Why, in a whole continent of failed countries is Zimbabwe the most tragic of them all?Â  Under severe Western pressure, Rhodesia was forced to capitulate to Marxist terrorists, and Mugabe assumed power in 1980.Â  During â€œindependenceâ€ celebrations for the newly re-named Zimbabwe, two of Mugabeâ€™s most active supporters â€“ President Samora Machel of Mozambique, and President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania told him â€œYou have the jewel of Africa in your handsâ€¦ Now look after it.â€
What was so different about Zimbabwe, and why did Mugabeâ€™s fellow Marxists regard the former Rhodesia as the â€œjewel of Africaâ€?
Rhodesia (along with South Africa) was one of the few African countries occupied permanently by European (predominantly, but not exclusively British) settlers.Â  It was NOT a British Colony.Â  Elsewhere, Colonial Administrators merely managed affairs for the benefit of their Home Governments before going â€œhomeâ€ to retire, or for another posting elsewhere in the Empire.Â  This was the case in both (Portuguese) Mozambique and in Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika, under German Rule until the end of World War 1, then mandated to Britain).
On the contrary, self-governing Rhodesia benefitted from generations of settlers who cared about the country theyâ€™d come to live in.Â  By the 1970s, there were second and third generation white settlers in Rhodesia.Â  They had every interest in developing infrastructure such as roads, water reservoirs, pipelines, sewerage, electricity supplies, education, commercial farming, mines and industry; and in preserving civilised government. Â Most black Rhodesians were contented, and a growing well-to-do African middle class, who were entitled to vote, was developing. Â By contrast, Mugabeâ€™s, and other African Nationalistsâ€™ call was for â€œone-man-one-voteâ€.Â  Rhodesians had seen that, in the rest of Africa, this invariably meant â€œone-man-one-voteâ€¦ ONCEâ€.Â  This is what the long Rhodesian Civil War was all about â€“ not white against black, but western values against Marxism.Â  There were far more black than white professional soldiers and policemen in Rhodesia.
The â€œone-man-one-voteâ€¦ onceâ€ concerns of decent Rhodesian blacks and whites have, sadly been proven in Zimbabwe â€“ so called elections are not free or fair and never have been.Â  But then â€œdemocracyâ€ only works in Africa as long as the voters choose to vote for the Party that is in power.Â  The moment there is a threat to the ruling party, elections become even more rigged and violent.Â  Last week, Mugabeâ€™s thugs forced thousands of reluctant but terrified â€œsupportersâ€ to attend a rally in support of his candidature for yet another term in office as President of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabweâ€™s infrastructure is collapsing, and the country that was the breadbasket of Africa has become another BASKET CASE in Africa.




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