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Zimbabwe on the Verge of Collapse
By John
This is just sad. Not just sad, but tragic. Students of history weigh-in: is this the most drastic peacetime collapse of a nation-state ever recorded?
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Zimbabwe could collapse within months due to its political and economic crisis, South Africa's ruling party leader said on Monday, citing former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other prominent figures.African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma said a cholera epidemic that has killed around 300 people in Zimbabwe and sent hundreds more fleeing into South Africa highlighted the need for urgent action by Zimbabwe's political rivals.
The elephant in the room, one that the media generally refuses to acknowledge, is what Zimbabwe used to be: the first-world country of Rhodesia. Read the press and you get the impression that Zimbabwe is just another African failed state. It wasn't. Rhodesia, though tainted by the evils of apartheid, was a wonderfully prosperous little nation. As the white minority government watched post-colonial Africa collapse around them, they vowed to defend their borders against the endemic blights of warlords and Marxism (and -in the case of Robert Mugabe- a combination of the two).
White Rhodesians are often boxed into the same category as white supremacists from South Africa and the American South. That's highly inaccurate. Rhodesians despised "racialists" (their handle for 'racists') and never subscribed to the eugenical arguments -that the white man is inherently superior to the black man- of their neighbors to the south.
Their apartheid, for better or for worse, was based on the theory of limited democracy as developed by our own American founding fathers and the early British parliament. Rhodesians believed that to have a functional democracy, one first must have a vested interest in the government -whether that be through land ownership or financial holdings. That their system inherently (and severely) favored whites over blacks was a tangential consequence, a price that Rhodesians believed had to be paid to insulate their highly functional society against the chaos and genocide sweeping the rest of Africa.
This wasn't a new concept, really. It's been around since the time of Plato, who warned that mob rule inherent in the exercise of unchecked democracy would ultimately lead to tyrrany. That's highlighted in the old joke which describes pure democracy as two wolves and a sheep sitting down and voting on what's for dinner.
It's useful to remember that universal suffrage is still a relatively new phenomena. Ian Smith, Rhodesian Prime Minister from 1964-1979, always stated that the Rhodesian approach to black majority rule would be "evolutionary not revolutionary," in that their stated goal would be to slowly assimiliate Rhodesians blacks into the government through a combination of a strong economy and matching educational system. Of course Smith also famously said that he did not "believe in majority rule, not in a thousand years," so I'm often left wondering what his true intentions were.
Regardless, a measured and moderate solution to the "Rhodesia problem" was finally reached in 1978-79, where Rhodesia dropped their property and financial restrictions on the vote and opened the polls to blacks. A moderate black Prime Minister, Bishop Abel Muzorewa, was elected in a free and fair election in which a large majority of Rhodesian blacks voted. The trade-off was that Rhodesian whites would retain control of key institutions like the army and police (though both were dominated by blacks). That government was widely rejected and lasted a mere six months, as the mob-rule of world opinion demanded that Robert Mugabe's violent Marxo-terror group Zanu be allowed to participate in the electoral process. Mugabe, who claimed that he would resume the war against Zimbabwe-Rhodesia if he lost, won the 1980 election through massive voter intimidation and violence.
The rest, they say, is history.
UItimately the Rhodesians' worst nightmare, that their 'jewel of Africa' would become another Uganda or Zambia, was fully realized. Robert Mugabe, acting as all petty marxist dictators do, has single-handedly dismantled every aspect of the Rhodesian infrastructure that existed in 1980. Now Zimbabwe is one of the poorest nations on earth, and is danger of becoming not another Uganda or Zambia, but another Somalia.
It used to be that you could visit Rhodesia and see the ruins of Zimbabwe. Now it's the other way around.
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Comments
Interestingly, Mugabe has always enjoyed a lot of Chinese support, as far back as the 60's. Are they hoping to colonise the ruins and scoop up the mineral wealth and farming potential, I wonder?
Concur with Charles. Superb write-up and defense of a grossly misunderstood people. I belive the Rhodesians were heroes in the war against communism. But like all great heroes, they have great character flaw (apartheid).
Sorry for the anonymous posting above, signed here.
I have to agree with the above comments, excellent post John. Here's a little something I ran across the other day....
The drums are calling you old man, and grow louder by the day.
They are calling you to judgment it's now your time to pay,
For the wrongs you've done Zimbabwe , the trust which you betrayed.
So hear those drums a pounding, hear well, and be afraid!
The drums are calling you old man, and grow louder by the day.
For The cries of those you murdered grow stronger every day,
In a land we called Rhodesia , Twas truly God's own land,
You trashed it with your gluttony and evil thieving hand.
The drums are calling you old man, and grow louder by the day,
You starved your kinfolk of their food; the meek, your favored prey,
With all your years of tyranny and lavish trips abroad
Their proud heritage you squandered, through patronage and fraud.
The drums are calling you old man, and grow louder by the day;
Twas not the world that brought you down, but Christians who could pray.
God heard the prayers of His saints to stop you in your pride,
The gates of hell, I believe, are broad and high and wide
The drums are calling you old man, and grow louder by the day,
The drums have sound their verdict; listen to what they say,
They foretell of your demise, and they have much to tell.
So hear the drums, old man, and listen to them well.
The drums are calling you old man, and grow louder by the day
Your 'war vets' will now leave you, to flee another way
Now listen to those drums old man their message is not vague
They are pounding out across the world "We'll see you in the Hague !!"
