Mugabe has won again!

Much has been said about the joint pledge by Mugabe and Zimbabwe opposition that took place under the determined eye of President Mbeki. Many have hailed this as victory for quite diplomacy and a positive step for Zimbabwe. Some have even called this an indication that Africa can solve its problems. As an African myself I feel flattered by the thought that Africans (SADC and AU) have managed to achieve what the international world could never achieve. Indeed, this is where Africa needs to be, strong and able to lead itself.

However I am troubled by the sight of Robert Mugabe smiling, signaling that he has managed to salvage a victory from the jaws of public defeat. I am disturbed by the fact that losers in a democratic battle have turned into victors, sharing the spoils of victory that is not rightfully theirs. Why is it that when grumpy old men of Africa always seem to get a lifeline when logic and fairness dictate otherwise?

Why is it that dictators always manage to secure a comfortable end after violating the innocent? Today Kibaki of Kenya sits comfortably in a Kenyan Government of National Unity, after having stolen an election from Raila Odinga. History repeats once again, this time Mugabe looks set to share the presidency with Morgan Tsvangarai, the real winner of the Zimbabwe election? Why conduct elections if the results will not mean anything ultimately? If we cannot guarantee that election results mean something, then why bother with the process anyway? A Government of National Unity is a compromise that has to be agreed by two parties willingly, not in the way that it has been forced down the throat of Tsvangarai! I feel sorry for the MDC and the majority of the people of Zimbabwe, like a defeated customer, they have to live with a “wrong order”.

Many have stated that if there was no negotiated settlement then the situation may have turned more violent at the instigation of Mugabe and his warlords. We saw it happen in Kenya, many died and only when the warlords were offered a settlement did the situation normalize. I call this “hostage democracy”, the whole nation held at gun point until they shake hands with a criminal and accept him as leader.

With all due respect to Koffi Annan and President Mbeki, we have weakened our determination to instill the values of freedom and democracy in Africa. Our desperate need to seek peace at the expense of freedom has sent a message to the rest of would-be dictators that the gun always guarantees victory in Africa. Refusal to step down and handover power to the masses that peacefully choose a preferred leader can land one a safe future. Undermining the will of the people still guarantees a future! We have failed future generations in this way, we have weakened the foundations of democracy, and we have further violated and defiled the sanctity of the ballot! The warlords continue to rule!

News24 article well received!

The article on Zuma's brain trust was well received by the News24 readers. It received about 4 305 reads and 154 comments. It was ranked number 3 overall, this is despite the fact that the article was published with a few spelling and grammatical errors. Next time this should be reduced hopefully. Thanks a million to all the readers.

Its a new week, and this weekend we saw a much more quite ANC conference in Limpopo. Cass Mathale won the ANC chairmanship, putting him in pole position for the premiership next year. What still worries me is the fact that there is perception out there that there is a Mbeki purge taking place. My feeling is that if leaders are simply going to be removed solely based on the fact that they supported Mbeki, then we have a crisis at hand. Leaders should be judged based on perfomance and how they delivered and not on camp affiliations.

The ANC is there to serve South Africa, not itself. If the ANC misses this point, then the whiole noise about serving the nation is simply rhetoric! We will explore this further as the week goes.

Show me Zuma’s friends!

If there is truth in the wise old saying “Show me your friends, I will show you your character”, then the character of the future leadership of the ANC leaves a lot to be desired. The reports seem to indicate that South Africa’s future president, Mr. Zuma has new friends; a trio of experts known as the “Zuma’s brains trust” to help him devise a strategy to overcome his legal woes. The trio consists of 2 men well known men, Prof Sipho Seepe, Judge. Willem Heath and one interesting figure known as Mr. Paul Ngobeni.

