From Independence to Thuggery

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has not missed a trick to ensure victory for his ruling ZANU-PF party in this weekend’s parliamentary elections. Gangs of thugs, acting in the party’s interest, have been roaming the southern African country, killing and beating political opponents. Clearly the elections will not be free or fair, but the terror unleashed by Mugabe’s men may not be enough to overcome the rising popular disapproval of his autocratic rule. Zimbabwean voters--black and white--are fed up with the now-tarnished independence leader, and they are courageous enough to defy his strong-arm tactics. Outsiders, especially leaders of neighboring countries, should make sure that the voice of the opposition is heard and its vote properly counted.

As a leader of the African independence movement, Mugabe was swept into power in 1980, but as a president he has failed. Zimbabwe is bankrupt, most land remains in the hands of a few dozen white farmers and Mugabe’s cronies. Democracy is teetering. The pitch of anti-Mugabe sentiment became apparent last February when voters overwhelmingly rejected a constitution that would have increased his powers. The Movement for Democratic Change has led the charge against the 76-year-old president.

Considerable influence has come from outside election monitors, especially a group led by former Nigerian President Abdulsalami Abubakar. Notably absent, however, is a voice of disapproval by South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki, whose silent diplomacy has failed to influence Mugabe. Surely Mbeki realizes that the collapse of democracy in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital, would send shock waves throughout the region and hit hardest in South Africa, Zimbabwe’s most important trading partner and creditor.

The Zimbabwean opposition has had enough of Mugabe’s corrupt and inefficient regime. So should all of Africa. That independence ends in mob rule is a shame.