By Alf Hutchison inspired by an unnamed e mail workers day 2008
TO THE MEMORY OF ALL RHODESIANS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
When I was deployed to Afghanistan a lot of the bomb-sniffing dog handlers were South African, and they had some jokes about Zimbabwe (which they frequently insisted on still calling Rhodesia):
Q: What's the difference between South Africa and Zimbabwe?
A: About five years.
Q: What did they have in Rhodesia before candles?
A: Electricity.
I will return to your original question. The answer is YES! Most African states collapsed after the Europeans left. But Rhodesia was built-up like no other (ok, maybe South Africa). If you analyze the collapse from where Rhodesia WAS to where Zimbabwe IS, there is no equal in modern history.
I will tip my hat in concurrence with Old Tanker, Charles, et al. Outstanding post Sir.
Thanks to all well-wishers. OT, seen that before but glad you posted it, appropriate.
Doug -- hilarious!
Not sure why my blockquote only covered the first stanza but so everybody knows (if they didn't already) I lifted the whole thing from Theo Spark's blog
I used to live in Zim. I attend a southern school now (Virginia Tech) that is hardly racist. I cannot ever return to Zim. It is a shame that there has only been 1 black dictator to retire from Africa - Mandela. The rest stay until they die or are sent to prison. Zim used to be great, and I am not saying that because I am white and upper middle class. Most blacks who worked with me hate Mugabe and wished they could have free school again. There were massive flaws with minority white rule, but I cannot find a black today who would not wish to return to the sense of order, freedom, security, and safety inherent to white rule.
JCS, you may be familiar with an Institution just up 81 from you, one that -like Rhodesia- was wore down by the forces of political correctness -- the Virginia Military Institute.
All authors on this blog are alumni.
This is not constructive criticism but a bunch of racist statements. Mugabe must go but that gives none of you any reason to think that black people are better under white rule. Grow up and open your minds and hearts! You cannot be polite in discrimination - discrimination is discrimination! Your love for the wealth on African soil is what initially sent you to these African nations so have a little respect!
By the way, when "Rhodesians" died, so did "Zimbabweans".
Bob, call me old fashioned, but I think if the choice is between discrimination and starvation, discrimination is better. It wouldn't change my mind if I were the one who would be discriminated against.
The simple fact is, in both Zimbabwe and South Africa, when the apartheid ended society got WORSE, not better. Now clearly it's not that the natives can't govern just as well as the colonists - however the simple fact is they didn't.
Really in an ideal world, the colonists would teach the natives how to govern, and only when they could actually do so properly would power be handed over. In effect this is what happened in India. The British involved the Indians sufficiently in the day-to-day running of that part of the empire that when the British left, they were able to stand on their own. Obviously it's not a racial thing. It's a pity that those people who rushed Zimbabwe and S.A. into ending colonial rule couldn't take the time to make sure that they had the ability to stand on their own first.
Surely that's just common sense?
BR BullNav can lend a hand, but wasn't there a guy in the class of '86 from Rhodesia? I can't remember his name, but I'll look him up in The Bomb.
Bob, I'll take your bait. Cut and copy one racist statement/thought from my above post to corroborate your accusation.
thanks for the wonderful perspective on the saddness.
http://therunningmule.blogspot.com/2008/11/do-collapse-zimbabwe.html
John,
I was about to ask where the racism was when I read your comment......
I read this comment....
but I cannot find a black today who would not wish to return to the sense of order, freedom, security, and safety inherent to white rule.
right AFTER I READ THIS.......
There were massive flaws with minority white rule
good ol' fashioned racism.......
OT: the tried and true race card is the last refuge of the unimaginative and narrow-minded.
So, I'm not really surprised that we haven't heard from Bob since...
An x-SWASPE friend sends this:
I was in Rhodesia in 1980 for a brief period of time - about 6 months - and I remember that, although there were world sanctions against the Smith government, the country functioned efficiently. There were no food shortages, fuel, although rationed, was available, and life carried on. To have an outbreak of cholera less than 30 years after being a well-run country is just unthinkable.
Wow, that is pretty sad. I agree with a lot of the comments for this blog entry. Its nice to see a community of people discuss something like this. Good Job.
One slightly positive outcome of the chaos in zim is the handwringing amongst the liberal media and pols here in England...they are confused and horrified by what their combined efforts unleashed on the poor Africans they so piously wished to help.Just how did it all go so wrong?....after all the evil white regime was vanquished and that lovely man Mr Mugabe seemed so nice and reasonable. If it was not so tragic I would enjoy their bleatings even more.
Thud, is there hand-wringing or a new sense of resolve?
The only solution that seems feasible is Britain fixing the problem they created with Her Majesty's Armed Forces.
Of course who knows if the Brits have the firepower for that type of op -- not these days at least. I'm just thankful they're with us in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Do miss the good old days of British power and resolve though. The world was a better place...
I'm afraid Britain seems rather tired...no real resolve to become involved in such a disaster as Zim especially as the country is still under low level attack from within and without for our supposed sins of colonialism.There is a residue of sympathy with the poor people of zim but it is tempered for many by the fact that perhaps they got what they wished for.Besides we have a growing problem within our own borders with the troubles looming with the population of disenchanted individuals from former colonies.
I was chatting to a Zimbabwean yesyterday, (black, if that means anything), and he had just been in contact with his parents. He told me that the situation was far worse than what is reported and that the cholera figures given are very conservative, maybe ten times lower than the reality.
It was a very nice idea! Just wanna say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. I will be your loyal reader. Thanks again.
It was a very nice idea! Just wanna say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. I will be your loyal reader. Thanks again.
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One of the best write ups I've seen to date. Great post. You should read Ian Smith's memoirs, but I think that has been recommended in an earlier posting.