One wonders what is in it for a man of great reputation like Prof. Sipho Seepe to enter this fray in this way, his reasons for taking sides in the epic battle to clear a victory path for a questionable leader like Zuma. The answer perhaps lies in his serious dislike of Thabo Mbeki which we have witnessed, but he did not have to risk his reputation to this extent, some may wonder. The article points out that Prof. Seepe says he in involved in this adventure because he wants to protect the integrity and independence of public institutions. One wonders if there was perhaps a better way for the esteemed professor to achieve this noble goal.

Willem Heath is no stranger to controversy. Once an esteemed Judge, and now an advocate, he was the head of the now defunct Heath’s Special Investigations Unit, which in the words of Johny Steinberg turned out to be a body “answerable to, and controlled by, the executive”, despite all Heaths proclamations of independence then. He was later given marching orders by his colleagues. After his infamous stint as Mbeki’s cowboy and the arms deal fiasco, he later on re-appeared in the public eye as a legal advisor for Zuma, to help him fight his corruption charges which are related to the very same arms deal he used to investigate!

Let me draw your attention to an interesting man in the trio; Mr. Paul Ngobeni. According to a recent report by the Citizen newspaper, Paul Ngobeni, who is currently a University of Cape Town’s deputy registrar of legal services, faces 12 years in a US jail for fraud, larceny and practising law illegally. Just like the character known as Judge Hlophe, Ngobeni seems to have vested interests in making a new name for himself and perhaps securing future rewards by betting for the apparently “winning horse” called Zuma.

It’s a free for all, any character that aims and wishes to remake its profile, catapult itself into the limelight or simply seeks attention seems to be found in the Zuma landscape. As Mr. Zuma adds to his arsenal of friends which is already “enriched” by the presence of men like Shabir Shaik, Fikile Mbalula, Julius Malema and many more, one wonders if indeed the future of South Africa is in safe hands. As the desperate battle to cleanse the moral character of Jacob Zuma takes incredible leaps, may we be reminded that a country is as strong as its weakest link, more so if that link in the chain happens to be its president!

The trouble with Africa

This article was published on New24.

The private jets graced the skies, and the luxurious motorcades once again took over the streets. One would think that there was a great celebration elsewhere in that beautiful country; No, it was yet another important African Union conference. The brave and mighty men of this continent gathered around in Sharm El-Sheikh, on their agenda, they had an enormous challenge of Zimbabwe to deliberate on.

Exactly three days before the AU conference, Robert Mugabe, another brave soldier who was in attendance at the summit, had just “triumphed over his people” by undemocratically imposing himself as their leader. To ensure a presidential entrance at the summit, he speedily installed himself as president, just in time, for the important summit. This did not sit well with the majority of Zimbabweans, the SADC region and the whole world. Everyone had hope that at “the summit”, the brave men were going to finally deal with Mugabe, and put him at his right place, the dustbin of history!

How wrong we all were!! The mighty men of African liberation, the brave soldiers who brought freedom to the once dark continent made a breakthrough, a resolution was proclaimed: “President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangarai (“that puppet of the West”) are encouraged to initiate dialogue with a view to promoting peace and stability in Zimbwabwe”….oh the proclamation continues, the mighty men also proclaim that they, “support the call for the creation of a government of national unity” in Zimbabwe! The challenge of Zimbabwe was tackled; they all smiled and hugged, posed for a few photos, dined and wined!

The trouble with Africa is that Africa does not take itself seriously. The constant failures in African leadership are celebrated and disguised as progress and bravery. Africa invites trouble, allows it to breed and then looks West for a solution. Africa is a breeding ground for tyranny and anarchy, none of the supposed brave men are courageous enough to break the ranks of brotherhood and stand for the right. In Africa, tyrants like Mswati, Gaddafi, Mugabe to name but a few are heroes who constantly deserve a pat in the back. Africa unites behind its bullies, it protects its despots.

