Another plea from Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube (and me) for Zimbabwe

Over two years ago, I pleaded for Africa’s continental power, South Africa, and the world’s superpower, the United States, to coordinate a coalition of the willing to intervene in Zimbabwe. I felt compelled to do so because it was patently clear to me that Zimbabwe’s genocidal president, Robert Mugabe, was hell-bent not only on eliminating all of his political opponents, but also on starving millions of other Zimbabweans to make them too weak to oppose his rule.

Here, in part, is how I tendered my plea:

We can remain hopeful that the spontaneous revolutions that have erupted all over the world in recent months might penetrate Mugabe’s considerable defenses. Indeed, Zimbabwe’s courageous Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube has even called for a Ukrainian-style uprising to overthrow Africa’s lone-reigning Big Dada.

The conditions of poverty, disease and hunger are so severe, however, that Zimbabweans may not have the strength to march in the streets even if they wanted to….

But since then, I have watched in utter dismay and fecklessness as South Africa’s president, Thabo Mbeki, pursued do-nothing initiatives under the guise of “constructive engagement”, and US president, George W Bush, squandered virtually all of his country’s goodwill and foreign resources on an unwinnable (civil) war in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Mugabe continued to wreak such death and destruction that a few months ago I resorted to pleading for Great Britain to (re)assume “the white man’s burden” that characterized its colonial relationship with Zimbabwe. Of course, the irony and futility of this plea was not lost on me.

Nevertheless, it was all I could think to do after reading that Archbishop Ncube had been reduced to praying to God for divine intervention. Although, even in prayer he remained defiant.

Because here, in part, is how he expressed his frustrations just months ago:

The situation in Zimbabwe is getting steadily worse but even though people’s morale has been broken they should not be intimidated….President Mugabe must go….You can’t negotiate with him. It’s useless. African presidents have tried to negotiate with that man to no avail.

Alas, plus ca change (i.e. the more things change the more they stay the same…).

Therefore, since it has become painfully clear that even God has forsaken Zimbabweans, I was not at all surprised when the BBC reported that Archbishop Ncube was in South Africa on Tuesday reiterating his humane plea. But this time he urged the unconscionably-passive Mbeki to amass a regional coalition to rescue his people from a man he now rebukes as a “power-crazed megalomaniac”.

Accordingly, I too reiterate my plea. But this time I urge the fatally-discredited Bush to at least try to redeem America’s moral authority by calling on the UN Security Council to deploy UNPROFOR’s Rapid Reaction Force to Zimbabwe without further delay.

And, given the anti-Bush credentials CARICOM leaders have established at the UN – not least by their Faustian (PetroCaribe) alliances with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, I appeal to them to lend their voices to this humanitarian call to save Zimbabwe.

After all, it is arguable that the moral imperative to intervene there today is even greater than it was when the world finally intervened to stop (or mop up – as was the case) the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Indeed, let us pray that UN troops will perform more honorably in Zimbabwe than they did in Rwanda (under Kofi Annan’s direct command) where they stood like English Beefeaters as genocide raged on all around them….

UPDATE: July 16

Reports out of Zimbabwe are that a local man has filed a Z$20 billion lawsuit against Archbishop Ncube for allegedly having an adulterous affair with his wife.

(Incidentally, given the depths to which Zimbabwe’s economy has plummeted in recent years, that 20 billion converts to about 200 US dollars; well, not quite, but you get the point ….)

But Ncube has refused to dignify the allegation with a response. Although his supporters have denounced it as just another dirty trick by Mugabe to undermine his most formidable and fearless critic. Whatever the merit of this allegation, however, it does nothing to discredit Ncube’s condemnation of Mugabe’s genocidal leadership.

Related Articles:
Zimbabweans pray for liberation from their liberator Mugabe
Mugabe launches head-bashing assault on Opposition leaders
Yes, save Darfur! But what about Zimbabwe
Britain’s salutary neglect

Archbishop Pius Ncube, Zimbabwe