A Fence Around Mugabe

The loser of last week’s presidential election in Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, called the result “daylight robbery.” That’s not a runner-up’s whine; that’s the truth.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, honored leader of the fight for independence a generation ago and ruler ever since then, rigged the balloting. Tuesday, Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria joined with Australian Prime Minister John Howard and responded by suspending Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth, the coalition of 54 nations that are mostly former British colonies.

Although the move is largely symbolic, it undercuts Mugabe’s attempts to portray his critics as just white defenders of colonialism. It also marks a break from the traditional reluctance of African nations to criticize each other publicly. It was certainly the smart thing to do in preserving the economic viability of southern Africa.

Mugabe’s chaotic land redistribution, from mostly white farmers to the angry landless, is guaranteed to kill outside investment. Election fraud only deepens the flight of money. Unless a clear line is drawn around Mugabe by South Africa, Nigeria and their neighbors, outsiders with cash and expertise may write off the whole region.

Mugabe gloated that his win was “a stunning blow to imperialism” and said Tsvangirai was a stooge of “Britain and its white allies.” Actually, the blow was to democracy. Zimbabwe needs land reform, but the Mugabe government’s encouragement of black settlers who seized white farmland, sometimes killing the owners, is as despicable as white colonists’ eviction of blacks from the land last century. Whites make up less than 1% of the population and still control an estimated 70% of the best farmland. That ratio must change, but owners must be compensated and settlers assisted in making the land productive.

The one-year suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth should impress on Mugabe the anger of other countries at his intimidation and disenfranchisement of opposition voters. African nations, which like Zimbabwe were victims of colonialism, should keep pressing Mugabe to enforce the rule of law and root out corruption in government.

Zimbabwe is rich in agricultural and human resources and was once a good bet to shake off poverty. The sad tug of Mugabe’s corruption and demagoguery has brought it low, but the rest of southern Africa need not sink with it.