Africa prefers rhetoric to preserve its rotten core, once you are at the top, you can never be wrong, only nature can remove you from your throne (that is if you do not have a cousin or a son to continue your evil legacy). You can be sure that the brotherhood will protect you at all cost, they will save you the embarrassment of public scrutiny, while they supposedly deal with you behind the scenes!

When will the madness end? When will these mighty men of war realize that they are a disgrace to their own people? When will they realize that their collective efforts constantly drag the hopes and dreams of the children of Africa into oblivion? When will they realize that the trouble they should be solving flies a private jet, wears a black suit, walks with an entourage, and attends pointless summits!

The enemy is neither in the WEST nor is the solution in the EAST, the enemy is right at the doorstep; the solution lies in Africa’s will to be a great place for its children. Meanwhile, the mighty men of Africa will travel back to the comforts of their impoverished and defunct states, sit on their golden thrones, and wait for yet another summit to attend; perhaps it will be Swaziland next on the agenda to deliberate on. After all, King Mswati also needs “to rise to the occasion and be counted”! What a shame!

News24 readers approve once again!

The article about Metro cops and their wild behaviour received a lot of attention this week. News24 Leaderboard has just revealed that just under 5000 people read and commented on the article. This made it the most read article this week, however it came second to a series of video clips submitted by an observer. Well done to Jonathan Searra.

Jonathan's clips attracted a whopping number of almost 23 000 views. I wonder if written articles and video should be in the same category though, it is like comparing movies and books! However, blogging and citizen journalism is not about winning accolades, it is about informing public debate really, both written articles and videos are great tools. Furthermore, this proves one thing, there are more people viewing clips than those reading articles out there. Visuals are simply powerful! A picture will always say a thousand words!

Now if one considers the fact that this blog (pitsotsibs), in its entire lifetime has attracted under 10 000 reads in its entire life, one gets the picture of how powerful the News24 medium is. Thanks to all the readers.

Metro police action utterly shameful

It was with utter disgust that I watched the coverage of the events that unraveled in Johannesburg City Center on Wednesday night. When men and women who have been entrusted with the function of upholding law and order and the safety of the citizenry, take up arms and shoot at each other, something has gone terribly wrong. When two security agencies, who should be working together to fight lawlessness, abuse state resources to fight each other, one has to wonder whether we are at the brink of a disaster as a country.

The Metro police managed to destroy whatever credibility they had in the public eye in a single night. When they decided to cease to be upholders of the law, and act like hooligans, firing live ammunition at the South African police in the presence of civilians, they effectively declared themselves a danger to the public they claim to “protect and serve”. Their actions were not only disgusting but also demoralizing to a public that is in need of safety assurances. The message is loud and clear to the SA public; those we have entrusted with our wellbeing are not so committed to the course anymore. Heads should roll, somebody should be held accountable, but we all know too well by now, this is just another day in the chaos we call our country.

Perhaps even more worrying is the fact that the events of last night could possibly not merely be about salary increases as much as they are about the state of disharmony that has engulfed our security agencies. It is public knowledge that the SAPS and their Metro police counterparts have always had unresolved issues coexisting and working together over the years. We know that during the Xenophobic attacks recently, the SAPS and National Intelligence Agencies (NIA) kept pointing fingers at each other.

We are also aware of the current turf war between the SAPS and the NPA. The SAPS currently have a suspended mafia buddy to deal with; the Ekurhuleni Metro police have a power drunken master in Robert McBride. One looks up to the higher powers who should be re-assuring us, but alas, the best they can do is to extend Jackie Selebi’s employment contract while he is still under suspension.

It is up to us South Africans to search within our souls and ask very difficult questions about the direction that this country is heading to. It is up to each individual to really ask; “is this the democracy that we longed for?”. All those who love this country know that whatever is brewing under the surface cannot be allowed to boil over; this country is way too precious. Let us walk into next years elections with our minds open about who should lead us, let us make a statement in the way we elect our local leaders; let us demand excellence from them. Let us at provincial level demand change, never ceasing to demand the best that we deserve from those we entrust with our future. May God help us as we seek to redefine ourselves as a nation!

