutodi who bizarrely described the death of a 95-year-old man as ‘untimely’. But Mutodi was correct in saying ‘This nation is what it is because of what he did’.

Mnangagwa has declared seven days of mourning but you can be sure that he will not be observing it himself.

Other points

• We marked the death of Mugabe with posters reading: ‘The goblin has gone’, ‘Now for real freedom’, ‘Mnangagwa must go too’, ‘Now out with Zanu PF’ and ‘Good riddance to Mugabe’. The press interviewed many of our activists.
• Thanks to those who helped set up the front table and put up the banners today: Patience Chimba, Marvellous Chinguwa, Josephine Jombe, Lucia Mudzimu, Esther Munyira, Hazvinei Saili, Sikhumbuzule Sibanda and Ephraim Tapa. Thanks to Hazvinei, Marvellous and Josephine for looking after the front table, to Lucia, Esther, Sikhumbuzule, Chido Makawa, Heather Makawa and Bigboy Sibanda for handing out flyers, to Hazvinei and Mary Muteyerwa for drumming and to Hazvinei, Ephraim and Tryness Ncube for photos.
• For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimb88abwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website.

FOR THE RECORD: 32 signed the register.

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

• ROHR general members’ meeting. Saturday 14^th September from 11.30 am. Venue: Royal Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road SE1 8XX. Contact: Ephraim Tapa 07940793090, Patricia Masamba 07708116625, Esther Munyira 07492058109.
• ROHR Reading branch outreach and general meeting. Saturday 21^st September. Community outreach from 11.30 am – 1.30 pm. Awareness campaign on deteriorating human rights in Zimbabwe. Venue: Broad Street, Reading. General meeting from 2 – 5 pm: Venue: The RISC 35-39 London Street, Reading, Berkshire RG1 4PS. Contact Nicodimus 07877386792, Josephine 07455166668, Shylette 07828929806, Josh 07877246251.
• The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.
• The Vigil’s book ‘Zimbabwe Emergency’ is based on our weekly diaries. It records how events in Zimbabwe have unfolded as seen by the diaspora in the UK. It chronicles the economic disintegration, violence, growing oppression and political manoeuvring – and the tragic human cost involved. It is available at the Vigil. All proceeds go to the Vigil and our sister organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe’s work in Zimbabwe. The book is also available from Amazon.

• Facebook pages:

  Vigil: https://www.facebook.com/zimbabwevigil
  ROHR: https://www.facebook.com/Restoration-of-Human-Rights-ROHR-Zimbabwe-International-370825706588551/
  ZAF: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zimbabwe-Action-Forum-ZAF/490257051027515

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