June 16, an enounter with life!

This piece was written for June 16, but I just never got to publish it on time...well, better late than never i guess...

It is a public holiday today in South Africa, on this day we remember the events of 16 June 1976, when the history of South Africa changed for the better. But I cannot help thinking, as we look back to the events of 1976, have the youth of today really risen to the challenge of a post-democratic era?

I will not go down the self pity route, stating the obvious, the lack of employment, education opportunities...yeah, yeah, those are obvious challenges that are real, but are the youth of SA generally pushing the boundaries, taking charge of their lives, and fighting hard to take advantage of the benefits of freedom to positively influence their lives? I was thinking about this question over the long weekend, and what I experienced and observed over this time provided me with a perspective that left me with mixed feelings!

I met and saw many of my old buddies and relatives around my age who are just deep in hopelessness. I keep wondering why they could not be "lucky" like a few others who at least still have lives worth living. I see friends who were in the same class as myself, some better or same as me in many areas like family finance, academic performance etc. How come they did not have the same "luck"?

I then interrogated myself further, is it really luck, destiny or chance that dictates whether others make it or fail in life? Is there a bunch of a chosen few that have been marked by God to just have a better life? Could it be that those who do not succeed just did not fight hard enough to succeed or were they just programmed not to make it?

Some claim that it is influence from home, associations, choices that constitute "luck" in life. I look at this perspective and wonder, could this be true, that external forces like family and friends that one ends up with in life determine your heights in life, sure there is some credibility in this perspective, but are these factors enough to leave one doomed for life?

Are personal choices the bigger factor perhaps? Could it be that the choices that we make in those early formative years determine how far one goes? Yes surely that counts, perhaps a lot more than external factors, at least personal choices are internal to each individual, they can be changed at will, and perhaps it is better to just know that nothing more than yourself is ultimately the deciding factor, it gives one power to some extent.

But what about those whose choices are limited by the environment they find themselves in, surely we can't blame them entirely for being lazy! Obviously I don’t get this stuff! Sorry for confusing you and me, in fact let me just drop it!

What I do get is that June 16 should probably be used to focus on the individual young person, to help the individual gain freedom of the mind, freedom to imagine a better future, freedom to know they are free to fly. Let us move the attention away from the group, the "young people of today", "the generation of today" etc. The march is not a physical one against bullets and tear gas, the march is that of the individual against personal circumstances, mental boundaries! Once each individual young person is taught to divorce his or her own destiny from what government is supposed to be doing for them, and be directed to what they can do for themselves, then we have a better chance of realising the gains made in June 16 of 1976!

Skwatsha: Hooliganism has taken over SA’s political landscape

When Jacob Zuma was elected, he had behind him a whole host of people who ushered him into power because they could not stand Thabo Mbeki. They exercised their right, and they got rid of the Native Intelligence. But what was not clear was exactly what united the JZ voters. Was it their admiration of the “Zuluboy” or their collective abhorrence of the “Intelligent One”?

I will leave it up to you to guess, but let me continue to say that the Zuma vote carried so much baggage that he himself had anticipated. The hooligans that hid behind him are now coming up to the surface, and now we have a new look ANC. The events that led to the public stabbing of a Zuma man, Skwatsha, have revealed that there is more chaos bubbling under the surface of the Zuma camp. Add to that the Zuma vs Mbeki rivalry which still has not been addressed.

Every hooligan that believes he has a shot at leadership will try to get up there. After all, if a whole anti-crime unit is going to be busted simply because the new ANC leader might be in trouble with the law, what stops the hooligans from believing that they stand a chance?

The Skwatsha saga has just revealed one thing, there a men out there, who have paid their price by voting JZ in power, and they will use every trick available to ascend into power for the next 10 years! I wish there will still be a country to govern after 10 years at this rate!